Men succeed more often in business because they network and collaborate better than women: That is one of the beliefs behind a new PowerPods Program for female entrepreneurs being offered by Squamish business coach Conny Millard.
The course aims to empower women to help themselves by supporting each other.
“Women struggle to ask for help,” Millard said. “As women, we are so crazy resourceful. We feel that we need to be great at everything… asking for help is extremely important.”
Women need to collaborate for their own financial success, she said.
“That is what men do, they leverage each other’s networks in a financial way. They are always competing, of course, but if they are non-competing businesses, they are very happy to leverage each other’s networks.”
Women, on the other hand, often have supportive coffees and nice chats with their girlfriends, but no one really enables each other’s professional growth, she said.
Millard, who has been an advisor for women in business since 2008, said her hope for the 10-month course is that by the end of it, each woman will have made an alliance partnership with at least one other businesswoman. If they do that, each business will have doubled their revenue, she said.
“For me it is about tangible, financial returns alongside support and the feel-good factor,” she said. “At the end of the day, the other reason we are building our businesses is we want a better future for our children, and we have to make money.”
Millard acknowledged that sometimes women are not supportive of each other in business or the workplace, and that needs to be tackled.
“Our front is always very supportive and nurturing, but then there is almost like a bit of a competing factor that lies behind it,” she said. “Not worrying about if there is a competing side in us, but really fostering the nurturing side… and go further than being supportive and saying positive things… actually saying, ‘Here are three connections, contact them.’”
Millard said she also advises businesswomen to invest back into their business.
“Realizing that if I get a bookkeeper, let’s say for instance, and I am a massage therapist and my bookkeeper charges $35 [an hour] but I make $125 an hour, then give up your bookkeeping.” Instead of doing the bookkeeping, “have a few more clients and you will earn more money,” she recommends. “It is OK to reinvest in the business.”
The PowerPods program will include learning, sharing and growing components.
“It is about business tools, business management, business planning, marketing and pitching,” Millard said. “The other element is a sharing element, so using the group as a shadow advisory board to be able to share their pitch, their presentations, their concepts and ideas.”
The final element is actively growing and supporting each other’s businesses, she said, “so we have complementary businesses only so that they can help each other, really opening up their network.”
Millard said she wants women in the program who are not just in it for themselves, but to better others in the group as well.
The courses are aimed at both new and experienced entrepreneurs, according to Millard. The course, offered in partnership with the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, will begin on Tuesday (Sept. 29). For information, go to www.business-sanctuary.com/services/powerpods/
