At ALL Strategy one of our core philosophies is “Great leaders are always purposeful in the giving of resources”.  As an organization, we aim to live that philosophy out internally with our team members, with our clients, with our Generosity Alliances, and within our community.  This month we want to pause and recognize an organization that proactively supports women entrepreneurs to optimize their opportunities for success.  We are honoured to feature Forum for Women Entrepreneurs as a not-for-profit organization to connect with and to proactively support.

Since ALL Strategy’s head office opened in Vancouver, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) has been a place where we have been able to connect with other high calibre professionals through networking events and learning series.  On a personal note, I have been fortunate enough to now be in my second year of acting as a Mentor within their Mentor Program for women entrepreneurs.  This mentorship program is so rich in its offerings to both the mentees and mentors in building relationships, and benefiting younger entrepreneurs through the learnings and insights of more seasoned professionals, that as Founder of ALL Strategy, I have also become a Mentee.  My mentor, Barbara Ross-Denroche, who is Co-Founder and Executive Chair of The Refinery Leadership Partners continues to play a significant advisory role in the longterm strategy of our enterprise at ALL Strategy.

Featuring active members and their stories, as they did with ALL Strategy in this Post which we featured on  our ALL Strategy Facebook page, is just one of the ways FWE creates networking opportunities.  Their Gala event will be held again this February 16, 2015 and is an incredible evening of networking, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurial success.

Additional programs offered by FWE include:

• FWE Talks is a recurring program where leaders share their stories.  Christine McGee of Sleep Country Canada will be speaking at the next FWE Talks event on November 18th.
• Member Forum happens regularly and is included at no additional cost with membership.  An intimate group of entrepreneurs have the opportunity to connect over a light breakfast and share latest business opportunities and challenges with a local business leader facilitating the discussion.  It is a rich time for participants.  It was an honour to facilitate the October 7th session with so many terrific entrepreneurs in the room.
• Although they sell out quickly, if you can get a ticket in time, attending an FWE Leaders Lounge event is time well invested.  These are evening events with great Vancouver leaders sharing their trials and successes on the road to the top.  The last Leaders Lounge featured business icon Joe Segal.
•  The highly competitive E-Series program put on by FWE is their signature program and one that any successful entrepreneur with a growing business needs to aspire to experience.  This program is one I had the privilege participating in this past year.  The learnings were rich, the networking contacts made were priceless and the opportunity to focus on my business with no outside distractions was a treasured rarity that helped shape our 2015-2020 strategic plan for ALL Strategy.

It is exciting to see the great work the team at FWE is so committed to producing on an ongoing basis.  The privilege and opportunity of each business leader is to support organizations such as this.  If there is an organization that stirs passion in you, we would love to hear about it, and about how you are investing resources to help them realize their mission.