$25,000Gannet Ledge Cabin, Twillingate · fictional
Business Growth Program: $12,500 not repaid
To: Business Growth Program, Growth and Internationalization
Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development (JGRD), Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Email to [email protected], after a call to the Central regional office, 709-256-1480
From: Gannet Ledge Cabin (sole proprietorship of the owner, registered with Companies and Deeds Online), near Twillingate, Central region
Reaching June and September visitors from outside the province
| Total project cost | $25,000 |
| Requested from the Business Growth Program, not repaid | $12,500 (50%) |
| The business's own share | $12,500 (50%) |
| Project period | March 2027 to February 2028 (12 months) |
Summary. A one-cabin business near Twillingate asks for $12,500 to reach visitors from outside Newfoundland and Labrador in June and September, when the cabin sits empty.
1. The business
Gannet Ledge Cabin is a two-bedroom cabin sleeping four, on the shore road outside Twillingate, registered with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation as a short-term rental. The owner has run it for three seasons, from late May to early October. In 2026 it was booked 71 nights, 62 of them in July and August. 55% of guests came from outside the province, nearly all through Airbnb. The business has no website and no way to take a booking of its own.
Read the rest of this proposal
2. The need
Visitors from away who come in June for icebergs and in September for whales and quiet roads cannot find the cabin: it appears only on one platform, in summer search results, under a name nobody searches for. June and September together brought 9 booked nights in 2026. Each extra night booked direct earns the business about $160 that now leaves as platform fees or does not arrive at all.
3. The project
A 12-month market development project in three parts. First, a marketing plan written with a tourism marketing consultant, setting the markets (Ontario, and the US northeast through Boston and New York), the message (icebergs, whales and shoulder-season quiet) and the measures. Second, the tools to be found and booked: a website with its own booking calendar, synced with the Airbnb calendar so no night is sold twice, and professional photographs and a short drone video taken in June. Third, a six-month digital campaign aimed at the two markets, timed for June and September travel, and one out-of-province consumer travel show with a set objective: 40 qualified enquiries.
4. Benefits to the province
Every booked night brings a visitor from away to Twillingate's restaurants, boat tours and shops in the two months they most need it. The campaign sells Twillingate and Notre Dame Bay, not only the cabin.
5. Why the contribution is needed
Without the contribution the owner would do the website alone and nothing more. The plan, the photography and the out-of-province campaign are what reach new visitors, and the business cannot carry them in one year from its own revenue.
6. Ownership and the project lead
The owner, who runs the cabin and will manage the project, with a background in small-business bookkeeping. No affiliated companies.
7. Key collaborators
| Tourism marketing consultant (quote attached) Writes the 12-month plan and sets the measures; needed because the owner has not marketed outside the province before. |
| Web developer (quote attached) Builds the website and booking calendar and connects it to the Airbnb calendar. |
| Photographer (quote attached) Photographs and drone video in June, showing the season being sold. |
8. Progress and evidence to date
Three seasons of booking records, 4.9 stars from 64 reviews, and 12 written enquiries in 2026 from past guests asking to book direct.
9. Approvals
Short-term rental registration with the province, current. No permits needed for this project.
10. Costs and financing
| Item, with a written quote, and its form category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Professional photography and a short drone videoProfessional Fees | $2,500 |
| Website with its own booking calendar, synced with AirbnbProfessional Fees | $9,000 |
| Six-month digital campaign, Ontario and US northeastOther | $9,000 |
| 12-month marketing plan with a tourism marketing consultantProfessional Fees | $3,000 |
| One out-of-province consumer travel show, booth and travelTravel | $1,500 |
| Total project | $25,000 |
| Business Growth Program, not repaid | $12,500 |
| The business: the owner's savings, shown by a bank statement | $12,500 |
| Total | $25,000 |
Website lines are a custom website from any supplier; a Best Kind Stays page has no setup fee (where we fit in). Costs are before HST; only HST that cannot be recovered from CRA is claimed. Government money is 50% of the project, under the 80% limit, and the business's share is above the 20% minimum.
11. Expected results
| Measure | Now | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Nights booked in June and September | 9 | 24 by the second year |
| Bookings made direct | 0% | 30% |
| Guests from outside the province | 55% | 70% |
| Enquiries from the travel show | none | 40 |
12. Work plan
| Months 1 to 2 | Marketing plan; photography and video in June |
| Months 2 to 4 | Website and booking calendar live |
| Months 3 to 9 | Campaign runs, aimed at June and September travel |
| Month 8 | Travel show |
| Months 10 to 12 | Results measured against the plan; final report |
13. Risks and how they are handled
| The campaign reaches people who do not book The plan sets a cost per enquiry to watch monthly; spend moves to the market that converts. |
| The calendars disagree and a night sells twice The website reads the Airbnb calendar automatically and blocks its nights. |
Attached
| Signed Application for Assistance (Commercial) |
| Three quotes: consultant, web developer, photographer |
| Two years of T2125 statements and notices of assessment |
| Bank statement showing the owner's share |
| Short-term rental registration |
How we built this one: sized to the Business Growth Program’s limits and the business’s share, written in the program’s outline, every cost in the form’s categories with its quote named. We build yours the same way →