Not high tech? Don't despair. There are plenty of other Canadian organizations and groups offering support specifically geared to women entrepreneurs. For instance, the Canadian Women's Business Network is a useful compendium of Canadian resources with many links and articles for women in business.
If you run a well-established business, you may wish to join Women Entrepreneurs of Canada, a national, non-profit organization that offers "seasoned" women entrepreneurs opportunities to expand nationally and internationally by meeting with other successful businesswomen. Currently WEC has chapters in Vancouver and Toronto.
Membership in the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (CAWEE) is open to full-time business owners who've operated for at least two years, and to senior managers and executives. Founded in 1976, this Toronto-based, not-for-profit organization provides a forum for businesswomen to develop and expand their businesses and professions, while increasing the overall visibility of women in executive, professional and entrepreneurial roles.
Not all of the national organizations for business women have viable web presences. For instance, the Foundation of Canadian Women Entrepreneurs doesn't yet have a web site of its own, but is still a worthy cause. This national registered charity is dedicated solely to the promotion, support, education and advancement of Canadian women entrepreneurs across the country. For more information, e-mail Andrina Lever at andrina@attglobal.net.
Even the big banks have recognized the contribution that women entrepreneurs have made and are continuing to make to the Canadian economy. The Royal Bank has done a particularly outstanding job of providing online resources for business women. Their Royal Bank Women Entrepreneurs site provides strategies, contacts, and resources that are worth a look. I find their "Definitive Guide" booklets on topics such as Exporting, Small Business Financing, and Electronic Cash Management particularly useful; you can order them for free or access many of them online.
There are now more than 800,000 business women, and the ranks of women entrepreneurs are steadily increasing. "Women business owners are succeeding because they are endowed with the drive, the confidence and the determination that mark true entrepreneurs," says François Beaudoin, BDC President and CEO in Women Entrepreneurs in Canada: Geared Toward Success).
And as the number of women in business grows, so too do the number of women in business groups and associations throughout Canada, offering their members support ranging from networking opportunities through financing. You can find some of the best of these in my Resources for Women Entrepreneurs library. Do let me know if you know of an organization or Web site that provides support for Canadian women in business that I've missed.
