At Cilex, we are proud to honour International Women’s Day. Did you know that women pioneers, colleagues, friends, and partners have only been celebrated for 112 years? It’s very little time when you start thinking of all the innovative female entrepreneurs who left their mark on the world. And at Cilex, we are lucky to collaborate with innovative women who are changing our world right now. We thank them heartily!
As is well known by now, innovation is the number one driver of growth. And if we’re talking about growth, then we have to mention the rise of female entrepreneurship. Women now represent 40% of Quebec entrepreneurs, according to Statistics Canada.
That’s a 23.3% increase in one decade.
What can explain this recent boom? Constantly evolving moral values, better access to higher education, the open-mindedness of the Quebec population, the influence of success stories? All of the above, possibly.
One thing is certain: an increasing number of businesswomen are being successful in their ventures, betting on innovation to drive their company onward, and calling on entrepreneurial coaching services for guidance.
“Coaching allowed us to broaden our horizons, to push our ideas further and develop a long-term vision for our business. Cilex encouraged us to keep the future in mind and to accept our limitations. Coaching helped us cultivate an entrepreneurial headspace and to make entrepreneurial decisions,” explained Anie Vachon from Éditions Fortissimo, an innovative business coached by Cilex.
On the other hand, female entrepreneurs tend to adopt innovative strategies to make a name for themselves in the entrepreneurial world, according to Christina Constantinidis, a professor at UQAM who is currently working on creating an observatory on gender and entrepreneurship.
This is exactly what Jacqueline Frenette, vice-president of VPL Glass & Aluminum, decided to do over the past year by undergoing an Industry 4.0 Audit with the company.
“An introductory training session given by the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation made me realize that we were running behind with process digitization and that it would help ensure the company’s longevity. That’s why we approached Cilex. This audit, done with Alan Bernardi and Véronique Nabelsi, allowed us to compete with bigger players,” Ms. Frenette commented in 2021.
Encouraging women to be innovative and entrepreneurial also means helping them break past stereotypes as well as social and cultural inequalities. Age doesn’t seem to be an obstacle to women’s business ventures anymore, as shown by Myriam Soucy who has been highly successful with her company Mimipots.
“Our products have made their way to a dozen or so shops everywhere in Quebec. From the very start of my coaching, the importance of individualizing my offer was made clear to me. At first, I didn’t really see the point, but now I understand. Many talks with the coaching team have proven useful to me over time,” added the 20-something entrepreneur who has a head full of ideas. She launched her business while still studying at Université du Québec en Outaouais.
In short, many businesses headed by women have been coached by Cilex. Hats off as well to the teams at Apiverte, the Virtual Student Café, Imprimerie Gauvin, Falotier, Flexicovoit and Si, aujourd’hui pour demain.
These women are making important contributions to their workplace, their community, and the Canadian economy. They are taking concrete actions daily to move things forward. We invite you to discover their businesses.
Join us in shining a spotlight on International Women’s Day by sharing this article in your networks. Let us celebrate women as pioneers, innovative entrepreneurs, colleagues, friends, and partners.
Whether you are starting out or expanding, the Cilex team can push you forward and guide you through your various innovative projects. Outside help could help push your projects even further! Get in touch with our team to learn more about our various services and accomplishments.