The dynamics of the business world are constantly evolving. There are now more than 821,000 women entrepreneurs in Canada; however, the growth of their businesses isn’t nearly as accelerated as that of male-run businesses. WEConnect Canada is hoping to change that.

Launched on March 2, 2009, WEConnect Canada is a non-profit membership organization that certifies women’s businesses that are at least 51 per cent owned, managed and controlled by women. The purpose is to connect them with the growing number of corporate and public companies that have supplier diversity programs, which are designed to provide certified minority-owned and women-owned businesses with opportunities to join larger supply chains.

Programs such as the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in the United States have been in existence since 1997, providing American businesses with certified women’s business status. This left Canadian businesses disadvantaged on the international market.

Betty Wood, the former director of the Women Entrepreneurs’ program at Royal Bank of Canada, jumped at the opportunity to be a part of WEConnect Canada. She is currently the head of qualifications for WEConnect Canada, an initiative she believed would be beneficial for many women entrepreneurs across the country.

“I wanted to be a part of this,” says Wood. “I had my hand raised high. So far we’ve had positive responses and that’s very encouraging.”

Betty Wood of WEConnect Canada and Margaret Hughes of Best Cooking Pulses

When Margaret Hughes heard about women’s business certification, she knew she wanted to receive it as soon as possible for Best Cooking Pulses, the agrifoods business in the international pulse trade she co-owns with her sister Trudy Heal.

“In 2005, a well-respected pet food company came to inspect our facilities. We passed the audit, and when we told them we were a women-owned business, they got really excited,” says Hughes.

But it was only in 2009 that they could be certified as a women’s business, opening the door to larger contracts. Best Cooking Pulses is currently the only WEConnect- certified business in Manitoba. “It meant that we could compete on a level playing field, that we could be considered as a primary supplier as opposed to a secondary supplier,” says Hughes. “We’re a small company but with our certification, we can present and we can be in there and bidding in larger markets that have supplier diversity programs.”

So far, there are 60 Canadian businesses that are fully certified, with 24 others pending certification. Before receiving certification as a women-owned business, applicants must go through a thorough legal document and financial statement review, as well as an in-depth interview and site tour.

Having more opportunities to present to large companies does not guarantee a contract. “The businesses still need to have quality products, on-time delivery and competitive prices,” says Wood.

Aside from receiving opportunities to present, WEConnect members have the opportunity to network with other women’s businesses and learn from each other. “We provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities. (Businesses) are also included in the database that our corporate members can access to find new and diverse suppliers,” says Wood.

The bottom line is that WEConnect wants to see increased access to markets for women entrepreneurs. “The point is to see women-owned businesses secure contracts that they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see otherwise,” says Wood. “We want to help women-owned businesses increase their competitiveness in the market.”

Hughes agrees. “Manitoba has a lot of thriving women’s businesses. A lot of them have success within the province, but it’s a challenge to export products. WEConnect Canada offers a path into export markets where access hasn’t been available before.”