Houghton Beach Camps, a beautiful parcel of land just a mile from downtown Kenora, was home to a thriving campground from the 1920s to the 1960s. After five decades of dormancy, Laura and Dave Loohuizen purchased the land with a vision of restoring the property to its former glory and embarking on a journey of self-employment.
Since 2019, the Loohuizens have been developing and growing their multi-faceted business, Kenora Bed’n’ Bale, which offers vacation rentals, farm activities, and the sale of equine, pet, and livestock essentials. As a seasonal tourism company, having diverse revenue streams was important from a financial perspective, but it proved to be quite challenging from an operational standpoint. “I was literally in tears trying to get the bookkeeping done,” confesses Laura, who was still using a paper invoicing system. In the midst of the company’s rapid growth, the Loohuizens recognized the need for a streamlined invoicing and billing system, but found themselves unsure where to start.
While attending an event for entrepreneurs at the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre, Laura was introduced to Digital Main Street’s Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) program, which provides small businesses with a digital assessment, online training, and a $2,500 grant to implement their Digital Transformation Plan (DTP). The program appealed to the Loohuizens, “as new business owners, […] we need all the help we can get […], whether it’s financial or information, we try to take advantage of everything that we think can work for us,” she stated.
After completing the program’s educational modules and successfully applying for the grant, the couple utilized the funds to implement their DTP which focused on two key objectives: modernizing their accounting system and updating website photography. Laura hired a bookkeeper to migrate their paper-based accounting system into Quickbooks, and sourced a professional photographer to capture content for the company’s website and social media platforms.
The impact of the grant on Kenora Bed ‘n’ Bale has been substantial. The digital accounting system has not only enabled Laura to devote more time to their different businesses, but it has also resulted in significant cost savings since her chartered accountants no longer have to comb through paper records to gather the information needed to file their corporate tax returns. In addition, Quickbooks has helped Laura gain a stronger understanding of her business metrics. With more financial information at her fingertips and the ability to generate reports, she has a clearer picture of how their company is performing month-over-month and which products are selling well.
Inspired by her success with Quickbooks, Laura is now focused on further optimizing Kenora Bed ‘n’ Bale’s digital platforms. Specifically, the company is looking to utilize its new photography for an online store powered by Square. The goal is to synchronize the online store with Quickbooks so that sales and inventory are accurately tracked in real-time on both platforms.
The updates to Kenora Bed ‘n’ Bale have sparked excitement for both the Loohuizens and their customers. “We’re really looking forward to building on the digital foundations that we have. […] established. Our customers are asking me all the time: ‘When’s your online store ready?’,” she says. “So I’m just really looking forward to that next piece and hoping it saves us hours a day.” With Spring just around the corner, the couple is eager to spend more time engaging with their customers, whether it’s assisting them with their orders or welcoming them as they begin their camping adventures.
Laura’s advice to other business owners hesitating with digital transformation? “Don’t wait like me. […] Take the time, look for the funding,[…] and just buckle down and learn it.”
