Growth Peer Mentorship for Women Business Owners
Connect with other growth-minded women entrepreneurs to gain support as you scale your business.
New Peer Groups for growth-minded women
As a business owner, it can be challenging to grow your business while maintaining balance. Peer Groups offer feedback and fresh perspective on your business challenges and growth opportunities, using a solution-based approach.
Thanks to funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, we’re collaborating with WeBC, Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (SDECB), and the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) to offer Growth Peer Mentoring Groups across Canada in both English and French, starting in 2023.
About the Program
Peer Groups offer valuable input and fresh perspectives on your business's challenges and opportunities for growth. Sessions are guided by a Mentor who is an experienced entrepreneur, and the Mentees use action learning to problem-solve in real time.
Women business owners who are beyond the start-up stage of business hold a collective level of expertise that is perfect for a Peer Mentoring format. Connecting with other women entrepreneurs who are like-minded and growth-oriented is invaluable!
Peer Groups allow you to:
Learn from the insights and experiences of a diverse group of business owners
Explore alternative solutions or approaches you may not get to on your own
Shorten the growth learning curve by leveraging other women’s knowledge
Overcome the overwhelm of increased responsibility and risk
Extend your network and tap your peer group for referrals
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to apply if you are a self-identified woman, trans-femme, or non-binary entrepreneur that:
Is actively operating a business in Canada that is generating revenue
Has one or more employees
Is focused on growing their business
You must also be a legal resident of Canada and over the age of 19.
Sole proprietors and solopreneurs are also eligible and welcome to apply if they are in the growth-stage of their business.
*Please note that ‘pre-startups’ are not eligible for the mentoring program.
Application process
Please note that applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are closed.
- Peer Groups will be available across Canada.
- English-speaking groups in BC will be hosted by WeBC.
- French-speaking groups across Canada will be hosted by SDECB.
- English-speaking groups outside of BC will be hosted by The Forum.
- All applicants are screened to ensure each group includes non-competing businesses with complementary needs and goals.
- Applicants who are not selected for this cohort will be added to the program waitlist and notified when the next intake opens.
PROGRAM COST
The Growth Peer Mentoring Program is valued at $2,500.
Thanks to the generous grant funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, this program is free to all participants in 2024/2025.
Please note: As there are limited spaces for this program, all participants must commit to attending all sessions. Registrants who miss more than 25% of sessions will be charged an administrative fee of $150.
Schedule
Register today for the next Growth Peer Mentorship groups beginning in Fall 2024!
Outside of British Columbia (English-speaking group)
Sessions will be hosted by The Forum. Session timing and facilitators for the Fall 2024 cohorts will be determined by your availability and preferred time. There are 3 groups available, each being hosted at a different time of day, to ensure that you can find a group that best fits your schedule.
Group #1
Sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 11am - 1pm EST (12pm - 1pm AST | 9am - 11am MST) on the following dates:
September 17
September 24
October 1
October 8
October 15
October 22
October 29
November 5
November 12
Optional session if needed for rescheduling: November 19
Group #2
Sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 2pm - 4pm EST | 3pm - 5pm AST | 12pm - 2pm MST on the following dates:
September 18
September 25
October 2
October 9
October 16
October 23
October 30
November 6
November 13
Optional session if needed for rescheduling: November 20
Group #3
Sessions will take place on Thursdays from 1pm - 3pm EST | 2pm - 4pm AST | 11am - 1pm MST) on the following dates:
September 19
September 26
October 3
October 10
October 17
October 24
October 31
November 7
November 14
Optional session if needed for rescheduling: November 21
Applications are closed. Join the Winter 2025 waitlist.
Sessions will be hosted by WeBC.
Wednesday | 11 am to 1:00 pm | via Zoom
Session 1 |September 18| Introduction: Getting to Know You
Session 2 | September 25| Marketing: Make Your Marketing Matter
Session 3 | October 2| Financial: Beyond the Numbers – Understanding Financials
Session 4 | October 9| Operations: Inputs to Outputs
Session 5 | October 16| Human Resources: Your People: The Key to Business Success
Session 6 | October 23| Negotiation: Harness your Skills to Effectively Negotiate
Session 7 | October 30 | Mindset: The Final Frontier for Success
Sessions will be hosted by SDECB.
Groups start September 11, 2024.
Meet the Mentors
FALL 2024
Sara Phelan
Founder, Small Business Growth Strategist & Coach, Evalu8-Evolve
Riverview, NB
Sarah works with small business owners to innovate, measure results, pivot, grow and then prepare for exit.
A corporate trainer in sales and leadership, Sara became an entrepreneur, then business broker, followed by 10+ years as a Growth Strategist and Coach. She specializes in working with entrepreneurs to take an inventory of where they are today and to create a plan to get them where they want to be, including exit.
Having been both the startup entrepreneur and the consultant, Sara fully understands the challenges of life as a business owner. Her experience has crossed a multitude of industries including, but not limited to: Professional Service Providers (Dental, Legal, Medical), SaaS Startups, Manufacturing and Distribution, Telecommunications, Renewable Energy, Retail, Tourism and Non-Profits.
Sharing her lessons learned, Sara is on a mission to help other small business owners with a whole business approach to talk strategy and planning. Sara is an Award-Winning Entrepreneur, ICF Certified Business & Executive Coach, and has been featured in Forbes.com thought leadership and Member of the Forbes Coaches Council.
Janet Lewis
Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Content Creator, Janet Lewis Consulting
Toronto, ON
Janet Lewis is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in founding and scaling businesses across various industries. Her expertise spans e-commerce and eLearning, with a proven track record in strategy, customer service, social media, procurement, learning management, training delivery, and root cause analysis.
Janet founded Janet Lewis Consulting to deliver cutting-edge learning solutions globally. In 2006, she launched Orangefish Inc., Canada’s original indie e-commerce hotspot. In 2023, she unveiled Curiosity U, a platform designed to tackle entrepreneurial challenges head-on.
Janet has collaborated with organizations such as Rogers, Cara Foods International, and Loblaw Companies Limited, where she developed and implemented their eLearning strategy. She has also worked with solopreneurs and small businesses develop launch and growth strategies for their businesses.
Having successfully owned and operated five businesses, Janet leverages her deep understanding of people, technology, and processes to help others create a life or business that allows them to shine. She is dedicated to helping individuals outline their goals and create a roadmap to achieve them, empowering them to redesign their lives and move forward.
Andrea Sakiyama Kennedy
Founder & Chief Strategist, Spread Your Word Marketing Group
Ottawa, ON
Andrea is a multi-passionate professional, content creator, and community champion. She has developed deep marketing and communications expertise and experience from working with, and in, tech start-ups, private and public sector organizations and not-for-profits. With a passion for serving micro to mid-sized businesses, Andrea helps busy leaders grow their community impact (and bottom line) by leveraging effective and efficient strategic marketing and communication action plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Peer Groups different?
In a Peer Mentoring group, you’ll benefit from the experience of your mentor and the diverse viewpoints of the group members.
What could this look like? There might be a woman who runs a marketing firm but needs guidance with her finances. And in her group, we would place a bookkeeper with years of experience in financial management who needs help growing her business on social media.
Both of these women would work with an experienced mentor, while also providing support to one another.
How do Peer Mentoring Groups work?
Peer Mentoring groups offer women entrepreneurs opportunities to discuss growth challenges their businesses are facing and maintain the positive outlook needed for business success.
Groups of women in non-competing businesses will meet regularly for 2 hour sessions (per the agreed upon schedule indicated in the registration form) under the guidance of a Mentor, an experienced entrepreneur leading the group. The group will:
- Discuss business growth challenges and opportunities
- Learn from the experiences of others
- Provide support to one another
- Develop new business skills and knowledge
You’ll come with a specific problem or opportunity in mind, then, with support and guidance from the mentor, the group will discuss the challenge and brainstorm solutions. You’ll develop an action plan, then go out and implement it.
Next time, you’ll come back to report on your progress and adjust your strategy.
Who leads the group?
Every group is led by an established entrepreneur in your community. These mentors have experienced many of the same situations you’re dealing with and can share insights based on years of experience.
What is the role of the Mentee?
A Mentee is an entrepreneur who is committed to developing their business, achieving business goals, and improving their skills and knowledge.
Mentees must be willing to:
- Share business challenges and issues
- Contribute ideas and experiences to help other Mentees
- Receive constructive feedback
- Accept suggestions and advice
- Open up to new ideas and change
- Respect the other group members
- Keep the confidentiality of the group discussions
Peer Mentoring Groups elevate the learning experience, provide an opportunity to learn from fellow entrepreneurs, and build a community of support. Entrepreneurs can find power and confidence in sharing their concerns with a mentor and peers in a group setting.
Mentees benefit from:
- Receiving personalized advice
- Improving their business knowledge
- Receiving an outside perspective
- Increased productivity
- Growing confidence from support regarding business decisions
- New networks and partnerships within the business community
- Emotional support
- Relief from isolation through regular, supportive contact
Am I eligible to become a Mentee?
You are eligible to apply if you are a self-identified woman, trans-femme, or non-binary entrepreneur that:
- Is actively operating a business in Canada that is generating revenue
- Has one or more employees
- Is focused on growing their business
You must also be a legal resident of Canada and over the age of 19.
Please note that ‘pre-startups’ are not eligible for the mentoring program.
What does it cost to participate?
The Growth Peer Mentoring Program is valued at $2,500.
Thanks to the generous grant funding from the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, this program is free to all participants in 2023/24.
Please note: As there are limited spaces for this program, all participants must commit to attending all sessions. Registrants who miss more than 25% of sessions will be charged an administrative fee of $150.
Growth Peer Mentoring Program Partners
The C3 Project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
