(Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP)

By Abby Zieverink

SMARTstart TRAINING PROGRAM

Entrepreneurial training program looks to help grow local start up business

Oct 3, 2021 | 5:00 AM

Grande Prairie small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to grow their business can soon apply for a new training program.

The Community Futures Grande Prairie and Region is launching the SMARTstart entrepreneurial training program to help address small business start-up needs in the community.

Administrator Marley Heitrich believes this training is beneficial for start-up local businesses, as training and mentoring are provided by business owners in the Grande Prairie region.

“I think small businesses, especially in startup phases are really challenging times,” she said. “This program will help with a lot of guidance, a lot of mentorships, and people who are actually in the Grande Prairie area.”

The program is 50-60 hours over an eight-month span, which combines an online training portion and a two-to-three-week workshop.

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Heitrich added the online portion is particularly helpful for business owners as they can work at their own pace.

With the workshop, she says they will have the ability to ask mentors any questions they want about their businesses, in an effort to help with their success.

“That’s where they will get together with their mentors and other entrepreneurs in the program and learn about topics, so one will be financial aspects of the business, like tax-related things, each workshop has its own topic.”

Business owners with over three years of experience, running a successful business in the region, are being sought to mentor the program.

The program cost is $275 for any small business owners wanting to participate in the training program must be in their first three fiscal years or a local entrepreneur hoping to turn ideas into action.

Applications for the program open on October 25, 2021, and close at midnight on December 22, 2021, for start-up business owners in the region.

Information sessions will be held online on November 9 and November 23. More information, as well as applications, can be found here.