Blog - Community Futures Essex County

Moving Your Great Idea Forward

You have a great idea, that is the first step, now how to move forward? 2 quotes have stayed with me from my early days. How marketable, or readily acceptable, is your product or service? How easy is it for competitors to enter your space? Some things to consider: In our office, Character is a […]

Hybrid – Not Just for Cars Anymore

Hybrid vehicles are something most of us are familiar with, especially with the automotive industry being so important in our region. While the term hybrid brings to mind fuel sources like gasoline and electricity, since the pandemic it also brings to mind words like working remotely, cloud-based, and Zoom. At Community Futures Essex County, as […]

Rural & Resilient

Rural has a variety of definitions but for the Community Futures organization its communities with a population under 100,000. In Essex County we have 7 rural municipalities, all of which contribute significantly to the success of the Windsor-Essex region. Our small towns offer pleasant lifestyles, waterfront access, unique shops and fantastic restaurants. Recently I attended […]

We Live, Work & Play in our Communities

Did you know that every member of our Board of Directors lives and/or works in Essex County? Board Members are spread throughout our communities and they all come with differing backgrounds, experience and industry knowledge. They live, work and play in the 7 municipalities we serve. Why does this matter? All of our loan decisions […]

Cautiously Optimistic

While there are still many unknowns, there is a general feeling of things returning to normal as the children return to school and businesses re-open. Cautiously optimistic best describes the approach we are taking here at Community Futures Essex County. We understand that every business has been affected in its own way so a cookie-cutter […]

We’re Returning to Our “Community Futures” Roots

One thing became very apparent to our Team as we listened to and supported the business owners in Essex County through the recent pandemic, the future of our communities is of utmost importance to us. Every day we are motivated by the prospect of being able to offer guidance and resources to the people who […]

Vision is Improving – What We’re Seeing Now

Even with perfect 20/20 vision, no one could have ever predicted the chaos and confusion the year 2020 would bring. Who could have guessed we would be wearing masks to go into a bank! On March 11, 2020 when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, the chaos began. Within a very short time businesses […]

Checking In – How is Your Business Doing?

This is a question that crosses my mind on a daily basis right now. I wonder how your business is doing, have you had any successes or has it simply been a struggle to survive the last few months. I have had the opportunity to speak to several business owners since the pandemic was declared […]

Pandemic Pandemonium

Are you a business owner trying to make sense of things during this time of unknowns? Are you feeling like you’ve landed on the longest snake in the game of Snakes and Ladders and have slid so far backwards you’re not sure you can even stay in the game? You are not alone. Sorting through […]

Breaking the Loan Application into Manageable Pieces

You’re feeling good about the opportunity ahead of you and you decide, yes, it’s time to seek funding for my venture. You contact your preferred lender, have a nice conversation, and they ask you to complete their loan application. You’re excited and eager to get started, until you open it. Within seconds, you’re horrified! Why do […]

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