Ontario Built

Application deadline is October 30, 2024!

In the world of entrepreneurship, the path to success often comes with unexpected challenges and rewards. Josh Curley-Lanthier and Lisa Lanthier, the dynamic duo behind Ottawa Valley Coffee, have embraced this journey, creating a community hub that not only serves exceptional coffee but also supports local businesses and fosters community spirit. Ottawa Valley Coffee is more than just a café; it’s a vibrant community center that prides itself on serving high-quality, consistent coffee, along with over 130 local craft beers. With locations in Renfrew, Arnprior, Almonte, and Petawawa, the business is committed to supporting small makers and veteran businesses through its local market offerings. A unique aspect of their operation is the monthly contribution of a portion of profits to different community groups within their geographical areas, highlighting their dedication to community engagement. The choice of the name "Ottawa Valley Coffee" reflects both the identity of the community they serve and the importance of discoverability in the digital age. It’s a name that resonates locally while being easy to find online, a crucial aspect in today’s market. Josh and Lisa, a husband-and-wife team and parents to four toddlers, embarked on this entrepreneurial journey together. Josh’s previous career as a police officer took a toll on his mental health, prompting a career change that would allow him to prioritize his well-being and spend more time with family. While the idea of opening a café had always been a playful dream during their travels, the reality set in during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple did not initially plan to become business owners. However, the desire for a more fulfilling life and the opportunity to create something meaningful led them to take a leap of faith. Entrepreneurship, they discovered, was about embracing risks and taking control of their future, despite the hard work and long hours that came with it. Ottawa Valley Coffee opened its doors in March 2021, right in the midst of the pandemic. Starting a business during such uncertain times was fraught with challenges, but it also reinforced their commitment to the community. Throughout their journey, they have learned invaluable lessons, particularly about the complexities of running a business with a partner. The importance of clear responsibilities, diligent accounting, and effective staff management became paramount. The experience of building Ottawa Valley Coffee has been both rewarding and educational. The couple has faced numerous unexpected challenges, from the time commitment required to manage the business to the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics within their team... Read the full article on our blog! Link in our bio! #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

Great news for young entrepreneurs in rural and Northern Ontario! Check it out ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gbKX946X #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurmindset

Is your business starting to grow outside of the side hustle stage? Have you registered your business yet with the Ontario Government? If you are looking for any tips, read and save this post! #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

Daymaker Coffee Roasters Daymaker Coffee Roasters Inc. was started by Oliver Woodburn in June of 2022 in Mississauga, Ontario. They are a craft coffee roaster that strives to be a part of your day, possibly help make your day or even be a ‘Daymaker’! Daymaker Coffee Roasters is built on a 3-pillar foundation. Coffee - specialty beans, ethically sourced and roasted to perfection Environment - packaged in a biodegradable bag Purpose (this is the cool one!) From Oliver’s response - “Daymaker Coffee is built on the social purpose of donating 3.21% of sales to support people with Down syndrome. Why 3.21%? People with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome which contributes to their uniqueness.” The name ‘daymaker’ came from an idea of Olivers to have an upbeat and inspirational natured brand. People generally start their day with a cup of coffee, he thought it would be great to be a part of this ritual by creating a coffee that is great tasting, so great that it might make your day! For over 20 years, Oliver has had a passion for appreciating the tastes of his favourite things including coffee, whiskey, chocolate and wine. He loves to learn how all of them are made and what makes them different. His passion turned into a career eventually with the coffee brand... Read the full article on our blog! Link in our bio! March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day; a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. We’ll be promoting our partnership with CDSS all March long and especially around the 21st. The more bags of coffee we sell, the more we can donate to supporting people with Down syndrome. #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

We are 15.3% into 2024! Are you crushing your goals? • • #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurmindset

Belleville Sign Rentals was purchased in 2022 by Todd Cole and originally started by a friend of Todd’s back in the 80’s. Belleville Sign Rentals rents portable signs to businesses looking to advertise their business at the curbside in the Belleville and surrounding areas. Originally, the name of the business was A1/Gotcha Sigh Rentals. This name was changed by the original owner to Belleville Sign Rentals as a representation of the city in which the business resides. Todd has always had a desire to own his own business, and has educated himself over the years by reading countless books by many high profile business people to try and get a grasp on business principles and ownership. Todd for the year or so prior to purchasing the business had helped out his friend with the business, taking on changing the letters at multiple sign locations and learning a bit about the business. The opportunity eventually came that his friend was looking to part ways and sell the business. Todd saw this as a perfect opportunity to own his first business and began to work towards purchasing the business. He began to think of additional ways that he could grow the business - the challenge excited him. Eventually, after they got everything sorted legally and financially, Todd was the proud owner of Belleville Sign Rentals. Even though Todd self-educated himself through the years on business and business ownership, he realized there is still more to learn as he is in his second year of business. On top of learning the ins and outs of running a business, he juggles this business with a full-time job and being a father to four girls. Belleville Sign Rentals itself is a full-time job, so Todd has learned to work through these challenges and does a great job at it if you ask his family members. Additional challenges that he has faced with taking on a business is learning a new accounting software, and balancing the different aspects of the... Read the full article on our blog! Link in our bio! #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

If you aren't networking already, START! Networking is a great way to build new business relationships, get ideas, learn from others, share your business story and be part of a community. It is easy and well worth your time! There are many resources where you can find local networking events. Not sure where to look? Check out your local Chamber of Commerce's website for a start! #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

Grey Ghost Productions Grey Ghost Productions was unofficially started by John Cole in 2003. It has always been a ‘side hustle’ for him, but now with him being retired from his full-time career he might start to ramp things up a little bit. Grey Ghost Productions is a video service company with the bulk of its portfolio being in sports video. Over the years, John has worked with many sports teams, sports organizations and different types of sports. Primarily, the bulk of his work being in hockey video. The name Grey Ghost came from John’s interest in wolves and finding out that they were also known as Grey Ghost’s. He thought that this would be a cool name for a business and went from there. The idea of getting started in this type of business sparked when he took home videos and sports videos of his son (me) at a young age. He developed an interest in video work and decided to take an editing course at Sheridan College as well as join a video club. Eventually, he decided to volunteer with the local community channel as a cameraman and got the opportunity to be behind the camera at local sports games, including the CFL Hamilton Tigercats. A work colleague of his found out about his passion for sports video and was involved with the local Jr A Team - The Burlington Cougars of the OJHL. He had asked John if he would be interested in doing video work for the coach to be able to review after. From the review videos for the coach, it grew into all the home games, some road games and he watched this passion turn into a very busy ‘side hustle’. He reached a peak of over 150 games in 2013. He has since moved on to work with other teams and currently spends most of his videographing with the Jr A Oakville Blades of the OJHL. Over the years John has watched the technology evolve and his place in the sport evolve. He started out with supplying the coach with... Read the full article on our blog! Link in our bio! #ontariobuilt #supportlocal #supportsmallbusinesses #supportontario #ontariobusinesses #localontario #ontariosmallbusinesses #ontariomade #shopontario #shoplocal #shoplocalontario

We have had the opportunity to interview a handful of businesses and are looking forward to all the upcoming interviews we have. We have talked with businesses young and old. Tell us how long your business has been running!