Partner with Us

The business case

Collaborative approach to serving BC women

Your Link to the Women’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Partner with us to support YOUR clients with:

Proud co-chair of the WEB Alliance

National and International linkages

Access to Small Business Financing

When should you partner with or refer to us?

Our training features:

Affordable Business Plan Reviews

Access Our Business Workbooks and Free Resources

We can help finance, train and support women entrepreneurs in your community.

We are a non-profit organization devoted to helping BC women start, lead and grow their own businesses. Funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, we’re focused on enabling all current and aspiring women entrepreneurs in BC to be full contributors to the economy.

Over 161,000 women own and operate businesses in BC
Women are starting businesses at a greater rate than men, but fewer women are building high-growth companies
Women-owned businesses generate half the revenues of male-owned businesses, yet their net profit is 89% of male-owned firms

This is the economic gender gap: the gap in economic growth caused by less-than-optimum participation of women in the economy. And it presents an unprecedented opportunity for growth.

We partner with local business service providers, associations and women’s business networks to bring our services to communities throughout BC such as yours. We add value to your members and clients by complementing your current offerings with services designed to meet the unique needs of women in business.

Financing Partnerships

Our business services can help you to increase the competitiveness of local businesses, create jobs, nurture attractive sectors and facilitate new business development.

Bundled with free, ongoing business guidance, training and mentoring, our business loans of up to $150k can help women:

Start, grow or buy a business
Develop new domestic and international markets
Enhance productivity and take advantage of growth opportunities

Special considerations for immigrants, youth and Indigenous women may apply.

You may wish to refer a client to WEC for services when:

You want to share the risk with another lender
You can’t advance additional funds but they need financing to move forward

Contact Melanie Rupp, Director, Loans & Advisory Services, to learn more about financing partnerships and referrals.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT LOAN PARTNERSHIPS & REFERRALS
Client	Business Name	Business Description	Referral/Partner
Angela Nagy	GreenStep Solutions	Sustainability consultant that helps SMEs reduce their environmental impacts and create profitable sustainability strategies.	Community Futures BDC
Cheryl Smith	HortyGirl	Importer/exporter, manufacturer and wholesaler of living decor.	BDC
Inna Shekhtman	Red Dog Deli Raw Food Company Inc.	Manufacturer and distributor of high-quality raw pet food.	Partners for Growth
Lisa Will	Stonz Wear	Manufacturer of children’s outdoor gear that is sold in more than 400 stores in Canada and exported to the US and Europe.	Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE)
Jessica Farrow	Honey + Garlic Health Studio	Multi-disciplinary health clinic with a focus on delivering wellness in a beautiful space.	Futurpreneur Canada

Skills Training & Workshops

Customized Course Partnerships

Women’s Enterprise Centre workshops are an excellent option for busy entrepreneurs who want to develop essential business skills. Created to specifically address women business owners’ learning styles and their desire to connect and collaborate with one another, our workshops are offered across BC.

Practical, applicable skills that are 100% relevant to the successful operation of a small business
A range of subjects known to be pivotal to small business success
Different learning approaches, including live workshops, webinars, teleconferences and self-directed study

Learn More About Training Partnerships

EXAMPLES OF RECENT WORKSHOP PARTNERSHIPS
Workshop	Community	Partner
Increasing Your Profits	Vancouver	OSME
Focused Marketing	Langley	Westminster Savings Credit Union
Stepping Up: Uncover Your True Leadership Potential	Fort St. John	North Peace Economic Development Commission
6-Part Growing Your Business Series	Vancouver	Chamber of Learning Network BC Micro Business Training Thompson Rivers University
HR for Non-profits	Kelowna	Vantage Point
Financial Bootcamp: Tax & accounting for Small Business	Victoria	VIATec KPMG
Financial Bootcamp for Small Business	Cranbrook Creston Elkford Invermere Trail	2 Community Futures 3 Chambers of Commerce Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council College of the Rockies Kootenay Association for Science & Technology

Events & Sponsorships

Women’s Enterprise Centre, along with our provincial partners, hosts a number of small business events and workshops throughout the year. We also partner with women’s business organizations to host special events for women entrepreneurs.

Contact Sandra Bird, Director, Operations, to explore event partnerships.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT EVENT PARTNERSHIPS
Event	Community	Partner
Catalyst for Growth	Kelowna Victoria Vancouver Prince George Price Rupert	59 partners and sponsors around BC, including: Premier’s Women’s Economic Council Women in BIZ Network Kelowna women in Business Northcoast Women in Business
BC Women Lead Business and Leadership Conference	Kelowna	BC Women Lead
Northwest Growth Conference	Prince Rupert	Hecate Straight Employment Development Society Community Futures Pacific Northwest Price Rupert & Port Edward EDC
Spark Leadership Conference	Fort St. John	North Peace Economic Development Commission

Business Advisory Services & Business Plan Reviews

Our team of professional advisors provides guidance to entrepreneurs in all stages of business, including:

For start-ups: Business plan and cash flow projection reviews, resources, and free “Starting a Business Info Session”
For growth-oriented businesses: Market access, growth and export support, trade missions and diversity certifications

As a result of our business services, our clients’ success rate after 5 years is 75% — that’s 50% above the national average.

A business plan review from Women’s Enterprise Centre is an effective way to ensure that your female clients have a business plan which is of the standard you require in order to make a lending decision. As lenders ourselves, we know what other lenders and investors need to know to have comfort in making a financing decision.

If you refer a client to us for a business plan review, our Business Advisors will spend up to 3 one-hour sessions with the client and provide both verbal and written feedback, outlining in detail what needs to be done to make their business plan complete.

Our series of Learning Guides and Workbooks can help any entrepreneur gain new business skills without leaving the comfort of their home. If they have questions along the way, our Business Advisors are available to provide additional support. Please contact us for bulk orders of workbooks or resource guides.

In addition we also offer a comprehensive free business resource library, with over 100 publications and multimedia files.

Contact Melanie Rupp, Director, Loans and Advisory Services, to learn more about business advisory partnerships and referrals.

Export Support

Many women business owners recognize the growth opportunities of importing and exporting, but they’re overwhelmed by the prospect of learning about the rules, regulations, permissions and approvals required.

We offer Import/Export Advisory and Training services to take the fear out of expanding businesses internationally. All of our Import/Export services can be customized or expanded to serve your clients’ precise needs. Our import/export advisory and training services include:

Export Advisory Services
Import Advisory Services
Combined Import/Export Advisory Services
Follow-up Advisory Services
Workshops

Contact Alpana Sharma, Business Advisor, to see how we can work together to help your clients access international markets.

Mentoring Programs & Connections

Mentoring from experienced business owners helps new entrepreneurs to improve their decision-making, build confidence, gain business knowledge, develop a growth mindset and increase productivity. Our award-winning Mentoring Program includes four programming options that can be customized for your clients:

Peer Mentoring Groups
One-to-One Mentoring
Free Mentor Advisory Forums on popular business topics
Taking the Stage® Leadership Training

Contact Kerrilee Auger, Skills Development Officer, to explore partnering on a custom mentoring program.

In 2009, Women’s Enterprise Centre co-founded the WEB Alliance of Women’s Business Networks, a consortium of women’s business groups representing over 27,000 women in business throughout BC. The WEB Alliance serves as a resource for professional women’s groups and women in business and the trades to connect, elevate and educate the business community to create change towards better business, stronger communities and an enhanced business culture for women.

RECOGNITION

COMMUNITY BUILDING

Over the years we have been recognized for our accomplishments, knowledge of entrepreneurship and small business support

We have been pivotal in starting projects and networks that further the opportunities for women in business across BC and the country

We are proud to be founders of Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada. We are a member of the national Taskforce for Women’s Business Growth and provide certification for WBE Canada and WEConnect International.