Jennifer Cunningham
Marketing & Content Strategist, I’m your CMO
CAWEE Member
Annie Gaudreault
Licensed Nutritionist & Health Coach, Veev Health & Wellness
CAWEE Board Member
Building a successful small business takes a lot of time and energy, so it’s good to have a network to draw support from and help you grow. In addition, you’re more likely to move forward as a business and group by surrounding yourself with people with similar drive and ambition.
Your network is your competitive advantage. That’s why it’s essential for entrepreneurs, especially in the early growth stages, to not try and do it alone. Research shows that people with a “team” around them are nimbler, learn faster, and are happier. Strong networks can lead to business advice, investors, customers, mentors, increased confidence, and more.
But it’s important to note that not all networks are considered equal. Many networking events are impersonal and intensely sales driven. You may leave with many business cards — but no real connections.
As a female entrepreneur, it can be even more challenging, and if you’re finding it hard to network, you’re not alone. Thousands of other female entrepreneurs struggle to grow their connections too.
When women are in same-sex networking groups, their personal and professional experiences are normalized. They can have conversations about their fears and negative experiences in safe and supportive environments because everyone in the room has felt it, thought about it, or faced it.
Since 1976, the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (CAWEE) has been connecting Canadian women in business.
CAWEE originally started as a support and lobbying group with a legislative committee that tackled many issues in the ’80s and ’90s, such as equal pay, daycare in the workplace, and inclusion of women’s equality rights in the wording of the constitution adopted in 1982.
From 2000 on, the Association began to focus primarily on being a support and networking group. Based in Toronto, Ont., CAWEE is considered one of Canada’s most respected networking organizations, representing professionals from various disciplines, markets, and perspectives. Now that most networking events are online, CAWEE welcomes members from as far away as Nova Scotia and British Columbia!
As a diverse, welcoming collective of successful professional women, CAWEE enables members to build their resource base, improve networking skills, and, most importantly, make valuable connections.
CAWEE’s unique relationship-building approach and welcoming attitude make building genuine, long-term business relationships easy. The core of relationship building at CAWEE occurs during morning “breakfast” events, held virtually at 7:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of every month, and at quarterly in-person events.
As a CAWEE member, you get regular opportunities to:
- Connect with a bright, dynamic group of businesswomen
- Build your network and develop valuable, long-term relationships
- Give and get qualified referrals you can trust
- Exchange ideas, advice, and support from highly experienced executives and entrepreneurs
- Enjoy networking in a safe and stress-free environment
In today’s competitive environment, everyone needs and can benefit from belonging to an extensive network of like-minded professionals.
