In academic entrepreneurship parlance, ‘gazelles’ refers to those businesses that LEAP from a standing position to exponential growth in a short period of time. Generally, these are businesses that have been around for awhile, have been stable with slow and steady growth and have built a foundation from which to spring into a new incarnation when the right opportunity arises.

There aren’t many women-owned businesses out there that exhibit this behavior. Those who work with women entrepreneurs and those who study female entrepreneurship ponder the question of the dearth of female gazelles in the North American business community.

It’s a question we’ve wrestled with here at the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba. We certainly see lots of solid businesses that are owned by women. Recent surveys and studies suggest there are several reasons that prevent women from becoming gazelles: women are more risk averse than men and there is some risk involved in the great leap; women have the practical and tactical responsibilities of family management and might not have time or energy to get to the next level; some women do not see business growth as a desirable goal and prefer to keep their enterprises small and self-contained; women may not be sufficiently networked to be cognizant of many of the growth opportunities that could benefit their companies; woman may not have the financial, human or knowledge resources to take advantage of opportunity.

What do you think? What are some of the things that prevent or hinder the development of your company and keep it from leaping into a bigger and more profitable initiative?

We’d be very interested in your comments and ideas in response to this post.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 1:48 PM 1 Comments

Tags gazelles  women entrepreneurs  women-owned businesses  business growth  Women’s Enterprise Centre 

Last Tuesday Nelly Yusupova of Webgrrls treated us to an energetic and entertaining couple of hours in a discussion about how and why we should introduce technology into our business processes.

When I had my business, a number of years ago, I couldn’t wait to get a computer and wanted a small business electronic POS system almost before they were invented. I wish I had known then what I know now. It’s so easy to take the wrong path, spend money unwisely, introduce technology that is not appropriate to the size and nature of the business and, worse, buy the shiny toys instead of the helpful tools.

That’s why Nelly’s words of wisdom rang true to me, and, I hope, to the other businesses gathered at the WECM/ICTAM “Tech Café” event on November 16.

The basics of a technology plan, which Nelly assures us, every business should have, starts with the strategic step of outlining the major goals and objectives of the business. Following that, businesses should document the major issues with which they are faced and what problems are the most needful of remedy. The next step is to look at what technologies (and I mean here, hardware, software and electronic marketing and communications mediums) we are currently using, how they are serving us and whether or not they are being used appropriately.



The rest of the planning exercise is to match the desired technology solution with the issue identified and ensure that its use is aligned overall with company goals, both current and long-term. Other questions we need to ask are: What features do we need? What purchase choices do we have? What resources do we need? and How do we measure success?

Along the way, we should see whether bringing on a technology expert will help us in making good decisions and, if so, ensuring that our tech guru speaks our language, understands our needs and is professionally competent.

Tuesday’s presentation was aligned with WECM’s WEC-Tech program, helping women to better utilize technology in their businesses. You can get more info on the program at http://www.wecm.ca/WEC_Tech/Wec_Tech_Program.cfm.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 1:48 PM 0 Comments

Tags Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba  WEC-Tech  Nelly Yusupova  Webgrrls International  technology plan  women in business  women business owners 

What is the sound of 200 women networking?

It’s loud; it’s energetic; it’s full of excitement, discovery, exuberance and revelation. I have to say, it’s music to my ears.

I heard that music alot during the past two days as part of the WEConnect “Contact to Contract” conference in Toronto. The gathering was a great example of the WEConnect mandate in action. It brought together entrepreneurs, corporate diversity procurement executives and specialists, government representatives and “RPOs” (regional partner organizations); the latter group included all four WEI (Women’s Enterprise Initiative) groups in western Canada and, of course, includes us at the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba.

The program was designed to encourage contact among and between the various players. Many of the women business owners at the conference are examples of WEConnect certification success stories. Through certification, they were able to gain access to procurement specialists at large corporations or to second and third tier suppliers who they might never otherwise have been able to target.

The WEI umbrella program, “Access to Supply Chains Project” enables the WEIs to assess women-owned companies for certification under WEConnect. In addition, the program provides guidance and support to companies that are working to build and grow certifiable companies but who are not yet ready to target the major corporate and government markets to which WEConnect is a conduit. Supports for this growth can be found through the WEI in the other western provinces: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC.



Whatever your state or stage of business, if you are a 51% woman-owned business with the intention to grow, you will want to be at this conference next year. The energy was boundless, the content was very useful (everything from writing proposals and RFPs to how to develop your pitch), and the speakers were entertaining and insightful. Lots of business was done over meals and at breaks and some pretty powerful people were there to listen, advise and mentor.

Corporate supply diversity programs aren’t just based on good citizenship. More and more companies are coming to realize the savings that can come from introducing competitiveness into the supply chain through diversity buying. This is a great opportunity to aim high, think big and find that path that leads to the success you want and deserve.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 6:02 PM 0 Comments

Tags WEConnect  Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba  Alberta Woman’ Enterprise Centre  Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan  Women’s Enterprise Centre BC  WEI  supply chain diversity  women entrepreneurs  women-owned businesses  networking 

In my last blog, I talked about the various ways thieves can obtain your personal information and then shared with you signs that could indicate your identity has been stolen. Rather than having to deal with the unpleasant and time consuming issues that are sure to result from stolen identity, prevent it from happening in the first place! Here are some common sense tools to help you:

Phonebusters is a Canadian anti-fraud call centre and it is an excellent resource to find out about new scams; as well as how to recognize, report and stop fraud. They can be contacted at 1-888-495-8501 or www.phonebusters.com

Remember! Being informed and aware is your best defence. It can happen to anyone, and experts say that the best protection is prevention. I hope the information has provided you with some awareness, and that you can always keep your own identity!

Posted by Heather Stephens at 10:32 AM 0 Comments

Tags Women-owned business  women entrepreneurs  identity theft  bank cards  phishing  spoofing