Entrepreneurship Training for Women

On Wednesday, October 2, Sofifran welcomed the participants of the EntrePrend program to the offices of ABC Communautaire. This was the first session, and therefore the official launch, of this new initiative by the organization, which aims to build the entrepreneurial skills of women who want to go into business. Funded by the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario through its Effet multiplicateur program, this series of workshops is led by facilitators from the Société économique de l’Ontario (SEO).

The participants had the chance to meet Siham Chakrouni, an employability and entrepreneurship advisor, and Adra Berezintsev, manager of the Mentorat aux nouveaux arrivants program. The two SEO staff members spent close to two hours delivering the first part of a training program that will unfold over six sessions in all, running until early spring. The training is designed to move gradually from the general to the specific, and it will be tailored, at least in part, to the participants themselves.

Right from the first session, the women were invited to share, in a few words, their business ideas and plans. While some already have experience in this area and want to grow their business or make a fresh start, others are complete beginners who want to give it a try simply to gain more financial independence. In both cases, Ms. Chakrouni and Ms. Berezintsev had advice and recommendations to offer.

The first session painted a broad picture of what it takes to start and run a business. Assessing whether a business idea holds up, understanding costs, knowing the market, the business plan, sales and marketing, registration, permits, licences, regulations and more: everything was covered. After this first overview, the participants will look at the details step by step over the coming months.

ABC Communautaire, which is providing space so the project can run smoothly, took the opportunity to promote two of its own training programs that could be useful to the participants, one on computer applications for administration and the other on Microsoft Excel. The budding entrepreneurs will certainly have their hands full, because beyond the dream, any serious business project calls for a great deal of work and a wide range of specialized knowledge.

PHOTO: The sessions take place at the offices of ABC Communautaire.