Build your community, grow your business
WeBC is delighted to work with our partners to bring our award-winning Peer Mentorship Program to communities around BC!
As part of a Peer Mentoring Group, you’ll connect with an experienced local entrepreneur who’s been there, gets the grind and shares her knowledge so you don’t have to learn the hard way. With a group of fellow entrepreneurs supporting you, you’ll gain the clarity to focus on what really matters, and feel more confident making decisions for the future.
Program details
As a business owner, you know it’s a challenge to stay on top of everything and keep balance in your life. Peer Mentoring Groups offer feedback and fresh perspectives on your business challenges with a solution-based approach.
Facilitated by an experienced woman entrepreneur in your community, the group decides the focus of each meeting based on the interests and needs of its members.
Some of the key benefits of our program include:
- Benefit from the insights and experience of a group
- If 2 heads are better than 1, how about 6 or 7?
- Don’t tackle issues on your own—find resolutions with the group
- Explore alternative solutions or approaches you may not get to on your own
- Peer groups exponentially extend your network: Need new talent? Tap your peer group for referrals.
*Please note that ‘pre-startups’ are not eligible for the mentoring program, however, you can seek professional guidance from our Business Advisors.
Eligibility requirements
All applicants must
- Be actively operating a business in BC that generates revenue
- Identify as a woman, and over the age of 19
Application process
- WeBC offers multiple Peer Groups around BC throughout the year.
- When a group is confirmed, applications will be open until all spots are filled.
- Our Mentoring team interviews all applicants to ensure the group includes non-competing businesses with complementary needs and goals.
- Thanks to grant funding from the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, this program is FREE!
- Unsuccessful applicants will stay on our program waitlist and will be notified when the next group opens in their area.
Upcoming groups
Applications now open and only 8 spots available per group.
- Abbotsford
- Presented in partnership with the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
- Mentor Facilitator: Kristina Bradley, Owner, Nurse Next Door South Fraser and CEO, Hire A Caregiver HQ Corp.
- Chilliwack
- Presented in partnership with the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce
- Kelowna
- Presented in partnership with the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce
- Mentor Facilitator: Jennifer Turton-Molgat, President, The View Winery & Wards Cider
- Nanaimo
- Presented in partnership with the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce
- Mentor Facilitator: Ronnalee McMahon, Principal, Nu Era Talent Development Group
- Prince George
- Presented in partnership with the Prince George Chamber of Commerce
- Mentor Facilitator: Zandra Ross, CEO, Zandra Ross Coaching and Consulting
- Session Dates: January 7, 21, 28; February 4, 18, 25; March 4, 18, 25
- Prince Rupert
- Presented in partnership with the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce
- Session Dates: Wednesdays, 4pm to 6pm | January 8, 15, 22, 29; February 5, 12, 19, 26; March 5
- Qualicum Beach
- Presented in partnership with the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce
Applications Now Open
The intake is now open for women to join a mentorship group in these communities:
- Abbotsford
- Chilliwack
- Kelowna
- Nanaimo
- Prince George
- Prince Rupert
- Qualicum Beach
Frequently Asked Questions - Peer Groups
A lot of women business owners are solopreneurs. They’re doing the marketing, the operations, the sales, the financials, the product development – all by themselves!
In a Peer Mentoring group, you get the experience of your mentor, but you also benefit from the diverse viewpoints of the other group members.
There might be a woman who runs a marketing firm but needs guidance with her financials. And in her group, we would place a bookkeeper with years of experience in financial management who needs help growing her business on social media.
This means they’ll both work with the experienced mentor, but they can also provide another layer of help for each other in the areas where they’re strong.
Peer Mentoring Groups offer women entrepreneurs opportunities to discuss challenges that businesses face, and maintain a positive outlook needed for business success.
Groups of six to eight women in non-competing businesses meet under the guidance of a Mentor, an experienced entrepreneur who leads the group. The group will meet for six, two-hour sessions to:
- Discuss the challenges of business ownership
- Learn from the experiences of others
- Provide support to one another
- Develop new business skills and knowledge
At each session, a different business topic is addressed; these topics are determined by the group members.
You’ll come with a specific problem or opportunity in mind, then the group will discuss the challenge and brainstorm solutions (guided by the mentor). You’ll develop an action plan, then go out and implement it.
Next time, you’ll come back and report on your progress. Did it work, or was it a flop? How can you adjust your strategy? Was it successful and something your fellow mentee can use in her business?
We interview every woman to make sure we don’t have any competing businesses in each group. We want to create a safe and confidential environment so you feel comfortable sharing!
We find a lot of the challenges that women business owners face – like work/life balance, growing their sales, managing too much demand, – transcend industries, and our mentees appreciate the different points of view from different types of business owners.
Every group is led by an established entrepreneur in your community who has been through a lot of the same situations you’re dealing with, and has come out the other side.
The mentor has a knowledge base from her years of running a business, and she’ll share her insights based on her own experiences.
A Mentee is an entrepreneur who is committed to developing her business, achieving business goals, and improving her business skills and knowledge.
Mentees must be willing to:
- Share business challenges and issues
- Contribute ideas and experiences to help other Mentees
- Receive constructive feedback
- Accept suggestions and advice
- Open up to new ideas and change
- Respect the other group members
- Keep the confidentiality of the group discussions
Peer Mentoring Groups acknowledge women’s preference for learning through the experiences of others. Women can find power and confidence in sharing their concerns with a mentor and peers in a group setting.
Mentees benefit from:
- Receiving personalized advice
- Improving their business knowledge
- Receiving an outside perspective
- Increased productivity
- Growing confidence from support regarding business decisions
- New networks and partnerships within the business community
- Emotional support
- Relief from isolation through regular, supportive contact
Successful applicants must be:
- Actively operating a business in British Columbia and generating revenue
- A woman over the age of 19
Eligible applicants will be contacted for a brief interview to learn more about their businesses and get more details about participation in the program.
Pre-start-ups are not eligible for the mentoring program; however, you can seek free professional guidance from our Business Advisors.
Thanks to Our Community Mentorship Partners!
The C3 Project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
