Markham’s Starter Company Plus program seeks to help entrepreneurs start, expand or grow a small business in Markham by providing training, education and advisory services and an opportunity to be selected for grant funding of up to $5,000.00 including access to mentorship from local business leaders.

Expressions of interest are now being accepted and the deadline for submitting a completed Business Plan/Growth Plan/Pivot Plan and Budget is Monday March 1, 2021.

If you are:

• A for-profit business located in the municipal boundaries of Markham
• Not employed full time elsewhere
• Not in a full-time education program and/or not planning to return to school full-time in the next 3 years
• Not currently receiving funding from another Provincial entrepreneurship or business program
• Not a previous recipient of the Starter Company (Plus) grant nor Small Business Recovery and Digital Resilience Program grant
• Not a commission-based business nor franchise business
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Ontario.

And are willing to:

• Create and follow a business plan/growth plan/pivot plan and a 2-year financial forecast/budget
• Agree to participate in training and monthly mentoring meetings over a 3-month period
• Agree to provide business reports to the Markham Small Business Centre for verification over a 3-month period.
  

Then:

• Your business may be a fit with the Starter Company Plus program.

The program is delivered in two phases:

1. Open to all applicants: Training, Education and assistance with preparation of an updated Business Plan/growth plan/pivot plan and Budget
2. For selected applicants chosen to proceed to Phase 2: Receive grant funding and begin 3-month mentoring period

Take an Expression of Interest Survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StarterCompanyPlus

Note: This expression of interest is not a complete application. In order to complete an application you must submit a substantially completed business plan/growth plan/pivot plan including a budget to msbc@markham.ca. Our program coordinator will help you get started by recommending training sessions and working with you to complete these documents.

You can find the Business Plan/Growth Plan/Pivot Plan and Financial Forecast/Budget Templates here:

Important:

Although training, education and assistance with a business plan/growth plan/pivot plan and cash flow projections/budget are provided to all applicants; selection for grant funding is competitive and there are limited spaces available. Preference to be selected for grant funding assistance will be given to those applicants whose proposals demonstrate realistic plans for:

• Employment for individuals other than the business owner; and/or,
• Operating or opening a brick-and-mortar physical location outside of a home office; and/or,
• Expansion towards new lines of product/service revenue (particularly online/virtual); and/or,
• Operating in a priority sector (e.g., food, beverage, main street retail, accommodation, arts, entertainment & recreation,sports, cultural, travel and attractions, professional, scientific, technical, medical, life sciences services or technologies that are market ready with demonstrated traction)

Complete your business plan/growth plan/pivot plan and cash flow projections/budget as soon as possible, as the program may fill up early.

The deadline for submitting a completed business plan/growth plan/pivot plan and cash flow projections/budget is Monday March 1, 2021. Interviews will then be conducted and those who are selected to receive a grant will then begin three months of mentoring, starting in April as they work towards executing their business plan/growth plan/pivot plan. This is the first of a number of cohorts, so if your application is not selected for this cohort, there is the possibility that your application could be deferred for consideration in a subsequent cohort (pending funding availability).