Biz Beat Too

All the Opportunities to Succeed

2011-06-24T14:25:00.000-03:00

Earlier this week we attended the Canadian Briefing. The day was full of information, networking and unbelievable energy! I noticed there was a significant increase in people from last year’s trip, but it was great to see the returning businesses too! We received a profile booklet with all the Canadian companies and delegates at the conference. Everything you needed to know was in the booklet!

The morning started with networking opportunities and speakers throughout the day who were all very informative and extremely supportive. One of the speakers was Josie Mousseau, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). DFAIT has many programs that are supportive of women in international trade. Another speaker, Mary Grossman, the Deputy Consul General and Senior Trade Commissioner, also offered her assistance to the participants. We had the chance to meet with over twenty new businesses at the set of roundtables that day, as well. Kenyatta Lewis, Director of Supplier Diversity at MGM Resorts International, discussed how to do business with MGM, and now two Canadian businesses have meetings with Kenyatta this week. What an opportunity!

I also had the opportunity to speak on the behalf of TD’s increased footprint in the United States and the importance of having a Foreign Exchange Risk Management Strategy. Overall, I was amazed at the collaboration that was going on with the women business owners. There was no competition, rather, everyone working together.

- Shelley LeBrun

TD Bank of Canada

Embrace WEConnect, Get Certified

2011-06-23T15:50:00.001-03:00

The Export for Success participants joined women business owners from across the country at the Canadian Briefing here at the WBENC Conference. Josie Mousseau, Deputy Director, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) did a fantastic job organizing a full agenda that allowed the business owners to network, learn and share best practices on how to leverage business through supplier diversity programs. WEConnect Canada's Betty Wood and Mary Anderson were present to lend their expertise to both certified and non-certified women business owners. They also welcomed the new President and CEO of WBENC, Pamela Prince-Eason. The combination of presentations from the Consul General Los Angeles, Shelley LeBrun of TD Canada Bank and round table "speed networking" set the room buzzing with chatter about how to access global supply networks.

The highlight of the afternoon was a presentation by Kenyatta Lewis, Director of Supplier Diversity of MGM Resorts International. Kenyatta was incredibly engaging, funny and a great source of information for the audience. With over 62,000 employees, MGM Grand operates a multitude of properties and purchases everything from frozen appetizers to cleaning services. Looking for innovative, sustainable products and services, MGM Grand spends billions of dollars every year. She encouraged the women business owners to embrace certification through WEConnect Canada. Several Canadian companies had prearranged meetings with Kenyatta through the Consul General's office in LA and were hoping to access new business through their supplier diversity program.

Another engaging presentation was made by a panel on how to leverage supplier diversity programs through WEConnect certification. Numerous tips were given by three successful business owners including Ruth Grady, Northern Abrasives, PEI; Leslie Meingast, The Personnel Department, BC, and Stephanie McLarty, REfficient Inc., ON. They all shared their personal experiences on making connections with Fortune 500 companies and encouraged the women to be persistent in their pursuit of new business.

The day wrapped up with an International reception with delegates from China, India, UK, Peru and of course Canada.

- Tanya Priske
Lead Project Manager
wbinortheastern@eastlink.ca
Centre for Women in Business
www.msvu.ca/cwb

A Whole New Level of Collaboration

2011-06-23T10:49:00.001-03:00

Great first day of Canadian delegates – a whole new level of collaboration in the room. We had very focused and informative roundtables to explore our needs from the conference and learn more about each other. We had fabulous roundtable meetings with corporate last night, as well. I walked right into one of my top 5 corporate meetings, had a great conversation with the diversity supplier and now know exactly who to ask for at their trade show booth! Business owners love the support we're getting at the trade mission.

- Judith Richardson
PONO Consulting International
www.ponoconsultants.com

All Businesses Today are "Global" - The First Day at Export for Success

2011-06-22T15:50:00.002-03:00

The first official day of the WBENC conference provided more business opportunities for the participants of Export for Success than they had imagined. Definitely a learning curve, the conference is so much more than just a conference. The women who attend WBENC are there to do business, but also know building connections with corporations and other women business enterprises is as equally important as signing the contract.

Our first keynote speaker was Annie Duke, one of the leading personalities in professional poker today. What does poker and running a business have in common you ask? Annie showed us the correlation between making important business decisions and making the winning bet. But she wasn't the only jaw-dropping speaker we heard from. Janice Bryant Howroyd, Chairman and CEO of Act-1 Group, a global leader in human capital solutions, shared why she embraces supplier diversity and WBENC. Ms. Howroyd has built a $1.4 billion dollar business, and continues to attend WBENC each year, with her team, to network and develop valuable business relationships. Another speaker who stood out to all of us was Patricia Rodriguez-Christain, CRC Group Inc. A powerhouse not only on the women's front, she also supports the Hispanic Business Enterprises', the majority who are also women-owned businesses. The one common theme from all of the speakers that resonated today was no matter what business you own, what sector you work in, all businesses today are "global" by the nature of the world we live in.

One comment that was expressed by our own women business owners was they never would have made the contacts with corporations (like AT&T) and other powerful women business owners if they hadn't attended the WBENC conference.

While we thought the day couldn't get much better, we met with the Indian delegation from Bangladore. These charming ladies belong to a group called EMERG (similar to CWB) and all are either certified wbe's or in the process of becoming certified with WEConnect India. Raji Rajalakshmi, President of eMERG and several of the women traveling with her, will be coming to Atlantic Canada in September as part of an inbound trade mission. They are looking for opportunities to build strategic partnerships with women business owners in our region. A huge shout out to Julie Fournier, ACOA, for bringing us all together and allowing us the opportunity to build our connections to this important trading partner. The Centre has invited the members of EMERG to network with us via Skype!

- Tanya Priske

Lead Project Manager
wbinortheastern@eastlink.ca
Centre for Women in Business
www.msvu.ca/cwb

From the Rooftop in Las Vegas

2011-06-22T11:49:00.001-03:00

The reception on Sunday night was held for Canadian delegates to get to know each other in an informal setting. We met on the roof top, which had a spectacular view of Las Vegas! There were business owners from all across Canada: from Vancouver, British Columbia to Corner Brook, Newfoundland! One company I met had really innovative business cards; each card had a scanner code on it, where you would scan it with an iPhone and it’ll connect straight to your website. There were lots of WEConnect certified business owners from Canada who were happy to give us advice, as well as WEConnect certified businesses from Europe. It was a very relaxing evening with lots of great opportunities to network!

- Shelley LeBrun

TD Bank of Canada
www.td.com

Ready to do Business!

2011-06-22T09:28:00.001-03:00

When the invitation came for WBENC 2011, I registered right away. As a member of WeConnect, in my first year, I have been exposed to major corporations in the US, Canada and the UK. I took advantage of the Tuck Business School and spent over a week with WBE’s from the US learning how to run our companies more effectively and productively and profitably!! I was working with a client in London, called WeConnect UK and had meetings there as well – WBE’s travelling in by train to meet with me. At the Toronto Conference I met a diversity supplier from the US and asked her to mentor me and we’ve been meeting by teleconference. My company’s exposure has doubled, we have won contracts, we have developed an export strategy. This all has built my confidence and ability as CEO to extend a growing client company who asked me to serve as EVP to the CEO and in this year’s meeting, my accountant described my company as “in better shape than ever – the banks will love this”! All of which shows big business – we are ready to do business….

- Judith Richardson

PONO Consultants International

www.ponoconsultants.com

Catching Up at the 2011 WBENC Conference!

2011-06-21T09:08:00.001-03:00

It was great to see some returning businesses from across Atlantic Canada in the in-class training this year which was held in May! Nice to share in their successes from the last trade mission – the trip to Baltimore for the WBENC Conference in June 2010. I think that everyone who attended this year walked away with some good information. Some of the tips in the two-day training program included how to be prepared for such an immense trade show. You need to put yourself out there – this type of experience is not the time to be a wall flower – meet as many people as you can because you never know where it will lead. Take a box of business cards with you and make sure they are the right kind of card for this type of trade show. Follow up immediately after the show with the contacts you met.

The training program also reiterated that you need to have a plan before you go – who do you want to meet and what is your goal? If you don’t ask for business, you will never get it. If you are successful in getting new business from the trade mission, make sure you do a business plan to ensure that you are increasing your bottom line. It is important to have a foreign exchange plan so you can protect yourself from adverse fluctuations in the dollar. Really, it’s everything we need to do normally when trying to get new business, just in a much bigger, high-energy atmosphere!

- Shelley LeBrun

Pre-departure message from Shelley LeBrun!

2011-06-18T19:06:00.002-03:00

TD Bank is pleased to once again be involved with the Centre for Women in Business and WBENC as Atlantic Canadian women head to Nevada for this year’s trade mission. We decided to get involved with the initiative last year as we saw this as a great opportunity for Atlantic Canadian businesses. Myself, and everyone here at TD Bank, hope our support will help to continue the wonderful work the Centre does.

At last year’s trade mission in Baltimore, I was amazed at the relationships that were formed! The experience was AMAZING! There were so many people eager to help everyone else succeed; it was truly an uplifting and motivational experience to be a part of.

Whether you get direct business from the conference, or not - I think the trade mission has been, and will continue to be extremely beneficial for these women. There was just so much to learn from the experience and so many extraordinary women to meet.

The CWB team takes very good care of their participants while abroad. You will never feel on your own with all their support! This is a team that will help you with anything and everything. I am proud that TD Bank is once again apart of this exciting event!

Stay tuned for more from Nevada!

-Shelley

Trade Mission to Nevada!

2011-06-17T16:01:00.000-03:00

Excitement is in the air as Centre team members; Tanya Priske and Sonia Menendez prepare to lead a group of women business owners to The Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBENC) Conference in Nevada. Tanya Priske, Project Manager, and the Centre’s new Executive Director, Sonia Menendez, will accompany representatives from our partners ACOA, TD Bank and NSBI. Travelling with these partners will be 6 Atlantic women who own diverse businesses ranging from HR services, to promotional products, to tea! At the conference they will learn of many opportunities available to women-owned businesses through supplier diversity programs in place at many Fortune 500 companies.

The conference, being held June 20-23, in Nevada, allows an opportunity for 3,000 women-owned businesses to pitch their products and services to Supplier Diversity representatives from Fortune 500 companies across the USA. It will be an action-packed few days with workshops, networking activities, and keynote speakers. The conference will end with a trade show at which more than 330 exhibitors of major companies will set up booths and allow the women to work the floor, promoting their products and services to these interested buyers.

This is the third trade mission ACOA has supported and the Centre for has been involved in. Karen Donnelly, Project Manager at the Centre, led a group to the Caribbean in 2009 in partnership with EduNova. Last year, Tanya Priske and Gordia Macdonald joined partners to lead a similar group of Atlantic Canadian women to the WBENC Conference in Baltimore.

Over the next few days these Atlantic Canadian women will share some stories from the road and experiences from the conference, as they head off to showcase their wares and tell the world who we are!
Have fun ladies!

Successfully Speaking

2011-05-25T04:34:00.000-03:00

Ever listened to someone speak, marvelling at how smoothly they conveyed their ideas without an um, ah or pause? Ever observe a peer speak at a moment’s notice with poise and eloquence? Ever marvel at that individual in a business meeting that accurately makes a motion for a decision to be made? Ever envy the facilitator of a meeting for their ability to preside over the proceedings, keeping the meeting on track and on time? Are you nodding? Are you thinking, “yes! I want to be able to do those things!”?

For the women of Successfully Speaking Toastmasters Club - business owners, Mount faculty and staff, and women from the community employed in various organizations - these are just some of the skills that they have been honing on a bi-weekly basis for the past two years. Each club meeting is run as a business meeting with a chair, there are prepared speeches delivered by members, and there is feedback given throughout the meeting . You might say that Toastmasters embodies the 4-H motto of “learn to do by doing”.

Members take turns at each meeting doing different roles so that they learn how to chair a meeting, deliver a speech, or evaluate a speech. The interesting thing is that feedback is given through the use of various evaluators: there’s someone listening and counting how many times people say um, ah or those other filler words that we so often use when speaking; someone else is listening for the proper use of grammar; there’s another person timing the various parts of the meeting to keep it on track and on time. (You’ve probably been in a meeting or two in your past where you’ve wished that the chairperson had better time management skills!) There’s a ‘word of the day’ and members are encouraged to use it when speaking during the meeting so that they can build their vocabulary.

The Centre got involved in Toastmasters in 2009 at the suggestion of a member, because it provides an opportunity for women in business to develop the communication and leadership skills and confidence that are so important in managing a business. With support from the Centre, Successfully Speaking was launched and continues to meet on the Mount campus on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Why not try out a meeting and see what it’s like to learn hands-on. Visit www.successfullyspeaking.ca for more info or email the club.

Celebrating Successful Women Entrepreneurs

2011-05-17T12:04:00.001-03:00

One of the best things about working at the Centre for Women in Business is the array of talented, driven, entrepreneurial women we encounter. Their businesses are as diverse as they are and their successes just as notable. It’s a marvel to observe what these women have accomplished.

Over the past week the CWB team has been following fashion designer Lisa Drader-Murphy’s adventures at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Lisa and her son Sam were invited to participate in the Gifting Suite at the Cannes Film Festival to showcase Turbine apparel and accessories with the celebrities and guests in attendance.

Lisa is the president and owner of Turbine Fashion Design Studio & Café in Falmouth and the Turbine Boutique in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Winner of the Progress Club Women of Excellence Award in the category of innovator/entrepreneur, Drader-Murphy has been a designer for the garment design and manufacturing industry for 20 years.

So how does a business owner get their business on the international stage you ask? Sheer determination and hardwork for sure, but there’s more to it than that. And Lisa’s going to let CWB guests in on her secrets to success when she speaks at the Centre’s annual THE JUNE EVENT. Plan to wrap- up your networking before summer hits by connecting or reconnecting with clients and suppliers. Don’t miss out—last year this event sold out with more than 125 businesswomen from across Nova Scotia!

When: June 7th from 6:30 - 9:00 pm
Where: Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, 360 Purcell’s Cove Rd., Halifax
Cost: $20 + HST for members & $35 + HST for non-members
Join & Go: $100 + HST (includes one-year membership)

REGISTER ONLINE BY JUNE 3rd.

A now a word from our participants

2010-06-29T08:46:00.000-03:00

The blog has been quiet for a few days as we finished up in Baltimore and headed home (to rest up and then start following up on contacts and leads made on the trip.)

Friday was a travel day for most of us. All in all, it was an excellent week jam-packed with networking, learning and so much more. I could go on and on, but perhaps you’d prefer to read some of our delegates’ impressions of the conference …

Here's what Theresa Williams of Atwood Consulting Group Ltd. had to say ....

"We analyze and manage corporate Information Technology changes so clients can focus on the business and not be distracted by technical difficulties. We have provided services to companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Allstream and Dartfish SA in Switzerland.

The Women in Business National Conference in Baltimore showed great promise from day one. I was paired with a WEConnect US buddy, Beverly White, who also owns and operates a management consulting company in the US called BKW Transformation Group. Beverley and I feel like we have known each other for years and we are already discussing partnering opportunities.

In addition, a lady from Cisco approached me and we are going to connect after the conference to discuss how my corporation may be able to provide services to Cisco."

This was a great opportunity to meet like-minded women business owners, connect with corporations seeking suppliers to meet their diversity goals, and have a little fun in the beautiful city of Baltimore."

Sounds like you had a successful trip Theresa!

Thursday update

2010-06-24T20:40:00.000-03:00

It was so busy I'm just now getting to post- it’s hard to believe that today’s the last day of the conference.

Comfy shoes were a must, then again, perhaps roller skates might have been a better plan for yesterday and today.

The exhibit hall officially opened Wed. and there was lots to see with more than 350 exhibitors! The conference even has an online tool so that you can view the schedules and trade show map, select the sessions you plan to attend, the exhibits you want to see, the exhibitor appointments you make and much more.

The Atlantic delegates were busy meeting with exhibitors and taking in the sessions. Here at the conference, organizers offer MatchMaker Meetings that connect WBENC-certified Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) and corporate purchasing officials for private face-to-face meetings to discuss potential opportunities. This is a lucrative tool for women to be able to get into the supply chain.

WEConnect had a large booth in the exhibit hall today. This was our home base for the day. The Centre for Women in Business and our delegates’ businesses were represented here.

For some of our delegates, this evening will be travel time as they’re attending the Fancy Foods Show in New York. For the rest of us there’s a tribute dinner this evening. And then tomorrow it’s time to bid farewell to Baltimore and return home to followup on all of the leads and contacts we’ve made here this week.

It's been a successful week, that's for sure.

A participant's perspective

2010-06-22T21:34:00.000-03:00

A quick email from Judith Richardson about her experience to date ...

Having Government officials here is a wonderful boost of support as we explore potential, possibility and taking our businesses to the next level.

wonderful Canadian delegation gathering -- meeting women from across the country and we are known as the Eastern Canada Mafia as we arrive in a crowd. It is wonderful as wherever we go you walk in and know somebody!! Networking began and continued on the International Delegate gathering on board the USS Constitution - wonderful to be in the midst of history.

Inspiring to sit and discuss business with women from India. As our business has already worked globally - I can easily see opportunities in the future. Also getting to know the other Atlantic Canadian women is fantastic and we are discovering more linkages with each other. Also more about each other's businesses - this evening I was meeting people and taking them to meet an Atlantic Canadian colleague who I thought was a match -- love collaboration!

Came back to the hotel with over 20 good contacts tonight -- and looking forward to tomorrow.

Thank good for breezes and air conditioning as going up to 100 degrees tomorrow.
- Judi

Monday's recap

2010-06-22T21:31:00.000-03:00

Things are heating up in Baltimore (and I don't just mean the weather ... although it is close to 100 degrees today!)

Yesterday was busy, hot and humid (95 plus in the shade). We started our day overlooking the Baltimore harbour in the WTC. DFAIT hosted a Canadian delegation session for about 60 wbo's from across Canada. Although Atlantic Canada had strength in numbers for our region, we had the opportunity to sit and get to know Caroline Lai, CEO of Dowster Ltd, the only participant from Alberta.

Theresa Williams, Atwood Consulting, introduced us to her US buddy, Beverly White, President of BKW Transformation Group. Theresa and Beverly both commented how it seemed they had known each other forever although they had just met a couple of hours earlier. Their similar businesses made for a lot of discussion and great contacts for both of them in the US and Canada.

Joy Playford, BDC, reminded the group the answer to HOW? is YES! and provided each of us with an "ink the deal" pen. BDC will be onsite for the conference in case women business owners (wbo's) need to discuss financing options to be able to access global supply chains and international markets.

Judy Brandt, Summit Insight, provided a lively presentation on the opportunities for selling to the US government. This presented opportunities for several of our wbo's and we will definitely be following up with this information. The last order of the day was a brief introduction of everyone in the room. it is amazing how diverse our wbo's businesses are and the strength we have in numbers. To date, there are 80 certified wbo's in Canada (Judith Richardson being our first in NS!!!) and 40 in process.

WBENC briefing session was very interesting. Our first introduction to Linda Denny, President and CEO of WBENC. I got a chance to meet with Linda at the International Reception and thanked her for making the Atlantic Canadian delegation feel so special and all of her and her staff's help leading up to the conference.

International reception - even thought it was hovering around 95f, the deck of the USS Constellation was abuzz with conversation from international delegates from Canada, UK, China and India. The Indian delegation was so delightful and the twelve delegates represented women business owners in the education, technical and science sectors. I was pleased to meet Archana Bhatnagar, President, Mahakaushal Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Jabalpur, India www.maweindia.com and Chari of Model Industrial Training Institute the President of their local women business organization.

The conference is a great networking opportunity and we are here to build relationships that will lead to future business opportunities. The upcoming three days will give us major exposure to national corporations wanting to do business with wbo's!

Baltimore Arrival - Let the Connections Begin!

2010-06-21T20:43:00.001-03:00

Did everyone see Chris Lambie's article in Saturday's Chronicle Herald with photo of Sarah Crawley? Great coverage for the mission and the three Nova Scotia companies on the mission: The Soap Girl, Pono Consultants International and Fairwinds Training.

At last we’re on the ground here in Baltimore!

Sunday was a travel day for most of us, with a number of the group travelling down together. After getting settled into our hotels we attended the group dinner for Canadian delegates. It was a good opportunity to meet the rest of the Canadians here for the conference.

Today all of the Canadian delegates are attending an education session. After that it’s off to the conference to register and attend the orientation for “first timers”. This is an important session because it will help prepare us to maximize our time at the trade show and in the educational sessions. Time management will be critical with more than 350 exhibitor booths to see and 6 streams of workshops available.

The highlight of the day will be this evening’s International delegates’ reception aboard the USS Constellation! More details on that tomorrow for sure and hopefully some photos too!

On the Way to Baltimore

2010-06-18T10:38:00.002-03:00

The excitement is building as the day of departure draws near. There seems to have been just as much work to get ready to go as there will be once we’re in Baltimore. The delegates are preparing their pitches to potential contacts, getting packed and ready to leave. For the past month the women have been working one-to-one with consultants to develop their in-market strategies

Here at the Centre, we’ve been preparing too. That’s meant we’ve been practicing our elevator pitch and identifying exhibitors and attendees that we’d like to meet while at the conference (because we’ll be looking to meet with organizations while we’re at the conference to build connections.) Our communications manager’s been getting our marketing materials ready to go so that we’ll be able to profile the Centre as well as our mission delegates at the show.

Most of us will be arriving there on Sunday. Be sure to check back on Monday when the activities get underway.

Participant Profiles Part 2

2010-06-17T09:04:00.003-03:00

Profiles of more of our in-market experience delegates ....

Certified HR professional Brenda Fair is the principal/owner of Fairwinds Training and Development Inc.in Waverley, Nova Scotia. The company offers customized programs for personal and organizational development to clients throughout Canada and beyond. www.fairwindstraining.com

Bernadette Allen is the president of Future Learning Inc., a Charlottetown-based learning solutions company that provides customized, innovative adult learning strategies for a wide range of local, national and international organizations. www.futurelearning.com

Ruth Grady’s company Northern Abrasives Inc. has been supplying the retail market with sandpaper products since 1997. Coated abrasives for drywall, auto, rental and industrial applications, and bonded abrasives for metalworking, masonry and stone applications, are just a few of this Summerside, PEI company’s offerings. www.northernabrasives.ca

There are two delegates on the mission coming from Newfoundland & Labrador:

Hilda Broomfield Letemplier is president of Pressure Pipe Steel Fabrication Ltd in Happy Valley-Goose Bay that provides welding and steel fabrication services, as well as several pipe and steel products.

June Alteen is the owner and operator of More for Less Foods Ltd. in Cornerbrook, NL that provides quality baking ingredients and unique ingredients that are unavailable in mainstream food outlets. www.moreforlessfoods.ca

Meet the participants - Part 1

2010-06-15T10:34:00.000-03:00

The group of 9 women business owners going on the mission are as varied in the products and services they offer.

Bettie Arseneault offers consulting services in a number of fields: international marketing, arts and culture, agriculture and food, and international development. Thanks to her broad experience in these different sectors and to her accomplishments in the artistic field, she is very open-minded and creative, and is therefore able to provide companies and organizations with innovative solutions to their marketing challenges. Services include: project management, marketing research and niche market research, market studies, business and marketing plans, and new product development. http://bettiearseneault.wordpress.com

Theresa Williams from Miramichi, NB is the owner and CEO of Atwood Consulting Group Ltd. & Atwood Relationship Services Inc. Atwood Consulting Group is a management consulting and outsourcing company offering a wide range of business services, including: business management, project management, sales and marketing, technology management, operations management, and human resources marketing. Atwood Relationship Services Inc. (Atwood RSI) is an exciting early stage startup company looking to revolutionize the online dating space. www.atwoodgroup.ca

Judith Richardson is the president and CEO of PONO Consultants International Inc., a professional services strategic consulting and coaching agency specializing in assisting leaders, teams and entrepreneurs around the world to accelerate growth in their organizations and themselves. www.ponoconsultants.com

The Soap Girl is a Canadian-based bath and beauty company created in 1999 by then stay-at-home mom,

Sarah Crawley. The company is popular for its whimsical packaging and fresh fragrances and its products are favourite items at numerous gift shows in eastern Canada. The Soap Girl products strike a chord with busy women who demand affordable, luxurious and natural products for those few stolen moments. The company’s line of bath and beauty products includes body butters, masques, shea butters and sugar scrubs.

All the ingredients are natural and organically-infused and have been sourced internationally from Canada to as far as India and Africa. Sarah also looks for ingredients that have been ethically produced, such as fair-trade sugar and ensures all ingredients are Paraben free, Phthalate free, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth free as well as cruelty free and dye free. www.thesoapgirl.ca

Stay tuned for more introductions tomorrow …

The WBENC Conference

2010-06-14T15:41:00.000-03:00

Well, here it is Monday already. We're busily preparing for next week's departure.

The delegation will attend the WBENC conference, the largest conference and trade fair of its kind dedicated to women business owners. This will provide an opportunity to connect with major American corporations looking to do business with women entrepreneurs, as well as to create alliances with other women business owners to secure new markets.

So what is the WBENC conference?

The WBENC Conference will take place June 22-24 in Baltimore, Maryland

With more than 2,500 attendees and as many as 350 exhibitors, WBENC’s 2010 Women in Business (WIB2010) National Conference and Business Fair: The Opportunity Connection is the largest event of its kind in the US for women business owners. America’s leading corporations and federal government agencies, committed to doing business with WBEs, will join WBEs from across the nation as WIB2010 sponsors, exhibitors and attendees. WIB2010 activities are plentiful and offer a wide variety of opportunities to learn, network, and share. WBEs, senior corporate executives, supplier diversity and procurement professionals, and government representatives will connect to foster many business opportunities by participating in a packed agenda that includes networking activities, workshops, general sessions, special events and the business fair.

Why attend WBENC conference?
What better place to get "real world" experience than at the largest supplier diversity conference of it's kind...especially since it's specifically targeted towards women business owners. Better yet, by travelling with the group, participants have a number of advisors (I guess you could gall us the "Go to Ladies") with them should they have questions or concerns.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when we start to introduce you to the dynamic group of Atlantic women business owners going on the in-market mission to Baltimore…

Export for Success - An In-Market Mission Experience

2010-06-11T15:49:00.000-03:00

A group of Atlantic women business owners are about to depart for Baltimore, Maryland to take part in an “in-market experience”. Export for Success is a project of the Centre for Women in Business, with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and TD Canada Trust Small Business Banking. This trade mission, June 20-24 is intended to introduce women new to exporting or thinking about exporting, that have built strong businesses in Atlantic Canada and want to grow further through exporting their products or services. The project is intended to increase their knowledge and confidence, provide training and expose them to new opportunities related to exporting, and in particular looking at tapping into large supply chains as a way to grow their businesses.

So why are we blogging?

The Centre for Women in Business at Mount Saint Vincent University is committed to helping women start and grow their businesses. Export, and specifically supplier diversity, are two strategies by which a business can expand. We decided that for those aren’t going on the in-market mission, but have an interest in finding out more about supplier diversity and what an “in-market mission” is all about, that we would blog about our experiences.

We, Tanya Priske and Gordia Macdonald, are the Centre’s project representatives on this mission. As the project manager, Tanya’s been responsible for developing the program and recruiting the participants. With an extensive background in economic development and program development/delivery, this project was an exciting opportunity for her to broaden the Centre’s reach beyond Nova Scotia. Gordia is a growth-focused business advisor with the Centre. As the first person in Canada to be certified as an assessor for WEConnect Canada's certification program, Gordia is very familiar with supply diversity and works closely with women business owners seeking to become certified.

What is WEConnect Canada?

WEConnect Canada is a Canadian non-profit organization that is opening doors to new supply chains. It certifies firms that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by women and connects them with the growing global demand for diverse and innovative suppliers. It is the Canadian equivalent of the US’s WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council).

Over the course of the next couple of weeks we’ll take you along with us as we prepare for and travel to Baltimore, Maryland for the WBENC conference. We’ll try and give you a taste of what it’s like “on the ground” during a mission by relating the activities that we take part in and the experiences of the women business owners that are participating in Export for Success.

More on Monday …