Services

Connecting Immigrant Entrepreneurs and the PEI Business Community

The PEI Connectors Program facilitates connections between immigrant entrepreneurs to PEI, Canada, and the PEI business community. As such, we offer services to both immigrant entrepreneurs and business owners in PEI

If you are new to PEI and would like to start a business, we can help.
You’re new to PEI and wish to start a business. You have vast business experiences and specific skills to offer, but you don’t yet have a trusted network of contacts in your new home. Perhaps, too, you haven’t even had time to learn all there is to know about regulations/service programs about operating a business here yet.

You may be hoping to connect with a local businessperson in the same industry you’re in, but you fear a language or cultural barrier will negatively affect your chance to connect.

We can help!

Get in touch to learn more about:

Meeting with a Program Officer one-on-one to discuss your business vision and to ask questions about starting a business in PEI
Having one of our Program Officers host an introductory meeting between yourself and a local businessperson
Obtaining information about business practices in PEI
Attending a workshop or information session on a variety of topics related to conducting and operating a business in PEI
Attending a group meeting with several local business people

Our dedicated advisory board is made up of leading Island business people who can help you enter the PEI business community with confidence. We can help you explore business ideas and let you know about upcoming educational workshops, information sessions, social gatherings, and networking events.

If you’re a part of the PEI business community, we can help you expand your networks and tap into new potential markets
Immigrant entrepreneurs are starting to make up a significant part of the business community in PEI. At the 2013 Biz 2 Biz Expo, newcomer businesses displaying their goods and services made up 10 per cent of the space at the trade show. And the 2013 Annual President Excellence Awards Gala Dinner (produced by the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce) saw its first newcomer business nominated for the Emerging Business of the Year Award.

These entrepreneurs bring a diverse range of skills to PEI and can help your business expand its networks. Businesses that specialize in international trade see an immediate benefit to connecting with the right immigrant entrepreneur who can link previously established business networks in his or her home country to those right here in Prince Edward Island.

Even if your business doesn’t deal with international trade, it can still benefit from expanding its connections. Perhaps you need to research various cultural practices related to international business—you can save time and money by asking one of our Program Officers or consulting our research library. Or, perhaps your business is ready to expand, you’re looking to hire more staff, attract investment, and you want to grow your business connections. We can host individual or group introduction sessions, allowing you to connect with immigrant entrepreneurs.

Participating in a one-to-one introduction session with an immigrant entrepreneur
Saving time and resources when it comes to research and information sharing
Taking part in a group meeting of several entrepreneur immigrants and PEI business people
Offering a tour of your facility to newcomer business people

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