The Women’s Enterprise Centre in Kelowna took up the challenge last week to participate in the Startup Canada Canadian Mentorship Challenge.
This event is a national initiative to mentor 10,000 Canadian entrepreneurs during Global Entrepreneurship Week, which was Nov. 12 to 18.
In Kelowna, a speed mentoring took place last Thursday during a two-hour period at the Women’s Enterprise Centre office, 201-1726 Dolphin Ave. (Landmark 1).
The speed mentoring activity included five to 10 minutes with each mentor, during which business owners were able to get help to address their current business challenges with a variety of experienced mentors.
The volunteer mentors included Florenda Pickett and Angela O’Brien of Esteem Lingerie; Terri Knox, speaker, author and coach; Colleen Becker, of Frakas Shops for Women; Natalia Usselman of the Idea Bureau; and Trisha Miltimore of Contagious Leadership Training.
“We are participating in the Canadian Mentorship Challenge because we want to profile our amazing network of mentors across B.C. These are successful women business owners who are committed to helping other women entrepreneurs succeed in their own business,” said Laurel Douglas, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Centre.
“For the last few years, through funding from the province of British Columbia, we have run a highly acclaimed mentoring program for women entrepreneurs in communities around the province, featuring over 150 volunteer business owners as mentors.
“We want to draw attention to the value that mentors bring to entrepreneurs so that we can continue to offer our program province-wide.”
The Kelowna Speed Mentoring activity is just one of a long list of activities which the Women’s Enterprise Centre has organized for business owners to participate in throughout B.C.
Mentorship was a key topic of conversation during Startup Canada’s six-month national tour this summer.
“We heard from entrepreneurs of all ages, startup stages and business sectors—mentorship is an essential ingredient for building a more collaborative and sustainable entrepreneurial culture in Canada,” said Victoria Lennox, co-founder of Startup Canada. “The transfer of knowledge and ideas is inspiring for everyone involved and contributes to the success of future startups.”
For more information on the Canadian Mentorship Challenge and other mentor events happening across the country, visit www.mentorshipchallenge.ca.
