Summer Company Program supporting 10 businesses

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The Stratford Perth Centre for Business and investStratford celebrated the launch of their annual Summer Company Program, which will be supporting 10 students and their small businesses during the coming months.

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“We always say entrepreneurs sort of breed entrepreneurs, and I think that goes without saying in a room like this today” investStratford CEO Joani Geber said Thursday during an afternoon ceremony.

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The annual program – funded by the Province of Ontario, and the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade – provides training, mentorship and a grant of $3,000 to each of the participating student. Half of the grant is provided at the beginning of the program to help with startup costs, while the students receive the other half once they complete the program. 

Ontario’s minister of small business, Nina Tangri, was also on hand Thursday to celebrate the local launch of the program.

“Behind every small business is an amazing entrepreneur,” Tangri said.

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A small business owner for more than 35 years, Tangri said she was unaware of the supports available to her when she was starting her own career.

“If we had the ability to have had that little bit of help, I think we could have soared much further ahead much faster,” she said.

Many of the students who complete the program have later made their businesses into full-time career, Tangri noted.

“So you see those great ideas – sometimes it’s just that one crazy idea that goes into your head to say, ‘I would love to do that when I’m done with school’ – and because you have that support, (you’re) able to take that first step,” the minister said.

This year’s program was so popular that investStratford would not have been able to support all of the young applicants who had viable business, given the amount of provincial funding they received. However, Perth County stepped in to provide $6,000 to support two additional students.

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“This program continues to see an overwhelming interest from youth across our region. Summer Company ignites and empowers youth to pursue and explore their entrepreneurial passions. It takes a great deal of courage to take a business idea and transform it into a reality,” Perth County Warden Doug Kellum said.

This support “matters a ton,” Gerber added. While investStratford receives funds to help provide the mentorship, it can be more difficult to directly support all of the interested students, Gerber said.

“So in this regard, Perth County was able to step up and fund two extra spaces, which means no student went unsupported this year,” she added.

If there is one thing Gerber hopes the students take away from the program, it is the idea of self-motivation since they won’t have a boss telling them what to do every day.

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“They have to be motivated to do it on their own, and so that’s an exceptional life skill. It’ll make them much better employees should they choose that route as they get older (and be) much better humans and adults in the world,” she said.

Students and businesses in this year’s program include:

• Makenzie Bartlett, Belle with a Bow: Live violin performances
• Navan Simmons, N7slens: Sports photography.
• Valentine Adeseiye, Zenthra Labs: This offers 3D printing and other modern tools to make custom products.
• Brody Schoonderwoerd, Schoonderwoerd Window Washing: Exterior window washing services for local residents.
• Joel Heida, Joel’s Patio Revival: Garden landscaping.
• Michael Ewing, Designs by Michael: Sports photography and bold graphic design.
• David Lambert, Stratford Yard Works: Offering yard work and general home help.
• Brooke Wilhem, Brooke Wilhelm’s Simply Spotless Cleaning: Interior cleaning services.
• Grace Slater, Cents and Sensibility: This helps teens understand money early on through an online course.
• Aimen Anasari, Fleur Cake: Handcrafted jewelry and accessories.

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