Since 1992, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre has helped thousands of entrepreneurs start, operate and grow successful businesses in Windsor and Essex County. We provide free guidance, professional business advice, training and connections to support entrepreneurs from the early idea and start-up stages through operation, growth and expansion.
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre operates as a division of Invest WindsorEssex and is a member of Small Business Centres Ontario, which connects small business centres serving communities across the province.
Services are available at our Windsor and Essex locations and can be accessed in person or virtually by phone, email or video conference.
Ontario Small Business Advisory Centre Network
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre is Windsor-Essex’s local member of the Ontario Small Business Advisory Centre network.
Ontario Small Business Advisory Centres deliver provincially funded programs and services that help entrepreneurs and small businesses start, grow and succeed. With more than 50 centres across Ontario, OSBACs foster local business growth and strengthen communities across the province.
Through this network, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre delivers information, referrals, advisory services, mentoring, workshops, networking opportunities and business resources to support entrepreneurs and small businesses at all stages of development.
Our OSBAC programs and services include:
- Advisory Services: Information, referrals, advisory services, mentoring, workshops, networking opportunities and business resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses at all stages of development
- Starter Company PLUS: Training, mentoring and grant opportunities of up to $5,000 for eligible entrepreneurs aged 18 and older to start, expand or buy a small business
- Summer Company: Training, mentoring and grants of up to $3,000 for Ontario students between the ages of 15 and 29 who want to start a full-time business over the summer
- Succession Ontario: A centralized online hub offering free resources and tools for selling and buying a small business in Ontario, with a focus on preparing businesses for a smooth ownership transition
OSBAC programs and services are delivered by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre and are funded in partnership with the Government of Ontario.