Accelerating Tourism Business Success
Owners of independently owned and operated tourism businesses in BruceGreySimcoe can now access support through the T
3 Accelerator program. Launched by RTO7 and
Community Futures South Georgian Bay in Collingwood in 2019, the program provides tourism businesses, who have been operational for more than 12 months, the opportunity to apply for coaching assistance to further develop their business and to succeed.
The structure of T
3 Accelerator was developed after extensive research and consulting with local tourism businesses. It is built to specifically address the needs of tourism businesses in this region.
The T3 Program offers business owners targeted coaching support in the following areas:
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Pivoting the Business
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Sales and Marketing
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Social Media Best Practices
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Human Resources and Workforce Development
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Financial Management
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Business Management
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Experience and Product Development
Meet the Coaches
Watch the video series on our YouTube channel
How It Works
After completing an application, successful business candidates undergo an assessment of their business operations and tourism offerings. The assessment is undertaken by an experienced team of general business and tourism specialists to identify business development strategies. Based on the assessment, owners then receive the appropriate coaching and resources from the T3 Team and partner organizations. Central to the program are the volunteer coaches, who share their expertise in various areas.
The T3 Accelerator program provides the participants with:
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Business Assessment
A review of your business and the tourism experiences you offer
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Business Coaching
Targeted toward the specific needs of your business
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Business Education
Connect to upcoming courses, workshops and resources
Cost to participate is a one-time fee of $200 (currently deferred to support businesses) and, once accepted, the business owner has access to the program’s resources. There is no expiry or renewal date.
The T3 Accelerator Program has supported over 15 businesses to date and feedback from the regional tourism businesses involved has been extremely positive.
Criteria
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Business operating in the Tourism Industry in Bruce, Grey or Simcoe Counties
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Business has been in operation for at least one year
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Is willing to share financial information if required (professional or in-house statements)
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Signs a participant agreement to participate
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Is able to pay the $200 application fee (currently deferred to support businesses)
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Can commit to attending coaching sessions and will work toward implementing action items identified during the coaching process
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Owner and key decision makers need to attend the coaching sessions
Here are What Some of the Program's Participants are Saying:
"My team and I have had a wonderful educational experience with the T3 Program. The Marketing and Social media assistance has been very effective and we are implementing plans and projects on a daily basis."
Thorncrest Outfitters
"The coaches that have been selected are wonderful. So experienced and professional. I would recommend this program to any business."
MacLeans Ales
"Being part of the T3 Accelerator Program has been very helpful for me and my business. I appreciate that there is a genuine desire on the part of my mentor Chris and coordinator Amanda to help me, without any expectations of what my business should be or any judgment about where I am at now or want to go. I really like too that the help is tailored to what I need right now rather than being a full course that must be completed. Thank you for making this programme possible!"
Midland Food Tours
"The T3 Accelerator program provided us with mentors who could answer questions we had....guide us in a new direction and challenge us to think about our business differently. It provided us with a great opportunity to learn from others and grow our business."
Free Spirit Tours
"Success is what the program is all about and with the coaching we have tapped into resources we didn’t know were available to us. T3 made us stop and re-evaluate our business. We’ve taken a lot away that has shifted our focus to be more targeted."
Oasis by the Bay Vacation Suites
"2019 best year to date in terms of happy guests, 5-star ratings and positive feedback. I will be rewriting the packages this winter to include a chart to show the variations between the packages (no chance over the summer). I have taken a certified wedding planner course - so I am able to offer that now - needs to be incorporated into written materials. We have further enhanced our offerings by purchasing a washroom trailer, and we will be building another room for one spouse to have a place to relax when the other is in the cottage. We worked VERY hard at excelling in customer service this year, and it has paid off. We were nominated for two Chamber awards - community service and business of the year - we didn't win, but it was an honour to be nominated."
Valley Croft Event Centre
"We launched new online booking platform at start of 2019 summer season. Our sales have increased by 25 percent and managing the business has improved 100 percent. We’ve also hosted some FAM tours."
Free Spirit Tours
"The expertise and advice at each coaching session is amazing. We can’t get enough of it!"
At Last Adventures
“The strategic planning sessions we did with Scott were key for us to put down on paper our 2020/21 priorities. We used this in an application to Farm Credit Canada thinking we’d get part of it approved. To our surprise we’ve received approval to go ahead with all of it!”
Georgian Hills Vineyards
“Small business represents one of the most important facets of our economy and this exciting coaching program is already proving to be a great tool to those involved.”
Gillian Fairley, General Manager, Community Futures South Georgian Bay
“Tourism’s lifeblood is driven by entrepreneurs and their visions. Helping local business owners succeed is in itself rewarding, and being part of the T3 team has given me great satisfaction.”
Scott Allison, T3 Coach
“I am blown away by the level of commitment that the team members have invested into developing this program. This is a unique support program that will have a significant impact on those tourism businesses involved.”
Bill Sullivan, CEO, RTO7
For more information, email t3@rto7.ca
