Our busy lifestyles are showing no signs of slowing down, releasing a floodgate of start-ups focusing on streamlining our daily routines. Take Pearce Tibbles’ Gourmet Of The Day, a company that eliminates the planning, shopping, and prepping of those pesky weeknight dinners.

As a young professional, Tibbles recognized that the preparation and cleanup of dinner each night can be overwhelming at the end of a long workday. Take-out options are often unhealthy, and healthier restaurant choices are still laden with sodium and additives. Gourmet Of The Day purchases, prepares, and packages produce, meat, and seafood into “paint-by-number” meal kits. Kits can be ordered online and picked up at convenient locations throughout the city, ensuring same-day, cooked-from-scratch freshness.

The company aims to serve busy, young professionals who live and work in Toronto’s downtown core. Although those in this demographic lead a healthy urban lifestyle, they struggle to cook dinners at home as often as they would like. With its $5,000 in start-up capital, Gourmet Of The Day plans to transition from leasing to purchasing kitchen appliances and equipment, and will also put funds toward marketing initiatives.

Tibbles notes that the sheer number of decisions to be made can be an overwhelming challenge for new entrepreneurs. “Fortunately, deciding how to best finance the purchase of a key piece of packaging equipment is not one of them, thanks to Canon’s Get Started program. My business will also run more efficiently with the Canon MAXIFY MB5320 printer, which will save me both time and money – the two most valuable commodities for any entrepreneur. Thank you, Canon Canada, for the opportunity to be part of such a great initiative!”

To learn more about Gourmet Of The Day, see what’s cooking at www.gourmetoftheday.com. Could your start-up use some seed money? Click the link below and tell us how you’d like to Get Started for a chance to win $5,000 in start-up capital and a MAXIFY MB5320 printer.

www.smallbusinesscentral.ca/programs/get-started