Launching new venture at exact right time
From plant deliveries to e-commerce app, these businesses are thriving
Plants for plant-killers Emily Wight launched mail-order plant business Foli in late 2019, perfectly timed for the onslaught of online ordering that came a few months later with the pandemic.
“When March hit, our pace went from smooth and building to almost breakneck,” Wight told The Spectator in an email. “We were packing plants from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
Foli focuses on indoor tropical house plants in attractive pots. Each plant comes with care information in an attempt to make things easy for those without a green thumb.
“Our goal is to make the experience of caring for a plant simple and rewarding, no matter your level of experience,” according to the company’s website, Foli.ca.
It is Wight’s second business after starting Greek yogurt shop Nosh and Go in Toronto’s PATH in 2013, when she was 27. She now has three children and lives in Burlington — around the corner from her brother, Adam Peaker, with whom she co-founded the business.
Wight says sales have continued to be strong. Her team has been working out of a greenhouse in Waterdown, but the business will move to a Burlington location in February that will include a small retail area for plant pickup.
Helping Hamilton shop local
Local entrepreneur Michael DeLong is helping consumers connect better with local businesses using mobile app Getintheloop. The app helps small businesses pivot toward e-commerce by helping them promote services such as loyalty programs, takeout, delivery and curbside pickup.
DeLong, a former vice-president at Stoney Creek machining and mould company Garrtech, took over the local Getintheloop franchise in March as shoppers stuck at home looked for new ways to support local businesses. He says he was intrigued by a franchise opportunity that did not involve an office, staff or inventory, so the risk was low, while the reward of supporting other local entrepreneurs sounded like an “excellent fit.”
Local businesses on the platform span numerous industries and include Copper Kettle Café, Chew’s Raw Pet Food, Main West U Brew Wines, Dundurn Market and Shawn & Ed Brewing Co.
Get those venture funds
Bay Street Diary, a support platform for entrepreneurs, is launching a $100-million venture capital fund for businesses at any stage, offering strategic guidance, growth capital, help with partnerships, and advice from business leaders from across the globe.
The Toronto-based company already works with two Hamilton businesses, helping Kushies Baby raise growth capital and working with Wentworth Strategy Group on a project to promote entrepreneurship in Canada by helping startups with their strategic planning. Other local businesses looking to tap into the new Indo-Canada Partnership Fund — which is a partnership with India Network — can visit baystreetdiary.com. The fund will officially launch by summer and begin deploying capital as early as fall.
“Bay Street Diary’s primary mission is to celebrate entrepreneurship and help entrepreneurs and businesses reach their goals,” states a press release announcing the fund. “By combining the deep relationships of its expert team with the vast reach of the India Network, Bay Street Diary will offer entrepreneurs unique access to new and exciting markets and opportunities … Bay Street Diary has a long history of embracing startups and helping businesses achieve global scale.”
Party cash goes to charity
The Royal Connaught condo residents and staff normally celebrate the holidays in style, with a party funded by the former hotel’s developer, the Spallacci Group. Since parties were not to be this year, the company donated the $2,500 it would have spent to Empowerment Squared, a Hamilton-based charity. The organization used the cash to buy holiday gift cards and hampers for families in need, support international students stranded without work or funding, and buy hardware for kids taking school online.
A new phase of the Royal Connaught development, called The Moderne, is launching in early 2021. It is one of several new residential towers planned for the site, and will be 36 storeys tall.