This week, I’m proudly celebrating Women Entrepreneurs Week (May 16-22) in Saskatchewan. As part of this celebration, I’m also thrilled to announce my involvement with Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK) as an ambassador of the official Women-Owned Saskatchewan Business brand identity. Through this initiative, local majority woman-owned businesses can now loudly and proudly be identified, making it so much easier to support woman entrepreneurs. Any majority woman-owned business can become an official women-owned Saskatchewan Business too.
If you know me personally, you know that I am pursuer of shiny things. I don’t have written-in-stone long-term goals. No solid life-long plans here. I have lots of personal and professional interests and pursue as my heart sees fit. I never set out with the intent to become an entrepreneur. I realized that clubs and organizations in all sports could benefit from my skillsets and support. I wanted to work with all sports, not just the one I was employed by. And, I liked choosing projects that brought me the most joy. Becoming an entrepreneur was a natural response.
Since I’ve become an entrepreneur, I’ve realized that it’s a new language unto itself. It is one thing to be knowledgeable in sport, strategy, and passionate about making a difference. It’s another thing to successfully run a business. It’s like learning a new skill or a new sport. There’s a language, rules, best practices, and you can strengthen your abilities with time. You can be successful, but if you don’t practice or hone your craft, you can also fail to succeed.
WESK
I joined Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan a year ago in June. It’s a membership-based organization of over 1,200 members, and they support women to start, grow, and scale their businesses in Saskatchewan. They value innovation and empowerment as they support women who are on the relentless pursuit of their dreams. Through WESK, I have access to a business coach who has been incredibly supportive and a great sounding board to bounce ideas off of. I’ve accessed their expert advice, webinars, and their member directory.
As well, for the last year, I’ve been part of The Exchange program. It’s described as a “catalyst for women entrepreneurs who are ready to harness their true potential and take their businesses to the next level of growth and profitability”. We’ve met monthly in a cohort with a leader and had presentations from experts on a variety of topics. The largest takeaway is the network of women entrepreneurs that I’ve met and built relationships with. It’s great to have a group of women to bounce ideas off and to champion each other through highs and lows. I don’t know many other women entrepreneurs personally and it has been wonderful to relate to them, since women entrepreneurs experience unique things men might not have to contend with.
In a few short months, I’ll be celebrating my second year in business, but for this week, I’m celebrating being a woman entrepreneur in sport. If you are a woman entrepreneur, join the brand identity. If you are a supporter of women-owned business, you can sign up as an official supporter! Join today!
