Marketing and branding workshops for small business owners

Practical, hands-on sessions for business owners in St. Thomas, London and across SW Ontario. Your team leaves knowing what good marketing looks like, with a plan they can run themselves or hand off with confidence.
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For business owners who are tired of guessing

Most small business owners I meet are doing a bit of everything: posting when they remember, boosting a post now and then, and hoping something sticks. What usually gets skipped is the groundwork, deciding who they're really for and why someone should pick them over the shop down the street, because nobody ever sat down with them to work it out.

That's what these workshops are for. We work on your actual business, in the room, so you walk out with real decisions made about your marketing.:

Good fit if you're:

‍• A new or growing business that wants a clear plan before spending on ads or a new website

• An organization like a chamber, business centre or Community Futures office looking for a facilitator your members will thank you for

• A business with a small team that needs everyone telling the same story

• About to hire an agency or freelancer and want to know what good looks like first

‍

Pick the workshop format that fits for you

‍
Group or private team workshop
One-on-one strategy session
Keynote or short talk

Group / private team workshops

Chambers, business centres, Community Futures offices and associations hosting their members. The private session is one business and its staff, at your location or ours

Half-day (3 hours): starting at $1500

One-on-one strategy session

An owner who wants the workshop applied to their business alone

90 minutes: $497

Keynote or short talk

Conferences, chamber breakfasts and networking events

45 to 60 minutes: $750

Featured workshop:
Brand & Deliver

Grab your seat
Brand & Deliver: two buckets, one umbrella

My signature half-day session covers the two things every small business needs before it spends another dollar on marketing: a clear message and a brand people can tell apart from the competition. We work through both using one local example business from start to finish, then everyone in the room does the same for their own business. AI shows up as a helpful assistant along the way, and I'll show you where it helps and where it mght get things wrong.

What attendees walk out with:
‍
‍• A clear picture of their ideal customer
• A key message built around why people buy
• A one-sentence unique selling proposition that passes the substitution test
• Three to five words that define their brand voice
• A finished one-page marketing plan with one channel, a budget and a next step for the week

What the people are saying

Emily Mason

SBEC, Senior Business Advisor
“The level of engagement from participants was immediately noticeable. The session struck a strong balance between interaction and reflection, allowing space for learning to sink in.”

Jessica McEvenue

SBEC, Business Advisor
‍
“Jason’s workshop was both engaging and incredibly practical. Jason’s expertise, energy, and approachable style made the workshop both informative and genuinely enjoyable.”

Susan Lesko

Lesko Design + Associates, CEO
“This was the clearest and most practical introduction to ChatGPT I’ve attended. Jason explained things in a way that actually made sense, far better than other webinars I’ve tried."

Elizabeth England.

KAZ Company NEO,
Advisor
“I loved how quickly I was able to see real results, especially for content creation. Everything was explained clearly, and it gave me plenty of ideas for applying AI to my business.”

How a session works

Grab your seat
Brand & Deliver: two buckets, one umbrella

Discovery call. We talk through who'll be in the room, what they're struggling with and what you want them to walk out with. Thirty minutes, no charge.

‍A curriculum built for your group. You get a session outline to review before anything's final, so there are no surprises on the day.

‍A hands-on session. Laptops open, real businesses on the table and plenty of room for questions. You'll spend more time working on your business than watching slides.

‍Take-home tools. Every attendee leaves with a completed worksheet and a one-page cheat sheet they can keep by their desk.

‍Results you can report. For organizations, I run a quick before-and-after check on attendee confidence, so you have a real number to share with your board or funders.

What the people are saying

Emily Mason

SBEC, Senior Business Advisor
“The level of engagement from participants was immediately noticeable. The session struck a strong balance between interaction and reflection, allowing space for learning to sink in.”

Jessica McEvenue

SBEC, Business Advisor
‍
“Jason’s workshop was both engaging and incredibly practical. Jason’s expertise, energy, and approachable style made the workshop both informative and genuinely enjoyable.”

Susan Lesko

Lesko Design + Associates, CEO
“This was the clearest and most practical introduction to ChatGPT I’ve attended. Jason explained things in a way that actually made sense, far better than other webinars I’ve tried."

Elizabeth England.

KAZ Company NEO,
Advisor
“I loved how quickly I was able to see real results, especially for content creation. Everything was explained clearly, and it gave me plenty of ideas for applying AI to my business.”

About the facilitator

Hi, I'm Jason Durham

I am the founder and CEO of Sparkstartr, a boutique digital agency out of St. Thomas, building websites, running ads and handling SEO for small businesses across SW Ontario. That means everything I teach in a workshop comes from work I'm doing for real clients every week, from excavation and tree care companies to local service businesses.

I also facilitate for local business programs, including the Elgin Business Resource Centre and the St. Thomas & Elgin Small Business Enterprise Centre's Starter Company Plus program. My sessions are practical, honest, and they're built so people leave with work done, whether they go on to run their own marketing or hire someone to do it.

FAQs

Workshops
Booking/Pricing
Post Session
Who are your marketing workshops for?

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and their teams in St. Thomas, London and across SW Ontario. They also suit chambers, business centres and Community Futures offices that host sessions for their members. New businesses and established ones both get plenty out of them.

Do attendees need marketing experience?

No. Sessions start with the basics and build from there. People who already know a bit get just as much out of it, because the work is done on their own business.

Is this an AI workshop?

No. Sessions start with the basics and build from there. People who already know a bit get just as much out of it, because the work is done on their own business.

Do your workshops cover SEO and getting found on Google?

Yes, at the level a business owner needs. We cover how local customers find businesses like yours, why your Google Business Profile matters, and what to ask before you pay anyone for SEO. If your group wants to go deeper, I can build a full session around local SEO.

How much does a marketing workshop cost?

Group and private team workshops start at $1,500 for a half day. One-on-one strategy sessions start at $497, and keynotes or short talks start at $750. Your final price depends on group size, how much tailoring the session needs, and travel.

Can you tailor a workshop to our members or industry?

Yes. Every session starts with a free discovery call, and the content is shaped around who's in the room. You'll see an outline to review before anything's final.

Where do you run workshops?

In-person, anywhere in SW Ontario, including St. Thomas, London, Woodstock, Aylmer, Ingersoll and Strathroy. I also do online sessions.

How many people can attend?

Group workshops work best with up to 25 people, so everyone gets hands-on help. Keynotes can go larger.

How far ahead should we book?

Three to four weeks gives us time for a discovery call and for you to review the outline. If your date is sooner, get in touch anyway and we'll see what's possible.

What do attendees take home?

Every attendee leaves with a completed one-page marketing plan for their own business and a one-page cheat sheet covering everything from the session, including AI prompts they can reuse.

How do organizations measure the results?

I run a quick before-and-after check on attendee confidence and ask whether each person left with a finished unique selling proposition. You get real numbers to share with your board or funders.

What happens after the workshop?

Most people run their plan themselves, and that's exactly what the session is built for. If you'd rather hand it off, Sparkstartr can take it from there with our Spark, Growth and Domination plans.

Can Sparkstartr help us get found on Google after the workshop?

Yes. We handle local SEO, Google Business Profile management and website design for businesses across SW Ontario. A good place to start is our free SEO audit, which shows where your business stands on Google today.

Stop being your own digital marketing department.  
‍Get let go. By you.
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