The Exchange Workspace (U250 Karri)
Welcome to Your Cohort Workspace! Here, you’ll find information about your fellow board members, your chair, as well as the materials from our monthly sessions! This workspace is specific to you, as an Exchange board member in Karri Howlett’s cohort.
MyExchange
The MyExchange section of your workspace is where you’ll find various frequently accessed items. Whether you’re looking for a program overview, or information about your fellow cohort members, you’ve come to the right place!
Time for your monthly cohort meeting or 15-minute Coaching Call? Click on the link below to join the Zoom Meeting or to book your Coaching Call appointment.
Year 3 Details
Missed the Year 3 information session? Click on the button below to view the live recording.
Monthly Sessions
The Exchange Opening Retreat
Date: September 16, 2021
Location: Virtual and the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel Centre Ballroom
Agenda
12:30pm – Networking/social/lunch
1:00pm – Welcome: from Prabha
1:15pm – Keynote: Danielle Graham – Growth Mindset
1:45pm – Q&A with Danielle Graham
2:00pm – Break
2:10pm – Training: Disc leadership training with Tracey Kowalchuk
3:30 – Break
3:40 pm – Training: Disc leadership training part 2
5:00pm – Networking/social
5:30pm – Dinner
Building Trust with your Cohort
Date: October 14, 2021
Time: 9:00 am
Expert: Tracey Kowalchuk, Leadership Development Coach, TK & Associates
Leadership / KPI’s and Accountability
Date: November 10, 2021
Time: 9:00 am
Expert: Karri Howlett, Karri Howlett Consulting
Topic 1: The Big Picture – Working ON Your Business
Objective: The journey to achieving your business strategy begins with a vision and a commitment to a value agenda. As a startup, your strategy helped you launch your business. Now that your business is working towards growth, your next step includes the refinement of your goals considering the lessons learned along the way.
Outcome: How to create a strategy map that delivers clarity on three fronts.
- Where your business is going?
- How you create value?
- How you are going to get there?
Topic Two: Measuring Business Performance
Objective: Peter Drucker’s famous words, “If it gets measured, it gets done” has never been truer in today’s business climate. Measurement is a critical part of your business success. With so many levers that you are paying attention to, it’s vital to distinguish the important metrics from the distractions. Key performance indicators (KPIs) will help you determine the right actions to take to achieve your business goals.
Outcome: Understand and select your KPIs to measure the financial and non-financial performance of your business.
Networking Skills: Creating Connections in the Workplace
Dates: December 14 – Saskatoon – Innovation Place, Boffins Event Centre
December 15 – Regina – Conexus Arts Centre, Quebec/Ontario Room
December 16 – Virtual via Zoom
Expert: Jolene Watson, Clarity Coaching & Development
Objectives:
- Identifying your communication and leadership styles
- Building confidence in networking
- Adapting behaviors to influence others
Outcome: Learn how to make more meaningful connections in the workplace.
Digital Market: Global is the New Frontier
Date: January 13, 2021
Time: 9:00 am
Expert: Ashley Drummond, WOW Factor Media
Objective: From Saskatchewan to Shanghai, it’s not just trendy to connect with your customers outside of your home base anymore; it’s the gateway to scaling your business. For some, your ideal customer might not live locally. Further, your clients might respond to different messages depending on their region and values. This session looks at leveraging the digital market as a new way to be visible and resonate with your customers.
Outcome: Learn what it means to compete in a global arena, understand the tools available and identify what works for your business.
The Future of Work
Expert Webinar: February 7, 2022 at 12pm – 1pm
Regular Cohort Session: February 10, 2022 at 9:00am – 11:00am
Expert: Ken Coates (kennethcoates@gmail.com)
Objective: The Future of Work asks you to reimagine how you understand the labor force today and build a culture for tomorrow. Research has shown that the just because you add more people to your organization doesn’t mean that work will be done faster and with higher quality. Creating a high functioning team today rejects some of the traditional ways that we developed a motivated workforce. In this session, we discover why there has never been a better time to build and operate a business.
Digitalization, Unleashed.
Date: March 10, 2022
Time: 9:00 am
Expert: Catherine Metrycki, Callia Flowers
Objective: Pivoting is more than the thematic word to sum up 2020. Future ready companies are examining the way they do things and determining how to implement technology to streamline their business processes to improve their customers’ experience. This digitalization journey offers many benefits to drive profit.
Outcome: Clearly understand the benefits of digitalization and determine which ones you can take advantage of. Once you’ve mastered the basics, how do you take it to the next level.
Market Access: Beyond Your Backyard
Date: April 14, 2022
Time: 9:00 am
Expert: Angelica Fehr, Twisted Goods
Objective: Every business owner needs to consider how to grow revenue and gain access to more of your ideal clients. Quite often, this means looking outside the local market you operate in.
Whether you’ve saturated the market or if there just isn’t enough of your ideal client nearby, market access speaks to the process of finding your way to expanding your revenue stream.
Outcome: Understand the puzzle pieces you need to build your growth strategy which ultimately establishes your export plan.
Pursue Financing for Growth and Scale
Live Expert Webinar: May 3, 2022 from 1pm – 2pm
Regular Cohort Session: May 12, 2022 at 9:00am
Experts: Colleen Patterson & Tammy Francis of IRAP, Natasha Paulsen of Conexus Credit Union, Alicia Soulier of SalonScale Technologies, and Olu Fatoyinbo of WESK
Objective: Debt isn’t bad, sometimes you need cash to make the next step work.
Growth in Action
Date: June 15, 2022
Time: 9am – 12pm
Passcode to watch the live recording: @Y2exchange
Agenda:
| 9:00-9:15am | Welcome |
| 9:15-10:00am | Keynote Address – “Growth In Action” |
| 10:00-10:10am | Break |
| 10:10-11:10am | Growth Panel |
| 11:10-11:30am | Q & A for panelists |
| 11:30-11:35am | Wrap Up & Thank You |
| 11:35am-12:00pm | Optional Networking |
Keynote Speaker: Mandy Gilbert, Creative Niche
As the Founder and CEO of Creative Niche, a specialized marketing, creative, tech, and digital recruitment agency, Gilbert has organically grown her company from its initial $8K start up capital into eight-figures in annual sales. Ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Recruiters – Executive Search”, Creative Niche has placed over 14,000 professionals in award-winning creative and media agencies, high-growth tech companies, and Fortune 500’s across North America.
Gilbert is a columnist for Inc. magazine and a contributor to Rolling Stone. Her book, Just Go With It: How to Navigate the Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurship, became an Amazon bestseller in its debut week and was recommended by Forbes, Entrepreneur, and many other business publications and podcasts. Gilbert also sits on the board of the Young Presidents’ Organization and is a graduate of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Entrepreneurial Masters Program at MIT.
Panelists:
Pam Klein, Phoenix Group
Pam has served with many organizations. Currently serving as Chancellor of the University of Regina and member of the board of governors, founding board member Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation, Greenwave Innovations and Camp Circle O’ Friends. She founded the Power of Pink, an event to benefit breast health which raised over $750,000 and has shared her expertise to many community organizations. She received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. Pam received the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and AFP Community Leader of the Year awards, Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the Canada 150 Medal for philanthropic contributions. Pam is proud of her two adult children. Regina is home to Pam her husband Steve.
Pina Romolo, Piccola Cucina
Pina started her career with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in MB, and has held various managerial roles across different industries in Corporate Canada but has always been an entrepreneur and foodie at heart. This entrepreneurial spirit propelled her into her current role of chief strategist & business developer, specialty food producer, brand creator, marketer & manager of Piccola Cucina.
Under Pina’s leadership, Piccola Cucina was a finalist in the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s small business award in 2015, was listed in Food in Canada magazine’s Top 10 Food and Beverage Companies to watch in Canada in 2015 and in 2016 was one of the 12 businesses selected from more than 700 applications to take part in the second cohort of District Ventures, Arlene Dickenson’s Business Accelerator.
She is Chair of the Board for Food and Beverage Manitoba, Member of the Canadian Health Food Association, Certified Woman Owned Business through WEConnect International and an active contributor to the food industry in Manitoba. She is fluent in Italian, Spanish and French, lives in Winnipeg with her husband David, and 2 children, Giuliano and Olivia.
Lisa Grogan, Overlap Associates
Lisa’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to co-found Overlap 2011 where she has played a key strategic role to grow the business, including leading Overlap’s expansion into the UK market with a studio in Leeds. As an active philanthropist, Lisa has been a proud member of Unicef Canada’s ‘25th Team’, a ground-breaking initiative involving 60 women from across Canada who joined together to save the lives of the world’s most vulnerable women and children.
Celebration Dinners
Saskatoon Dinner: June 14, 2022, 5:30 – 8:00pm at Crossmount Cider Company
Entertainment provided by Dakota Hebert, Stand-Up Comedy
Regina Dinner: June 16, 2022, 5:30 – 8:00pm at Crave Kitchen & Wine Bar
Entertainment provided by Marissa Burwell, Singer/Songwriter
*If you plan to attend either dinner, please RSVP by accepting the calendar invite or by emailing Stephanie at ssmith@wesk.ca
Resource Library
Have you checked out our library of resources, including webinars, blog posts, and templates, and more? Visit our new and improved Resource Library!
Questions?
If you have questions about The Exchange, contact us.
Stephanie Smith
Program Coordinator
ssmith@wesk.ca
(306) 359-9723