Business Quest Program (BQ)

A FREE self employment program to help Newcomers start their own small business!

Business Quest program is a partnership between Lutherwood and the YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo, Cross Cultural & Immigrant Services to assist newcomers to start a small business.

Our program runs for approximately 20 weeks.  This includes Phase One, a one day workshop held each month; Phase Two, 5 weeks of training, Tuesdays and Thursday mornings; and Phase Three, 7 weeks of one morning per week for Business English workshop, and a Mentor Matchup where you meet on your own time with a personal mentor to help you launch your business.

If you are a motivated individual who has a viable business idea and wants to start a small business please call or e-mail us:

519- 579-9622 ext. 267 & 268

araic@ckwymca.ca or lbennett@ckwymca.ca

Business Quest Program dates for our next Phase One Workshops:

Monday, March 22, 2010

Please call the office and Register in advance for any of the workshops.

BQ Participant's Testimonials:

"The Business Quest program was an absolutely excellent experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. This program stimulates me to want to learn so much more about the Canadian business.  Fantastic class. Great work from Keith and Gary, they made the program informative and easy to remember. Also I would like to thank YMCA team which was all the time with us. Thank you for everything." Daniel D.

"Business Quest Program" is a program that I strongly recommend to all the people who want to open a business in Canada.  Not only will the program answer this Question: How viable is my business idea?, but will give you the strategy that you need to be successful in your business." Cris

"....thanks to the Business Quest folks at the Y. Signing up for the BQ program is proving to be one of the very best things i did in starting up."

To his mentor,

"I wanted to say a big Thank you for the time you spend with me on Sunday. Very useful. Wish I had talked to you even earlier."

"And to the YMCA and BQ team-thank you for setting me up. I think BQ is providing a very important service. The quality of training and materials you have put together is really impressive. Even more so considering the small team behind it all." Anonymous Business Quest Client (December, 2009)

Our current Business Quest participants are invited to attend a “Meet your Mentor” Luncheon to be held on March 11 at 1 p.m. This is a wonderful social time for our clients and our mentors to meet for the first time. See link…

Mentor / Mentees Lunch August 2009

Quotations from Business Quest Clients:

"I am more positive, best prepared.  More self confident.  More flexible to adopt and more focused on starting up on my own in business on the other side."

"The classes / program is very comprehensive.  I learned a lot in so short a time."

"I learned a lot about opening a small business in Canada."

Business Quest will help Newcomers who are interested in starting their own business to:

• Learn how business is done in Canada
• Learn about cultural and ethical expectations
• Identify their entrepreneurial characteristics and potential
• Explore their business idea
• Develop small business skills including communication, negotiation, marketing,   presentation and selling skills
• Learn from coaching and mentoring
• Develop a viable business plan
• Start their business

You may be eligible for Business Quest if you:

• Are a newcomer to Canada
• Are a Permanent Resident
• Are legally able to work in Ontario
• Have adequate written and oral English language skill
• Have an idea for a business
• Are motivated and able commit the time needed to start a busines
• Are not receiving Employment Insurance or Ontario Works

Mentees / Mentors at the end of Phase II along with Lutherwood and YMCA staff

To view Business Quest Program brochure, please click here

Funded by the Government of Ontario

and the Government of Canada through

Updated in January 2010