Need help getting your business online? So does Susan. She鈥檇 been successfully running her retail shop for six years 鈥� and then COVID-19 hit.
Innovate BC enabled Susan with:
- Subsidized digital marketing role
- Support from a local business coach to build out an action plan
- Access to no-fee educational content and resources
Susan is part of the Sh铆sh谩l Nation and owns a store in Ch鈥檃tlich (Sechelt) that sells locally made products like jewellery, clothing and artwork. She鈥檚 built a profitable business from local tourism. But she鈥檚 struggling to make ends meet. Her business took a real hit with COVID-related non-essential travel bans.
Susan has worked to keep her business afloat with some government support and a sprinkling of tourists in late summer. She needs a long-term solution for the loss of foot traffic and loss of suppliers.
What she really needs are new customers and a way to find them cost-effectively. She also needs to figure out a way to get her products to buyers without eating too much into her profits.
She knows she needs to digitize her business, get online. She just doesn鈥檛 know where to start, what鈥檚 most important, what tools she needs, what skills鈥� the list goes on. And, she doesn鈥檛 really have much extra capital. She鈥檚 been eating away at her savings over the last few months. She鈥檚 feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Susan googled loans, grants and subsidies for BC businesses. came up. They offer COVID-19 recovery programming to business owners in the form of digital skills hiring grants, no-cost business coaching and even access to local connections. Plus, it looks like Innovate BC鈥檚 programs are focused on regional communities like hers and give special consideration for underrepresented groups.
Susan was able to get
- 4-month digital marketing contract subsidized
- Help from a local business coach to build out an action plan
- Access to complimentary content and resources鈥�
Plus, Susan got connected to other local business owners. She鈥檚 built a strong peer support network.
Six months later Susan has her website up and running, an online store, inbound requests from suppliers, and even asks for her product from markets outside of North America. She鈥檚 way ahead of where she was a few months ago, and best of all she has recovered most of her sales revenue. Looks like she鈥檒l also avoid the seasonal dips of off-peak season.
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