These Women Mean Business
Lena Betker // March 16, 2012
The key to success when starting your own business is seeing a problem and developing a solution–and that’s exactly what the Mount did in 1992. Research done by the Business Department at the Mount in the 80s showed that there was a lack of financing, programs and services available to female entrepreneurs, and their male counterparts were not taking them seriously. So, the Mount teamed up with Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to find a solution, and the Centre for Women in Business was born.
Twenty years later, the Centre remains devoted to its vision.
“The Centre for Women in Business has been committed to the advancement of women in business for the past twenty years,” says Sonia Menendez, Executive Director at the Centre. “Since 1992, we have helped 11,000 women.”
Over the years, the Centre has expanded and made a name for itself as a leader in business programs and initiatives for female entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada. Nine staff members work at the Centre full time, including Project Managers in Annapolis Valley and in New Glasgow. All the women working at the Centre have backgrounds in business and the Project Managers have all owned their own businesses at some point.
Menendez, who has been a business owner for the past 10 years, understands how important it is for the staff to have experience-based knowledge to offer clients: “It’s good to have knowledge from books but when you have hands-on experience – when you’ve lived it – it’s much easier to advise someone because they’re going through what you already went through.”
The Centre offers a wide variety of services to female entrepreneurs at every stage of business development, including: assistance with business plans, business development skill training, one-to-one business advice, networking and a membership program.
“We do an assessment with clients the first time they visit the Centre, and we offer them programs and services based on that assessment to help them move forward to the next level. It’s very customized,” Menendez explains.
Networking is at the core of all the Centre’s events, including the annual conference that is hosted by the Centre and the Mount’s Business and Tourism Department in September at MSVU. Menendez believes networking is essential to success in any profession, and the Centre’s events can help students hone those skills while they’re still in school. “Networking is a skill that all of us have, and if you’re a female, the Centre is here to help you develop that skill.”
The twentieth anniversary comes at an exciting time for the Centre: the Mount’s fundraising initiative, Project TWENTY12, brings the Centre one step closer to its new home in The Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research – an improvement on the Centre’s current location on the second floor of the Meadows, up the hill from Westwood Residence.
Says Menendez enthusiastically: “Right now we are up the hill and sometimes we feel isolated, but when we move to the new building it’s going to be more interactive and integrated into the University. We’re really excited.”
In the meantime, the Centre will continue to do what it does best: help women of all backgrounds meet their business goals. Whether you’re in the brainstorming stage or 10 years in, the women at the Centre want to get to know you.
“Walk in the door – you don’t need an appointment – someone will be here to help you. Just come, the doors are open.”
The Centre for Women in Business at Mount Saint Vincent University
The Meadows – 2nd Floor
166 Bedford Highway
Halifax, NS
B3M 2J6
Main line: (902) 457-6449
Fax: (902) 443-4687
Toll Free: 1-888-776-9022
