Along with the serious work we do, we still know how to have fun here at the Women’s Enterprise Centre.  We surround ourselves with great folks who not only know how to educate entrepreneurs (and teach us a thing or two as well) but can also be highly entertaining.

Last week we invited Liz Hover, local blog-guru, to spend part of an evening chatting with us about all things bloggish (and since part of the conversation was about her Shih Tzu Sadie’s blog, it was about things doggish too!).

Liz takes a somewhat revolutionary perspective on business blogs and believes that the blog should be the hub around which your website revolves, acting as a channel to some of the information that you want to send to the world. 

She notes that one of the chief reasons to blog is that it gives you a chance to change your website frequently (thus incenting a greater degree of search-engine optimization (SEO) that gets more people to your site.  Naturally, this is the desired outcome,

particularly if your site is set up to optimally show off your product/service and if you have a way of easily converting views into sales.

Liz asserts that a blog gives a company a human voice, as well as a chance to establish your expertise.  It also allows you to build trusting relationships with your customers and promote some of your new products.  Blogs are also attractive to other bloggers who may be looking for industry information or education about your offerings.  That kind of blog networking can lead to collaboration and can give you a wider audience for your voice via other similar-thinking blog writers.

On the ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’ side of things, while blogs are inexpensive to develop and post, they do require a high degree of commitment and consistency.  It can take as long as a year’s solid application before you see any real results in your sales.  The trick is to keep at it while you find your voice and build your community.

Check out Liz Hover’s great resources at her informative website.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 4:26 PM 1 Comments

Tags search engine optimization  SEO  blogging  blogs  Women’s Enterprise Centre  Liz Hover  networking 

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 

I believe in the giving part of networking. The attitude should be one of providing value for value received — whether it’s finding a work connection for someone, creating a referral, or simply providing a link to an area of interest. Women generally are very good at this. By virtue of the ‘nurture’ aspect of our socialization, providing help is the easy part of networking.

There’s another side, though. One that’s often much harder for women – actually working the network, asking for work, contacts or favours based on slight acquaintance and nebulous connections. Men do it all the time and do it well.

Did you see the ‘Mad Men’ episode where Don shows up for a job the morning after meeting Roger in a bar? Roger had too much to drink and doesn’t remember promising the job to Don but is embarrassed to admit that. Thus is born the made-in-heaven advertising partnership of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

Now that’s networking plus major chutzpah and not many of us could go that far. However, ask yourself if, after meeting someone for five minutes and exchanging superficial work-related information, would you be able to call the person the following day to ask for a meeting, a lead or a job? More men would answer ‘yes’ than women. What is it that keeps us from taking that all important step?

“Oh, she won’t remember me.”

“We didn’t really have a chance to get to know each other.”

“Why would she do ME any favours?”

Before women ask for anything, they want to make sure that there is the basis of a sound relationship, some common values, or a relationship that has developed over time. Men, on the other hand, are generally more comfortable ‘asking’ when there is limited previous contact.

I think we could learn a lesson from our male counterparts. Don’t be shy! Assume that there will be a reciprocal relationship, whether now or in the future, and do the asking up front.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 9:11 AM 0 Comments

Tags Women-owned business  women entrepreneurs  networking  relationship development  networks 

Back in the day, networking was the physical process of meeting with and using your friends and associates to meet more friends and associates in order to find the means to further your business or personal goals.

Today, your networks may be full of people you have actually never met in person. LinkedIn and Facebook are just two of the sites that have grown in business usage and with them, the ability to connect with or create whole communities and tribes of like-minded folks.

That is not to say that face-to-face real-time communication is as dead as a dodo or that networks created through the more arduous one-at-a-time method are any less strong or effective than those garnered through cybernetic reach. In fact, there are times when the personal touch rules. When you want to create trust and credibility, the handshake and the ability to look someone right in the eye is irreplaceable.

There is no doubt that it is easier to send out a quick note on LinkedIn about your latest publication or product, than to take the time to personally meet with people who may or may not become customers or clients. This is particularly true if you feel you don’t have strong interpersonal skills, are shy, or just don’t have the time. However, in building a business, on- and off-line efforts are essential.

The key, on all levels, is reciprocity. Networks work when there is value on both sides of the table. Successful personal networkers will tell you that their most effective tool is remembering the wants and needs of people with whom they interact at networking functions. They follow up by sending out referrals, news articles, web links and contact information that leaves a pleasant impression and may bear future fruit. Similarly, in developing online communities, the most loyal ‘friends’ and ‘likes’ are those to whom you provide something that is of value, whether it is a link, a laugh or some new learning.

Networking, on- or off-line, is about giving before receiving. Stay tuned for more on networking in an upcoming blog.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 3:48 PM 0 Comments

Tags Women-owned business  women entrepreneurs  networking  on-line communities