Downtown Milton
The Town of Milton has announced that it has received an $85,000 grant from the Digital Main Street program to help small businesses adopt online technologies.
This will provide small business owners with a two-year Digital Service Squad program, that will give them the tools and support needed to digitally transform their businesses.
The program is built around an online learning platform, structured training programs, and a team of street-level team members who help main street businesses grow and manage their operations through technology.
“We are very pleased to learn that the Digital Service Squad program has been extended for another two years to support our small businesses, who are an integral part of our local economy,” says Town of Milton Mayor Gord Krantz. “This ensures small business owners within Milton continue to have access to the support they need to modernize.”
Digital Service Squads (DSS) are the cornerstone of Digital Main Street (DMS), with trained specialists who meet with brick-and-mortar small businesses, at no cost, to help them complete an online assessment and to introduce them to online training modules designed to build their digital knowledge and skills. This one-on-one DSS assistance includes support for basic website setup, Google Business Profiles, 360⁰ photos, social media presence, and much more. Squad members are also trained to help qualified small businesses with the development of their Digital Transformation Plan and then with the application process for a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant.
This will be the third year that Digital Main Street (DMS) is being offered in Milton to support small businesses.
This announcement follows the success of the 2021 program which saw:
- $40,000 granted to the small businesses of Milton through the Digital Transformation Grant
- 491 of Milton’s small businesses inquire about some facet of the program
- 61 of Milton’s small businesses received targeted support to grow their digital presence
- 49 local businesses applied to receive free custom websites through the ShopHERE program
The two-year extension of the Digital Service Squad program runs until March 2024, while continuing to offer the Digital Transformation Grant, Digital Service Squad (DSS), and the ShopHERE program.
Digital Main Street was created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto. DMS is also supported by a group of strategic business partners, including Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Microsoft, Facebook, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, and Lightspeed. The program is delivered pan-Canada in support of small business thanks to the support of all three levels of government.
Executive Director of the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association, Kay Matthews says “Small businesses are innovative and entrepreneurial, but often lack the resources to respond to change, be resilient, yet flexible. Ontario Business Improvement Area Association is delighted to work once again alongside the Digital Main Street team and is thrilled to support Milton’s squad. The Digital Main Street program’s resources, grants, training, and Digital Service Squad assistance provide the means for more small businesses to adopt innovative ways, create new revenue streams, expand their markets, and face the future with optimism and confidence.”
The application portal for the Digital Transformation Grant is now open, click here to sign up.
