ABOUT HOMEGROWN
Homegrown is a series of gatherings for female-identifying rural business owners.
Since 2024, Homegrown has brought together female-identifying rural business owners from across midwestern Ontario for an annual gathering.
Homegrown was created for:
connection with peers and business support organizations who understand the context you’re growing in;
practical ideas and life hacks for rural business ownership;
encouragement that feels real, not performative; and
community that lasts longer than one day.
At its root, Homegrown is about supporting female rural business owners so they can bloom in good company, feeling seen, energized, and supported along the way.
If you want something more honest than traditional networking, more human than a conference, and more useful than a quick hit of inspiration - you’re in the right place.
OUR VALUES
good soil
Strong businesses need something solid to grow in. Homegrown is about creating the kind of environment where rural women feel supported, encouraged, and able to put down deeper roots.
tending
Growth takes care, patience, attention, and a willingness to keep growing, in every season. Homegrown is about practical support, honest conversation, and connection that builds community.
deep roots
Where you live shapes how you build. Homegrown believes rural life has its own wisdom, challenges, creativity, and strength, and that those realities deserve to be reflected in the spaces and support built for the women building businesses here.
growth
Homegrown believes that bigger isn’t necessarily better. Growth can look like more clarity, more confidence, stronger connections, and small actions that help something meaningful keep growing.
partners
LEAD PARTNER
Huron Business Centre (HBC), part of the County of Huron’s Economic Development department, helps strengthen the support available to rural entrepreneurs across Huron County.
Through no-fee business advisory services, workshops, and programs, HBC supports founders at every stage — from early ideas to growth and next steps. HBC’s work helps entrepreneurs access practical guidance, build confidence, and move forward with more clarity.
Founding PARTNER
As founding partner, LaunchIt helped create the conditions for Homegrown to take root and grow. LaunchIt’s approach to entrepreneurship support — local, practical, and deeply connected to community — helped shape the spirit of Homegrown from the start.
LaunchIt continues to be an important part of the Homegrown story, and we’re grateful for their ongoing support.
the seed planter
Heather Watterworth is the creator of Homegrown and the founder of Creative Worth, a branding and design studio serving rural Ontario.
She has also worked and collaborated with organizations across the business support ecosystem through organizations including Innovation Guelph, Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, LaunchIt Business Exploration Centre, and Huron Business Centre to support entrepreneurs in meaningful, grounded ways.
Homegrown grew from Heather’s belief that rural female business owners deserve spaces that reflect the intelligence, creativity, and complexity of their real, rural lives.
you don’t have to grow it alone
Homegrown has brought together hundreds of rural women in business from across the region.
Along the way, it has sparked new relationships, cross-county connections, fresh ideas, and a stronger sense that female rural business owners don’t have to grow on their own.
Attendees consistently describe leaving with renewed energy, clearer priorities, and a deeper sense of connection to both their work and each other.
