At WESK, we value innovation and resilience. Saskatchewan woman entrepreneurs embody these words, and it is backed up by data. You continue to be innovative in your industries, with a growth rate of 1.7% compared to the national average of 1.4%. You showed resiliency, with 47% of Saskatchewan women-owned businesses staying fully open during the pandemic compared to 37% of women-owned businesses nationally (Women Entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan Report, 2021). As we shift back to more in-person events and programming, I am fortunate to hear your stories face-to-face and truly comprehend how innovative and resilient Saskatchewan women entrepreneurs truly are.

Speaking of in-person, we have had a slew of successful events over the past few months. We introduced a new panel series called Candid Conversations. Our first two panels featured the topics Women of Colour in Leadership and Indigenous Women in Entrepreneurship. With these panels, we hope to foster an inviting space to have important and impactful dialogues on diversity and inclusion. I encourage you to watch these panels on-demand on our WESK Facebook page. Shaken and Uncorked both returned to their full glory, welcoming the business community back to network in person. I was honoured to be involved in an International Women’s Day event hosted by the City of Regina and Mayor Masters, where I met countless exceptional women. I look forward to attending more of these events.

The WESK Summit and Gala is quickly approaching on May 25th and 26th. I was impressed by the quantity and quality of applications we received for our six entrepreneur awards and look forward to announcing the finalists on April 19th. At the WESK Summit, we have two incredible keynote speakers joining us, Zahra Al-Harazi and Barb Stegemann. These powerful women entrepreneurs will leave you feeling motivated and inspired. Some of you may be aware that we rebranded this annual event in 2021 but have yet to share this elevated experience with you in person. The WESK team cannot wait to connect, learn, and celebrate with you.

If you’ve been following along with WESK’s socials, you know we have launched recruitment for a new program in partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan. Propel is a one-year training program developed as part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s Scale Up for Entrepreneurs Initiative. This training, designed specifically to help Saskatchewan women entrepreneurs in scaling their businesses, provides opportunities to obtain training certifications and have access to coaching and mentorship.

2022 commenced with the implementation of several strategic initiatives. We signed a memorandum of understanding with Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan (IBAS), committing to collaborating to support women entrepreneurs in the insurance industry. In partnership with EDR and FHQ Developments, WESK launched a pilot program called theHiveYQR, a peer mentorship platform where Regina entrepreneurs can create connections and find advice. Our Matchstick program for Indigenous entrepreneurs wrapped up a six-week program with nine women completing the course. The list goes on. As always, WESK has more exciting news and announcements scheduled for this upcoming year. I look ahead with much anticipation and excitement for what lies ahead as we work together to support women-owned businesses grow and scale in Saskatchewan.

Prabha Ramaswamy

CEO of WESK

As the year draws to a close, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season. I hope you can find some time to rest, reflect, and look ahead to the new year with much optimism and hope. While we may not experience “normalcy” in the same manner as pre-pandemic times, and as we adapt to a “new normal”, I feel confident that we will revive the spirit of community engagement and activities in a safe and responsible manner.

While the aftermath of the pandemic continues to impact our everyday lives, often causing fatigue and exhaustion, I am proud that women entrepreneurs in our province remain resilient; 47% of our businesses stayed fully open through the pandemic compared to 37% of women-owned businesses nationally (Women Entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan Report, 2021). We are so fortunate to live and work in a community that is unflinching in its support of small business while remaining vigilant about health and safety.

Throughout the uncertainty of this past year, my team at WESK stayed the course and once again, displayed an unwavering commitment to serving and supporting women entrepreneurs in our province. All programs and services were delivered with no disruption and WESK continued to advance its strategic priorities, some of which emerged from the Saskatchewan Advisory Committee work.

I would like to acknowledge the funding support provided by PrairiesCan that makes all the undertakings at WESK possible. I am grateful for this support and for our partnership with PrairiesCan.

We were also very fortunate that the Government of Saskatchewan recognized the economic contributions of women entrepreneurs in our province through the release of the Women Entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan Report and committed to investing in supporting women entrepreneurs scale their businesses.

As I cast my sights to 2022, I hope that every woman entrepreneur will adopt the Saskatchewan women-owned business brand identity to celebrate their achievements and foster connections. Further, I anticipate that many more organizations will commit to signing the Women Entrepreneurship Charter and intentionally increase engagement and support of women-owned businesses through the execution of the four guiding principles.

Once again, I am deeply grateful for: the commitment of the WESK team, the guidance from the Board of Directors, and the steadfast support of our partners. Our purpose and mission is to remain responsive to, and advocate on behalf of our woman entrepreneurs. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for our members, I can not thank them enough for helping us create this resilient and supportive community.

May the peace and joy of the holidays be with you today and throughout the new year. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Prabha Mitchell

CEO of WESK

Over the last quarter, summer has come to a close, and autumn is now upon us. This month, WESK was pleased to welcome back WESK Meets, Shaken with a Twist, and Uncorked as in-person events. The excitement to engage in-person with peers and colleagues was evident through the laughter, the energy, and the conversations. Yes, we have missed being in person, however, as we navigate through this transition, we will continue to provide a hybrid model for all our events.

WESK recently wrapped up its 26^th Annual General Meeting. I extend our appreciation to all our members for attending, whether it was in-person or virtually. Participation at these events is always encouraged as we value your voice and consider it crucial for the continued success of WESK. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to take the opportunity to read our Annual Report.

Our new Charter Champion initiative continues to demonstrate success and great uptake. We currently have 42 Charter Champions, including the recent signing of one of Saskatchewan’s largest crown corporations, SaskPower. WESK’s Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter is an initiative launched by WESK to address the gender entrepreneurship gap in our province. Organizations who have signed on to the Charter have committed to establishing targets that increase their engagement with women-owned Saskatchewan businesses.

In July, WESK and Economic Development Regina (EDR) signed an MOU to foster continued growth in recognizing the major economic contributions made by women entrepreneurs in the province. The agreement leverages key initiatives, including our “Supporter of Women-Owned Saskatchewan Business” brand. Together, we have pledged to develop a strategy to execute recommendations made by the provincially mandated and WESK-led Saskatchewan Advisory Committee on the Gender Entrepreneurship Gap.

Last year, WESK introduced The Exchange, a program designed for women entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses, learn from seasoned experts, and exchange knowledge and lessons learned along the way. After a successful first year, we are poised to launch year two of the program, with 65 women across seven cohorts. I am pleased to report that The Exchange Retreat, which occurred on September 16^th, was attended by over 65 women. With regular meetings for this program beginning in October, I am looking forward to welcoming our new and returning participants this year.

While we experience a renewed sense of hope and optimism that the worst is behind us, we all recognize the clash of personal choices, beliefs and ideologies are creating a tenuous environment. To rebuild our economy and our community from the pandemic, we need to come together again and exercise safety and understanding.

Sincerely,

Prabha Mitchell, CEO, WESK

We are living in unprecedented times from the onset of the pandemic to the enormous burden–on small businesses to reinvent and remerge. It is a consistent onslaught of a million bytes of data and information in every moment, urging business owners to make decisions, be nimble, agile and pivot.

The question that our women-owned businesses in our province are contending with is – how do we remain relevant? How do we pivot? How do we emerge successfully? These are the very fundamental queries that WESK is contending with.

“A Brand is worthless if it doesn’t CONNECT with the right audiences in a RELEVANT way”.

We are expanding our horizons, becoming more inclusive and building momentum. To continue to be relevant and inclusive to you throughout your entire entrepreneurial journey, we will be launching THREE new membership packages in early April. That’s two additional options than before, so you can find your perfect fit for the stage you are at.

I am excited to share with you, for the first time ever, our three new membership packages:

A. The Pioneer: She is the first

B. The Trailblazer:She is proving it’s possible.

C. The Changemaker:She is making a difference.

From pioneer to changemaker, entrepreneurs receive support from business advisors, access to financing, exclusive programming discounts, and essential business networking connections.

Many of you may recall that in July of 2020, WESK and the Saskatchewan Advisory Committee released a report with 10 recommendations on how Saskatchewan can affect change and close the gender entrepreneurship gap. Over the course of the last 7 months, WESK, our Team, has worked relentlessly to advance four of these recommendations.

First, the creation of the Saskatchewan Women Entrepreneurship Charter will call upon organizations to increase their support of women-owned businesses and work towards closing the gender entrepreneurship gap. This is a necessary and significant stride in the right direction, empowering organizations to adopt and adapt practices to be more inclusive. The Charter affirms a commitment to advance women entrepreneurship and build connections through four defining principles:

Second, the development of Brand Identity to celebrate local Saskatchewan women entrepreneurs. This brand identity consists of two components:

As part of the brand identity, WESK will be launching a campaign focused on showcasing and elevating our Saskatchewan women entrepreneurs. These features will highlight various woman entrepreneurs that have signed on to the brand identity as an official woman-owned business

Last, but not least is the development of the revolutionary WESK digital entrepreneurship hub, an innovative, pioneer and trailblazing initiative for WESK. This hub will provide seamless access to services, resources, and more. Through the Hub, entrepreneurs can take our quiz/audit to define needs, then navigate the Hub in a seamless manner to access the most relevant resources.

While all these initiatives will be officially launching on April 7th, I encourage you to stay connected as we start to unveil more exciting details in the coming weeks.

As we continue to navigate through the pandemic, we recognize the growing void for many of not being able to: connect in person, share a laugh in person, see the twinkle and passion in the other’s eye as you swap stories about business/personal lives. However, we cast our sight to the horizon with much optimism, primarily because of the vaccine.

To transition from this extraordinary world of isolation and virtual reality to the more normal world of in-person gatherings and networking, WESK is hosting a safe “COVID-conscious” hybrid approach to our annual business conference. This conference has been rebranded this year as the WESK Summit and WESK Summit Gala. The hybrid approach will allow entrepreneurs and business professionals from across Saskatchewan to join us.
In-person and Livestream tickets are now on sale. If you have not done so, I encourage you to purchase your preferred ticket type and join us in May.

To all that stand with us, by us and support us in moving the needle on closing the gender entrepreneurship gap – thank you for your belief, your courage and faith in POSSIBILITIES.

The future belongs to people and organizations that see POSSIBILITIES before they become obvious (great words spoken by Ted Levitt, American economist, and Harvard Professor). At WESK, we remain committed to supporting you in discerning these possibilities and turning them into reality

Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you in person in the near future.

Sincerely,

Prabha Mitchell,

Chief Executive Officer, WESK

As we bid farewell to 2020, part of me is relieved to put behind the year of the Black Swan that swooped in on us and changed our lives irrevocably. We look ahead to 2021, with hope and optimism, recognizing that our small businesses continue to be challenged as we work together on economic recovery.

Conforming to the guidelines set out by the Government of Saskatchewan is imperative, to ensure that we can welcome 2021 with some semblance of normalcy. The Open Letter to the People of Saskatchewan, a message from WESK, along with 33 other local organizations, was intended to reflect our support for our government’s plan, while recognizing that safety of our citizens is paramount and survival of our small businesses is essential.  

We applaud our members and women entrepreneurs in our province for their resilience and grit in navigating these uncertain times. Our entrepreneurs and small businesses need our support now more than ever. Let us commit to shopping local, spending our money locally, and supporting small businesses in our communities recover and grow. 

Through this devastating year, WESK remained unwavering in its commitment to support women entrepreneurs and our community in the rebound from COVID-19. The ideology of “business as usual” was even more pivotal during this crisis to ensure women entrepreneurs received the resources, programs and services required to sustain their businesses. While the organization pivoted to deliver all programs and services virtually with minimum disruption, several new initiatives were also undertaken:  

 Stay tuned for exciting announcements in 2021 regarding:

Lastly, I would like to thank my team, who are committed, passionate and driven. I am grateful to work with a purpose-driven group who are focused on making a difference and rising to the challenges created by this extraordinary year. I would also like to recognize our board for their guidance and engagement as the organization adapted and pivoted to remain agile. Lastly, I want to express sincere appreciation to, and acknowledgement of our funders, partners and friends who support our mandate and stand resolutely with us and women entrepreneurs in our province.

Wishing you all a restful, peaceful and above all a healthy holiday season. May you and your loved ones have time to create new memories and new dreams with a renewed hope for the year ahead.  

Until 2021….

Stay well and stay safe,

Prabha Mitchell

CEO of WESK

Our way of living and working has been altered significantly over these past several months, however, this setback has also revealed opportunities and blessings for some. I have heard many inspiring stories of entrepreneurs pivoting and rebounding; entrepreneurs who developed new products and services as an innovative solution to address the impact of the pandemic. While the reality is harsh and painful, building momentum and a movement to support local businesses is essential and critical. 

While we are limited in the in-person interactions we can engage in with our community, the WESK team has been relentless in providing relevant resources to our entrepreneurs on starting, growing, scaling, pivoting, and rebounding their businesses. Although the board and team developed a new strategic plan in March 2020, we have been agile and nimble in adapting the strategy as warranted to address the current environment. We have commenced execution of some of the recommendations listed in the Saskatchewan Advisory Committee’s Final Report “Enabling Scale in Saskatchewan”. Stay tuned for more information as we advance this initiative further.

Despite our offices remaining closed to the public during these times, we continue to offer our regular programs and services virtually, including business advising, training, and events. As you may imagine, our business advisors have been busier than ever during these times. If you’re looking for business advice, I encourage you to book a virtual appointment with our team. We are here to help.

If you’re in need of financing, WESK continues to accept applications for the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), in addition to our longstanding financing program. The RRRF was announced by the Government of Canada to provide financial support directly to small and medium-sized women-owned businesses that have been unable to access other government support programs. Loans of up to $40,000 are available through WESK to address COVID-19 impacts on short-term stability. To date, we have approved 46 RRRF loans and disbursed approximately 80% of the fund.

Two of our signature programs, The Exchange and Founders Table, launched virtually in September with overwhelming success. We were thrilled to welcome over 70 female entrepreneurs from various industries into The Exchange for year one of the program, which was redesigned to help businesses be successful and adapt to the new challenges emerging from the pandemic. We are thankful to our seven cohort chairs, Janet Lee, Heather Adams, Candyce Fiessel, Karri Howlett, Alicia Soulier, Christine Hrudka, and Devon Fiddler, who have been working hard with their respective cohorts as they make their way through the program.

Founders Table, WESK’s women in tech program facilitated by Katrina German, was launched province-wide for its second year with a new intake of over 20 participants. Founders Table features sessions with industry experts and includes a focus on advancing tech-based businesses.

We pivoted our annual Small Business Conference, which took place from September 28 – October 2, offering an entire week of free virtual workshops and panel discussions to our Saskatchewan community. With over 800 attendees across 6 different events, we are proud to say that this year’s event was our biggest one yet. While virtual events are not ideal and optimal, it does provide increased accessibility throughout the province.

Until next time, stay safe and resilient. While it’s important to keep physically distanced, it’s equally important to stay emotionally connected. We will come out of these times stronger by staying together.

Regards,

Prabha Mitchell,

Chief Executive Officer, WESK

As we navigate our way through a “new normal”, we recognize that the way we conduct business in the future has likely changed irrevocably. While we welcome the creativity and innovation of the “new normal”, there are still concerns and uncertainty that plague much of how the economy will unfold. The re-opening of our Saskatchewan economy is critical in spurring recovery and infusing some sense of normalcy but for many, it also creates new challenges.

Our team has started to gradually transition back to the office, though we remain closed to the public for the time being. We continue to serve our clients remotely and encourage you to reach out and connect with us. Like many entrepreneurs, COVID has provided an opportunity for WESK to take pause and reassess our programs and services to ensure relevance, effectiveness and efficiencies. I welcome any ideas and feedback you may have regarding enhancing our service delivery.

One of the pivotal and redefined programs we are launching is The Exchange: Rebound Edition. We recognized that the pandemic significantly impacted small and medium-sized businesses and as a result, we pivoted from our original focus on scaling up. The redesigned year one of the program ensures women entrepreneurs acquire the knowledge and business acumen to successfully rebound from economic shock.

Applications for The Exchange: Rebound Edition closed on July 13 and we are thrilled with the response! If you are interested but missed the deadline, please reach out to us. The program will be launched on July 22, 2020 by bringing all applicants together for a virtual retreat. The retreat is an opportunity for participants to come together and receive guidance and mentorship from other reputable entrepreneurs.

On July 16, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada), announced that WESK will receive $2M through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF). This fund will enable WESK to assist Saskatchewan female-owned businesses by providing them with immediate liquidity to face COVID-19-related challenges. Loans of up to $40,000 are available through WESK’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) to female entrepreneurs who unable to access larger federal relief programs.

As we enter the summer months, we take a break from our monthly networking events Shaken with a Twist and Uncorked. Thank you to all of you who have joined us over the past few months as we transitioned to a virtual format. Both events will resume virtually in September.

We understand that virtual events cannot take the place of the personal experience of an in person gathering. We all miss the networking, the laughs, and reuniting with familiar faces. I am looking forward to reconnecting with you all in January 2021 when we resume with Shaken with a Twist and Uncorked in person should the curve stay flattened.

Lastly, I am proud of how Saskatchewan residents have come together to flatten the curve, ensure safety, and support our small businesses. As businesses begin to re-open and small gatherings become more acceptable, I encourage you all to stay safe and continue to engage in healthy practices recommended by our Chief Medical Officer. As I’ve said before, TOGETHER, we can get through this and beyond.

Stay well and stay safe,

Prabha Mitchell

Chief Executive Officer,

WESK

We are living in extraordinary times. Nothing is the same anymore, whether it is working, connecting, networking, exercising, or even shopping. Perhaps, there will be a new normal post-COVID-19.
WESK is here for you. We are working to do all we can to support our members and all Saskatchewan women entrepreneurs during this period of uncertainty.

Here are some of the measures we have implemented:

For those of you who participated in our Small Business Survey, thank you. Your answers have helped us to be your voice with the provincial and federal governments. I’d like to highlight some of our key findings:

We understand that these are difficult times for most of you. The federal and provincial governments have various funding and relief programs available to you. You can discover what funding options are available to you in the “Emergency Funding for Small Businesses” section of our COVID-19 page. Please note that our provincial government recently announced the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment that provides up to $5000 for every small business. Please take advantage of this support.
The key message I want to leave you with is that WESK is here to support you. We will advocate for you, and we will provide you with relief measures as needed.

Keep well, stay safe. TOGETHER, we will get through this.