After moving back to Windsor from Toronto three years ago, Kathryn Marenco learned an important lesson. “Being an architect and running an architectural practice are two very different skill sets,” she said. Marenco and her husband had a vision but needed help turning it into a business plan. “So that we could get help writing a business plan and creating a strategy so that we could figure out a way to move from my husband and I working out of our home office into a company where we could support some staff,” Marenco said. That kind of support is available to local entrepreneurs through the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre in downtown Windsor. The centre has received a 10 per cent boost to its core funding. It’s part of a three-year, $49 million investment by the provincial government to fund small business advisory centres across Ontario. “When I got this role and we visited all of our small business centres and talked to them, the one thing they needed was more resources,” said Associate Minister of Small Business Nina Tangri said during her visit to Windsor Thursday morning. She says that’s particularly important in a border community like Windsor, which is dealing with the impact of the current trade war. “It was just key to be able to make sure that we were able to show that we support the communities here.” The funding will also expand programs like summer company and starter company plus, which provide training, mentorship, and grants to help people start or grow a business. “Starter company provides training, mentorship, wraparound supports and a grant of up to five-thousand dollars to a small business owner to start, launch or expand,” said Sabrina Demarco, Executive Director of the Windsor-Essex centre. “We put out a call for applications early and there is so much interest for people to access the training and the mentorship that goes along with the programs that we are certainly oversubscribed.” The funding boost will allow the centre to offer five more starter company grants, bringing the total to 23. The support doesn’t end once a business is established. Chamber of Commerce CEO Ryan Donally says there’s a strong ecosystem to help with growth and scale. “We hope that those businesses go from an established business to now trying to scale their business.” Donally said. He pointed out 98 per cent of businesses in Ontario are small and micro businesses which he believes provides character to cities and communities. “We’re Windsor because we have Whiskey Jack Boutique. We’re Windsor because we have Cucina 360. We’ve got small shops and retail that gives us a sense of place,” Donally explained. “Small, micro and entrepreneurs really create our community. Small business does a great job of harnessing that and we hope to also continue to grow that with the chamber.”
