On top of Youth Beyond Enterprises, there are many fantastic organizations with physical locations that do great things for young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in general in our area.

My goals for Youth Beyond Enterprises are to:  be the organization that brings all of the entrepreneurship-focused organizations in our area together to collaborate for the sake of the community and our youth, guide you to where you need to/want to go next (be it finding a business counsellor, grant dollars, a place to talk to someone when you’re feeling depressed, etc.), provide extra information that you need access to for your business (i.e. organizational tips, how to register your business in different areas, why you need a mentor, etc.), and provide my insights as a young entrepreneur trying to make a go of it myself in this area.

Without further ado, here are the different organizations you can consult in the Bay of Quinte Region (and a little bit beyond for our border neighbours in Brighton, Centre Hastings and Lennox & Addington County) for things such as training, grant dollars, business counselling, office space, etc. Please note, these are listed in no particular order and all descriptions are as each program and organization defines itself.

Just for young entrepreneurs

  • Summer Company
    • Ages: 15-29 year olds who are returning to school in the Fall.
    • Locations: the Small Business Centre (Belleville, Quinte West, Hastings County, Prince Edward County, Lennox & Addington County) and Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (Northumberland County)
    • Website: https://www.ontario.ca/page/start-summer-company-students
    • What they do:  Through Summer Company, you can get startup money to kick-off a new summer business and advice & mentorship from local business leaders to help get the business up and running. Learning how to run your own student business is one of the best summer jobs you can have. You get to be your own boss while learning what it takes to manage a business. Sales, marketing, bookkeeping, customer relationship management and networking are just a few of the highly useful skills you’ll develop.
  • E3 Program
    • Ages: 16-25
    • Location: Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland
    • Website: http://www.becn.ca/e3-program/
    • What they do: E3 is a program geared for youth aged 16-25 living in Northumberland County who are interested in entrepreneurship. The program is the first of its kind to be offered in Northumberland County and is developed around providing budding entrepreneurs with the skills and resources necessary to learn over time.
  • YES (Youth Entrepreneur Success) Program
    • Ages: Undefined
    • Location: PEC Youth Centre (run by the Recreation Outreach Centre (ROC))
    • Website: http://theroc.ca/
    • What they do: The goal of the YES Program is to empower youth to develop job skills, connect with mentors from the local business community and inspire youth entrepreneurship in Prince Edward County. With youth-selected skill-based activities, workshops led by successful entrepreneurs and visits to local businesses where youth can speak with leaders from different sectors, the YES program assists youth in developing self-confidence and entrepreneur skills.

For all entrepreneurs

Prince Edward County
  • County Collective
    • Location: Bloomfield, ON
    • Website: https://www.countycollectivepec.com/
    • What they do: County Collective is a collaborative hub for Canadian creatives in the heart of Prince Edward County! Located in the beautiful town of Bloomfield, they offer a dynamic backdrop for those looking to explore, stay & learn in their historic space.
  • Creative Rural Minds
    • Location: Prince Edward County, ON
    • Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1509708095907955/
    • What they do: Creative Rural Minds is a quarterly networking event designed to stimulate conversation and collaboration in Prince Edward County. Creative Rural Minds is supported by PEC’s Community Development Department and the Prince Edward County Arts Council.
  • First Stone Venture Partners
    • Location: PEC Innovation Centre
    • Website: http://fsvp.ca/
    • What they do: First Stone Venture Partners, FSVP, is a venture partnership founded by entrepreneurs who have invested their own capital. Their goal is technology-based innovation in rural communities.  As an early stage equity investment fund based in Picton, Ontario, they will co-invest over a two-year period with Upper Canada Equity Fund (administered by PELA CFDC) in 25 technology ventures that will locate in Prince Edward County.
  • Prince Edward County (PEC) Innovation Centre
    • Location: 8-35 Bridge Street, Picton, ON
    • Website: http://fsvp.ca/pec-innovation-center/
    • What they do: It offers 25 offices in 10,000 square feet of newly renovated space including Ethernet and wireless networks, heat, hydro, air conditioning – parking is included too. The Centre includes meeting rooms, shared kitchens, and a relaxing marina-side environment. Showers are available for those who want to workout at lunch or cycle. Companies joining them can choose from a number of office configurations.
  • Prince Edward-Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC)
    • Location(s): 280 Main Street, Suite 103 Picton, ON & 47 Dundas Street East Napanee, ON.
    • Website: http://www.pelacfdc.ca/
    • What they do: Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC) is a community-based, not-for-profit corporation whose objective is to encourage local entrepreneurship and economic development. PELA CFDC specializes in providing business loans, grants, and business advisory services.  Their team of experienced professionals can provide connections to our network of entrepreneurs, investors, and community groups.
Belleville, Quinte West and Hastings County
  • Business Share Centre
    • Location: 269 Front Street Belleville, ON
    • Website: http://sharecentre.ca/
    • What they do: ShareCentre is a co-working centre (think shared office space) in downtown Belleville Ontario. They offer a place to getting work done while connecting with present and future collaborators. Their space is perfect for the home-based solopreneuer connecting virtual employee or small business owner.
  • QuinteVation
    • Location: Belleville, ON. Services: the area from Napanee to Brighton and Highway 7 to Prince Edward County.
    • Website: http://www.quintevation.ca/
    • What they do: To accelerate Bay of Quinte inspired sector growth. QuinteVation’s goal is to accelerate Bay of Quinte Inspired Rural Sector Growth, which would raise the local, provincial, and county’s GDP, create jobs, and bring innovation and youth to the Bay of Quinte Region.
  • RevUp Quinte
    • Location: QuinteVation
    • Website: http://www.quintevation.ca/rev-up-quinte/   
    • What they do: QuinteVation’s RevUp Pilot is a 6-month program, designed to help Innovative companies with scaling and rapid growth challenges. Through this structured program, participants benefit from working with a team of Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR’s), who work in collaboration with participants to create a tailored and actionable growth plan, designed to address their individual business challenges.
  • Small Business Centre (SBC)
    • Location: Offices at the Quinte Business Development Centre, in Picton and in Quinte West. Services: Belleville, Quinte West, Hastings County, Prince Edward County, and Lennox & Addington County
    • Website: http://www.smallbusinessctr.com/
    • What they do: The Small Business Centre is your link to Ontario’s support network and a leading source for business information in Belleville, Hastings County, Lennox & Addington, Prince Edward County & Quinte West. Their counsellors provide information on a full range of topics, from business start-up to growing your business right through to succession planning. In addition, they support your business with related workshops and events.
  • Starter Plus!
    • Location: Small Business Centre
    • Website: http://www.smallbusinessctr.com/starter-company/
    • What they do: Starter Plus is an Ontario government funded program that provides entrepreneurs 18 years of age and older with the resources, knowledge and support they need to start and grow their own full-time business.
  • Startup Bay of Quinte
    • Location: QuinteVation. Services: the area from Napanee to Brighton and Highway 7 to Prince Edward County.
    • Website: http://www.quintevation.ca/start-up-bay-of-quinte/
    • What they do: The Bay of Quinte was made the 26th Startup Community through Startup Canada in September 2016. The Startup Canada Communities Program is the flagship program of Startup Canada linking entrepreneurs with local and cross-national resources and mentors through both an online and offline hyper-connected network. Primarily, Startup Bay of Quinte will run events that will help build our community ecosystem, entrepreneurial competencies and provide platforms that give entrepreneurs a voice.
  • Trenval Business Development Corporation
    • Location: 284B Wallbridge-Loyalist Road Belleville, ON (Quinte Business Development Centre). Services: Belleville, Quinte West, Stirling-Rawdon, Tyendinaga Township, Deseronto
    • Website: http://trenval.on.ca/ 
    • What they do: Trenval Business Development Corporation is a federally supported, not-for-profit Community Futures Development Corporation, administered by a volunteer Board of Directors in partnership with the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario committed to helping to develop and diversify the local economy through community strategic planning, business information, counselling and investment in small business.
Centre/North Hastings, Lennox & Addington County, Northumberland County, Tyendinaga & Other
  • Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland
    • Location: 600 William Street, Suite 700 Cobourg, ON. Services: Northumberland County, including Brighton.
    • Website: http://www.becn.ca/
    • What they do: The Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland, is an initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, in partnership with Northumberland County. They are part of a network of 46 Small Business Enterprise Centres operating in 56 locations throughout the Province of Ontario. The Business Advisory Centre is the “Source for Small Business Expertise” offering a full scope of services that will facilitate business start up and expansion. Most of their services are at no cost to users.
  • Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin
    • Location: 26 Chemaushgon Road Bancroft, ON. Services: Centre Hastings, Tweed, Madoc, Marmora & Lake, and all of Hastings County north of Highway 7.
    • Website: http://www.community-futures.ca/
    • What they do: Through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, the Federal Government provides funding, advice and support to a network of CFDCs across Southern Ontario who carry out the following services: Community Economic Planning & Development, Investment in Local Business, and Business Development and Counselling Services.
  • Kagita Mikam Aboriginal Employment & Training Inc.
    • Location: 5602 Old Highway 2 Shannonville, ON.
    • Website: http://kagitamikam.org/web/
    • What they do: Employment and Training services are provided to members of Curve Lake First Nation, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan (Golden Lake), Hiawatha First Nation, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and the Mohawks of Wahta First Nation. Although many of our Inuit clients are located in or near the City of Ottawa, Kagita Mikam provides employment and training services to all Inuit in Ontario. Eligible Aboriginal people can reside either on or off the territory since we operate with an inclusiveness to all.
  • Launch Lab
    • Location: Based in Kingston, ON with a Satellite Office at the Quinte Business Development Centre. Services: most of southeastern Ontario (Trenton, down to Picton, over to Cornwall, and back up and around through Smiths Falls and Bancroft).
    • Website: http://www.launchlab.ca/
    • What they do: Launch Lab is a Regional Innovation Centre (RIC) and member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs, a provincially-funded network of resources for entrepreneurs. They work with tech-based businesses that have an innovative technology or idea, and a variety of new start-ups who are experiencing challenges and looking to grow. Their purpose is to foster entrepreneurship and the commercialization of innovations to help build globally competitive companies in Eastern Ontario.
  • Napanee Innovation Academy
    • Location: Napanee, ON
    • Website: https://www.pelacfdc.ca/napanee-innovation-academy.ph
    • What they do: The new Napanee Innovation Academy, housed in the former Napanee East Ward Schoolhouse, honours the original function of the building as a school/learning centre by creating a collaborative space to mentor and support young entrepreneurs. The facility has 10 offices, meeting rooms and an additive manufacturing technology–3D prototyping lab. Working with the present building owner, Will Hodgskiss, the Town of Greater Napanee and Lennox & Addington County Economic Development Department and PELA CFDC have developed a business incubation model targeting young entrepreneurs that will provide shared, low cost, office facilities and mentorship services to new start-up companies looking to launch their business in the Lennox & Addington County.
  • Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC)
    • Location: 600 William Street, Suite 600 Cobourg, ON. Services: Northumberland County, including Brighton.
    • Website: https://financingandstrategy.com/
    • What they do: Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corporation (NBDA Corp) was founded in 1985 with a mission to provide financing and strategy for entrepreneurs. They provide loans of up to $250,000 for small and medium-sized enterprises. They are located in metro-adjacent Northumberland, one hour East of Toronto.

My vision for Youth Beyond Enterprises is to turn the Bay of Quinte Region into a thriving rural hub for young entrepreneurs. Each of these organizations listed above has something unique and valuable to offer. We all need to work together and bring our strengths to the table for the betterment of the communities we live in and the young people & entrepreneurs we have promised to assist.