Is there a program designed for women on maternity leave or who are currently on EI?
Yes, Gateway is a program designed for women who are currently on EI; or have been in the last 3 years; or who have started maternity/parental benefits in the last 5 years. The Gateway program can help you create a business plan, and provides business counselling, on-going workshops, on-line training, financial assistance to qualified participants, networking opportunities, and access to a resource centre.
Is there a program that can help me turn my idea into a plan even if I’m not EI eligible?
Yes, the Making a Difference program offers business and employment development services to women at PARO Centre, or through PARO on Wheels throughout Northwestern Ontario. The program offers business counselling, weekly workshops, on-line workshops, access to financing, and tele-sessions.
Is there a program to help women who have already established their business? Yes, the Business Accelerator program is designed for women who are already in business and who need help with financing, marketing, exporting, franchising, staffing, need a mentor, or are just out of date, out of tune or out of balance. The Accelerator program provides flexible advanced business workshops, mentoring, expert coaching, and web and tele-classes. It provides an opportunity to access credit and be supported by a PARO Peer Lending Circle in Northwestern Ontario. It provides resources and helps build your knowledge, skills, capacity, and confidence. The Accelerator program also can provide you with an affordable incubator that provides space and equipment.
What is PARO Presents?
PARO Presents is a retail outlet located at 111 N. May St., that offers unique gift items. Operated by a group of enterprising women: entrepreneurs, artisans and PARO support staff, the store front presence provides Northern women with a retail location from which to launch and sell their products. It also serves as a venue for training, where women can learn customer service, merchandising, cash management, business machine operation and more. Stop in at PARO Presents today for a great shopping experience, or contact us about opportunities to retail your products or access retail sales training.
Do you have to register for PARO’s Glow & Grow networking events and is there a fee? Glow & Grow events are held at PARO Centre every Wednesay from 12:15-1:15pm. Registration is not required and there is no fee to attend these workshops. They are open to the public, and provide an opportunity to learn new skills and network with other women in business. If you can’t make it to PARO Centre or are out in the region, E-learning, video conferencing, and tele-learning options allow you to fully participate without being in Thunder Bay! Contact PARO at info@paro.ca or call 1.800.584.0252 to learn more and register.
How can I stay up to date with PARO events? Subscribing to PARO’s weekly online newsletter, the PARO Link, will keep you informed about the events hosted by PARO in Thunder Bay and other communities in the region, as well as other community events. It also provides you with information and useful links on business development. You can subscribe by clicking on Newsletter, and providing your email at the top of the page. Also, you can always check up on PARO events by visiting the Events section of the PARO website.
Is it possible to advertise my business on the PARO website? Businesses have the opportunity to advertise (within size limits) in the PARO Link e-newsletter. Fees are set at $20 per ad for PARO Circle members, $25 per ad for PARO Networking Members and $50 per ad for non-members. Non-members are encouraged to purchase an annual $25 Networking Membership to realize savings. PARO reserves the right to limit content and size for all PARO Link submissions. We ask you to keep your special events and/or community announcements to a maximum of 100 words. We cannot guarantee any graphics, please submit in a pdf format. Learning type column submissions must be limited to a maximum of 200 words. To place an ad, please email: info@paro.ca.
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