Economic Development eNews | March 9, 2021 |
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Top feature photo: Elizabeth Hess in her Westport shop Creative Gardens Floral Design. |
Above photos: Tree of Life wall art and orchids, Elizabeth with a ready-to-go, hand-tied bouquet with Gerber daisies, perfect peach-coloured roses. |
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Creative Gardens Floral Design bursting with colour and style
WESTPORT - Creative Gardens Floral Design owner Elizabeth Hess is known for her artistry and love of colour.
What she hasn't been known for until the pandemic hit a year ago, is having an online presence and a store via Shopify.
"It just wasn't my thing even though I had a friend who was encouraging me to expand my business by also offering my products online," says Elizabeth.
She now counts herself among the converted. Becoming more tech savvy is how she stayed in business as a "non-essential" operation when lockdowns hit.
Elizabeth launched her online store just before Easter 2020 when everyone was just getting used to all the COVID-19 phrases like social distancing and lockdown. The early days went very well and by Mother's Day she was selling out.
She feels a number of factors were at play and all helped carry her business through. "It was also because people weren't seeing their loved ones as they normally would so they were giving of themselves through flowers."
A new feature born from pandemic-related slowdowns is Elizabeth's "Creative Naturals" made from 100% dried preserved plant materials and organics. A shop display includes stunning wreaths, barn board, and live-edge cedar naturals.
"I'm all about colour and people seem to like my style. Everything is unique. I give a little bit of myself in every bouquet," says Elizabeth. She also tries to make her beautiful bouquets affordable and long lasting.
Her transition into a passionate floral designer came after many years as a landscape artist in the area. She added a garden centre to that business in 2015 and grew her clientele until 2018 when she decided to downsize.
"People knew me and trusted my product," Elizabeth says of how many of her landscape and garden centre customers followed her to her floral shop.
"One of the best parts of my job is delivering flowers to people because I love to see their faces and smiles knowing that someone is thinking of them. It's the best job in the world," she says.
"I love what I do and I love the affect it has on people," says Elizabeth. The pandemic has slowed things down, she says, and that can be viewed as a good thing. People have looked to their small businesses with a pivot to support local, made in Ontario, made in Canada products, says Elizabeth.
"As small businesses we put our hearts and souls into what we do. It's the little guy who drives the small towns, and goes out of the way to give you what you want," says Elizabeth.
Her coverage area is Westport, Rideau Lakes and part of Frontenac and Lanark Counties. Elizabeth welcomes home commissions and creates florals for weddings and funerals.
Visit Elizabeth's online shop and her Facebook and Instagram pages. Give her a call at 613-273-8437 or send her an email. Her shop is located at 39 Main Street in Westport. |
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Women leaders, visionaries honoured for COVID-19 pivots
Three outstanding woman in the local small business community are being recognized followed by the International Women's Day Celebration hosted virtually by the the Leeds Grenville Small Business Centre on March 5th.
"This past year has been such a difficult year for all businesses and support systems in our small business community but we continue to do our best by supporting and encouraging each other," said Wendy Onstein, manager of the Leeds Grenville Small Business Centre.
"At times like these, there are people who rise to the top – they are our visionaries; our leaders and they step up and lean in to help others and their communities," Wendy said.
Traditionally at the International Women’s Day event one female business leader is honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for showing perseverance, commitment and dedication to their business and community. It was decided to honour three women rather than just one this year for how they reacted to the worldwide pandemic.
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Ann Weir, Manager, Economic Development at the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
When Ontario locked down last March it did not take Ann very long to spring into action. She quickly formed a Counties-wide Business Support Working Group whose mandate was to share information and to make sure that this information was disseminated as quickly, accurately and efficiently as possible. This group consisted of government officials, service providers and local municipal leaders.
Ann coordinated a regional approach to the Digital Main Street program to ensure the maximum amount of grant money and business support was provided to the entire Leeds Grenville region.
She also secured funds for a series of short videos to feature and promote a small business from each of the 13 municipalities within Leeds Grenville.
Terry-Ann Hare, Owner, Beauty Inside Day Spa
The lockdown of Ontario last March was hard on business, especially those who offered personal service such as Beauty Inside Wellness Spa. Once the shock of not being able to operate had worn off, Terry-Ann started to think about what she could do. With no cash coming in and inventory sitting on the shelf she began to work on getting her online store running.
Porch drop-off and curbside pickup became part of the daily vocabulary. Moving her meditation classes to an online format became another way to earn revenue. In June, the spa was able to open with new protocols in place. In December another lockdown again forced the spa to close.
Terry-Ann let her intuition guide her and started doing one-on-one numerology readings online and continued to sell products. Terry-Ann brings a balance of Grit and Grace to every task she tackles.
Shelley Mitchell, Owner, To Be Continued - Family Consignment Shop
Shelley Mitchell's To Be Continued shop in Kemptville has been operating for more than 12 years. Early in the pandemic, Shelley knew she had to do something different. After the initial panic subsided, she became educated on all thing’s social media, online shopping, and video marketing.
She set up an online store and started utilizing Facebook to her advantage. Shelley went the extra mile for her community by offering kids Easter Crafts and door-to-door deliveries.
Shelley’s lessons learned from the pandemic include – Fight for your business, Find the flexibility, Find a way to connect and keep clients, and Embrace online services.
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Ann Weir, Manager of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Economic Development Office. |
Terry Ann Hare, owner of Beauty Inside Day Spa. |
Shelley Mitchell, owner of To Be Continued - Family Consignment Shop. |
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A new Brockville Women in Business (BWB) Resilience Award was presented to Karen Cornish, of Kingston's Finest magazine. Since the pandemic began, Karen shared with the group her struggles with the new COVID-19 reality as it pertained to her family and work life. She attended BWB meetings regularly and shared her insights on mental health. Her honesty and persistence in staying connected were appreciated even when it was very difficult to do so. She continued to give back to the group with door prizes. Karen has had to shift her sales approach in the last year but she has successfully risen to the challenge.
The event featured a panel discussion (screen shot below) with from top left clockwise: Leeds Grenville Small Business Centre's Jeanette Johnston, Wendy Onstein and Carol Hardy; Guest speaker Martina Ryan; Panelists Janet Campbell, founder and owner of Mrs. McGarrigle's Fine Foods; Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Mortgage Agent with The Mortgage Advisors and Mayor of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands; Cathy Sheppard, President and CEO of Sheppard and Associates and Rhiannon V. Iles, Chief Operating Officer of HFI Pyrotechnics Inc..
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Lazy Day Media Posts: Make social media less daunting
As business owners and entrepreneurs, there’s barely enough time to switch up the many hats worn throughout the day. Managing social media commitments and following through with them can be a bit daunting, especially when there’s such little time. Most business owners execute their posts on the fly. If this is you, you are certainly not alone. You know it takes extra time to think of a topic, edit content and add an image, link to a point of value and post. This is why it is very important to have a plan, and for the most part stick to it.
According to quuu.co, “Content curation is the practice of searching and identifying meaningful content that is generated by third parties and sharing it with your target audience. Given the benefits it provides, curation has become an integral part of a great content marketing strategy.” Curating is a great way to take the pain out of your planning.
There are many valuable sources for information and articles. Linkedin Articles, Medium, and Issuu are sites dedicated to sharing written content. You can also position yourself as an expert of choice in your field by submitting your own writing as well. What used to be frowned upon as copying or “stealing” content from another source is now common practice. Giving credit to the source is integral in sharing. So when you are feeling a bit lazy, curate! You may just add a couple of minutes to your day. |
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Leeds Grenville Digital Service Squad member Cyndy Bolton talks with Nicki Doria, owner of Newboro House Bed & Breakfast, about her Google My Business account, social media profile, image quality, appropriate posts and scheduling. |
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Popular Digital Service Squads continue this month
Digital Service Squad services include:
- Offering each business free one-on-one digital consulting, which may include an audit of current digital presences and recommendations for growth
- Assistance with Google My Business and keywords
- Help investigating point-of-sale inventory, customer and content management systems
- Help develop a better understanding of Facebook, Instagram and other platforms for business
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Referring businesses to the ShopHERE (website development) and Future Proof (total digital transformation) programs
- Being a touch point for current COVID-19 relief funding, referring further inquiries for support to Leeds Grenville Business Development Officer Jim Hutton.
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Augusta, Edwardsburgh Cardinal, Prescott –
extended to March 31, 2021
Dana Valentyne, Economic Development Officer
Town of Prescott
T: 613-925-2812 x 6221
Gananoque & Leeds and the Thousand Islands – extended to March 26, 2021
McKenna Modler, Business Support & Marketing
Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
T: 613-453-2656
Brockville - extended to March 12, 2021
Haley Veronyak, Executive Director
Downtown Brockville
T: 613-345-3269 x 101
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Westport, Merrickville-Wolford, Athens, Front of Yonge, Elizabethtown-Kitley, Rideau Lakes – extended to March 31, 2021
Jim Hutton, Business Development Officer
United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
T: 613-342-3840 x 5361
North Grenville – extended to March 31, 2021
Matt Gilmer, Economic Development Officer
Municipality of North Grenville
T: 613-258-9569 x 153
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To assist businesses with the Ontario Public Health Measures, sector specific charts have been developed and updated for business to easily compare the changes required.
In addition, on March 3 rd the Government of Canada announced wage and rent subsidy amounts to remain unchanged through to June. See the media release. |
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Tourism Complimentary Membership Offer Extended for 2021
The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) TOURISM MATTERS represents the tourism industry and advocates on behalf of its members. They have provided strong leadership during this pandemic in communicating the unique challenges tourism businesses are facing. For 2021, they are again offering complimentary membership. To learn more about TIAO, how they support the tourism industry and the free membership offering, visit their website. |
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Funding and Financial Support |
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Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
New - Grenville CFDC and 1000 Islands CDC are now offering eligible businesses loans for up to $60,000, only pay back $40,000 by December 31, 2022 and keep $20,000. There is no application fees, with 0% interest, and no payments until December 31, 2022.
For more information contact the following:
Email Darren Gallacher or T: 613-925-4275 ext. 22
Email Bob Myers or T: 613-345-6216 ext. 103
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RTO 9 Partnership Funding
The program is for tourism businesses (not-for-profit and for-profit) to build on existing and introduce new tourism products that enhance the region’s diversity of tourism attractions and competitive advantage by supporting the development of visitor experiences. The Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries has allocated $219,000 to the program.
The program is designed to have partners work with RTO 9 to attain mutual benefits by delivering partnership projects in the areas of:
- Development of New or Enhancement of Existing Product
- Itinerary Marketing Campaign
- Digitizing Your Business
For more information on RTO 9 Partnership Fund guidelines and applications visit the program webpage
Deadline for application is Saturday, March 20, 2021.
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Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP)
The program assists businesses heavily impacted as a result of COVID-19, such as those in the tourism and hospitality industry. BDC will provide 100% guarantees of up to $1-million to help qualifying businesses finance day-to-day business operating costs. Loans range from $25,000 to $1 million, low interest and repayment terms up to 10 years. Contact your primary financial institution to find out whether the HASCAP Guarantee is a program for you.
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Small Business Support Grant open until end of March
Funding is available for small businesses (including sole proprietors) with less than 100 employees, that were required to close or significantly restrict services under the provincial shutdown, that came into effect on December 26, 2020.
Additional resources available include:
Deadline for application is March 31, 2021. For additional information and the application visit the provincial webpage.
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Need Help with Grants and Funding Programs?
Business Support Agencies are available to assist in accessing funding programs available for businesses impacted by COVID-19.
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Workshops, Seminars and Webinar Library |
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Workplace Harassment and Violence Webinar
Vicky Waldick and Lori Shepherd from the Workplace Safety and Prevention Services will discuss health and safety while working through the pandemic. They will discuss the Ontario framework, safety plans, violence and harassment in the workplace and what resources are available for you. Presented by the Small Business Advisory Centre.
WHEN: Thursday, March 11, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
COST: Free
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Virtual Local Food Conference
Explore diverse perspectives on local food in this virtual conference, hosted by the County of Renfrew and Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance, and brought to you with the collaboration of OMAFRA.
WHEN:
- Session 1: March 10, 10-11 a.m. Local Food More Than Ever: Harvesting the Lessons of COVID-19
- Session 2: March 17, 10 a.m. to 12 noon: Navigating Agri-Tourism During a Pandemic; 12-1 p.m.: Chef-Led 'Taste of the North' participatory lunch
- Session 3: March 24, 10 a.m. to 12 noon: Surviving and Thriving: The Resilience of Local Food
- Session 4: March 31, 10 a.m. to 12 noon: Innovations in the Local Food Frontier: Greenhouse, Vertical Farming, Aquaculture, Aquaponics; 12-1 p.m.: Chef-Led ‘Taste of Renfrew County’ participatory lunch
COST: Free
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Learn about tourism funding and grant opportunities from RTO9
Are you a business in Gananoque or the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands? Do you want to know more about grants and funding opportunities for your business? Join RTO9, (Regional Tourism Organization) as they explain all their Partnership Funding streams they offer for businesses.
WHEN: Monday, March 15, 9-10 a.m.
COST: Free
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Bridges out of Poverty Workplace Stability
There is no question that increased work stability boosts productivity, retention and morale, which leads to greater profitability - but it may yet be a challenge you need to address. Why would an employer want to increase the personal and professional stability of workers? And how exactly can business go about it?
"It starts with seeing things differently."
WHEN: Thursday, March 18, 9 a.m.
COST: Free
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Driving Itineraries - Let's Get Moving
2021 will remain a year of cautious optimism for many as they choose to vacation in Canada for another year. Expedia’s research reports that 70% of travellers will be comfortable travelling within a six-hour radius. Driving itineraries are a great way to invite people to explore a region, but not venture too far off the beaten path.
Looking to have a lively conversation - come prepared with questions and participate in our discussions. This session is hosted by RTO9.
WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 2-3 p.m.
COST: Free
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The Power of Email Marketing: Small Business Strategies for Success
Join the WE-CAN community of women entrepreneurs to learn how to create and grow an email strategy that builds stronger client connections. In the past year, small businesses have been required to shift their focus to developing ecommerce-first strategies.
In this 90-minute workshop, digital media specialist Jennifer Baker of Jennifer Baker Consulting will share the benefits of integrating email marketing, specifically MailChimp, into your online marketing strategy. She will also discuss how to focus more clearly on your audience, how to maintain a contact list, develop an email campaign, retarget key customers and understand email analytics.
WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 10-11:30 a.m.
COST: Free
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Leeds Grenville eNews Deadlines for submitting information:
If you have an upcoming workshop, seminar, or business-related event, please email it to us in advance.
- Submissions for the March 23 edition should be received by Monday, March 15th
- Submissions for the April 6th edition should be received by Monday, March 29th, 2021.
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Ann Weir
Economic Development Manager
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Deanna Clark
Economic Development Officer
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Joanne Poll
Administration / Communications Support
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Jim Hutton
Business Development Officer
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32 Wall Street, Suite 300, Brockville, ON K6V 4R9
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