Announcements & Programs
Receive FREE Digital Help From Our Digital Service Squad!
ICYMI: applications are being accepted for the new round of the $2,500 Digital Main Street Digital Transformation Grants! Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2021, or until funds are fully exhausted. There are a limited number of grants available, so apply early! Our Digital Service Squad can help you apply for the grant - just make an appointment with them here!

Do you need help with e-commerce, getting started with social media content creation, optimizing your SEO, or more? That's where our Digital Service Squad comes in! The Squad offers up to 10 hours of FREE specialized help to businesses to enhance their digital presence and equip themselves with the digital tools required to be more accessible to customers.

You can get started with our Digital Service Squad by following these 3 easy steps:
Exclusive Offer from Digital Main Street: Save 70% Off QuickBooks!
Stay in control of your finances with QuickBooks - the #1 accounting software for small businesses. Don't miss the opportunity to receive 70% off for 3 months! Learn more about this discount here.
Business Unusual Series
Restaurants and cafes, yoga and spin studios, barbers, retailers, theatres and more, these businesses can define a place, they give it a feeling, a sense of identity and purpose. And in 2020, small businesses were threatened with nearly 200,000 expected to fail. Business Unusual Series will tell the stories of the ones who managed to survive.

With the first and second screenings selling out quickly, don't miss your chance to get tickets to the third screening on October 13th!

To buy tickets, click here.
To view the trailer, click here.
Epic Founders Accelerating 2020s
The EPIC Founders Accelerating 2020s Program is specifically designed for startups and early stage businesses that are ready to take their innovative ideas to market. Today’s economy requires businesses to be agile and find new and creative ways to compete. In this program, ventures will utilize an immersive approach to the Lean Startup Methodology to bring their new product to reality.

The 4-month program is split into 2 phases:
Phase 1 – Customer Discovery and Problem-Solution fit
Phase 2 – Prototype Creation and Market Validation

Click here for more information on the program.
Rise Entrepreneurship Programs
Rise supports entrepreneurs that self-identify as having mental health and addiction challenges, with education that supports their business. They offer free 8 week programs that focus on business education, coaching, and a $300 start-up grant upon completion. There are currently two programs running cohorts:

  1. Entrepreneurship programs for people under 30: EnterpRISEing Youth Plus - Click here to apply
  2. Entrepreneurship programs for people above 30: The Peer Supported Startup Program - Click here to apply
Business & Sustainability
Sustainability Assessment Tools
Why bother doing an assessment? The results of the comprehensive sustainability assessment can be used to serve the information needs of diverse stakeholders. The free, open-source tools in the link here help satisfy these stakeholder needs. They score progress toward causing no harm to people and planet, and give credit for the organization’s positive impacts.
Webinars & Workshops
Oct 6 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm | Small Biz Mentoring with Lacey & Bri
A psychic medium and a life coach welcome you to ask your questions! What a duo! Let's talk mindset, following your intuition, and building your own heart-centered small biz! Join us for an introduction on Instagram Live where they will introduce themselves and provide a live guided meditation and collective tarot card reading! The Instagram live starts at 6:30PM on @waterlooregionsbc and then will transition to the interactive zoom event. So grab a free ticket, your dreams, and come join us! Presented by WRSBC

Oct 18 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm | Introduction to E-mail Marketing
When you build email marketing infrastructure, you are investing in a long-term sales strategy. A month of ad-spend can drive sales now. Applying that same budget to email marketing can drive sales for a year or more. Email marketing is one of the most effective online sales tools. Mastering simple best practices and key concepts can help you increase conversions and avoid the spam filter. Presented by WRSBC

Oct 22 | 8:30 – 9:30 am | Human Resources for Startups
All the info you need to create strong people processes in your new company, including recruiting and government compliance. We’ll cover a wide range of topics ensuring you have the right components throughout the employee life-cycle, from culture to employment and beyond. We’ll share lots of tools and tips to ensure that your people practices are getting you the most value for your people dollar, and keeping you and your staff compliant and productive. Presented by WRSBC

We’ve all met them, worked with them, and perhaps even hired them. They’re the individuals who undermine the great work your business does, spread distrust in the workplace and alienate your best employees. Meet the Vampires. Just before Halloween, we’re doing to go in-depth to understand the impact on your business and how to manage your culture to create more Saints. Presented by WRSBC
Article of the Week
This list of accounting steps will give you the confidence to know you’ve covered your bases and are ready to move on to the next item on your small business finance to-do list.
Resources & Tools
Trying to stay organized? Check out these essential tools for business