There are lots of causes for Amy Borrelli to have a good time.
Not solely did she maintain a smooth opening this weekend for her scented candle enterprise, SoHum, however she not too long ago received 1000’s of {dollars} by successful a pitch competitors for ladies entrepreneurs.
It’s the tail finish of an annual program which helps ladies flip their enterprise desires into actuality. That program, nevertheless, is funded by the federal authorities — and the date when that cash stops coming is quick approaching.
On Thursday, Borrelli received the VentureWomen pitch competitors, beating out eight different ladies entrepreneurs to take residence a $3,000 grant for her enterprise.
VentureWomen is a four-month accelerator program for businesswomen seeking to discover their concepts, enhance their entrepreneurial expertise, broaden their community and develop their enterprise.
This system connects businesswomen with workshops, mentors and networking alternatives.
“I believe, as ladies, we may be individuals pleasers so much, desirous to be there for everybody on a regular basis — and that interprets into our companies,” stated Borrelli, including she not often turns off her telephone and finds herself responding to work messages at midnight.
“So it was good to know that I am not the one one on the market that is like that … It may be a really lonely journey. I’m positive lots of ladies who’re entrepreneurs really feel this fashion.”
In keeping with Statistics Canada, Windsor has traditionally ranked because the worst metropolis in Ontario the place ladies begin up their very own companies and one of many lowest in all of Canada.
Wen Toeh, director of the College of Windsor’s Epicentre which operates the VentureWomen program, ladies — “not simply in Windsor however all over the place” — proceed to face a variety of limitations which will cease them from turning into entrepreneurs.
“In the event that they maintain a number of roles like being a mom, a scholar, having one other job, having to maintain relations, ladies historically all the time tackle these tasks,” stated Toeh, including the VentureWomen program appears to function an “alternative” for ladies to begin up their very own enterprise.
“This program is funded by the Authorities of Canada below the Girls Entrepreneurship technique. The objective of launching that fund is to double the variety of ladies entrepreneurs in 5 years.”
The VentureWomen program began in January 2020, based on Toeh, who stated Thursday’s pitch competitors marked the tip of its third fiscal yr.
However that funding will come to an finish in March 2023.
“We’re actively looking for for funding to proceed this system,” stated Toeh, including this system has supported greater than 40 ladies change into entrepreneurs.
“This system has been so profitable. We have already got requests from different ladies entrepreneurs who wish to be part of this system. So I am very hopeful that we are going to have funding to proceed this system.”
For Borrelli, she wish to see entrepreneurship promoted to extra ladies in Windsor-Essex and provides the teachings she realized within the VentureWomen program are one thing she’s going to maintain on to without end.
“It was comforting to listen to the experiences of different ladies and the way they’re doing of their journey: those that are households, those that don’t, those that are younger,” she stated.
“It was a very nice group of all totally different experiences to actually study from.”
SoHum is positioned in Windsor’s Walkerville neighbourhood and permits individuals to pick a scent and blend it right into a candle, hand cleaning soap, physique wash, room spray or diffuser.
