WHY?

YOU'RE AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hamilton attracts business owners and innovators because, as a mid-sized City, it offers both well-established resources and business infrastructure alongside an engaged and supportive community. Hamilton is home to a many different organizations that can help you get your idea off the ground, as well as a plethora of B2B shops and services to make your venture a homegrown success.

 

Working Spaces

  • The Kitchen Collective – A downtown collaborative commercial kitchen space
  • CoMotion on King – CoMotion offers the largest shared working space in Hamilton right downtown (also operates Comotion 302 on Cumberland)
  • The Cotton Factory (270 Sherman) – among some of the other amazing things it offers, is shared working spaces of varying sizes
  • Regus (21 King Street W, 5th floor) – private and shared offices, meeting rooms, networking space
  • The Populace – (180 James St. South, #402) – Hamilton’s newest shared co-working office space downtown
  • Millworks Creative – (64 Hatt Street Dundas) – An amazing space for creatives with photography studios, film sets, and event and co-working space.

 

Networking Groups

  • Hamilton Hive – The mission of the Hamilton Hive is to provide an all-in-one, up-to-date resource for young professionals from across the economic landscape that are looking to start or advance their career and life in Hamilton and to assist in building young professional networks in Hamilton.
  • YEP – Through the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce

 

Programs

  • Small Business Entrepreneur’s Program support all kinds of small businesses looking to get started
  • City Incentive Programs – as a small business owner, the facade and building programs can help you stay current and support the development of businesses big and small in the core
  • Access to Professionals – Invest in Hamilton offers mentoring services with low cost access to marketing or legal professionals for small business owners
  • Innovation Factory – will help you get your idea from the back of a napkin to a viable commercial business. Through seminars, peer to peer, events, working out business plans and helping with pitches. Don’t miss their annual Lion’s Lair event!
  • YWCA Women’s Enterprise Center – YWCA offers new and existing women entrepreneurs one-on-one coaching, business plan training and mentoring. 
  • Digital Main St – this training and grant program helps small businesses grow and manage their businesses by getting online and adopting digital tools.
     

Marketing & Branding

  • Unicorn Rebellion – Strategy, branding, and websites (with a dash of sparkle). Owned by friends Chris Farias and Jared Lenover.
  • Vermillion Studio – Maker of this website! Branding, design, websites and a little bit of everything else.
  • Laundry Design Works – Full service agency that does a lot of awesome environmental design in the city. 

Signage & Printing

  • TPH The Printing House – full service print shop on West Ave. N with great quality and fast service. 
  • Designers Printing Inc – located on Rymal Rd, they offer some unique services like architectural & engineering prints.
  • Allegra – a great full-service print shop located in Central Hamilton
  • Graphic in Traffic – go-to local resource for custom vinyl, from storefronts to vehicle wraps
  • Gorilla Graphics – signage shop that does everything from custom vinyl and 3D lettering to full-blown facades
 

Architecture & Interior Design

  • Niche for Design – full service firm – check out their spaces at Caribbean Flavah, Co Motion on King, and more.
  • Lintack Architects – architectural firm responsible for a lot of the buildings in the central City: Empire Times, 123 James St N, The Textile Building, Lister Annex, among others.
  • DPAI – Urban design firm headed by David Premi. See their work at the Seedworks Co-Working Spaces, Hamilton Central Library, the Farmer’s Market, and the famous Hambly House.
  • SMPL Design Studio – modern residential design 
 

Event Spaces & Services

  • Spice Factory – Reclaimed beauty with an urban industrial feel. Accommodates 150 guests and hosts corporate events, weddings, gallery openings and more.
  • Sanford Hall at Westinghouse HQ – Beautiful event space in the revitalized Westinghouse factory. Catered by Hamilton staple, Equal Parts. 
  • The Apartment – Super cute space for small events and meeting above the Aberdeen Tavern. 
  • Liuna Station – Large event and wedding venue on James St N in a restored train station built in the 1930s. If you think you’ve seen it before, you probably have! This Hamilton landmark is a film-set favourite and can be seen in X-Men and The Umbrella Academy.
  • Carmen’s – If you’re from Hamilton, you’ve probably been to an event here. Host to annual business events like Lion’s Lair, as well as some of the city’s biggest fundraising events. 
  • Hamilton Convention Centre – Massive facility off Main St with spaces for tradeshows, meetings and, you guessed it, conventions. 
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