Psychotherapist Allyson Lucas’ goal is to help each of her clients discover their inner “North Star” – that steadfast reference point we each carry within that always knows our purpose, passion and life direction.
Modern digital technology, on the other hand, is not Allyson’s strong suit and she freely admits it. As a sole proprietor who became an entrepreneur later in life, trying to establish her first private practice in a new city, Allyson felt overwhelmed by the challenge of building her brand online.
She turned to Digital Main Street and qualified for a Digital Transformation Grant. This gave her access to hours of free consultations with a digital marketing expert, help with optimizing her search engine rankings, and valuable evaluations of where and how to improve her website and social media presence.
Allyson found the support she needed to build her skills in social media marketing and email marketing. She is also adopting into her practice mobile devices and new automation software to improve efficiency and reduce paper.
“At the beginning of this process, I felt as if I were standing on the platform waving at the technology train as it left the station,” Allyson said. “Thanks to the Digital Transformation Grant, I’m now on board and know the direction and the destination. As I’ve been telling my clients, old dogs can learn new tricks … even if it’s only one at a time.”
The Digital Main Street program has been further extended through funding from FedDev Ontario and the Ontario Ministry for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT). The new round of funding includes $42.5 million from the Government of Canada’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, a national recovery initiative delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies. With $7.45 million from Ontario, this combined federal and provincial project will strengthen Ontario’s economic capacity for innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration, and will promote the development of a strong and diversified Ontario economy. For more information, please visit digitalmainstreet.ca/ontariogrants
