Enterprise Centre

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Open Monday to Friday

705-351-3309

Starting a small business all on your own can be time-consuming and expensive. Fortunately, for entrepreneurs and small business start-ups there are a host of free resources that can get you headed in the direction of success.

Knowing what your business needs and where to find it puts you in a good position to grow your organization at a steady pace. Between online services and real-world assistance there are resources available to make things easy on new ventures looking to cut out their slice of the market share.

Online Resources for Small Businesses

These days almost everything is connected to the internet. Most small and growing businesses are looking for specific information on topics like taxes, government services and resources as well as simple how-to walkthroughs for the more complicated aspects of entrepreneurship.

How-to’s

From start to finish there are a lot of moving parts to establishing a viable business. Sometimes all we need to kick-start our own businesses is a little direct help. Canada One offers a host of free online How-to articles and templates that will teach you everything from planning and registration to marketing and public relations.

Here’s a quick list of some of their helpful articles:

The Marketing and PR Checklist
Accounting 101: Balance Sheet Basics
The Formula for Success

Take a look at their list of informative posts and articles and bookmark it for later viewing.

Business Taxes

After you’ve established your business and started to turn a profit it’s time to think about business taxes. While business taxes may seem like a daunting task there are institutions and resources available to help you do it right and in a timely fashion. The government wants your business to succeed.

The Canadian Revenue Agency has a section on their website specifically for new businesses looking for tax and finance related information. Learn about setting up your business, getting a business number and basics about GST and HST.

Visit the Canadian Revenue Agency website for more detailed information.

Government Services and Resources

Beyond taxes the government of Canada and the provincial government Ontario have set up online assistance tools and resources to help any small and growing business along their path to prosperity.

The Canadian Business Network can help you find financing and collects the necessary permits and licences to work above board and in a legal capacity.

The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation offers information and tools with a more local orientation. Learn how to start a local business from scratch or how to grow your existing business to new levels.

Local Resources for Growing Businesses

Nearly every region and city has a local support system in place to help businesses along in their first few years of operation. Downtown and Business Improvement Associations often have access to helpful resources and contacts to aid in growth, organization and adherence to local laws and business guidelines. The local Chamber of Commerce is also a good place to start for information and assistance with the finer points of launching your new venture.

Collingwood Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce in Collingwood provides a host of benefits for small businesses and corporations alike. The chamber can help you with preparing strategic submissions to the Federal, Provincial or Municipal government on issues such as changes to Health Care, discussions with officials concerning Business Tax, or providing input on local issues such as tourism.

The Enterprise Centre

The focus of the Small Business Enterprise Centre in Collingwood is to provide support to start-ups and existing small business enterprises during their development and day-to-day operations. We provide entrepreneurs with direct access to business consulting services and information including management, marketing, technology and financing topics.

We support Clearview Township, Collingwood, Town of The Blue Mountains and Wasaga Beach.

The Enterprise Centre also manages our monthly blog that posts information and updates on popular business topics to help local entrepreneurs and new ventures headed towards success.

Centre for Business Development

The Centre For Business and Economic Development is a not-for-profit Community Futures Development Corporation sponsored by Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Their mandate is to develop and diversify the local economy.  They are a valuable business resource for new and expanding businesses and offer:

  • business loans up to $150,000
  • business mentoring program
  • business counseling
  • business resource library
  • online learning through To Learn Online
  • business registration
  • support for community economic development

The Centre For Business services the Georgian Triangle and Dufferin County, specifically Meaford, Town of the Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Township of Clearview, Orangeville, Shelburne, Mono, Townships of Amaranth, East Garafraxa, East Luther, Grand Valley, Melancthon, and Mulmur.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Canadian entrepreneurs, businesses and governments all want you to succeed. There are more free resources available today, both online and in the real world, than ever before. Take advantage of what the local, provincial and federal communities have to offer and build your business today!

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