There’s nothing quite like learning from your entrepreneurial peers.When those peers are some of the most successful in Canada, the experience is all the more rewarding.
On November 26th, Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs and other inspiring women in business will gather in Toronto for the 2014PROFIT/Chatelaine W100 Idea Exchange. The purpose of the conference is to arm innovative and ambitious female entrepreneurs with the ideas, tools and connections they need to build better businesses—the kind of ventures Canada’s economy relies on. (You can review some highlights from last year’s W100 Idea Exchange here.)
Attend this year’s conference and you’ll not only get invaluable networking opportunities with dynamic, inspiring businesswomen—you’ll get solutions to some of the biggest issues affecting your business (and yourself as an entrepreneur). Here are five of the best lessons you’ll learn by attending the 2014 PROFIT/Chatelaine W100 Idea Exchange:
1. How to sell better—and sell more
Every business needs a solid sales pipeline to survive. In a panel discussion called “The Secrets of Successful Selling,” three of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs will reveal what they do to keep revenue growing—even in tough times. Panelists Allison Grafton, Sonya Meloff and Aneela Zaibwill share their advice on how to develop better negotiating skills, pitch clients with confidence, secure credible customer testimonials, train non-sales staff how to sell and more.
2. How to be a more creative leader
With all the stresses and commitments involved in running a company, do you ever feel you don’t have enough time to do the big-picture thinking your business needs to thrive? If so, you’re not alone. Presenters Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk—co-founders of Swim leadership lab and the women behind Dove’s famous Campaign for Real Beauty—have a solution. In a morning keynote titled “Creativity: Deep Dive Into the Right Side,” Kestin and Vonk will explain how to think big-picture, how to come up with better ideas and how to use creative thinking to solve any problem you may face.
3. How to use your business to make the world a better place
Business doesn’t have to be evil—even in a sector with as bad an environmental rap as oil and gas. In a closing keynote entitled “Creating ‘And’ Solutions,” serial entrepreneur Suzanne West will share the amazing story that has led her to launch Imaginea Energy Corp., an energy company designed to make “ridiculous” profits without damaging the planet. West will reveal how to solidify your big-picture vision for your business—and how to line up the people, money and infrastructure to bring it into reality.
4. How to plan your exit
Smart entrepreneurs keep an eye on the exit—even if they’re not planning to leave for years, or even decades. But selling a company is seldom a straightforward or painless process. Want to know how to meet potential buyers? What you should—and should not do—in the negotiating process? How to secure the highest price possible? Whether you should stay involved with the business after the sale, or make a clean break? In a discussion called “Selling Your Business: The Keys to a Successful Exit,” veteran businesswomen Kathryn From and Marnie Walker will provide some answers by sharing their experiences exiting the companies they worked so hard to build.
5. How to fit it all in
Time management is something most entrepreneurs have struggled with at one point or another. When your business is your life, how do you find any balance? Why not ask Victoria Sopik, who built a multi-million dollar business while raising eight kids? Or Noemie Dupuy, who runs a thriving firm working nine-to-five, four days a week? Or Stephanie Perry, who integrates her home life into the family business she took over? Find out how to make crazy-busy home and work lives work harmoniously in the interactive panel discussion “Time Management: How to Run a Business Without Losing Your Mind.”
Space is limited and tickets are going fast! Register for the 2014 W100 Idea Exchange now.
