How to prepare for your first meeting with Community Futures Howe Sound

Whether we meet in person or online, here's what you can expect!

The bread and butter of what we do at Community Futures Howe Sound is offering support and advice for anyone in the Sea to Sky looking to start a business or improve their existing business.   

For that, we offer free, personalized business coaching sessions with one of our expert advisors.   

But trying anything new can be daunting, especially when you don’t know what to expect. So here’s a quick rundown of what to expect, whether you’re thinking of starting a business or already have one.   

What to expect if you don’t have a business yet  

Firstly, we want to hear all about your business idea. Then, we’ll ask who else you’ve spoken to about the idea, and what their feedback was.   

We’ll ask you about any ideas you have to test out the business proposition. For example, could you try selling your product on the local marketplace to see if it’s popular before launching?  

Finally, we’ll talk about the first steps you would take if you were to launch your business. That would likely include creating a business plan, registering the business, organizing your financing, putting together a marketing plan, building your brand, networking, and more.  

If you don’t already have these ideas and plans, we suggest you take some time to put it all on paper, so we have something tangible to discuss in our initial meeting. If you don’t have all the answers just yet or can’t figure out a specific problem, that’s ok too!  

What to bring if you already have a business 

We work with countless business owners in the Sea to Sky who want to unravel problems, upscale their businesses, prepare for the future, and much more.   

If you already have a business, you can come to us with a specific problem, or with multiple problems, and we’ll work as a sounding board to help you hash it out. We’ll want to know what you’ve already considered doing or tried, and we’ll work with you to find solutions.   

Importantly, we’d love to know what we can do to help with your challenges. Whether that’s connecting you with the right resources, offering a business sounding board, helping you work through a budget, or something else, the best way for us to help is to know how we can help.   

Read our team page to learn more about us   

Before you come in, you can also take a quick look at our Team Page to learn more about us.   

Most initial meetings are held with Cam, our Community Business Development Manager. Cam has more than 20 years of experience in business development, and can tackle almost any business problem. Yet if you need specialized knowledge, Cam can point you in the right direction, or even connect you with one of Community Futures’ specialist consultants (at no cost to you).   

Keep in mind, these sessions are always free, whether you need just one, or prefer to have a catch up every few months.   

Ready to make your booking? Lock in a free session here, or get in touch with any other questions here.