Tag: small business grants

Investment Pitch Mistakes

Posted by WFG – August 31, 2011

During your investment pitch the chances are you will make some mistakes. This is normal and errors such as dropping your pen will be largely ignored. But there are other glaring problems that need to be addressed. The only problem is, you probably don’t know you’re making them.

Overselling Your Investment Pitch

You may think you’ve made it big when you pitch your business to investors. But the truth is you’re not even close. Some small business owners are overly confident when they believe their business to be in a great position. But be warned, investors can see through this. Read the rest of this article

Small Business Funds

Posted by WFG – August 30, 2011

money roll

Image courtesy of zzzack

Small business funds are the life source of a startup company. They not only help you progress as an organization, but as a small business owner. These funds though, can be hard to come by and while you can try pitching your business to investors, you can also look to government grants.

Government Grants

The first approach to finding small business funds is the government grant. But before you rush to your nearest government office, you’ll need to consider a few requirements.

  • Make sure you’re eligible, which sounds obvious, but true. A wide selection of applications get turned down simply because company owners don’t read the criteria.
  • Keep your finances in order. When going through the application process, authorities will need to make sure your finances are professionally maintained. This means invoices, receipts and any documents to support your application.
  • Have enough time. Many small business owners don’t understand that government grants can take time to complete. Give yourself roughly three to four weeks.
  • Seek professional help. You may find that completing the application process is getting in the way of other tasks. By getting professional help you can complete a good government grant application, and work at the same time. Read the rest of this article

Finding an Investor

Posted by WFG – August 29, 2011

Finding an investor might sound simple, but it isn’t. There are a series of different strategies and the chances are you’ll need to put them all into action. Just remember that if your business idea is good, they’ll need you as much as you need them. Pitch your business well and you’ll be in a commanding position.

Know Your Plan

Before you start pitching your business and finding an investor, you need to know what you’re looking for. There is a typical angel investor and you should aim your search for the following points.

Age: 40-60

Income: Exceeds $100,000 Read the rest of this article

Karen Mills Talks Small Businesses with Inc.

Posted by WFG – August 18, 2011

Karen Mills, head of the US Small Business Administration answers questions on the economy and small business growth. The SBA chief is an influential figure in the world of startups and reveals how she would deal with the ailing economy.

For more on this visit Inc.

BC Government Grants for Aboriginals

Posted by Winflow – June 30, 2011

The province of British Columbia, in partner with many First Nations, offers Aboriginal small business owners a number of government financing options. These contributions are often in the form of non-repayable grants. This makes government financing one of the lowest cost-options for funding a business.

Are you an Aboriginal located in BC interested in receiving $50 000 towards small business projects? If so, contact the Winflow Financial Group today. Our consultants will find government financing applicable to your small business.

Government financing programs for Aboriginals in BC include:

  • AHIP Community Funding. If you are an Aboriginal business owner interested in contributing to the development of community projects to promote health care among First Nations this program could be for you. The program has three streams of funding:
    - Capacity Development. This fund is for community capacity development activities. You could receive up to $5 000 if eligible.
    - Community Health Enhancement. This fund is for short-term projects like community kitchens, educational workshops or recreation programs. You could receive up to $20 000 to implement your project.
    - Health Promotion / Disease Prevention. If your project promotes health education or disease prevention, you could receive up to $50 000 per year for three years.
  • Burns Lake Native Development Corporation (BLNDC) – Economic Development Program. If your small business or small business idea falls in the fields of tourism, aquaculture, mining, agriculture or manufacturing you could receive assistance financing your business. The program also offers Aboriginal business owners mentoring services.
  • Nechako – Kitamaat Development Fund. Those located in northwestern BC that have projects that will contribute to economic development could receive up to 50 percent of project costs.
  • Tale’awtxw Aboriginal Capital Corporation. This corporation provides loans to Aboriginal business owners. They offer a funding option once a year that includes a 40 percent forgiveness portion over the life of your loan.

Quebec Grants for Young Entrepreneurs

Posted by Winflow – June 29, 2011

Many provinces and territories in Canada have instituted grant programs for young entrepreneurs. The goal of these programs is to encourage young entrepreneurs to start their own Canadian company. If you’re a young person currently residing in Quebec there are a number of grants available to you including:

Fondation du Maire de Montréal pour la Jeunesse / Mayor of Montreal’s Foundation for Youth

To be eligible for the Mayor Of Montreal’s Foundation for Youth program you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be between the ages of 18 and 35.
  • You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
  • You must be available to work full-time from the moment your business is started.
  • You or your business should be located in one of the following boroughs or reconstituted cities.

If eligible, you could receive the following funding:

  • $5 000 to $30 000 in grant money.

Défi les Anges Financiers / Angel Investors Challenge

To be eligible for the Angel Investor Challenge you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be between the ages of 18 and 40.
  • Your business should have market and growth potential, an innovative business component, a product that provides significant value to customers and the ability to stand apart from the competition.
  • Your business should be in the seed, start-up or development phase and should be located in Quebec.

If your business is selected you could receive the following:

  • Potential investments between $50 000 and $1-million from interested investors.
  • Training and coaching to help your business stand out to investors.

Jeunes Promoteurs / Young Entrepreneurs (Website in French)

To be eligible for Young Entrepreneurs you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be between the ages of 18 and 35.
  • You must commit to working full-time.
  • You should be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
  • You should have experience or training that is relevant to the project.

The Young Entrepreneurs offers financing based on three components:

  • Developing a business plan. You could get 75 percent of eligible project costs funded.
  • Starting a small business. You could 50 percent of eligible start-up costs funded.
  • Training. You could be trained as entrepreneur and get all eligible costs covered.

For your small business funding needs, contact the Winflow Financial Group today.

Quebec Government Grants for Women

Posted by Winflow – June 29, 2011

If you are female business owner in Quebec you could qualify for a number of small business grants or financing options from the government of Canada. Grants are non-repayable and one of the most cost-effective ways to finance your small business. If you’re a female entrepreneur located in Quebec, consider the following financing options:

Femmessor — Réussir en affaires / Femmessor – Succeeding in Business Program

To be eligible for this program you must meet the following requirements:

  • Your small business must be predominantly owned by women 18 years and older.
  • You must present an economically viable project.
  • You must invest at least five percent of project costs.
  • Your business must be located in one of these Quebec regions.
  • You should have the appropriate business training and experience.

If eligible, your small business could receive the following:

  • You could receive an investment between $1 000 and $25 000 over a period of five years.

CLD Services for Women Entrepreneurs / Entrepreneuriat au féminin
(Website in French)

The Local Development Centre of Portneuf (CLD) offers female entrepreneurs loans to expand or start their small business located in Quebec. The goals of the program include:

  • Providing a network to female entrepreneurs.
  • Providing funding to small business operated by women.
  • Providing support and training to female entrepreneurs.

If you qualify for the CLD’s program you could receive the following:

  • Financing in the form of a loan through the CLD’S Local Investment Club of Portneuf.
  • Training and support for through every phase of business operation.
  • Assistance in organizing an event for International Women Day.

Women’s Partnership Fund

The Women’s Partnership Fund is available to female entrepreneurs across Canada. The program aims to improve economic and social conditions for women. To be eligible for the program, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Your business must be incorporated and must be a for-profit or not-for-profit business.
  • Your organization’s mandate must reflect Canadian individual right to equality.
  • Your organization must have a democratic structure.

If accepted into the program you could receive the following:

  • The maximum amount of funding your business could receive is $500 000 per year.
  • Matching requirements apply, see website for details.

If you’re having trouble finding the right type of loan for your small business, gcontact the Winflow Financial Group today.

Quebec Small Business Grant – Fondation du Maire de Montréal pour la Jeunesse

Posted by Winflow – June 27, 2011

The Fondation du Maire de Montréal pour la Jeunesse is a Quebec small business grant for young entrepreneurs. This grants aims to encourage young entrepreneurs to start businesses to contribute to a united business community.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Fondation du Maire de Montréal grant you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be between the ages of 18 and 35.
  • You must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
  • You must be available to work full-time from the moment your business has started.
  • You should reside in a borough or reconstituted city of Montreal. For a list of boroughs and reconstituted cities, click here.
  • You should have been in business in a Montreal borough or reconstituted city for the past 12 months OR you should be able to start-up a business in a Montreal borough in the 12 months following project acceptance.
  • You should hold the majority of the shares.
  • For further eligibility requirements, click here.

Funding

If eligible, you could receive the following funding:

  • Between $5 000 and $30 000 for business expenses. It is important to note that this grant will not cover the company’s entire start-up costs.

If you’re interested in applying for this Quebec small business grant, click here.

If you need assistance determining what government grant is best-suited for your small business, contact the Winflow Financial Group.

Quebec Small Business Grant- Economic Projects Support Program

Posted by Winflow – June 27, 2011

The Economic Projects Support Program is a Quebec small business grant that supports investment and product development projects. The grants also promotes new businesses, business growth, economic development and job creation.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Economic Projects Support Program you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be a private, for-profit company OR
  • A co-op whose business activities are similar to those of a private company OR
  • A company whose activities fall within economic development priorities OR
  • A service business in the following sectors:
    -Environmental services.
    -Private research centres.
    -Publishing software.
    -Customer contact centres.

If you are eligible based on the criteria above you must determine which component of the program to apply for. Eligibility requirements for each component are listed below:

Product Development Component

  • Your project must have eligible expenses between $250 000 and  $2-million.
  • Your project must be innovative.
  • Your project should have the potential for commercialization.

Investment Component

  • Your project must create a new business or plan the expansion of an existing business.
  • Your project must have eligible expenses between $250 000 and $5-million.
  • Your project should help create or maintain jobs.

For further details on eligibility requirements, click here.

Funding

If you are eligible for the Economic Projects Support Program you could receive:

  • Funding and contributions that complement funding from private sources.
  • All contributions are non-repayable.

If you need assistance determining which government grant is right for your small business, contact the Winflow Financial Group.

Quebec Small Business Grants – Community Diversification Program

Posted by Winflow – June 27, 2011

The Community Diversification Program aims to help Quebec regions develop an economic activity base. The grant, one of many Quebec small business grants, also aims to attract tourists and skilled individuals, provide entrepreneurial support to enterprises that assist Quebec communities and foster community development.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Community Diversification Program you must meet the following requirements:

  • You must be a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) OR
  • An SME group OR
  • A not-for-profit that focuses on business support or economic development OR
  • A municipality.
  • Your business must be located in Quebec.
  • Your project must fall under one of the following categories: community mobilization, community development or community attractiveness.
  • For complete details regarding eligibility, click here.

Funding

If you are eligible for the Community Diversification Program you could receive:

  • Financial grants and contributions.
  • Funding to cover the costs of all expenses directly related to the project.
  • Funding to cover costs necessary to execute the project.

If you need assistance determining which government grants can provide funding to your small business, contact the Winflow Financial Group. We can be reached at:

  • Phone: 1.800.956.6897.
  • Email: info@winflowfinancial.com
  • The free consultation request form located on our website.