Helping build & grow businesses

International Womxn’s Week

March 2 – 9, 2020

We Mean Business

On March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. From March 2 – 9, our region will run the 2nd Annual International Womxn’s Week: IWW 2020.

Our community has a shared goal: to inspire, equip and empower womxn professionally. That's why we're coming together to host eight jam-packed days of events. We want all folks, across all sectors, engaged and working collaboratively to expedite change.

That includes you.

Stay up-to-date

Why "Womxn"?
The word “womxn” is an alternative term to the English language word “women.” We use this term to explicitly include those who identify as women, transgender women, women of colour and non-binary individuals. This choice supports our concerted effort to create a culture of belonging.

Information is power

Here is some of what we know:

13.5%

of partners at venture capitalist firms are women

– Female Funders, Powered by Highline Beta, 2019 Report

1 in 25

C-Suite Executives is a Woman of Colour

– McKinsey & Company Report

28%

of all business owners, or entrepreneurs are women

– BDC Report

To advance the status of womxn, it will take all of us working together.

Ways to get involved

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Participate in IWW 2020!

Visit the events calendar

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Host or sponsor an event and promote it here.

Send us the details of your event

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Join to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our mailing list

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Become an ambassador. Share our message.

Access our Social Media Promo Kit

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Learn how to future-proof your business with ecommerce leader Shopify. Discover multichannel strategies that can help you sell more online.

Ecommerce is unpredictable. Just when retailers think they've set up shop in all the right places, new channels emerge that present new opportunities and change the landscape.

Discover strategies that help you effectively reach customers online and sell more online through our upcoming event Future-Proofing Your Business with Shopify - hosted by Krysta Roney, Local Community Manager at Shopify.

Join us on Tuesday September 22nd to learn about:

  • The importance of future-proofing
  • Omnichannel vs Multichannel
  • How an omnichannel strategy can help
  • How you can use the Shopify platform to maximize your omnichannel sales

Whether your customers are browsing in the online marketplace, or they’re on mobile platforms and social media, adopting the right channels into an effective omnichannel strategy can help boost your sales and enhance the online shopping experience for your customers.

Register for this event today and learn how to build a future proof strategy for your business!

About Shopify:

Shopify is a commerce platform that allows anyone to set up a free online store and sell their products or services. Merchants can also sell their products in person with Shopify POS. Shopify is now the leading commerce platform designed for businesses of all sizes.

Whether you sell online, on social media, in store, or out of the trunk of your car, Shopify has you covered. The first Shopify store was our own, and it’s been our mission to make commerce better for everyone ever since.

About - Krysta Roney - Local Community Manager at Shopify

Krysta has been with Shopify for almost three years and has a deep passion for fostering entrepreneurship and helping businesses achieve success through workshops, events, and 1:1 appointments to discuss growth and strategy.

Krysta has worked with businesses of all sizes in the Ottawa area. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to grow, Krysta can provide resources and guidance to help you reach your goals and achieve success.

She's also an avid Disney fan and dog lover, and in her spare time you can find her sailing on the Ottawa River, checking out local markets and events, or baking up a storm.

About Digital Main Street

Digital Main Street is helping small businesses impacted by COVID-19 in Ontario to recover and grow. Through the Digital Main Street Future Proof Program, qualified applicants (restaurant, retail shops, skilled trades, and home-based businesses) can access their own digital squad, business advisors, and training resources – for free.

Learn more about Digital Main Street programs at Investottawa.ca/digital-main-street.

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COVID-19 changed consumer behaviour and rocked the retail industry. How can retailers prepare for the future?

With consumers changing their shopping behaviour, retail store owners have had to adapt to a new retail environment online and in-store.

Some sectors like home improvement and grocery have experienced growth, but for others, change is hard and pivoting their business to the new environment is a challenging process.

For insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry, join us for The Future of Canadian Retail – a discussion with Craig Patterson - Founder and Editor in Chief of Retail Insider.

Craig has studied the Canadian retail landscape for over 25 years, and will share his insights on:

  • The retail landscape Canada/Ottawa prior to COVID-19.
  • The breakdown of the pandemic on the Canadian retail landscape.
  • What me might expect to see in the future in terms of retail in Canada.

Sign up for this free event to gain valuable insights from an expert in Canadian retail and take the opportunity to join and connect with others looking to prepare for what tomorrow brings.

About our Speaker

Craig Patterson is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s most-read online retail industry news publication, Retail Insider. He is also a Director at the University of Alberta School of Retailing, as well as a research consultant at Retail Council of Canada.

Craig has studied the Canadian retail landscape for over 25 years and has also been involved with strategy pertaining to urban revitalization in several cities, as well as retail and shopping centre-related design.

He is an industry consultant who also gives retail tours and is a public speaker, a graduate of the University of Alberta and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Bachelor of Laws degree.

About Digital Main Street

Digital Main Street is helping small businesses impacted by COVID-19 in Ontario to recover and grow. Through the Digital Main Street Future Proof Program, qualified applicants (restaurant, retail shops, skilled trades, and home-based businesses) can access their own digital squad, business advisors, and training resources – for free.

Learn more about Digital Main Street visit investottawa.ca/digital-main-street.

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Calling restaurant owners in Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall and Kingston: Join Recovery Roundtables to help each other rebound, grow & thrive.

The restaurant industry was forever changed by COVID-19 in the spring of 2020.

As the summer patio season winds down and fall approaches, restaurants that survived the summer fulfilling take-out orders and serving to limited seats with a skeleton crew are about to face even more tough challenges ahead.

To face these challenges together, Invest Ottawa is hosting a series of Restaurant Roundtables - to provide support to restaurants in Eastern Ontario.

Are you a restaurant owner in Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall, or Kingston Region struggling with how to:

  • Rehire and manage staff?
  • Market your restaurant to old and new customers?
  • Find food delivery solutions that make sense for your restaurant?
  • Find new ways to earn revenue during COVID-19?
  • Operate your restaurant in a profitable and sustainable way?

If challenges like these are keeping you up at night, you are not alone.

Sign up and join other restaurant owners who are experiencing similar challenges who might have proven solutions to share.

Please note that ONLY restaurant owners and operators are eligible for these sessions. You'll receive a calendar invitation with your custom login if your registration has been accepted.

Why Attend?

This exclusive virtual forum is offered only to restaurant owners like you, making it an opportunity to come together with fellow owners and operators in a small, confidential and intimate setting to:

  • Discuss common key challenges, ideas and potential solutions.
  • Get insight, ideas and solutions that you can implement and pilot test in your own business .
  • Build new relationships while supporting and receiving support from fellow restauranteurs grappling with similar issues .
  • Help shape the DMS Future-Proofing Program delivered by Invest Ottawa, to ensure it positively impacts and provides maximum value to restaurant owners who need support.
  • Contribute to the growth of Ottawa’s restaurant industry and our economy.

==============================

The DMS Program is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Canada and FedDev Ontario through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Invest Ottawa extends sincere thanks to these critical investors for their generous support of main street businesses in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.

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Calling retail store owners/managers in Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall & Kingston join our recovery roundtables & discover re-open solutions.

How do you provide positive experiences to shoppers who make it in to your store during COVID-19 ? And how can you pivot your retail business model to reach consumers online as people adapt to working and studying remotely from home?

Retail store owners who survived long enough to re-open are now faced with new challenges like these. And with the busiest retail season of the year fast approaching, adapting to offer customers new shopping experiences - both in store and online, is more important than ever.

Are you a retail store owner in Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall, or Kingston Region struggling with how to:

  • Regain customer confidence and get them to start shopping in your store again.
  • Reach new and existing customers online?
  • Ensure staffing levels while workers are juggling family obligations
  • Increase sales, manage costs and close the revenue gaps.
  • Provide a positive in-store shopping experience during COVID-19.
  • Pivot to create a new sustainable and profitable business model?

If these or other challenges are keeping you up at night, you are not alone.

Sign up to join other retail owners who are experiencing similar challenges; maybe someone has proven solutions to share!

Please note that ONLY RETAIL OWNERS AND MANAGERS WITH A PHYSICAL STORE are eligible for these sessions. You will receive a calendar invitation with your custom login if your registration has been accepted.

Why Attend?

This exclusive virtual forum is a great opportunity to join fellow retail store owners and managers in a small, confidential and intimate setting to:

  • Share challenges and learn that you are not alone in your struggles
  • Learn ideas and solutions from your peers that you can adapt and implement in your business .
  • Find your community; build new relationships while offering and receiving support from other owners.
  • Help shape the Digital Main Street Future-Proofing Program in Eastern Ontario, let us know what we can do to better support you.

==============================

The DMS Program is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Canada and FedDev Ontario through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Invest Ottawa extends sincere thanks to these critical investors for their generous support of main street businesses in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.

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Skilled trade company owners/managers in Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall & Kingston -join our recovery roundtables & discover re-open solutions
You want your trades business to grow. But with so many administrative tasks like bookkeeping, invoicing, scheduling and staffing, it's hard to find the time to focus on what you need to do. For many trades business owners, the COVID-19 crisis has helped to identify areas where digital tools could help them be more efficient. If you're looking for ways to run your trades business more efficiently and cut down on administrative headaches, this session will help you technology to your toolkit.
  • Discover digital tools to help with bookkeeping, scheduling, online payments, invoicing.
  • Learn about technology solutions that will help you organize and take care of important work documents.
  • Find new ways digital tools can help your business run on time and on budget.
  • Learn how to help your workers adapt to new technology.
The trade business is changing. Learn how to embrace the digital world along with your trade industry peers. If you know you should embrace technology, but just don't know where to start - join us at our virtual roundtable. Sign up to discover a world of new opportunities for your business! This session will be moderated by Bill McMillan. Bill McMillan has worked in the service and trade sector for over 25 years. Bill has lead change management projects by implementing the right software to improve efficiency in business workflows and processes. You will receive a calendar invitation with your custom login when your registration has been accepted. ============================== The DMS Program is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Canada and FedDev Ontario through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. Invest Ottawa extends sincere thanks to these critical investors for their generous support of main street businesses in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
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IWW 2020 Events

Let’s band together, build momentum and act; let’s accelerate change.

Submit an Event

Upcoming Event

Future-Proofing Your Business With Shopify

September 22, 2020
11:00 am

More Info

Upcoming Event

The Future of Canadian Retail – Craig Patterson

September 17, 2020
2:00 pm

More Info

Upcoming Event

Recovering from COVID-19 – Restaurant Roundtables

September 14, 2020
3:00 pm

More Info

Upcoming Event

Recovering from COVID-19 – Retail Roundtables

September 15, 2020
11:00 am

More Info

Upcoming Event

Digitize your business in skilled trades – Roundtables

September 16, 2020
12:00 pm

More Info
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