Our Events.

This July, August, and September, we invite you to attend one of our virtual Business Financials 101 sessions.

Hosted by the Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, this session will help small business owners build a stronger understanding of their financials — an essential part of evaluating business health, improving decision-making, and driving profitability.

In this session, you will learn:

• Costing & Pricing: Learn how to calculate product/service costs, set profitable prices, and use pricing strategies that balance customer value with business margins.
• Sales Forecasting: Understand how to estimate future sales using market trends, historical data, and customer demand to support budgeting and business planning.
• Cash Flow: Techniques for improving budgeting and cash flow management to support more accurate financial forecasting.

Attention Starter Company+ applicants: Attendance at both this online session and the Crafting Your Business Plan session is mandatory prior to submitting your program application.

Our Starter Company+ program is only open and applicable to those businesses that reside in the Guelph/Wellington County.

Please visit the BCGW Events page for registration and upcoming session dates: Events Archive – Business Centre Guelph-Wellington
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Diana Train; Operations Manager for the Business Centre Guelph Wellington: diana@guelphbusiness.com

Cost

This session is for you if you are in the early stages of development and are looking to gain knowledge in the food and beverage industry.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• Creating a Business Model
• Doing your Market Research
• Analyzing the Competition
• What is Your Value Proposition?

Do you have an idea for a food business? Want to learn more before you venture into food production? Do you have a delicious recipe you wish to cook up into a money-making business? 

Make sure you are complying with applicable codes and regulations.

• Fire Code Compliance & Building Permits
• Zoning Requirements, Municipal Bylaws & Licensing
• Food Safety Requirements 

Be sure to attend this valuable workshop on “Starting a Food Business”.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights that will help you avoid costly mistakes!

Cost

This session is for you if you want to learn how to sell your food product at markets, online, or to retailers.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• How to set your pricing for success
• Positioning your product on the market
• Building an audience of raving fans
• The key things you can do to secure the sale

You have worked hard to develop a great product but you’re struggling to make sales. What gives?

Successfully selling your product involves more than just having great tasting food. Pricing, marketing, and how you position your product all play a key role in ensuring that people will buy it.

In this session, we will be joined by Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars, a national energy bar company. Nicole will guide us through the key factors to consider in successfully selling your product, whether you’re selling at markets, online, or to retailers.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights that will help you avoid costly mistakes!

Cost

A thought-out business plan can provide a small business the ability to transform ideas into a concrete, actionable roadmap for success!

This July, August, and September, we invite you to attend one of our virtual Crafting Your Business Plan sessions.

Hosted by the Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, this session will help small business owners mitigate risks, avoid costly mistakes, and clarify your target market. A business plan explains your business idea, short and long-term business goals and what resources are available to start and operate your business.

In this session, you will learn:

• The goals of a business plan
• The methods for attaining those goals
• The timeframe for the achievement of the goals.

Attention Starter Company+ applicants: Attendance at both this online session and the Business Financials 101 session is mandatory prior to submitting your program application.

Our Starter Company+ program is only open and applicable to those businesses that reside in the Guelph/Wellington County.

Please visit the BCGW Events page for registration and upcoming session dates: Our Events – Business Centre Guelph-Wellington

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Diana Train; Operations Manager for the Business Centre Guelph Wellington: diana@guelphbusiness.com

Cost

This session is for you if you want to know how to price your food or beverage product appropriately.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• Understanding your COGS
• Cash Flow Management
• Planning for Profits

If you want to run a successful business it’s important for you to know the ‘numbers’. Learn how to cost and price your products and services for profitability and how the decisions you make about your operations and production processes affect your bottom line. Understand how to budget and spend money so you can pay all your bills and still have money left in your pocket at the end of the year.

Each participant will receive an Excel Financial Forecasting spreadsheet (blank) and completed examples for both a product and service business to assist you through the process. Use the spreadsheet to develop your individual timeline, operating and capital costs, and pricing calculator to create a cashflow projection and income statement for your business.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to properly cost and price your product to make a profit in the food and beverage industry!

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights that will help you avoid costly mistakes!

Cost

This session is for you if you have a food or beverage product that needs the perfect brand to suit the right market.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• Why YOU are your brand as a new food or beverage business
• What to consider when creating a visual identity for your company
• What does marketing in 2026 look like?

Amanda DeVries of Eye Candy Design specializes in branding food and beverage companies. In this webinar, Amanda will share her expert insight, from how to create your brand, how to retain and grow your brand to what sort of colours and typography styles are right for your product. You will learn the difference between designing for store shelves vs. food markets vs. digital spaces. She will also cover tips for working with a graphic designer and determining exactly who your product is for. As Amanda advises, “if your product is for everyone, then you are selling to no one”. Know your target market.

You will leave with a better understanding of how to brand and market your product in the food and beverage industry!

Cost

The CRA Liaison Officer tax seminar targets newer small businesses or potential new start-ups. This webinar help:

• Explain common tax errors, what causes them and how to avoid them
• Demonstrate how to use financial benchmarks for relevant industries
• Provide information on the CRA’s services
• Explain general bookkeeping concepts and best practices

This seminar will provide small business owners with a general overview of the relationship between their business and taxation. It also allows participants the opportunity to speak directly to a representative from the CRA to ask any questions that they might have concerning business issues.

A thought-out business plan can provide a small business the ability to transform ideas into a concrete, actionable roadmap for success!

This July, August, and September, we invite you to attend one of our virtual Crafting Your Business Plan sessions.

Hosted by the Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, this session will help small business owners mitigate risks, avoid costly mistakes, and clarify your target market. A business plan explains your business idea, short and long-term business goals and what resources are available to start and operate your business.

In this session, you will learn:

• The goals of a business plan
• The methods for attaining those goals
• The timeframe for the achievement of the goals.

Attention Starter Company+ applicants: Attendance at both this online session and the Business Financials 101 session is mandatory prior to submitting your program application.

Our Starter Company+ program is only open and applicable to those businesses that reside in the Guelph/Wellington County.

Please visit the BCGW Events page for registration and upcoming session dates: Our Events – Business Centre Guelph-Wellington

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Diana Train; Operations Manager for the Business Centre Guelph Wellington: diana@guelphbusiness.com

Cost

The Business Centre Guelph Wellington is proud to partner with the City of Guelph and Welcoming Week 2026!

This year, Welcoming Week will run from September 10 to September 19, 2026. Welcoming Week is all about bringing people together. It celebrates our community and helps people from different backgrounds get to know each other, feel welcome, and belong. This year’s theme is ”The Stories We Share – The Courage to Come Together”

This “Launching a Small Business” workshop is a free, two-hour in virtual session designed to assist individuals—particularly newcomers—interested in starting their own business. Organized by the Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, the workshop provides an overview of essential tools and steps to transform a business idea into reality. Special focus is given to introducing you to the tools of success that turn an idea into a business.

If you are unsure where to start to get into business for yourself, this event will help give you the larger overview of all the things you need to consider. The session will cover key topics such as business planning, market research, and available resources for entrepreneurs. It’s particularly beneficial for those new to Canada or the local area.

This session is taking place on virtually on Tuesday September 15th from 9:30am-11:30am. For any questions or inquires please contact diana@guelphbusiness.com

Cost

The CRA Liaison Officer tax seminar targets newer small businesses or potential new start-ups. This webinar help:

• Explain common tax errors, what causes them and how to avoid them
• Demonstrate how to use financial benchmarks for relevant industries
• Provide information on the CRA’s services
• Explain general bookkeeping concepts and best practices

This seminar will provide small business owners with a general overview of the relationship between their business and taxation. It also allows participants the opportunity to speak directly to a representative from the CRA to ask any questions that they might have concerning business issues.

This session is for you if you are starting a food business and want to make sure you are producing safe products right from the start.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• Basic Food Safety Principles Every Business Must Know
• Practical Food Safety Practices for Production
• Common mistakes to avoid when starting your food business

When you’re launching a food product, understanding food safety is essential not only for protecting your customers, but also for meeting regulatory expectations and building retailer trust. In this session, Lisa Cove, Food Safety Consultant and Founder of Shelf Ready Inc., will walk you through simple, actionable steps you can take to build food safety into your business from the very beginning, without getting overwhelmed by regulations.

You’ll leave with a clear understanding of basic food safety expectations, practical steps you can implement immediately, and the confidence to move your food business forward safely!

Cost

Learn how barcodes can get you market-ready for retail, online sales, and supply chain success.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• GS1 Canada services
• The roles played by GS1 Canada across the supply chain
• Tools and resources on how to get started the right way

This webinar will demystify barcodes by explaining why unique product identification is key when selling your product on a website, through a retailer or an online marketplace. Having an authentic, licensed barcode, coupled with proper support systems, will help you navigate regulatory and trading requirements while ensuring you are in conformity with your trading partners.

Presented by GS1 Canada.

Cost

This session is for you if you have a food or beverage product that needs an accurate and compliant label.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• Packaging Considerations
• Labelling Requirements
• Mistakes to Avoid

Packaging and labelling your food product is where marketing meets regulatory compliance and food safety. You know you want your product to look great on a store shelf, but what are you required to put on the label? How do you choose the right package for your product? For this session, we will be joined by Nicole Haney, former Founder & CEO of Boho Bars. Nicole will guide us through what to consider when choosing a package for your food product, what to include on your label, and what mistakes to avoid when packaging your food product.

You will leave with a better understanding of labelling & packaging in the food and beverage industry!

Cost

This session will cover key areas to consider and relative impacts as they relate to selling your products regionally, inter-provincially and internationally.

In this free 60-minute online seminar learn about:

• What you need to consider when scaling and exporting with confidence
• Actionable guidance to align with regulatory expectations and prepare for future requirements
• What retailers and marketplaces expect from brand owners
• Why authentic barcodes (GTINs), accurate product data, and high‑quality product images matter
• How to ensure your product meets market‑ready requirements for growth

Cost

The CRA Liaison Officer tax seminar targets newer small businesses or potential new start-ups. This webinar help:

• Explain common tax errors, what causes them and how to avoid them
• Demonstrate how to use financial benchmarks for relevant industries
• Provide information on the CRA’s services
• Explain general bookkeeping concepts and best practices

This seminar will provide small business owners with a general overview of the relationship between their business and taxation. It also allows participants the opportunity to speak directly to a representative from the CRA to ask any questions that they might have concerning business issues.

The CRA Liaison Officer tax seminar targets newer small businesses or potential new start-ups. This webinar help:

• Explain common tax errors, what causes them and how to avoid them
• Demonstrate how to use financial benchmarks for relevant industries
• Provide information on the CRA’s services
• Explain general bookkeeping concepts and best practices

This seminar will provide small business owners with a general overview of the relationship between their business and taxation. It also allows participants the opportunity to speak directly to a representative from the CRA to ask any questions that they might have concerning business issues.