A program run by the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre to help small businesses weather the storms of the pandemic opened a network of supports she didn’t know existed, says Sue Brunet.

Owner of Ergonow Ergonomic Solutions, she was one of seven entrepreneurs to benefit from participating in the EPIC Nimble program.

“The program increased my awareness of the services we have available for small business owners locally,” Brunet says. “I have had the opportunity to benefit from receiving services performed by a University of Windsor student and the talent and performance to date has been excellent.”

The program wrapped up at the end of November after seven months imparting the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to create new revenue streams or to pivot to a new business model to stay competitive in the fast-changing marketplace. It was funded by FedDev Ontario, sponsored by the Lucas Imagine Fund, and operated in partnership with WEtech Alliance and WindsorEssex Small Business Centre.

“We strongly believe that small businesses are the backbone of our community,” says EPICentre director Wen Teoh. “So with the help of our community partners, EPICentre was able to offer guidance for local entrepreneurs to flourish amid the pandemic.”

Program lead Paul Bereton says participants found more than a way out — they have a way forward.

“We are surrounded by small businesses that are struggling to make the old way of doing things work in these dynamic times,” he says. “We are uniquely positioned to join those concepts and bring fresh approaches to these companies, helping them find ways to keep growing long past the end of this crisis.”

Read the full story, “Helping Small Businesses Flourish Amid the Pandemic,” on the EPICentre website.