The latest news, events and client highlights from the WindsorEssex Small Business Centre.
Small Business Spotlight
Downtown Restauranteurs Hungry for More
A local chef has returned to his Windsor roots, bringing with him international culinary skills to two new entrepreneurial endeavours: downtown restaurants, Bread Meats Bread and Burger Farm.

Craft sandwich shop, Bread Meats Bread, opened in December 2016. It's owned by chef David Prantera, his wife Silva, and her brother, George Shaker, who renovated the space at 33 Chatham Street East.

The Prantera's, originally from Windsor, moved away from the city in 2008. After Prantera spent years working in five-star hotel restaurants in Dubai, the couple decided to return to Windsor with their young daughter to be close to family.

Unlike Dubai, Windsor doesn't have quite the same high-end dining environment.

"It's not just Windsor, but anywhere. It's pretty hard to make money in full-service establishments," said Prantera. "I thought, 'it would be cool to do sandwiches, but not the typical sandwich where it's just deli meat ... that's pretty simple for anyone to make at home."

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
NOW OPEN

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
CABOTO CLUB


Register now  to become a vendor at the WindsorEssex Small Business Centre's 3rd annual Small Biz Expo!  Last year's Small Biz Expo saw 300+ attendees and over 50 local vendors, entrepreneurs, and Small Business Centre clients participate and display their products and services.  The expo is a showcase of local, independent, and diverse small businesses from across the region, and your opportunity to sell your business. Register now to take advantage of the Early Bird discount.

Tuesday, October 18, 2017
Caboto Club

 Client News
Video: youtube.com/windsoressex
Small Business & Entrepreneurship in Windsor-Essex, ON Canada

Since 1992, the Small Business Centre (SBC) has provided thousands of entrepreneurs with the training and support necessary to start and grow successful businesses. SBC is a one-stop source - providing guidance and professional advice from concept, through start-up and early growth stages of business.

Photo: Jason Kryk/Windsor Star
Windsor Mural Artist Adds Musical Colour to West End
Dalson Chen | Windsor Star

Olde Sandwich Towne just got a bit more colourful - thanks to the latest large-scale piece by Windsor mural artist Briana (Athena) Benore.
 
Her new wall-sized mural - finished on Sunday [May 28th] after about two weeks of work - overlooks the patio of the Dominion House tavern (3140 Sandwich St.) and is visible to westbound traffic entering the neighbourhood.

The mural measures 15 feet high and 60 feet wide (900 square feet), and took about 200 cans of spray paint to complete.

Photo: Dax Melmer/Windsor Star
Artwork Makes Amherstburg Teen an Instagram Hit
Mary Caton | Windsor Star

Amherstburg artist Madison Young has designed a cover for a music CD, had her work featured in a local gallery and prominently displayed at the town's popular holiday River Lights Festival.
 
Not too shabby for someone who's still not old enough to drive or enter any number of established artistic competitions.

Young is a 15-year-old Grade 9 student at Villanova who just happens to have more than 50,000 followers on Instagram.

Photo: Dax Melmer/Windsor Star
New Shop Fills Kingsville Niche with Creative Chocolate Treats
Sarah Sacheli | Windsor Star

In a town known for birding, new avian specimens have landed. Even better, they are made of chocolate.
 
Handcrafted chocolate birds are one of the specialties of Old Dutch Guys Chocolate, a new shop on Kingsville's eclectic Main Street. The proprietors are Cor Boon, 75, who hails from Groningen, Holland, and Henry Noestheden, 68, born in Amsterdam.

"We're two old Dutch guys," Noestheden said.

Boon is a champion wood carver. His carvings are the inspiration for the chocolate creations sold in the shop. Noestheden is a sculptor with a technical bent. Their collaboration resulted in brisk business in their first week at Kingsville's bustling four corners.

Photo: Jason Kryk/Windsor Star
Health Club Poised to Open Downtown
Dave Battagello | Windsor Star

True Fitness - a health club that recently pitched locating inside ground-floor retail space within the Pelissier Street parking garage - is on the verge of announcing it will open in a different downtown location.
 
"There is some very good news coming for downtown," said Larry Horwitz, chairman of the Downtown Business Improvement Association on Wednesday. "It will be a major tenant coming who will take a huge chunk of space and fill a huge service need."

An official announcement [was] made Thursday [June 15th] afternoon with an indication True Fitness will open at 443 Ouellette Ave. The health club will also include massage therapy and a wellness centre.

Photo: Dax Melmer/Windsor Star
Tecumseh Vista Academy Launches New Entrepreneurial Program
Dave Waddell | Windsor Star

Tecumseh Vista student Ben Arquette-Jumel has more than just an entrepreneurial spirit - he already is a small business owner.
 
What he isn't is experienced, so the Tecumseh school's new e-STEAM program will provide just the type of structure needed to harness a creative spirit.

"It's going to be a great addition to the school," said Jumel-Arquette, who founded the 3D printing firm Printable Canada with a friend from Assumption high school in February.

Photo: Rima Hamadi/CBC News
Windsor Program Teaches Finer Points of Sewing
Rima Hamadi | CBC News

The Windsor Youth Centre will be the host of a new program that teaches residents the finer points of the sewing industry.
 
The Sew to Know program was created by Stephen Drouin, who received funding from the city as a way to teach people new skills and hopefully help them land a job.

"It's bringing a form of art and heritage into our community, that wasn't there to begin with," he said.

Photo: Dax Melmer/Windsor Star
New Entrepreneurs Reviving Downtown Windsor's Chatham Street
Anne Jarvis | Windsor Star

It's 7:30 a.m., and David Prantera is rolling gnocchi at his new restaurant, Bread Meats Bread, on Chatham Street East. In his other new restaurant on Chatham, called Burger Farm, French fries are soaking in brine to infuse the flavour.
 
Across the street, Sandro Giustini is making his own potato chips in his Chatham Street Delicatessen. It takes him three to four hours, but he says, "it separates us from everyone else."

On the other side of Ouellette Avenue, Enaya Abukamil and her son, Mohammed, make lentil soup in their new restaurant, Mira Middle Eastern Flavours.

Small Business Centre's ScaleUp Program a Groundbreaker
Dave Waddell | Windsor Star

The Windsor Essex Small Business Centre will roll out a new financial administration and accounting program aimed at start-ups that is believed to be the first of its kind in North America.
 
Called scaleUP Financial, the program offers customized accounting software, in-class training, support for a year and networking opportunities.

"There's a 50 per cent mortality rate for new businesses (in the first five years)," said Julian Hawkins, a chartered accountant who teaches the course with his wife and fellow CPA Allison Hawkins.

Congratulations Biz X Magazine!


Congratulations to Biz X Magazine on celebrating 20 years of showcasing and supporting our region's unique businesses!  Read the full article.
Upcoming Events
Advance, online registration required for all events.
Please check our calendar for more upcoming events.

Basics of Starting a
Small Business

Date/Time


Do you have an idea and want to start your own  small  business, but you aren't sure where to start? Attend one of these FREE seminars to find out information about:
  • How to register your business
  • Business structure
  • Government support programs
  • Other available services and programs
You will receive a FREE Start-up Package and step-by-step guidance.





 

Basics of Writing a
Business Plan

Date/Time


A good business plan is your road map to success!  A business plan is also required when applying for any type of small business financing.  Attend one of these FREE seminars to learn how to develop a business plan that will work for you!  This session will cover:
  • Required elements of a business plan
  • Breaking down a business plan into manageable pieces
  • Where to gather relevant information for a business plan
  • How to professionally arrange your ideas and research
  • What to do with the plan when it's completed



 

Starter Company
Workshop

This Government of Ontario program provides entrepreneurs with the resources and knowledge needed in order to start and grow their own small business. The program includes one-on-one guidance from the Small Business Centre, mentoring with local professionals, funding of up to $5,000, and access to small business training & workshops.


Classes will resume in  October.   Start working with an advisor today.

The  Small Business Centre also holds similiar workshops throughout the year. Keep an eye on our newsletter, social media, and  Calendar for upcoming events.  
Past Events

Another successful week of training courses for Starter Company, June 12 to 16!  We
are on our way to working with them on their business plans to apply for the Starter
Company grant!
Special Announcements
The United Way/Centraide and the WindsorEssex Small Business Centre bring you the Neighbourhood Small Business Grant

Four $5,000 grants are available to support the launch of small businesses in United Way Priority Neighbourhoods across Windsor and Essex County.

The United Way currently funds four neighbourhood engagement programs and an integral part of neighbourhood revival is thriving small businesses within communities. As a natural evolution of these efforts, the grants will support businesses looking to open in these priority areas in Windsor and targeted areas in the County: Uptown Leamington, Essex Centre and Harrow.

What is the scaleUP Financial Program?

Does this sound familiar: You're unsure of how your business is doing, or how to measure the success of your business? Worried about what taxes you have to file and pay? Working with a shoebox of receipts or a painful accounting system?   We have a solution.

scaleUP Financial is a program that equips entrepreneurs with the resources to tackle their small business bookkeeping. Participants will learn financial management strategies and receive hands-on training to use Xero, a fast-growing cloud-based accounting platform. Xero is perfect for startups and growing businesses of all industries, and scaleUP entrepreneurs receive a one-year discounted Xero subscription! You will learn to:
  • Create efficiencies in your business
  • Use financial data to make wise business decisions
  • Keep on top of paperwork, bookkeeping, and compliance
Join the Small Business Centre's Business Advantage program

The Small Business Centre now offers three levels of membership exclusively to its clients through its Business Advantage Program. Entrepreneurs can access existing programs, training and services, as well as discounts for SBC events and a number of perks from local companies offering support to small businesses. 

Clients who sign up for a GROW membership can take advantage of discounted services and products from local partner businesses such as Allegra, Image 360, Vistaprint, Staples, Blab! Media, Hawkins & Co. Accounting and Lacasse Printing Company.
WindsorEssex Small Business Centre | 519-253-6900 | Email  | Website
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