We can provide and direct you to a variety of useful resources that will help you adapt your business services, sales and marketing efforts to the digital climate. The Digital Main Street programs can help you grow your digital presence.
Digital Main Street
Digital Main Street is a collaborative initiative administered by the Ontario BIA Association (OBIAA), in partnership with the Province of Ontario, and the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Area’s (TABIA). The program is delivered locally by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre, and offers comprehensive and free support services, training and grants to help grow your business online.
Participating businesses can complete a free digital assessment, receive a personalized to-do list with recommendations on how to reach their goals, and access a list of digital product and service providers who are offering exclusive discounts.
Digital Transformation Grants
Digital Main Street's Digital Transformation Grants provide qualifying brick-and-mortar small businesses with a digital assessment, online training and a one-time $2,500 grant to implement their Digital Transformation Plan.
New participant requirements (as of July 19, 2021)
- Businesses must have a permanent brick-and-mortar establishment in Ontario. Businesses no longer need to be located within a zone commercial core or main street area.
- Businesses must employ between 1-50 employees.
- Businesses must not previously received a Digital Transformation Grant.
- Businesses must pay commercial tax, either directly or indirectly through their lease/rent.
ShopHERE online stores
Digital Main Street's ShopHERE program helps independent small businesses and artists by:
- Creating and configuring your own online store
- Training you to manage it
- Providing support to get your online store live
- Helping to market your online store
Eligible participants include businesses with under 10 full-time employees (25 if a restaurant), must be registered in Ontario, can be a business or artist, and can be a home based or commercial business.
Digital Service Squad
Since 2019, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre has delivered Digital Main Street's Digital Service Squad program, providing one-on-one supports to businesses in Windsor and Essex County. The Digital Service Squad provides businesses with free digital transformation consulting and support such as:
- A digital assessment of a business’ digital literacy
- Access to a free online video-based digital transformation training program
- Website – review, updating, creation, best practices
- Social Media – support, best practices, advertising, and more
- Technology – support and guidance for the best options of technology tools to implement for your business
- Miscellaneous digital transformation support – loyalty programs, point of sale systems, e-commerce, back-end business operations support
Testimonials
| Byron Griffith, Smootheezz Bar |
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“I am very happy with the help and support DMS has provided to my business. It has taught me so much and is a continual learning process. Not only with the grant, but with the multiple online information sessions, DMS has brought my business to the next level, finding new customers in this digital age.” -Byron Griffith, Smootheezz Bar |
| Natalie Cervini, Aria Wellness Centre |
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“I would highly recommend going through the DMS grant process for any small business. The tips and tools I learned in the videos were invaluable and will be helpful to improve exposure and growth of our business.” -Natalie Cervini, Aria Wellness Centre |
| Wendy Zheng, Q-Tea Asian Food & Bubble Tea |
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“The Digital Main Street programs are a godsend for small businesses. The programs are an amazing opportunity to have someone guide you through taking your business online. As a small business owner, I desperately need this kind of help to grow my business. The advisors were very patient with me and guided me through the steps to understand and process the programs.” -Wendy Zheng, Q-Tea Asian Food & Bubble Tea |
| Zule Ankamah, Zuleeats |
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“We liked the educational component before receiving the grant and found the marketing modules very interesting. We are really grateful for the grant because digital marketing is a necessity, but when you're looking at costs it often falls to the bottom, and we try to focus on free avenues. This grant allowed us to get professional branding photos done to help elevate a brand - something that we wouldn't have been able to prioritize for a while. Thank you to all involved!” -Zule Ankamah, Zuleeats |
| Simranjeet Singh, Owner of Mills Dollar Plus |
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We received a grant with Digital Main Street program for digital marketing. Lindsay provided all the information and made sure that we understand the process. We had follow up meetings which made the process very easy and she answered all the questions. The Grant helped us to market our business digitally which gave us more leads for our customers and make our digital presence noticeable. This grant helps small business like us alot who struggle in these tough times. I am very glad I connected with Lindsay and looking forward to working with you in the future. -Simranjeet Singh, Owner of Mills Dollar Plus |