As a small business that is just getting started in BC, there can be a lot of costs associated with growing your business – but did you know there are currently programs available to offset some of the costs? If you are looking to enhance your businesses online profile, you should definitely check out the Grow Your Business Online grant available to small businesses in British Columbia. You may be able to get $2,400 to build your online platform – if this money is available, why not use it!
The Grow Your Business Online program
The Grow Your Business Online Grant is offered in British Columbia through Small Business BC and offers $2,400 to add online essentials to your business to reach a wider audience. What this means is that you can get re-imbursed for up to $2,400 that you spend on adding e-commerce capabilities, enhancing your site Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising and more!
Small Business BC (SBBC) was started to provide support and guidance for local small businesses and offer grants, information and guidance to entrepreneurs to succeed in business.
The Details: Eligibility
The first thing you should determine before thinking about applying for the grant is whether or not your business is eligible to apply. There are 2 standards that you need to meet to be eligible:
- Are you a registered, for-profit business that has at least one employee on payroll (that isn’t the owner) OR have had at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recent tax year.
- Are you consumer-facing and can you be accessed by end-use consumers or your business provides in-person services to consumers.
The Details: What the grant covers
The $2,400 that the grant provides can cover a variety of online enhancements for your website. The main ones are:
- Development of a new e-commerce website.
- Costs related to the implementation or improvement of a digital e-commerce plan. This can include the implementation of an online reservation/booking tool, online ordering and payment systems.
- E-commerce software
- Costs related so SEO. A note for this item is that the grant cannot be used strictly on SEO, it needs to be tied to an overall e-commerce implementation plan.
- Costs of social media advertising. The same as above applies, the grant cannot be strictly used on social media advertising, it needs to be a component of your e-commerce plan.
The Details: How to apply
Van Island Web can assist in the process for applying for the Grow Your Business Online Grant. As mentioned above, applications are run through Digital Main St but the grant is administered by Small Business BC.
The application is relatively short, and with our help you can complete the process in about 10 minutes.
Contact us at [email protected] to see if you are eligible and get the application process started today.