Two-day Business Planning Workshop for Indigenous Entrepreneurs

Supplied by the NORDIK Institute…
Monday, June 26, 2017, Sault Ste. Marie, ON – NORDIK Institute will be joining Waubetek Business Development Corporation in hosting a two-day business planning workshop for Indigenous Entrepreneurs in Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Held at Algoma University, this free, pre-registered workshop will cover “How to Write a Business Plan” by assisting prospective Indigenous Entrepreneurs understand the components of a business plan, market research and marketing plan, business costs and permits, cash flow projections and everything needed to run a successful business.

NORDIK Institute will be adding their knowledge of Social Enterprise to the workshop line-up and inviting local Sault Ste. Marie experts in various business disciplines to speak about their areas of expertise and what it is like to be an Indigenous Entrepreneur.

The Sault Ste. Marie workshop will be the first workshop in a series of a five-city workshop tour for Waubetek that will be running through mid-July, which will also stop in Manitoulin Island, Sudbury, North Bay and Parry Sound.  NORDIK Institute along with the Business Development Bank of Canada will be two of Waubetek’s partners that will participate in each of the five stops.  NORDIK will be presenting on social enterprises and social entrepreneurship as part of their ongoing Social Enterprise Partnership, Northern Region project which supports social enterprise development in Northern Ontario.

“NORDIK Institute is delighted to be a part of this business planning workshop tour with Waubetek Business Development Corporation,” says Dr. Gayle Broad, NORDIK Research Associate. “Waubetek is a leader in delivering business and economic development services to Northern Ontario’s Indigenous population and we are happy to support their efforts here in Sault Ste. Marie.”

“This workshop tour not only focuses on business planning but also brings in real-life examples from local Indigenous entrepreneurs who will share their experiences, challenges and successes with workshop participants,” says Irene Altiman, Waubetek’s Regional Initiatives Coordinator. “Waubetek is proud to be able to support First Nations and Indigenous entrepreneurs, through educational opportunities such as these workshops.”

NORDIK Institute is Algoma University’s community based research institute whose goal is to build Northern Ontario’s capacity to conduct research that contributes to social, economic and environmental justice in rural, Indigenous and northern communities and provides evidence for informed policy and decision making.

The Waubetek Business Development Corporation is an Aboriginal-owned and controlled organization that delivers business financing and economic development services to First Nations and Aboriginal businesses located throughout North-Eastern Ontario.  We are members of the network of Community Futures Development Corporations in Ontario and Aboriginal Financial Institutions in Canada.