ATTRACTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO START BUSINESSES

PILLAR THREE

23 MILLION

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS A DEARTH OF MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

CHOICES MADE AT A YOUNG AGE THAT WERE INFLUENCED BY STEREOTYPES AND GENDER BIAS

LIMITED NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

LACK OF CONTRACTS WITH LARGE BUYERS

U.S. jobs are created and/or maintained by women-owned businesses

77.2 MILLIONwomen will be in the labor force in 2024

Businesses owned and run by women already make an enormous contribution to the U.S. and Canadian economies.

...However, Barriers Still Exist:

@AdvanceBizWomen Advancingwomeninbusiness.com

DESPITE THE IMPRESSIVE ADVANCES OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, women have only scratched the surface of their potential contribution to business. Increasing the number of women-owned firms in the U.S. with employees could add

$10 TRILLION TO THE AMERICAN ECONOMY.

10% increase in the number of women-owned SME would add $198 billion to the Canadian economy

PILLAR THREE

CANADAhas the highest female participation in the workforce among G7 countries

In order to enhance the future well-being of all Americans and Canadians, we are proposing the following four recommendations:

RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT COMPANIES FOUNDED AND RUN BY WOMEN GENERALLY HAVE SUPERIOR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE.

@AdvanceBizWomen Advancingwomeninbusiness.com

15%IN ADDITIONAL PROFIT WAS OBSERVED WHEN THE SHARE OF WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WENT FROM 0% TO 30%

TARGETEDEDUCATIONfor women and girls, of all ages, in schools and universities, including greater awareness of the opportunities that entrepreneurship has to offer

LAUNCH A YOU ARE READY CAMPAIGNto inspire and bolster the confidence of women entrepreneurs

CROSS-BORDERCOLLABORATIONthrough the creation of a Canadian equivalent to the U.S National Women’s Business Council and the U.S. Office of Women’s Business Ownership, and a clear mandate for linkage between the two countries

A FOCUS ONTOOLS AND PROGRAMSto encourage and equip women entrepreneurs to access capital and pursue high growth enterprises

PILLAR THREE

@AdvanceBizWomen Advancingwomeninbusiness.com

OUR MANDATE is to develop recommendations that can reduce barriers that limit women’s participation in business, support and develop women’s professional advancement, and assist women in starting and scaling their businesses.

OUR MISSION is to increase the number of women business leaders and entrepreneurs, and contribute to the economic growth, and competitiveness of the Canadian and US economies.

Advancing women in business.

FIVE KEY PILLARSWe identified five key areas of focus, forming the initiative’s five supporting pillars:

In February 2017, the U.S. and Canadian governments appointed ten top women business executives to the Canada-U.S. Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.

Julie SweetCEO - North AmericaAccenture

COUNCIL CO-CHAIRS

COUNCIL MEMBERS

Deborah GillisPresident and CEOCatalyst

Elyse AllanCEO, GE CanadaVP, GE

Monique LerouxPresident of the Board of DirectorsInvestissement Quebec

Dawn FarrellPresident and CEOTransAlta Corporation

Linda HasenfratzCEOLinamar Corporation

Tina LeeCEOT&T Supermarket Inc.

Mary BarraChairman and CEOGeneral Motors

Annette VerschurenChair and CEONRStor Inc.

Tamara LundgrenPresident and CEOSchnitzer Steel

Supporting and growing women-owned businesses

Increasing the number of women in STEM

Increasing women’s access to capital

Advancing women as leaders in the private sector

Attracting women entrepreneurs, encouraging women to start businesses