Mentorship for B.C.’s female entrepreneurs

Female business owners in B.C. can access mentorship through the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

Classes in the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs' E-Series are kept small and effective. — Photo courtesy Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

Business mentorship programs are growing in popularity, and a quick search on Google shows that those programs are mostly found in large urban centres. For rural areas, pickings are a little slim. As of this year, however, one organization is making its mentorship program more available to women living in rural British Columbia.

Thanks in part to Teck Resources, the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) offered grants to make it easier for rural B.C.’s women to attend its E-Series—that’s “entrepreneur series”—taking place from April 8 to 11, 2014, in downtown Vancouver. Fifteen grants have been awarded, each in the amount of $2,500, including $1,000 available for women coming from outside the Lower Mainland, to cover travel and accommodation expenses. The grants were available through a simple application form on the FWE website.

Pick your program

FWE offers mentorship in a number of formats. There is a mentorship program that runs each year from October through June, and the E-Series program provides an optional 14 months of mentorship for a token fee. As well, there are other programs that allow participants to attend whatever sessions and events they need: Wisdom Wednesdays, Leaders’ Lounge and FWE Talks.

An attractive aspect of the E-Series is the program’s small size. Enrolment in the program is limited to 40 participants split between two classes; this ensures that everyone has time to present and address individual questions and concerns.

Lisa Niemetschek, the FWE’s general manager, provided some impressive statistics that validate the E-Series’ claims of effectiveness.

“Based on a survey of all our past grads of the E-Series—158 since we started this program—89 per cent of them are still in business after five years,” said Niemetschek. “(That’s) compared to the national average of 50 per cent. That speaks highly to the impact of the experience and the quality of the speakers, and the support that these entrepreneurs receive through the program. These women want to succeed—that’s why they take the time to work on their business at E-Series.”