Huron County's Summer Company Program Now Accepting Applicants

by Bob Montgomery

Applications are now being accepted for Huron County's annual Summer Company program. The Summer Company helps students aged 15-29 who are looking to start their own business this summer.

Huron County Economic Development Department Business Centre Manager Brittany Wise says successful applicants will receive up to three thousand dollars in start-up funds as well as business coaching throughout the summer. Wise says this year they have spaces for ten students, which is double what the usually have and that is made possible through an ongoing partnership with the Province of Ontario and a new partnership with the McCall MacBain Foundation. The deadline for applications is May 17th and to qualify, students do have to be returning to school in the fall.

“Their application has to include a business plan and cash flow projection and if they need a little help with that they're encouraged to contact the business coaching staff at the Huron County Economic Development who will happily support individuals in preparing their application.” Wise says they'll be conducting interviews with all of the applicants before they're approved for the program. Once they're accepted they get connected with a coach who conducts a series of business training sessions. The students get their first fifteen hundred dollars at the beginning of the summer and the second fifteen hundred dollars at the end of the summer after they've completed the program.

Wise says the type of business can vary widely but there are a few restrictions. It can't be a partnership, or an incorporated business, or a 1-800 number, and it can't be a single event, but for the most part the field is wide open and the few restrictions make sense. Wise says the Summer Company Program is a huge opportunity for young people to find out what they like or what they don't like, but either way it will be an invaluable experience. “Even if they don't like the type of business they went into, maybe they still liked running a business and they still learned some skills that would help them in another job. All of the things they're going to learn through this program are going to be really beneficial to their life skills development.” And that's really the whole point. They get a chance to dip their toes into entrepreneurship and find out what works and what doesn't.

More information about the program can be found at the Economic Development page on the Huron County website.