Located in Newmarket, The Little Red Bake Shop specializes in custom gourmet baked goods and offers customers a cookie subscription box. Michelle started her business right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the right support from the York…
Based in Aurora, Replenish General Store specializes in helping customers reduce their waste and carbon footprint. Co-founders Thai and Bianca started the store just days before the global pandemic impacted the economy, but with the right support they were able…
Based in Aurora, Mona’s Hair Salon specializes in hair services such as cutting, styling, colouring and even threading. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre, part of York Region Economic Development, helped her grow her business.
Goblets and Goblins is a board game cafe based in Newmarket, offering customers a warm atmosphere to enjoy food, drink and play a variety of board games. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre helped support and…
Seasons Floral Studio is a King-based floral business specializing in trend-setting florals, stand-alone wedding styling, curated gifts, plants & creative workshops. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre, part of York Region Economic Development, supported their business.
Falcon Lam provides support, mentoring and consultations to help clients make smart investment decisions. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre, part of York Region Economic Development, supported their business.
Whole Family Health Food is a community-focused health food store in Georgina, Ontario, offering vitamins minerals, herbs, specialty, grocery, natural body care, and even a section for pets. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre supported their…
Doorr is a digital lending platform designed for the mortgage industry. They help mortgage brokers, financial institutions better connect and collaborate with their clients. Watch and learn how the York Small Business Enterprise Centre supported their business.
Discover how Gordon Wood Optical leveraged the services of the YSBEC to support their business growth during the challenges of COVID-19.
Julie Williams is passionate about her community and living in Whitchurch-Stouffville. Although engineering was her initial career path, she wanted to make a change. “After taking time off to raise a family, I turned my storytelling passion into a successful portrait and event photography business,” said Williams.
As a former professional dancer and yoga instructor, Kaylene Joseph has a good understanding of the mechanics of the human body. Although she always wanted to work for herself, her interest in business didn’t go much further than that.
NewMakeIt is a facility that provides innovators, entrepreneurs and creative professionals with the tools and technology to turn ideas into reality. Watch to learn how the YSBEC helped them launch this creative business! Did this story inspire you? Do you…
Christine Moran spent her whole life helping others. After moving to Newmarket from Orillia over 25 years ago, she dedicated her life to raising her two children. But shortly after moving to Newmarket, her youngest child was diagnosed with Autism.…
Some people have a love for music and are lucky enough to make a career out of it. Others do the same for art and design. Stella Grinfeld has at one point or another done all three. From her education…
It’s not where you’ve been, it’s where you end up. This rings true for Corey McCusker, owner of Muttz with Mannerz, based out of Whitchurch-Stouffville. After a 13-year career in finance, she was ready for a change. “I had a successful…
“I really enjoy fixing things and addressing the needs of customers,” says Moore, an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) mechanic who launched Integra Mechanical and Air Ltd. in 2013. But what hasn’t come so intuitively to him is handling the organizational and administrative side of running a business.
Julian Roach has every reason to be confident. A registered physiotherapist, he has treated more than 18,000 patients in England, Finland and Canada. He’s also an adjunct lecturer and clinical educator for the University of Toronto and served as a lead…
Ziggy Talaska is only 25, but he’s worked in the trades for a decade. At age 15, he was framing drywall and building decks. By age 18, he was coordinating jobs for another contractor. “I grew up seeing my dad…
Kirsten Martin and Anne-Marie Gabrini don’t, typically, book private jets or plan lavish parties for their clients. Rather, as partners in K+A Personal Concierge in Aurora, they’re more apt to help clients with ordinary tasks such as grocery shopping or finding a good electrician.
Should you — and how do you — turn a hobby into a business? Those questions dogged Julia Brown when she was at university. In her freshman year, she started roasting and blending almonds into nut butter for fun. By…
For Dash Bylykbashi, it’s easy to throw himself into his work. When he’s DJing a wedding, he moves and grooves right along with the guests. “I really get into it. I’m dancing the whole time,” he says. “That’s the reason people…
After a 20-year banking career, Anu Bidani had a decision to make: She could continue in the corporate world or she could channel her passion for technology and innovation into her own business. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart,” she says,…
When clients walk in the door of Nicole Weston’s office they are greeted by a chalkboard sign that reads “Welcome. What you focus on expands.” Weston knows all about focus. A lifestyle coach and counsellor, she’s intent on building her…
When business economics grad Rachael Senjule launched Love Lakeri, a clothing accessories business, she was pretty confident she could manage the financial side of the venture. It was the marketing side she wasn’t so sure about.
Certified financial planners Marlene Falcon and Thuy Lam are in the habit of providing advice and information. But as small business partners, they’re just as open to receiving guidance as they are at offering it.
In high school, Paul Pires drove a forklift truck part-time. By age 19, he was training co-workers on a variety of lift trucks. And now, at 40, he’s launched OHSpros a company that specializes in province-specific online forklift training and health…
With a degree in kinesiology and four years at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Dr. Judith McCann is proud of the education she’s earned. She just wishes she’d had more of a grounding in business while in school. “I received some…
Recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year and Excellence in Small Business award by the East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce Three years ago Greg Moulton decided to start his own business—quite literally—overnight. On a Sunday, the kinesiologist and personal trainer was…
When Michael Trapani launched his graphic and web design business four years ago, he decided to go freelance for two reasons: First, he wanted the opportunity to bring more creativity to his work than previous jobs had allowed, and second,…
It makes perfect sense that Katie Gilligan chose “Time for You” as the tagline for her business, Timeless Harmony Salon & Spa, in Newmarket. After all, her target customers are stressed out, middle-class working women in search of a little…
