Yesterday we celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
Strategic Lift is empowered by women so we all know the challenges of being a woman and starting your own business. For this reason, we want to share with you today some statistics you might keep in mind and some resources really helpful if you are starting your business:
Entrepreneur women
According to the Key Small Business Statistics as of December 2020, there were 1.22 million employer businesses in Canada. Of these, 1.2 million (97.9 percent) were small businesses, 22,725 (1.9 percent) were medium-sized businesses and 2,936 (0.2 percent) were large businesses. And women are the majority owners of about 15.6% of those Small Medium Enterprises. But women account for over 37% of self-employed Canadians or 1,050,000 (2019) according to The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada report.
Women entrepreneurs are more likely to be in services, social, health and beauty, and food sectors than in manufacturing and technology. And according to the mentioned report, Key Small Business, between 2005 and 2018, the small business birth rate was lower for majority male-owned businesses than for the majority female-owned businesses. However, the survival rates were slightly higher for majority male-owned in comparison to majority female-owned businesses.
During these years, the pandemic hit harder these businesses, and women are more likely to own newer and smaller businesses, making them the most affected. During the pandemic, the percentage of women-owned businesses that laid off staff, 40.6%, is about equal to the percentage of men-owned businesses overall (40.5 percent). However, the percentage of women-owned businesses that have laid off 80 percent or more of their employees is substantially greater than that of businesses overall (62.1 percent vs. 45.2 percent) according to the State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada report mentioned before.
Resources list for women entrepreneur
Starting your own business is not always an easy task, but being a woman might be an extra challenge. So we want to share with you some resources that might be helpful if you want to start your own business in British Columbia and need some support:
1. WeBC
WeBC is a not-for-profit that has been supporting women business owners across the province for over 25 years. Working with our regional partners, we’ve provided thousands of entrepreneurs with business loans and expertise, training, resources, and peer network support to help businesses grow and thrive.
Women in Leadership foundation
WIL delivers inspirational programs that bring women together to collaborate in the development of their leadership skills & create positive change in the future of women’s leadership.
3. Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
The Forum is a Canadian-based charity that energizes, educates, mentors, and connects self-identified women entrepreneurs to be wildly successful, promoting strengthened economies and thriving communities.
4. Young Women in Business
Young Women in Business is a community for emerging female leaders and young professionals who want to create their own success.
5. RevolutionHER
They have supported over 50,000 women worldwide connect them with other like-minded women from all walks of life. They also offer exclusive events featuring inspiring women from around the world who are living their dreams.
Find the guidance you need to help you reach your goals in life and in business, from strategies and accountability to expert advice and more.
If you have the idea but don’t know how to start, take the plunge, we are here also to help you strategize, plan and execute. Contact us!
