Grants and Free Money!

This morning I was going through the day's incoming correspondence and noticed something that really stood out. A 9x12 white envelope, looking very much like a legitimate (and official) Rush Express Canada Post envelope. Hmm, what could this be? After I opened it, the first thing I noticed was a return address by the Small Business Consumer Centre. Sounds vaguely government, doesn't it? So did the heading "Eligibility of Your Business for a Government Grant or Loan". The location of the centre is on Bank Street, Ottawa Ontario. Seemed pretty good, until I read "I'm pleased to inform you that effective immediately your small business may be eligible to receive thousands of dollars in funding".

REALLY, now this is pretty interesting. However the next sentence killed my enthusiasm and gave way to ire. "Official government records indicate that numerous other small businesses very close to yours have received funding totalling thousands of dollars." It even had a deadline that gave the impression that funding was only available for a limited time. I read a little more until I came to the second page. This page contained a table that spanned the next 2 pages. The information in the table was a listing of private BC companies, their locations and the amount of funding received. It does not mention whether it was a grant, a loan or a program like the targeted wage subsidy or if it was municipal, private, provincial or federal.

I couldn't believe it, but I actually recognized a name of a company that was in business 8+ years ago and received some funds from a federal source. This company did not use the services from the Small Business Consumer Centre. It used its own internal resources: The owner took it upon herself to go out and find the money needed for her business. She did a lot of research on her business and its future and then wrote the proposal that got the funding. The only thing it cost her was time. Did I mention that it was an internet consulting business… guess how she did her research. I wonder how she would feel if she knew that 100's of BC residents now also know that she got $16,539 (did she really get that much?). Now everyone else knows it, too.

Please don't fall for this. The Small Business Consumer Centre charges a fee(s) for its services. The tools they use to acquire the information are free, and free to every other Canadian, too. They have no way of improving your chances of receiving any funding from any source -unless they have a grant program, too. The letter suggests that they do. I have no way to measure the quality of their work, but I am not about to invest in something I can get for nothing.

Stop by the CFDC today and pick up "Your Guide to Government of Canada Services and Support for Small Business" a free publication by Industry Canada. You can also search our online funding source database.

... and remember -sometimes the best things in life are free!