New group to support women entrepreneurs

A new business group is attempting to help women entrepreneurs get by with a little help from their friends.

A peer mentoring program, operating through the Women’s Enterprise Centre, is starting in Salmon Arm to assist women who are in their first three years of business operation.

Sheri Reynard, owner of The Gardening Gal, will be leading the group, as they address the issues, barriers and challenges of self-employment.

“It’s about women supporting other women,” says Reynard. “It can be tough getting started and this is a way women can get some ideas, brainstorm solutions to problems and support each other. It’s also free, so it’s a great way for women to learn a lot without shelling out a lot of money.”

The centre’s mission is to empower women to business success and offers a number of programs including one-on-one counselling and a toll-free resource number for those trying to get a business going.

“These are the entrepreneurs who are most at risk of becoming part of the 40 per cent of the small B.C. businesses that fail after two years. We want to reverse that trend,” says Laurel Douglas, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Centre.

Reynard points out that many women have different reasons for starting business than men.

“Women often are not just going in for financial reasons. They want to have a business that they can combine with family or to do something that they feel will make a difference, rather than just a pay cheque,” says Reynard.

Work-life balance is a key issue for many businesswomen, as they try to deal with family and career pressures.

“Guilt. Women seem to have it bred into them. Whereas men in business don’t seem to think about it as much — or at least they don’t seem to express it like women do,” she says with a laugh.

As the program receives government funding, participants must meet certain criteria to participate. To become a member of the peer mentoring group, interested women can go on line to www.womensenterprise.ca or call 1-800-643-7014 ext. 201.

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