Congratulations to Cailan, Ken and Happipad Team! CFDCCO client Happipad hits it big with CMHC grant to expand across Western Canada. Click here for recent write-up on Castanet https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/328397/Happipad-scores-big-funding-from-CMHC#328397
Congratulations to Mike and team! CFDCCO client Beyond Aerospace makes the final six at Accelerate Okanagan's 2021 OKGN Angel Summit. click link for full write-up https://www.accelerateokanagan.com/community/blog/blog/final-6-beyond-aerospaces-mike-ball/
Community Futures of the Central Okanagan has been operating the Business Plan Development Program since 1992, with nearly 2,000 start-ups coming through the program throughout that time. Participants receive business plan development assistance, a variety a business skills development workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and business counselling over a six-week period. Past participants have credited the program with giving them “the practical tools to move my business from the dream stage to an active money earning enterprise”, and have called the program a “critical component” in their business success and “an invaluable source of inspiration, expertise, and guidance.” The peer-to-peer learning has supported past participants in “getting tips, fostering camaraderie, making new connections, and re-energizing.”
While the program has typically been offered primarily to new start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs, the need for training and support for existing businesses has become vital. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on local businesses and entrepreneurs, resulting in the need for flexibility and creativity, and forcing many to pivot their business models, service offerings, and approach. These pivots require the support of market validation, financial viability testing, and business planning.
To address this need, Community Futures is expanding the Business Plan Development Program to both new and existing businesses. Participants will benefit from effective and realistic opportunity assessment, comprehensive business plan development, collaboration with peers, and real life experiential learning in hands-on workshops. Existing businesses will gain support in assessing their potential pivots or new service offerings, and building this into a practical plan to guide their business in a pandemic-affected marketplace. The program is currently offered in a virtual classroom format and delivered on a flexible schedule that allows for participants to continue working in their businesses while still attending class discussions. The program is open to for-profits, non-profits, social enterprises, gig workers, and freelancers. Sponsorship and bursaries to cover the cost of the program are available through CFDC.
Beginning with the Opportunity Readiness Workshop, participants will assess the feasibility of their opportunity and their own entrepreneurial skills. From there, a needs assessment and application is completed. This process ensures participants are properly qualified and prepared to proceed with the six-week program.
Interested business owners and entrepreneurs can visit www.cfdcco.com/services/workshops-a-training or call Ali Brent, Program Manager at Community Futures of the Central Okanagan at 250-868-2132 ext. 224 for further program details.
Small business owners from across the Okanagan-Shuswap region have the chance to participate in three days of development workshops and connect with peers from across the valley as Community Futures hosts a virtual version of Small Business Week events.
“Small Business Week is an important business development opportunity that our community looks forward to every year, so this year we decided to host it virtually due to COVID-19,” says Larry Widmer, General Manager of Community Futures Central Okanagan. “We’re excited to be bringing together some talented presenters and attendees who might not otherwise have the chance to network and discuss opportunities.”
“Many of this year’s sessions will focus on topics that are timely as businesses navigate operations during COVID-19, and we also have a nice balance of topics that are important building blocks and best practices in general,” says Widmer, who has been working with his Community Futures peers from Salmon Arm to Penticton to organize the event.
The virtual valley-wide Community Futures Small Business Week events run Oct. 20-22 with seminars in the morning, interactive breakout groups in the afternoon and virtual networking opportunities throughout the day.
Community Futures Valley-wide Virtual Small Business Week
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Sponsored by BDO
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Sponsored by Vantage Credit Union
Thursday, Oct. 22
Small Business Week participants will register for one or all three days and will be able to attend all events on that day. Registration is free. To learn more, register and access the links for each day’s events, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/small-business-week-tickets-124192889275.
The 2020 Small Business Week events are sponsored by VantageOne Credit Union and BDO, along with community partners and Accelerate Okanagan.
ABOUT COMMUNITY FUTURES CENTRAL OKANAGAN www.cfdcco.com
Community Futures is a community based organization that contributes to the social and economic well being of the Central Okanagan by providing small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs access to services tailored to individual needs. From financing to training programs, Community Futures is a full support centre for new and existing businesses.
For more information, media can contact:
Larry Widmer
250-868-2132 ext. 223
Email:
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“This new initiative represents a pivotal moment for the regional tourism sector as well as another important evolution of our work in helping the industry recover and become more resilient for the long term,” said Glenn Mandziuk, President and CEO of TOTA. “The program will address the immediate need to mitigate financial impacts associated with additional costs and losses tourism businesses have been facing as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
In July 2020, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and nine Community Futures offices in the region signed a formal agreement, committing to the development of an active and meaningful relationship on the path to rebuilding a resilient tourism industry in the wake of the global Pandemic.
“Community Futures is in the business of assisting small business across the region, the province, and Canada. We have been a part of your community for over 35 years and we continue to support you with advice, training, and loans,” said Rob Marshall, Executive Director for Community Futures Shuswap and Community Futures Provincial Board Member. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Micro Loan Program is another example of partners working together to provide help in times of need to our essential tourism industry.”
The Community Futures and TOTA taskforce is working to implement projects, access needed resources, and share best practices to revitalize, support, and grow the tourism sector, during the pandemic and beyond. Efforts and strategies are focused on tourism growth, development, sustainability, and long-term resiliency. The “Thompson Okanagan Tourism Micro Loan Program” is in alignment with the previously announced Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) program which has, to date, provided $587,000 to 20 tourism businesses in the region.
Applicants to the program must be referred to Community Futures by a Tourism Resiliency Program Advisor and terms and conditions specific to each location apply.
Or register by phone: 1-877-431-8489 (ext 8).
About the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA):
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association is a non-profit society, governed by an elected Board of Directors, which represents business and community tourism interests throughout the region, and is supported by the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Arts, & Culture. It is an industry-led organization that represents and supports all business and community tourism interests in the region, while also helping to implement provincial tourism policies. For more information, visit TOTABC.org.
About Community Futures :
Community Futures is a non-profit organization supporting small businesses through a range of services and tools. With experts offering local assistance from 34 offices throughout rural BC, they are committed to helping business owners achieve their goals and withstand challenges. TOTA is proud to be forming a joint tourism industry resiliency task force with this outstanding organization and collaborating towards positive advancements for the tourism industry, local businesses, and communities.
Community Futures Partners
Contact the CFDC Central Okanagan loan department at 250-868-2132 ext. 227 for more information.
To whom it may concern,
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Futures Central Okanagan office will not be open to in person traffic.
Staff will work online and by phone to serve the needs of our clients. Employee email addresses and phone numbers are listed under staff and management page on the Community Futures website.
The next Business Plan Development Program begins Monday March 23 and this program will be delivered online. Business coaching and staff support will be provided by phone, email or in a virtual meeting software platform.
Loan clients also can access services by email, phone or virtually as required. New loan applications will continue to be reviewed and processed in a timely fashion.
It is time to help each other. These are unprecedented times and Community Futures will deploy all of it's resources and connections to assist its clients and our community.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Larry Widmer
General Manager
Business_Continuity_COVID-19_-_Small_Business_Resources.pdf
Good afternoon,
As small business service providers, our collective organizations encourage and support B.C. entrepreneurs with business continuity planning as they start and grow their business. Business continuity is especially relevant as small businesses consider the possible impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on their employees and operations. I anticipate you have been hearing from clients and employees who are looking for information and guidance in this area.
Small Business BC and the B.C. government Small Business Branch have prepared a joint informational electronic resource that provides a checklist of considerations that small businesses can use to help minimize the impacts of COVID-19 to their employees and operations. We invite you to share the attached resource with your clients and networks, and to share Small Business BC’s social media posts (Facebook and Twitter) to help distribute this timely information where it’s needed.
Versions of the resource will soon be available in Punjabi, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. We will send a follow up communication when these versions are ready to share.
Small Business BC is also maintaining a webpage with links to current information and relevant private sector articles on COVID-19 considerations for business. Small Business BC advisors are ready to answer entrepreneurs’ questions about implementing or updating business continuity plans, accessing the Talk to an Expert program, or finding online training to help them take the next step.
Our primary concern is the health of all British Columbians, and we continue to work across government and with our federal counterparts to help people and businesses in B.C. prepare.
Current information on COVID-19 can found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website and B.C.’s Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan can be found here.
You can share your questions and suggestions with us at
Best,
Jackie Hunter
Executive Director
Small Business Branch
Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness
Thomas E. Conway
CEO
Small Business BC
