Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Northern Sunrise County is thrilled to announce a $90,000 grant has been received to launch a new business support program with Sunstone Strategic.
Founder and owner of Sunstone Strategic, Jason Bacon, explains the County will be participating in the Wayfinder Program, a program that was designed to help provide support to rural entrepreneurs.
“It is broadly broken into three components: advisory services, monthly training and cohort driven programming,” explains Bacon.
“Advisory services includes one-on-one advisory meetings to help move your business or idea forward. We will connect business owners (current or aspiring) with experts who can help them overcome obstacles and grow.”
He says monthly training will include monthly training sessions in the region where Sunstone Strategic will provide insight and guidance on a relevant topic to aid business owners in building their knowledge and abilities.
“Cohort Driven Programming (is where) we will be running two programs over the course of the contract,” Bacon says.
“One will be geared towards those who want to start a business or are still new to their business and the other will be for those who have been in business for awhile and are looking to grow or facing obstacles and or challenges. We will take them through custom learning as a group and provide them with tools and resources to help set them up for success.”
He says the programming will include building a business strategy, marketing strategy, financial model and addressing their problems with expert advice and as a group.
“Rural entrepreneurs face a lot of obstacles, sometimes more so than their urban counterparts,” says Bacon of the reasoning behind the new partnership.
“Typically, these obstacles are access to expertise, networks of support as well as access to financial and nonfinancial resources. My business has really focused on providing support to underserved entrepreneurs, especially those outside of major cities.”
Bacon explains NSC economic development officer Lynn Florence and Community Futures Peace Country are advocates for entrepreneurship and small business and saw the opportunity to bring more support to the area.
“This doesn’t provide direct funding or financial support, but does cover the cost of accessing these supports,” he notes.
“Often, business owners don’t have the money to bring on consultants or access additional support, and this funding allows them to access it at no cost. In addition to this, if funding is required, we can help participants to find sources of funding and help them to prepare for their application.”
Among the many services that can be accessed by entrepreneurs through this program, Bacon says they can obtain advisory services, templates, handouts, pre-recorded training for skill building, live training, network building, software discounts.
“Through my career I’ve advised thousands of entrepreneurs across Canada and have spent many years cultivating relationships with other subject matter experts and advisors,” he explains.
“I am confident that I can help with most barriers that small business owners face or can point them in the right direction. With that being said, I have a particular strength in entrepreneur mindset, strategy development (including marketing strategies), financial management, business planning and automation.”
If you are interested in participating in this program and receiving assistance, reach out to Bacon directly at jason@sunstonestrategic.com.
“Advisory can begin right away, training will begin within the next 30 to 45 days and we will begin recruiting for the cohort driven programming in the next three months,” Bacon says.
“Being an entrepreneur is one of the loneliest jobs in the world, and you often feel that you don’t have anywhere to turn. I want to change that. I will often hear people say they can’t do something with a business or an idea because of where they live, and I think that’s a common misconception.”
Bacon says with the technology that is available, people can do more and have access to more possibilities than ever before. He explains his goal and what he built his business around was guiding entrepreneurs forward in their businesses with available resources.
The Wayfinder Project will come to an end in February 2026, so Bacon urges interested entrepreneurs to reach out to him soon.