Growth Peer Mentorship for Women Business Owners
Connect with other growth-minded women entrepreneurs to gain support as you scale your business.
New Peer Groups for growth-minded women
As a business owner, it can be challenging to grow your business while maintaining balance. Peer Groups offer feedback and fresh perspective on your business challenges and growth opportunities, using a solution-based approach.
Thanks to funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, we’re collaborating with WeBC, Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB), and the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) to offer Growth Peer Mentoring Groups across Canada in both English and French, starting in 2023.
About the Program
Peer Groups offer valuable input and fresh perspectives on your business's challenges and opportunities for growth. Sessions are guided by a Mentor who is an experienced entrepreneur, and the Mentees use action learning to problem-solve in real time.
Women business owners who are beyond the start-up stage of business hold a collective level of expertise that is perfect for a Peer Mentoring format. Connecting with other women entrepreneurs who are like-minded and growth-oriented is invaluable!
Peer Groups allow you to:
Learn from the insights and experiences of a diverse group of business owners
Explore alternative solutions or approaches you may not get to on your own
Shorten the growth learning curve by leveraging other women’s knowledge
Overcome the overwhelm of increased responsibility and risk
Extend your network and tap your peer group for referrals
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to apply if you are a self-identified woman, trans-femme, or non-binary entrepreneur that:
Is actively operating a business in Canada that is generating revenue
Has one or more employees
Is focused on growing their business
You must also be a legal resident of Canada and over the age of 19.
Sole proprietors and solopreneurs are also eligible and welcome to apply if they are in the growth-stage of their business.
*Please note that ‘pre-startups’ are not eligible for the mentoring program.
Application process
Please note that applications close on February 5, 2024 at 8pm EST | 9pm AST
- Peer Groups will be available across Canada.
- English-speaking groups in BC will be hosted by WeBC.
- French-speaking groups across Canada will be hosted by SDECB.
- English-speaking groups outside of BC will be hosted by The Forum.
- All applicants are screened to ensure each group includes non-competing businesses with complementary needs and goals.
- Applicants who are not selected for this cohort will be added to the program waitlist and notified when the next intake opens.
PROGRAM COST
The Growth Peer Mentoring Program is valued at $2,500.
Thanks to the generous grant funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, this program is free to all participants in 2023/24.
Please note: As there are limited spaces for this program, all participants must commit to attending all sessions. Registrants who miss more than 25% of sessions will be charged an administrative fee of $150.
Schedule
Register today for the next Growth Peer Mentorship groups beginning in Winter 2024!
Outside of British Columbia (English-speaking group)
Sessions will be hosted by The Forum. Session timing and facilitators for the Winter 2024 cohorts will be determined by your availability and preferred time. There are 3 groups available, each being hosted at a different time of day, to ensure that you can find a group that best fits your schedule.
Group #1
Sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 11:00am - 1:00pm EST (9:00am - 11:00am MST | 12:00pm - 2:00pm AST on the following dates:
February 13
February 20
February 27
March 5
March 12
March 19
March 26
April 2
April 9
April 16
Group #2
Sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 1:00pm - 3:00pm EST (11:00am - 1:00pm MST | 2:00pm - 4:00pm AST) on the following dates:
February 14
February 21
February 28
March 6
March 13
March 20
March 27
April 3
April 10
April 17
Group #3
Sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST (3:00pm - 5:00pm MST | 6:00pm - 8:00pm AST) on the following dates:
February 14
February 21
February 28
March 6
March 13
March 20
March 27
April 3
April 10
April 17
Sessions will be hosted by WeBC.
Sessions will be hosted by SDECB.
Cohort #1
Starts on Wednesday, March 20th at 9am until May the 22th
Cohort #2
Starts on Wednesday, March 27th, at 3pm until May the 29
Meet the Mentors
Winter 2024
Andrea Chase
Co-Founder & CMO, BAITS Global Inc. | Communications Consultant & Entrepreneur
Ottawa, ON
Andrea is the Co-Founder & CMO of BAITS Global Inc.; an established professional services firm. Her most recent venture, True Marketingverse, is BAITS' latest service offering and is a full Digital Marketing Suite specially designed for women owned businesses, Coaches, Solopreneurs, as well as Government.
Andrea was also Founder of ProCabby - a mobile app to help modernize and rebuild the Taxi & Limo industries.
She's passionate about Entrepreneurship, women in business/tech, and the mental stamina required to be a Business Owner. Sharing about her raw entrepreneurial journey lights her up, and Andrea's presented at international events & in post-secondary classrooms. She's also been a guest on several podcasts.
Andrea has a degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Small & Medium Enterprise Management.
In her spare time, she loves dancing, culinary adventures, enjoying her new country life, and exploring the world.
Carmen Mok
Founder, KOM Consulting Services
Toronto, ON
Carmen has a non-linear and nontraditional CPA career path! Started in Events and Conventions Management - managed conferences, expositions, educational symposiums and seminars. Then she fell into Restaurant Management where she ran a restaurant at the University of Guelph for 2 years.
By accident, she started in education in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management with George Brown College where she remained in the capacity as Professor, Interim Program Coordinator and Online/Hybrid Course Developer for 14+ years. During this time, she started and completed the CMA/CPA designation and started her own consulting firm, specializing in assisting and consulting women entrepreneurs. Also during this period, her online networking led to the creation of a joint business venture, The Doe, specializing in empowering women in all things finance related, personal and business.
During this time at The Doe, she was introduced to a General Manager of a growing dental laboratory, where she was hired initially as a Controller and a Management Consultant. Subsequently, she made the transition full-time into the role of Director of Finance and Operations overseeing 8 Specialist Doctors and 17 clinical team members and a slew of patients! Fast forward 5 years, she had the opportunity to be a Director of Finance and Operations for a non-profit organization for women before moving back into private healthcare, back to the clinical environment.
Sofia Aziz
Co-Founder, Potenzia Business Solutions
Edmonton, AB
After over fifteen years in the corporate world as a successful project manager and business analyst, Sofia embarked into the world of entrepreneurship – first as a successful consultant and then as a co-founder in a prosperous small family business. With this extensive background, she brings a unique perspective and first-hand experience in understanding the demands on a small business owner.
Her passion is helping entrepreneurs build the life and business they dream of by designing and implementing employee centric systems for qualitative gains in productivity and profitability. Sofia and the team at Potenzia Business Solutions achieve this by supporting their clients to clarify their vision, optimize their team, implement and improve their processes to streamline their operations and enable business owners to focus on growing their business, instead of working in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Peer Groups different?
In a Peer Mentoring group, you’ll benefit from the experience of your mentor and the diverse viewpoints of the group members.
What could this look like? There might be a woman who runs a marketing firm but needs guidance with her finances. And in her group, we would place a bookkeeper with years of experience in financial management who needs help growing her business on social media.
Both of these women would work with an experienced mentor, while also providing support to one another.
How do Peer Mentoring Groups work?
Peer Mentoring groups offer women entrepreneurs opportunities to discuss growth challenges their businesses are facing and maintain the positive outlook needed for business success.
Groups of women in non-competing businesses will meet regularly for 2 hour sessions (per the agreed upon schedule indicated in the registration form) under the guidance of a Mentor, an experienced entrepreneur leading the group. The group will:
- Discuss business growth challenges and opportunities
- Learn from the experiences of others
- Provide support to one another
- Develop new business skills and knowledge
You’ll come with a specific problem or opportunity in mind, then, with support and guidance from the mentor, the group will discuss the challenge and brainstorm solutions. You’ll develop an action plan, then go out and implement it.
Next time, you’ll come back to report on your progress and adjust your strategy.
Who leads the group?
Every group is led by an established entrepreneur in your community. These mentors have experienced many of the same situations you’re dealing with and can share insights based on years of experience.
What is the role of the Mentee?
A Mentee is an entrepreneur who is committed to developing their business, achieving business goals, and improving their skills and knowledge.
Mentees must be willing to:
- Share business challenges and issues
- Contribute ideas and experiences to help other Mentees
- Receive constructive feedback
- Accept suggestions and advice
- Open up to new ideas and change
- Respect the other group members
- Keep the confidentiality of the group discussions
Peer Mentoring Groups elevate the learning experience, provide an opportunity to learn from fellow entrepreneurs, and build a community of support. Entrepreneurs can find power and confidence in sharing their concerns with a mentor and peers in a group setting.
Mentees benefit from:
- Receiving personalized advice
- Improving their business knowledge
- Receiving an outside perspective
- Increased productivity
- Growing confidence from support regarding business decisions
- New networks and partnerships within the business community
- Emotional support
- Relief from isolation through regular, supportive contact
Am I eligible to become a Mentee?
You are eligible to apply if you are a self-identified woman, trans-femme, or non-binary entrepreneur that:
- Is actively operating a business in Canada that is generating revenue
- Has one or more employees
- Is focused on growing their business
You must also be a legal resident of Canada and over the age of 19.
Please note that ‘pre-startups’ are not eligible for the mentoring program.
What does it cost to participate?
The Growth Peer Mentoring Program is valued at $2,500.
Thanks to the generous grant funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, this program is free to all participants in 2023/24.
Please note: As there are limited spaces for this program, all participants must commit to attending all sessions. Registrants who miss more than 25% of sessions will be charged an administrative fee of $150.
Growth Peer Mentoring Program Partners
The C3 Project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
