Events and Programs Calendar
Design Thinking 101 Workshop
Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to creating solutions that clients, customers, and partners want.
Learn how to apply the Design Thinking process to your own business to constantly innovate and iterate, while focusing on the tactical elements of problem solving for your target market.
Event Details:
Date: September 23rd
Time: 12:00PM
Duration: 1.5 hours
Speaker Highlight:
Adunni Rufai, Innovation Coach, Design Leadership & Product Strategist
Curious about AI and what it could mean for your business?
In this interactive workshop participants will learn what AIis, how it "knows" what it knows and why it gets things wrong.
Topics will include:
- What AI is good at and when not to use it
- How to use AI safely
- How AI differs from a Google search
- How generative and agentic AI differ
- Training bias and why it matters
- Key critical risk and governance questions every business should ask
- Understanding privacy, confidentiality and Zivo's "SAFE" framework for protecting private data
Attendees will have the opportunity to try AI tools and see first-hand how different tools handle the same request, and even how to build a website from a single prompt. This session will be led by Dr. Ainslie Harris, founder of Zivo, an AI literacy company that prepares non-technical individuals, organizations, and public institutions to use AI safely, efficiently and productively.
Date: Wednesday, September 23
Time: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Location: Alder Recreation Centre, Alder Room 1, Orangeville, ON
Customer Discovery is the process that is leverages key learnings about your customers to develop solutions, products, and processes that work for them.
Learn how to improve your products, services and offerings through customer discovery, and learning what your customers really want.
Event Details:
Date: September 30th
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 2 hours
Speaker Highlight:
Anthony Lau, part of the founding team of the Blackberry
Grant funding can be a powerful tool for business growth, helping entrepreneurs access capital for expansion, innovation, hiring, and new projects. In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of successful grant writing, including how to identify relevant funding opportunities, develop compelling applications, align your project with funder priorities, and avoid common mistakes.
Through practical examples and case studies, participants will gain the skills needed to improve their chances of securing grant funding for their business
Event Details:
Date: October 14th
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker Highlight:
Ted Killin, Startup consultant and Senior Writer
Sales is a very broad topic that can easily become about pitching, more than listening. In this session, you will learn the sales essentials, ultimately learning ways to get potential partners, clients, and customers to say "yes", by learning what they want during the sales process.
Event Details:
Date: October 21st
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker Highlight:
Azrah Manji-Savin, CEO & Co-Founder @ Syzl
Thinking about selling your products on Amazon, or alreadyselling and looking for advice to improve your results?
In this workshop, participants will learn how Amazon worksand what is needed to set up and manage an Amazon business. Selling on Amazonis not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes a clear strategy, a focus on data andan understanding of how to compete.
Topics will include:
- Why Amazon may suit your business
- How to protect your brand on Amazon
- Costs and fees
- Choosing between Seller and Vendor options
- Product launch strategies
- Selling handmade products through Amazon
This session will be led by Don Thompson, Founder and CEO ofBeacon Commerce, a Canadian e-commerce agency that helps businesses launch,grow and profit on Amazon and across the e-commerce universe.
Date: Tuesday, October 27
Time: 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Location: Alder Recreation Centre, Alder Room 1, Orangeville, ON
Building on KPIs, Metrics, and Budget Expenses to stream line business operations and maximize profit. In this session, we go over key performance indicators, metrics and budget fundamentals to align your business with success.
Event Details:
Date: October 28
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker Highlight:
Irene Lee, CFO at Maverin Inc
Every founder needs to be able to clearly and confidently communicate what makes their business stand out. In this session, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling story that resonates with customers, partners, and potential funders.
We'll cover the fundamentals of building a strong pitch, including structure, delivery, and storytelling techniques that highlight your unique value. You'll leave with a clearer narrative and practical tips to strengthen how you talk about your business.
Event Details:
Date: November 11
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker Highlight:
Mthabisi Mhlanga, Public speaking coach, DMZ expert, TEDx & Award-Winning Speaker
Automation is no longer a future concept — it’s a practical tool that can help you save time, improve efficiency, and scale your business. In this session, you’ll explore popular AI tools and learn how to use them to build simple, repeatable systems in your operations, marketing, and admin tasks.
You’ll walk away with actionable insights and examples of how other business owners are using AI to streamline their workflows and unlock growth.
Event Details:
Date: November 18
Time: 10:00AM
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker Highlight:
Pouria Daliri, Founder and DMZ program lead
Growing Your Business for Success is a practical workshop that takes you through The Ten Essential Steps to Growing a Successful Business framework. Drawing on 10+ years of helping run a family business, 12+ years in corporate, and his current work leading a business consulting firm, Sanjay Padhiar covers essentials such as product-market fit, data and KPIs, and the people, processes, and systems a business needs to grow without depending on any one person. He also addresses the difference between growing and scaling a business!
Speaker Bio:
Sanjay Padhiar is the founder and Principal Consultant of IMA Consulting, where he helps retail and CPG brands build the operational systems needed to scale and sell their businesses. Before ever running a single ad, Sanjay built his entire consultancy through LinkedIn, generating leads, landing clients, and establishing IMA as a trusted name in the industry through strategic social selling. Today, he teaches business owners the same blueprint: how to transform LinkedIn from a passive profile into an active growth channel that consistently attracts opportunities. Sanjay loves spending time with his family and is passionate about helping local businesses not just survive but thrive!
Session Format:
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Speaker Presentation
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Networking