SCAM! I just received a call just a few minutes ago from someone who does not even give back her name when asked who she was again and just kept on talking and asking me to go on-line ASAP as they have just sent me a message where I can send my business plan. When  I asked them if they can guarantee the confidentiality of my business plan and how will they show such a guarantee? - she said ... "NOBODY can make such insurance...nobody can insure me of that anywhere!" ....oh my...when told her that I'm not asking for any insurance but their assurance that they guarantee the confidentiality of my business plan. Apparently, she does not know the difference of guarantee from insurance. Anyway, here's the kick...when I told her that I just signed a guarantee contract from Government agencies I dealt with and the University, she then told me that - "Nope, they cannot make such guarantee...Nobody can much such insurance". I was fed up and told her that she does not know what she is talking about and that I am a lawyer...guess what....tooot tooot tooot tooot SHE HANG UP!!!!!

Simply a SCAM.

This is scaring the pants off of me. I kid you not, I was just about to submit my plan to Leadership Grants, but given my templates in my financial plan developed circular references, all my figures were skewed in the Appendix. Literally the deadline was approaching (hours to spare) and I just told my business partner - scrap it. Everything was good up until then but upon review of plan I noticed these last minute glitches. Divine intervention. After my partner tried to make me feel guilty, for something that was no fault of my own, I was inspired to do additional research (given he was the one that stumbled upon this "too good to be true" phenomena). Yahoo! Oh what a difference information (and divine intervention to boot!) make. I'll let him sleep thinking he has something over me, but damned if I don't let him have it tomorrow! (To think...they could have had my business plan - unique ideas and all! WRONG.....)
On another note, are there any legitimate Grant out there - with no associated fees - just everything on the up-and-up? Anyone know anything about Angel Investors?

wow this whole forum has got my mouth dropping. This scam has been going on for years and no one has the power to get them investigated and shut down ? They must have legal loop holes all over. I'm guessing what they do is 'legit' in the way that Insights really do write a business plan at cost. The only problem, the cost is obsured and they use leadership grants lure people in. well its quite genius,  and completely distgusting. These applicants are people who have viable plans to do better for themselves, for their communities and also help the economy! and private corporations go in crushing dreams and bank accounts. its sickening.

They don't know something. . they messed with the wrong person . Me and my legal team will be doing everything in our power to take down these companies and if not , we will crush them buy making this known nationally, media the s**** out of it. blog about it. create general awareness for all people seeking funding and I guarantee persistence.  

keep your heads up all that have been dissapointed.

I too spent thousand of dollars on a business plan and just found out I was rejected.  I feel like a fool and I am out of work and owe this money.  I will never believe anything anymore that I see on the internet.  I sure would like to see these guys get what they deserve.

Hello,

If they end up giving you some money, that money won't take you far. That's  what they did to Ben Bentley in Vancouver. They gave him money to buy business cards, employee shirts and some office supplies.  

What they do is this, they will give you anywhere between $500 to a $1000 and they tell you, you have been approved for a GRANT. However  you must sign a document and write a letter to the sponsor people which the sponsor people are "THEM"  given them permission to use all your information. Basically they are buying you out  to use your person information for their own benefit but they can say its a GRANT.

Hello Everyone.

I wanted to share my experience with all of you about this company so called (LEADERSHIP GRANT). After registering on line I had a lady by the name Shelley Barnes calling me to confirm my details that I had already giving them and assigned a due date for my business plan to be submitted which was about  6 weeks later. Two weeks later I got a letter in the mail stating that I haven't uploaded my business plan.  The letter said that I should really take this serious because 92% of people who have a well done business plan and apply for a grant with them get some kind of money.  

The stated that I should contact a company called Insights Marketing & Communications for assistance in completing my business plan. I called Insights Marketing & Communications and they quoted me $3500. I asked the guy if he knew about Leadership Grant and he said they deal with them all the time. I also asked him where Leadership Grant gets the money and he said most likely from private people and business that make so much money a day that they don't know what to do with their money.

I was calling people around to get help in completing my financial statements and I came across with a business plan writer  JOSEPH LAWSON and he informed me that he had a client last year pursuing a grant with Leadership Grant  and at end his client informed him all this was a SCAM.
His client never got any money. He advised me to do home work on these guys before I would send anything to them. Then I came across with this site here and I saw all these negative experiences. So I decided to do my investigation and I came across with some interesting information about the Leadership Grant company.

I called most of Recent Grant Recipients  that they have listed and the truth started to surface about Leadership Grant. Most of them don't exist but I did managed to speak  to a lady by the name  C. Atkins that owns Living Green Design and the first thing she said was "STAY AWAY FROM THE LEADERSHIP GRANT, ITS A SCAM".

What happened to her was this. She submitted her business plan and she never got any penny from them  but they used her name and business on their website for about four years now. She called them many times complaining and to remove her from their website list  and what they did was this
they offered her $1000 to use her name, picture, and business and to write a letter saying this :

"I wish to thank you at this time for the generous grant money. The start up of a new small business is always stressful, this grant will relieve some of that stress... Again I thank you for the business grant for Living Green Designs, trust that it will be utilized in the best possible way to improve my business."

This is how they use honest  people promoting their scam. I will stop dealing with them now. They won't be getting my business plan.

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for having this site available to warn potential victims of this. I applied to Small Business Grants and was connected to Insights Marketing and learned from internet searches that this is the same company as business-advice.com My free application for a small business grant of up to 10,000 went to a $5,000 business plan that would get me grants of up to $250,000. Of course they would also put me in touch with someone who is an expert in accessing grants.
In any event, even though it is not their policy to refund the money, they apparently made an exception in my case as they had not started the plan. I was refunded all but a charge for credit card fees. I have been trying to find an agency who will help protect the general public and am hitting walls. I did report this to Visa, my bank and Fraudbusters. I am getting action with regards to the credit card fees they charged me, however, the bigger picture seems to have gotten lost. It does not seem my actions have done anything to protect the public
I would suggest that anyone who has been victim of this, please make a report to Fraudbusters. At least then your complaint is on file. They had received four complaints when I called and I was number five. Maybe if they get enough complaints, they can take action. I am also trying to make a complaint to the BBB and would like to talk to a real person there.  
Best to all of you. I hope this helps somebody.

Hi Damon,

I called Urban Ink Tattoos and spoke to the owner who gave me some very interesting information which does not give me confidence to continue with my application.  I am now worried about my business plan and pro forma being in not so trustworthy hands.  I let Urban Ink know that Leadership Grants was still using his "quote" and his business logo on thier website and he will contact Leadership Grants and ask them to remove it.  I also called Colourful Kidlets Childcare and left them a voice message.I looked up as many of the so called businesses that were rotating through the website and the rest are all bogus or non-existent.  Shelley and Ethan both sing the same tune - they are legit and everyone who is complaining are just bitter that they did not receive a grant.  If you are so legit then why are all the so called recipients bogus, non-existent or saying theire experience was essentially a "rip-off".  I hope you make these snakes squirm and expose them publicly for the scam artists that they are.

I just saw that Damon is devoted to stopping them. thankyou Damon.

SCAM.

They refuse to release a list of grant recipients. Try t find another organization that awards grants and doesn't make the recipients public.

Anyone ever try to stop them from scamming people?

This company is a total scam -> www.leadershipgrants.ca. I confirm the previous posts. They make money by referring people to business plan writing services and get a commission how of it....

Mr. Roberts,

I sent you and the managing director, Sandra, an email on Wednesday November 14, 2012 as indicated in this post and have yet to receive a response.  In the email I express some concerns regarding my recent application for your grant consideration.  

Your post indicates that your company is legit.  That being the case I await your reply.  

Sincerely,  

Dalia

Dear Ethan Roberts and Shelley,

This is to notify you that since I havent heard any feedback despite your promises to get back to me, I have decided to investigate your organization.

You have not responded to me for one simple reason according to my research.  I did not pay you any money to use your business and marketing plan templates.

I submitted a professionally written business plan to your organization with the assistance of Ontario Self Employment Benefit program, which they granted our business $20 000 in funding in exchange for using their program to build a solid business and marketing plan.

According to your website, you have funded these companies for example:

Urban Ink Tattoos
TSR Virtual Solutions
Colourful Kidlets Childcare Centre

Depending on which day I view your site, you have funded many small businesses and different names come up.

I contacted these companies with discretion and to my surprise, some dont exist and the ones that do, they never heard of you or applied to your program.

I have documented their response through telephone but more importantly, through email which I am happy to publicize in order to create awareness of what Leadership Grants is all about.

Through our contacts within the government whom we have done business with, our goal is to expose your organization for what it is, and we will continue to do so until you no longer exist stealing money from hard working Canadians who wish to be self employed.

This letter in itself will be published on websites such as the links attached where you personally responded too, and we will use our contacts at CityTv to investigate further with the goal of exposing you on national television.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-416-572-7694

http://laredobookstoreblog.blogspot.ca/2010/0 ... n-oh-sweet.html

Thank you,
Damon
PlantRocks
www.plantrocks.com
905-995-0211
Plant It In Stone!

Thank you for spreading the word.

A red flag went up when the Leadership Grant people connected me with Insights Marketing to "help" me with a business plan.

Too good to be true because it is a SCAM.

Cheers!

I have put in 9 applications online, the got email saying soomeone will contact me in 2 business days I have been waiting over 3 months. I have got 12 customers that wants me to start my Pet Sitting and Care. ASAP I want to start in August but the grant would help me to get a fence up and keep people out of my yard and I need a few things for the customers pets I was asking $50,000.00 but changed it to $25,000.00 I also need a laptop for my business a good one mine is not working. Bit some of my customers are threatening to cancel I have a business plan and 20 years experience and a diploma in Animal Science, and a diploma in Small Business Management the grant will also cover my license and my insurance

Yes, it's a scam...  Won't ask you for money or anything, it's just how they do industrial spying nowadays.  People have been doing it for years, they have money, you don't and they know...  Take your good ideas and then simply turn them into their own with nothing you can do about it.  Unless you didn't really give them your full master plan of course, it's the only real way to this day to actually protect intellctual properties.  If you ever tried to deal with copyrights and patents, you'd all understand and know this.  No scientists or artists in this room I suppose.  

I hope this serves you all,
Lex

I am here asking the same questions. It's all just too fishy. I can smell a scam once a wipe the fantasy of a $50k grant from my eyes. You'd be better off with angel investors. someone you can meet face to face.

They removed their names from WHOIS ... but it's interesting to note they were created in 2003 - and yet according to all accounts, they have only been around since 2009.  Business advice is also Insights marketing... what more proof do we need?

I have proof.. but I am curious, how much was your grant worth (I don't know who you are and I don't mean to be rude... if they are legit I'd love to know it)

Mr Roberts/Morgenstern (sarah, darren or whomever you are using today)/MS aderson/greenberg

 You are so full of S*** my A** is jealous!  I am LIVID that you have done nothing but lie and cheat people out of their dreams and you have the stones to write some stupid reply and figure we're good now.  Insights communications IS OWNED BY YOU!! And of course that just happens to be the agency you "refer" all grant applications to (without permission or the request... you just DO IT in your first email).  When you screwed me over, I got mad, and guess what?  I put the same amount of effort into finding out who you are that I did in writing a researching my business plan... You have destroyed the hopes of thousands and I guess ashley madison wasn't making enough money for you so you decided to steal money applicants could have used to start their business.  Sound alike organizations?  LMAO nope there is only one you... in America and now in Canada too.  The BBB knows ALL about you, and gave you an F rating but that isn't enough for me, how dare you turn my lifes' work into a cheap con.

 I WISH you would reply to me!

Hi I am applying for a leadership grant and very disappointed to hear all this. Well so far in my journey I haven't been asked for any money and the help that they have offered has been free so far, so with that being said I will let you all know if I have been approved or turned down. If I am approved I will let you know all the details. Darn I hope this isn't a scam!

IT IS A COMPLETE SCAM!!!! Please read this!!

I've been contacted on several occasions by a so-called "Rick O'Neal"... he doesn't have a LinkedIn Profile and has a Persian accent... obviously a fake name..

MY suspicion is that this Insights Marketing and Communications is also owned by this Leadership Grants organization and they scam small business owners into purchasing their services and then leaving them high and dry.  I called Insights Marketing and told them to tell me the exact names of OTHER Grant companies that they take referrals from, and he told me RBC (the bank).  I asked him, so if I called RBC that they would be familiar with Insights Marketing?? His reply became nervous and started stumbling on his words....

I did a bit of investigating and came up with something interesting.... the Domain Names for BOTH companies were registered by the SAME user/registrar.... suspicious??? I think so..  (SEE ATTACHED LINKS)

http://www.whois.net/whois/leadershipgrants.ca
http://www.whois.net/whois/business-advice.com


Please spread the word that this company is a SCAM before other small businesses become victims...

The more the SCAM links are shared and "clicked" on the higher up on the Google hierarchy the links will show up and the more the next person will be forewarned.

Thanks for enlightening me to this scam... I almost submitted my business plan to them!!!! :S

Naomi

Leadership Grants is definitely a scam! They make money by getting you to pay for business plans with promise of a grants that never happens... Stay away from theses clowns!

wheres your proof if you say its not a scam. They're obviously earning money from affiliate commissions or outsourcing their work to someone who writes small business plans. They dont offer any small business grants, why would you be here defending them when. WHAT all of a sudden your interested in what others are saying, you should be spending your grant money lol. SHOW US PROOF?

I was in the market looking for some home business grant money for my small business consulting. I checked out leadershipgrants.ca and I was pretty stoked. But then I realized they do the same thing I do. consult and receive affiliate commissions most likely for outsourcing their request for business plans or consult to you for a fee. Basically this is what I want to do.

YOU will never get a grant from them. guaranteed. They are just sugar coating their way of saying, we will create a business plan for you and we can submit it to our corporate affiliate employers, but we earn affiliate commissions from it. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. If your looking for a small business loan, look to the Gov, Local Banks, or do some better research. Most grants are in the wide open and love the publicity of helping people because if your successful then it makes them more successful corporately because it looks like they care.

Can u give me more details about your successful outcome with leadership grant organization?  I did submit and am waiting to hear.

Who is the owner?

Not a scam.. I recieved money from them. I don't understand why people keep saying they are a scam without proof.

This is a total scam. All they want is money for a business plan. I've never heard of anyone ever getting the so-called "grant".

Buyer beware!!!

My daughter applied for this, spent hours and hours on a business plan, had the matching funds and then some. Has a viable business plan and so far in the four months she has had her business is
doing well. She was still rejected. I don't understand what you have to do, to get this grant. I do see on
their web site that others have recieved it. Really disappointed in this program cause you do everything
right and work hard and get no Grant. Oh well we tried!!! We will still suceed with or without the grant
but it would have been nice to get it.