Event Summary

Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub at Saskatchewan (WEKH SK) organized a virtual Round Table Discussion on November 25, 2021 to facilitate collaboration among Saskatchewan’s women entrepreneurship support organizations. We were joined by 14 representatives from various business support organizations (BSO) who are enhancing women entrepreneurship across Saskatchewan. It was an engaging and lively discussion.

Dr. Gina Grandy, the Dean of Hill and Levene Schools of Business at the University of Regina and the Lead for WEKH initiated the event by reflecting on milestones achieved by WEKH SK in the past year. In March 2021, WEKH SK in collaboration with MLT Aikins had launched a webinar series focusing on women in Ag industry. In July 2021, WEKH SK facilitated a panel discussion in collaboration with SaskMetis Economic Development Corporation and Saskatchewan Indian Equity Foundation focusing on Indigenous women entrepreneurship in Saskatchewan. Dr. Gina Grandy recently published a paper entitled “Women-focused entrepreneurial support organizations: Creating change in entrepreneurial ecosystems through building gender capital” in the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and is also currently working on another research project focusing on racialized minorities and immigrant women entrepreneurship across Prairies. Many other interesting WEKH research papers can be found here. To get more information about WEKH SK’s different initiatives sign up for our Newsletter.

The discussion was themed across three pillars, exploring potential collaboration opportunities; gaps in terms of women entrepreneurship support; and how WEKH can assist BSOs in creating an entrepreneurship ecosystem that is accessible to women entrepreneurs in our province. During the first part of the discussion BSOs shared information about their services, resources, and upcoming events. Some of the key highlights included:

  • Better Business Bureau (BBB) is supporting women’s entrepreneurship through collaboration with their various organizations across the country. BBB provides workshops and online business tools with a focus on cyber security.
  • Community Futures Saskatchewan has 13 offices across Saskatchewan. They offer loans, advice and business support services. All of their upcoming events can be found here.
  • Cooperatives First provides co-op start-up resources to rural and Indigenous co-op entrepreneurs across Western Canada. Their upcoming event is on Dec 8 where they will be featuring a very innovative rural-Indigenous partnership.
  • Cultivator powered by Conexus, a tech incubator, hosts 24 hour start-up events throughout the year and their first annual Agtech Accelerator cohort is coming up in March 2022.
  • Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP) hosts a variety of programs for anyone with a self-identified disability.
  • Rise is a national organization with regional presence in many provinces. They work with anyone who has addictions and mental health issues.They have a variety of programs available for entrepreneurs.
  • Saskatchewan Indian Equity Foundation (SIEF) is planning to have an in-person workshop in Saskatoon during April 2022 in collaboration with SREDA. SIEF is looking to collaborate with more BSOs for its workshop. SIEF also has a program funded by National Aboriginal Corporation Association which is designed to educate Indigenous women entrepreneurs on how to start a business.
  • Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA)/Square one offer a variety of services to all entrepreneurs. They are going to launch an Indigenous entrepreneurship program soon. Square one offers free event listing service on their website to all service organizations.
  • The Well Collaborative offers membership that includes workshops, coffee connections, and directory of their business support members. They will be launching their Feminine Economy course in January.
  • Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan (WESK) is accepting applications until January for their Founders Table Program. WESK also hosts an annual Summit and Gala in May.

The discussion also highlighted some gaps that need to be addressed in the area of women’s entrepreneurship. Many BSOs brought forward that financial literacy, lack of access to financial resources throughout the life of business, and traditional ways of raising capital (through pitch presentations) are key challenges faced by many women entrepreneurs. EDP indicated that entrepreneurs with disabilities who receive financial support are prevented from accessing certain additional funding which is a big concern. Many stated that recruitment i.e., how to access talent pipeline is a major obstacle faced by women-led start-ups. Women entrepreneurs struggle with finding mentors who can guide them with their business plan, growing and scaling strategies, and optimum ways to use capital. Internet is still inaccessible to rural, northern, and Indigenous communities. Networking, mental health, work-life balance, and lack of access to counselling services were also highlighted as challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.

Three key ideas surfaced for further exploration as WEKH SK coordinated events:

  • A webinar (recorded for future access) that highlights the various financial resources and supports available across the province (e.g., funding and otherwise).
  • Annual or bi-annual collaborative events like the one hosted where women entrepreneurship business support organizations can connect, share resources and share contact information; and,
  • A session (or multiple sessions) on how / where women entrepreneurial businesses can access the specific skilled talent they need for their businesses.

WEKH SK would like to offer all the BSOs an opportunity to promote their events through our newsletter and website. For more information on that, please contact the Regional Coordinator at WEKH.SK.Hill-Levene@uregina.ca. With the help of your insightful feedback and support moving forward, WEKH SK will continue to facilitate initiatives which serve to create an accessible, inclusive, and supportive entrepreneurship ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in our province. WEKH SK sincerely appreciates everyone who were able to join us and we look forward to meet all who couldn’t join us during our future events.