EnTec Consulting is now offering Consultant Advisory Services (CAS) which is partly funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and administered through local Canadian Business Development Corporations (CBDCs) and Metro Business Opportunities (MBO).
*To determine eligibility, you must first contact your nearest CBDC or if you are located in St. John's Metro, contact MBO.
Types of Services Offered:
Services range from business plan development, marketing strategies, business mentoring, gap analysis, and pitch decks, depending on your industry and business stage.
If you have an idea for a business but not sure where to start, or what funding is available, you can call to speak to our business advisor at (709) 766-1859.
If you already have a business, but need a formal business plan to apply for additional financing, the CAS program will cover 75% of your costs up to $5000, if approved.
If you are in business but you need a growth strategy, diagnostic assessment, or gap analysis, you would qualify to apply to the CAS program.
Details about the types of activities that are funded through the CBDC CAS program are listed below.
Qualifications to apply:
-You must be located in Atlantic Canada.
-Your business must service other businesses (B2B).
-Services of a personal or social nature, real estate, and retail businesses do not qualify.
Application Steps:
1. You should speak with your nearest CBDC or MBO staff member to discuss your eligibility.
2. Complete the program application form if you are deemed eligible to apply.
3. Contact EnTec Consulting to prepare a Consultant Proposal to accompany your application.
4. Submit the completed application and the Consultant Proposal to your designated CBDC or MBO Client Services Officer.
5. If approved, sign and return the contract to CBDC or MBO within 10 business days.
From CBDC:
Consultant Advisory Services (CAS)
The Consultant Advisory Services program is offered by ACOA with CBDCs handling the administration and counselling involved. The program gives CBDCs the ability to offer Consultant Advisory Services to small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organizations in Atlantic Canada. New and existing clients of CBDCs and ACOA will be able to access technical and financial assistance by engaging consultants to assist them with various issues, opportunities and challenges.
Eligible CAS participants can access the CAS Initiative for any of the following activities:
1. Diagnostic assessments: to conduct a thorough review of all aspects of an existing operation to provide an objective assessment of its current performance, key issues and future prospects.
2. Business Management Development Practices: To undertake a comprehensive review of the management skills of an existing organization in order to provide an objective assessment of its current status and identify opportunities to enhance operations/management performance. This will ensure that the organization maximizes its growth potential and job creation over the long term. Consulting services for the review, development and implementation of Board Governance policies and procedures, legal consulting for contracts, HR, etc., or any other topics deemed appropriate, can also be covered in this category.
3. Access to Capital: To source other options for capital beyond government sources of financing. A consultant with expertise in this field will assist the client with the development of a business plan and funding proposals. Not intended for new start-ups.
4. Market Readiness/Export Potential: To undertake an objective assessment of an existing organization to determine its export readiness and identify areas that require enhancement to successfully enter the export market. The analysis would be carried out following discussions with the trade experts at the federal and provincial levels. This assessment should increase the organization’s chances of success.
5. Specific Studies/Business Plan Mentoring: To assist an organization with the development and initial implementation of a study or business plan. It is intended that the Consultant provide guidance and direction while the actual plan is prepared by the organization.
6. Aftercare/Mentoring and Follow-up: To provide mentoring or assistance to a client who has proceeded with the implementation of advice/ strategies developed in any of the above described CAS products.
CAS CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
I started out on a personal journey to establish a gaming business on the West Coast of NL called Forever Gaming. It’s an idea that I wanted to develop and explore for a long time. A series of fortuitous events and circumstances led me to becoming connected to Dawn. When I took a chance and called her up, I could not have foreseen how important that call was and how significant and important a role she would play in helping me shape my ideas and turn them into reality. A trusted friend and colleague told me from the beginning, if you want success, follow Dawn’s lead, put your trust in her and do everything she tells you, and great things will happen. How true his statement was!
From our first exchange, Dawn made a commitment to come onboard as a consultant and advisor for my startup, and within a week, she was able to assist me to get approval for funding to have my business strategy created! I learned very quickly that Dawn is a person of integrity, intelligence, and great insight. In fact, she had already begun mentoring me from that very first day and we were deep into the process - even before we had received approval for funding!
Working with Dawn was an enlightening and humbling experience for me. She challenged and pushed me every day, encouraging me to consider new ideas and approaches, and to “upend the tea table,” as Shigeru Miyamoto (famed engineer and game designer at Nintendo) was so fond of saying. No idea was overlooked, left untouched or considered sacred. Dawn and I invested countless hours brainstorming and exchanging ideas, considering problems, developing solutions, not to mention endless hours spent reading, editing, researching, analyzing statistical data, and developing documentation.
Dawn did so much more than play an advisory or consulting role for Forever Gaming. Instead of merely collaborating on a business plan document, Dawn worked with me on every phase of developing the business, from beginning to end, top to bottom. Ideas, concepts, strategies, practical solutions, financial planning, marketing – every aspect of starting up and operating a business was considered, analyzed, and evaluated. Her dedication and thoroughness are unmatched. Most importantly, Dawn graciously gave up her time, day or night, whether it was simply to discuss an idea, give a word of advice, or more importantly just to listen or offer a bit of encouragement when I needed it.
Dawn is the epitome of positive energy and constructive thinking. Her motto is anything is possible if you stay focussed, invest the time, and put in the work! Her professionalism and her expertise are unparalleled in my experience. On behalf of the Forever Gaming team, I am thankful to Dawn and her team and I extend my highest personal recommendation!
Sincerely,
Wayne Joyce
Owner/Operator Forever Gaming
© EnTec Consulting. 2023.