May 2007
Quick eNews Links:
- Mentoring Program Update
- Success Tip #3 for Women Entrepreneurs
- Obtaining Financing from Women's Enterprise Centre - Questions Answered
- Client Success Story - Mimic Baby
- Women's Enterprise Centre welcomes Deb Palsson, Manager, Skills Development
- CYB Coaching Sessions
- Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship
- 2007 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards
- BC Export Awards
- Women's Enterprise Centre Courses and Events
Register today to become a part of Women's Enterprise Centre Mentoring Program! Mentees, click here, Mentors, click here.
Starting/Growing
a Business Information Session:
May 15, 2007
Do you have a great idea for a business, but don’t know how to get started?
Or, are you already in business and looking for ways to grow?
If you are confused about what to include in a business plan, don’t know where to start with market research, or unclear about how to apply for a business loan, this FREE information session is for you!
Business Loans Information Session:
May 24, 2007
Learn how we can help finance your business! This
phone-in, province-wide information session will cover:
What your options are for financing your business, what your credit
rating means, why a Women's Enterprise Centre empowerment loan is
different from a bank, and how you can qualify.
Women’s Enterprise Centre supports women entrepreneurs who live and do business anywhere in BC. We invite you to contact us for training and business loans up to $100,000.
Head Office
201 - 1726 Dolphin Avenue
Kelowna, BC V1Y 9R9
250.868.3454
Vancouver Office
82-601 West Cordova St
Vancouver, BC V6B 1G1
604.633.3086
Victoria Office
Suite G-7, Sussex Building
1001 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC, V8W 2C5
250.384.2201
Toll Free in BC:
1-800-643-7014
E-mail: info@womensenterprise.ca
Visit our website at
www.womensenterprise.ca
View this newsletter online:
click
here
"As a woman who is new to Fort St. John, I can't imagine how long it may have taken me to meet other supportive women in business. The Going Solo Workshop was an absolute inspiration for me. The event was incredibley well-run and the guest speakers were fabulous ..."
—Lori Ann Hampton ,
Jewelry Creator, Fort St. John, BC
"I found the seminar on Growing your Business most beneficial ... The interaction with other female business owners and entrepreneurs was enlightening."
—Di Martin ,
Top Maps, Grande Prairie, AB
"I found that the smaller size of the workshops were a great way to learn ... getting to meet other women who too are starting or have gone through that which I have yet to come across or am just learning about was very educational."
—Deanna Warne ,
Artistic Welds, Tumbler Ridge, BC
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Mentoring Program Update
Women’s Enterprise Centre is proud to report that the Peer Mentoring Group launches in Kamloops, Terrace, Cranbrook, Whistler and Kelowna were very successful!
We will be launching our one-to-one Mentoring Program this fall and we are looking for more communities that would like to get involved. Click here to read more about the one-to-one program, or email sara@womensenterprise.ca to get more information.
Women's Enterprise Centre has created an eLearning Module for women who are weighing the pros and cons of starting their own business. This 15 minute online presentation goes over many of the challenges and turning points for women considering self-employment. Click here to view the presentation (it will launch in your internet browser and may take a few moments).
Women's Enterprise Centre Mentoring Programs have been mentioned in the RBC Royal Bank Website plus we've enjoyed extensive coverage through the Globe and Mail and many other local newspapers.
Success Tips for Women Entrepreneurs
Success Tip #3:
Change from Do-er to Strategist and watch your business grow!
Most owners of small businesses start out as ‘do-ers’. After all, it’s your vision and energy that will get your business off the ground. But unless you began your business with a goal to earn only so much income, or gain a market share small enough for you to handle on your own, the time will hopefully arrive when you need some help.
To grow your business from a one-woman shop to something larger, the first step is changing your mindset. A business of any size needs three types of people:
- Strategists, who come up with ideas, dream big and inspire others;
- Managers, who put those ideas and strategies in action; and,
- Do-ers, who create the business’s products and services, whether they are physical or knowledge-based.
Previous Tips:
Obtaining Financing from Women’s Enterprise Centre
Question 3: My business is in agriculture, does it qualify?
Continuing with some of the most commonly asked questions and concerns about obtaining business financing from Women’s Enterprise Centre, this article talks about the ease of obtaining financing for agricultural business. Even if you're not in agriculture, read more on these interesting women and their business ventures.
Our loan clients come from all over the province, and no two businesses are alike. We will share the stories of several women who have obtained financing for their business, and de-mystify the process.
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Previous Questions:
- February 2007 Question #1 - How can I get a loan if there isn't a Women's Enterprise office in the city that I live in? Answer
- March 2007 Question #2 - Does it matter what industry my business is in? Answer
Women's Enterprise Centre Client Success Story 
Mimic Baby Hits Hollywood!
From Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children to Courtenay Cox and David Arguette's little girl Coco, Selena Lohan's baby sign language DVD's are helping parents everywhere communicate with their babies.
“I have been signing for 12 years; since I met my husband who is deaf. We had our son and working in the film industry was no longer feasible for me, so I thought it would be easier to start my own business,” says Lohan.
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 Welcome to Deb Palsson, our new Manager, Skills Development
Women’s Enterprise Centre is pleased to announce Deb Palsson as our new Manager, Skills Development!
Deb comes to Women’s Enterprise Centre with an extensive management background and education in both business and coaching.
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Creating Your Business Guide and Coaching Sessions
The woman entrepreneur's roadmap to business success.
 This learning guide will assist entrepreneurs with finding information they need and then translating it into a working plan; first by discovering whether their idea has potential, and then by creating strategies that they can implement during the start-up and expansion of their business.
Women's Enterprise Centre is offering complimentary coaching sessions to support women as they complete the Creating Your Business learning guide (you must have purchased the guide to participate). Six face-to-face sessions are available in Vancouver and Victoria, telephone sessions are available for women in other areas of the province. Sessions will be held every two weeks and each session will focus on a different step in the Creating Your Business Guide. Sessions will offer guidance from a business advisor as well as peer support.
For more information on these coaching sessions, a session schedule, and to register, click here.
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Order the Creating Your Business Guide here
View all of Women's Enterprise Centre Learning Guides here
Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship: A Free Guide to Help BC Women Make the Transition
Pick up a hard copy from one of our offices, or download the FREE GUIDE today and begin your transition into self-employment.
 Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship is meant to lend support to women who are thinking about making the transition to self-employment. We'll give you a sense of what being an entrepreneur is all about. We will explore the internal process and offer inspiration. This guide will educate and support women who are making the transition to self-employment. Click here to download the free pdf version.
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The Search is Underway
2007 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards
The search has begun for the 2007 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards and we invite you to participate in finding Canada's Best!
These Awards provide national recognition to Canada's women entrepreneurs, whose successful businesses play a pivotal role in the growth of our local, national and global communities. Nominations are really simple, so nominate someone today!
The deadline for nominations is July 20, 2007.
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BC Export Awards
Recognizing BC's Top 25 Exporters for 2007 - Call for Nominations!
The BC Export Awards, which search out and promote BC’s Top 25 Exporters, are looking for those companies who export goods and services to destinations around the world. The Awards celebrate the innovative approaches and unique contributions of BC’s “export champions” to the province’s economy, its communities and citizens.
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eNewsletter Archives:
Mentoring Special Edition eNews
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
Ealier Issues
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Courses, Events and Happenings
Women's Enterprise Centre
Growing Your Business Workshop
June 7- Trail, BC, Location TBA. Email Nella Mitchell at nmitchell@selkirk.ca or call 250.364.5770 to register.
Starting/Growing a Business Information Session
May 15 - Phone in Toll Free from anywhere in BC, click here
Business Loans Info Session: Learn About Your Financing Options
May 24 - Phone in Toll Free from anywhere in BC, click here
Creating Your Business Coaching Phone in Toll Free from anywhere in BC:
May 16 - Session 4
May 30 - Session 5
June 6 - Session 6
Click here
to register for any or all of these dates! You must have purchased the Creating Your Business Guide to participate.
Moving Up! Growing Your Business
May 23 - Campbell River, BC at Campbell River and District Chamber of Commerce,
900 Alder Street click here for more details - only $29.
Women's Enterprise Centre courses are available on demand throughout the province. Courses are often held in partnership with community organizations such as Women's Business Groups, Chambers of Commerce and Community Futures. If you are a provider of business services in BC, we invite you to partner with us. Call 1.800.643.7014 or email info@womensenterprise.ca.
Small Business BC and eBC Seminars
Small Business BC Seminars - Vancouver
All Year - at Waterfront Station, 82-601 West Cordova, click here
eBusiness BC Lunchbox Seminars - Vancouver
All Year - Tuesdays at Waterfront Station, 82-601 West Cordova, click here
Around the Province
RBC Olympic Business Opportunities
May 18 - Rotary Centre for the Arts - Atrium, Kelowna, BC, click here
Annual Entrepreneur's Retreat Weekend
May 11 - Gabriola Island, BC, click here
Events Calendar Online
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