IdeaZone wants to help you take advantage of this great opportunity and get your business online and thriving through the COVID-19 crisis.
The BC Government is offering a grant of up to $ 7,500.00 for you to put towards getting a new eCommerce website. Businesses looking to improve or promote an existing eCommerce site may also be eligible.
From the Launch Online website:
“The Launch Online Grant program provides funding to B.C.-based business to create an online shop and/or improve their e-commerce experience to attract new local customers and expand to new markets. The grant will pay for up to 75% of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500 per business.
The program supports a rapid response for businesses and is accepting applications from businesses ready to start and finish their online shop within 12 weeks.”
The Launch Online site also says that there is no application deadlines. Applicants will be accepted until funds are depleted. There is a lot of chatter about this opportunity within business groups throughout B.C. and many applications have already been submitted.
The time to jump on this opportunity is now.
The application is simple and eligibility criteria are surprisingly broad.
- The business is owned by a B.C. resident or residents;
- The business’s sole or primary operations are located in B.C.
- The business:
- Is currently operating;
- Is registered in B.C.;
- Employs less than 149 B.C. residents;
- Pays taxes in B.C.
- Maintains a
- Business number
- GST number
- PST and WorkSafeBC number (where applicable)
- Generated sales of more than $30,000 in the past year (in 2019, or in the year preceding the application)
- Has repeatable products, or in the case of artists and jewelers, individual items that have slight differences (i.e. paintings or rings)
- Does not currently have an online store or has an online store that has no more than three of the five identified online store features
- Customer registration and information security features
- Shopping cart and order management capabilities
- Payment processing options including application of appropriate taxes and shipping costs at time of ordering
- Product catalogue, search and inventory status
- Website analytics and reporting capabilities
Eligible expenses also include photography, copywriting, digital marketing and training.
For more information on the grant you can visit their website at: https://launchonline.ca or review their FAQ here: https://launchonline.ca/faq
Consultations and advice are always free at IdeaZone. Contact owner Jon Valade at jon@ideazone.ca to see if this opportunity is right for your business.
