While there is greater gender equality in the workforce than ever before, there is still a gender divide amongst top leaders and entrepreneurs. Less than 16% of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are women-owned, yet the full and equal involvement of women in the economy is essential to Canada’s competitiveness. Only 10% of high growth…
Less than 16% of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are women-owned, yet the full and equal involvement of women in the economy is essential to Canada’s competitiveness. The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) is an initiative funded through Budget 2018 that aims to reduce financial and knowledge barriers among women entrepreneurs. To grow women’s entrepreneurship…
Canadian women often face financial barriers as they start and expand businesses. While there are many factors that have led to women owning fewer than 16% of businesses in Canada, access to financial resources is undoubtedly one of the greatest hurdles to overcome. Although there is greater gender equality in the workforce now than ever…
Please Note: This article refers to the application intake process for WEKH. This intake has closed and successful applicants were invited to participate in late 2018. Entrepreneurship is a vital element of Canada’s economic well-being. To drive employment and innovation, Canada must find ways to help more entrepreneurs across the country, especially women entrepreneurs whose…
I love hockey. I love the intensity, the camaraderie, and the tradition. Growing up, hockey was, and still is, a centrepiece in my household. Many other sports bring my family together – baseball, football, the Olympics – but despite our love for watching sports, neither my sister nor I ever played team sports and we…
Female entrepreneurs are becoming an increasingly powerful and vocal group of influencers within Canada’s business community. A growing number of women are becoming entrepreneurs – 950,000 women were self-employed as of 2012, accounting for nearly 36% of all entrepreneurs in Canada. Still, two main challenges face women who are starting and growing their own business….
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the following article are those of the guest author and do not represent or reflect Mentor Works Ltd. It’s no secret that there are a set of specific challenges related to being a small business owner, but even more so for women in business. Women have come a long…
Company of Women is offering a unique opportunity to engage with Bernadeen McLeod, President & Owner of Mentor Works, at an upcoming Toronto event. Bernadeen will explain the different types of funding resources available from the provincial and federal levels of government, how to find them, and how to leverage them to help grow your…
Small business incubators aim to provide a sophisticated mix of business support services, office space, and access to funding in order to help improve success rates of small businesses. In fact, the Canadian Association of Business Incubators (CABI) cites a report claiming: “The average survival rate of companies in Canada that go through business incubation has been…
Last year, Mentor Works informed its audience of an excellent opportunity for start-ups that takes place in Cobourg, Ontario called “N100.” The competition is run by Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) and offers early-stage start-ups the opportunity to take home $100,000 in funding in return for setting up part of their business in the…