Exploring Purple

Bringing together some of the greatest minds in Vancouver to discuss women in business, this afternoon promises to be thought provoking. Read the main article for more details, or check this out:

Ladies in Pink: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Awareness Luncheon

**Volunteer positions are now full**

April is cancer awareness month and what better way to help support the fight than to volunteer at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's 18th annual Awareness Luncheon on May 6th from 10:15 - 2pm at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver?

Ladies in Pink volunteers are needed to help with registration and 50/50 raffle ticket sales throughout the afternoon and will have the opportunity to hear Bif Naked's personal story and learn about early breast cancer detection from Dr. Paula Gordon.

Light snacks/refreshments will be provided.

Click here for more details on the event.

For volunteer registration and further questions, please contact Stephanie: steph@ywib.ca

YWiB Gets Balanced at Aritzia

photo credit: Jeremy Lim

As a sold-out crowd buzzed around the chic new Aritzia store, I couldn’t help but anticipate the words of our speaker, Sally Parrott.  I knew that Sally was the Sr. Marketing Director of Aritzia, a thought that both intimidated and impressed me.  Surprise was all mine though, when a smiling, youthful looking woman addressed the crowd, with dewy freckled skin and long brown braided hair.  Pleasantly surprised to see someone so young in such a senior role, my attention was captured, along with the rest of the keen audience.

Although the theme of the evening was ‘Life Balance’, Sally did not make claims to have any secrets, referring to balance in life being a journey, not a destination.  What she did share, were six valuable lessons she has learned on her journey.

Lesson # 1:  Sometimes you just have to stop.  No one will judge you for it. During her mid 20’s, Sally left a cushy job at Proctor and Gamble to travel around the world.  People thought she was crazy, but she listened to herself and found fulfillment in it.

Lesson #2:  When you are doing something that matters to you, you will feel more balanced and find that life gets easier (not more difficult and more complicated). During a difficult time both personally and professionally, she seriously re-evaluated her life.  She felt out of balance and overwhelmed, but a fear of vulnerability prevented her from asking for help.  This stressful time spurred on a re-evaluation of her priorities and led her to made serious (life-giving) changes. Lesson # 3:  Become selfish with your time. Sally shared that “if people were taking more energy than giving, I stopped spending time with them”. A willingness to ‘clean house’ in relationships allowed her to spend her free time with those who restored her, not drained her.

Lesson # 4: Get help.  (Seek out mentors, peers, life coaches, etc.) Sally joined an executive group and hired a life coach.  The leap to start accepting help from others changed her life significantly, allowing her to grow by leaps and bounds.

Lesson # 5: Make time to do things that you love- just because—regardless of whether they further your career, make you thinner, healthier or smarter. In an effort to give back to herself she did things that she loved.  So she went to a dog show by herself even though her friends thought it was crazy.  She took herself on dates to treat herself right.

Lesson #6: Hold your boundaries. Sally shared, “the world will go by without you.  If you take everything on, people will let you".  Hold yourself and others accountable for respecting your boundaries in order to prevent burnout.

All in all, it was a fabulous evening, filled with decadent cupcakes (thanks to Big City Cupcakes), designers (Jennifer Irving and product developer Jennifer Christie),  shopping (thanks to the generous gift cards from Aritzia), photography (courtesy of the lovely Jeremy Lim) and new friends.  Thanks all for coming out!

Congratulations to Cybele Negris!

We would like to congratulate one of our amazing supporters, Cybele Negris!  Cybele has been recognized as one of the Influential Women in Business by Business in Vancouver.  She is the founder of Webnames.ca, and was a speaker at Beyond Pink 2008.  Cybele has been selected for her outstanding achievements in business and influence in the business community.

Cybele's fellow honorees include: Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Vancouver (past YWiB speaker) Ida Goodreau, Corporate Director and former CEO LifeLabs and Vancouver Coastal Health Sarah Morgan-Silvester, Chancellor, University of British Columbia (past YWiB speaker) Janine North, CEO, Northern Development Initiative Trust

Lifetime Achievement Award - Julia Levy, Corporate Director and Co-Founder QLT Inc.

Congratulations Cybele, and thank you for your ongoing support of YWiB!  See below for an exclusive chat with Cybele on her thoughts for women in business:

where do you go for inspiration? I have chaired the e-series Program (entrepreneur training for high-growth businesses) at the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs for a number of years. each year we choose 15 women entrepreneurs to participate in a 6 month program of education and mentorship. we bring in the speakers/instructors who are entrepreneurs themselves who have done it all before or experts in specific  topics who are the top of their industry. I get inspired by the women participating as well as the speakers. even though I have witnessed these sessions numerous times over the years, each session I attend still re-energizes me to keep driving my own business to the next level.

when balancing your life, what actually works? it is still a work in progress for me.  between Webnames.ca, a construction business with my husband, serving on the boards of 4 organizations (Small Business BC, Vancouver Economic  Development Commission, Small Business Roundtable of BC, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs), chairing a charity event (Canary Derby – technology community building and racing soapbox cars to raise money for early cancer detection for the BC Cancer Foundation) and 2 young children, time management is key.

luckily, I don’t need a lot of sleep and I tend to be up until 1 or 2am quite often to get everything done. I actually keep a spreadsheet which includes my top tasks for the week prioritized under each of the above commitments.  I’m also starting to learn how to say “no” which has not been easy for me. I try to limit  events outside of work hours to 1, maximum 2 a week and other evenings and weekends are dedicated to family. 

what advice would you give to your 20-year old self? simple - get yourself a mentor and network, network, network.  

as a woman working in technology and web, what were the most difficult obstacles to overcome? I don’t feel I have experienced any obstacles because I’m a woman in technology. in fact, it has been an advantage because there are so few women, especially those in executive positions, in technology. I have learned over time that it is a good thing to standout and to embrace it.

the technology industry as a whole for men and women moves extremely quickly so it is important to keep up with changes and not be left behind.  this can also become very distracting so balancing keeping up with the next big thing with focus on goals and objectives is always a challenge.

where do you find the most support in vancouver, as a woman in business as well as a mother?

• there is no lack of support for women in business in Vancouver. personally, I have been involved with the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs since its inception in 2002. Initially the focus was on high-growth business and this was a great fit for Webnames.ca. Over the years, programs have been expanded and developed to support other types of business at various levels of growth; now with seven core programs. I suggest all women in business join here.
• women in technology should join Wired Woman. Membership is free and their mentorship program has benefited over 330 women since launch in 2007.
• mothers should really check out the MomCafe Network with chapters in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto or Enterprising Moms Network with 8 chapters throughout BC and a Toronto chapter.
• looking for money to start or expand your business?  The Canadian Youth Business Foundation provides youth (age 18-34) with start-up financing of up to $15,000 based on the character of the business and a great business idea with flexible three to five year repayment schedules. They couple this with pre-launch coaching, business resources, and mentoring to increase the chance of success of these companies.  The Women’s Enterprise Centre offers loans up to $150,000 for BC women.
• young women really need to join Young Women in Business (YWIB) and I would not say this without having seen firsthand the level of leadership and quality of conferences and events hosted by this group.  To see such young women achieving their level of success and inspiring other young women is very special.
• the Women’s Enterprise Centre has a comprehensive list of organizations that support women in a variety of businesses and geographical locations.

what is your hope for young women just entering your field? I do hope first of all that more young women choose the technology field and that more strive for executive level positions. I also think of “my field” as entrepreneurship and I do believe more and more women will choose this path. ninety-eight per cent of businesses in BC are small business (defined as 50 employees or less) and 35% of these are currently owned by women.  since the mid-seventies, the Canadian growth rate for self-employment in women (5.3%) has been almost double of that of men (2.2%).  With more women balancing career and family and the flexibility self-employment affords owners, I see the number of women entrepreneurs continuing to grow. I hope that more women own and run higher growth businesses.

guilty pleasure? I don’t get much chance to watch TV and I hate to shop but I have to admit really enjoying the TV show “What Not To Wear”.

do you have a mantra or small bit of advice to share with the members of YWiB?

• advice: same as what I would have told my 20 year old self. get a mentor and network!
• mantra: work hard, be grateful for what you have and give back to the community.

Inspiration from Sally Parrott

Here are a few of our favourite quotes from our event last Monday when we partnered with Aritzia to bring you Sally Parrott! Share your favourite quotes, inspirations and brainwaves with us too! "Sometimes it's okay to get off the bus - it's about finding balance in your life"

"Actively deciding to do something that's important to me - sticking to your values and doing something you love"

"Make sure you have enough pie for everything you want to do"

"Be selfish with your time - if people were not adding value or are not giving as much as you are, there are people who are not contributing positive energy"

"You really have to figure out who you are and what  you stand for, developing yourself as an entire person"

Book recommendation: "The Artist's Way"

If you felt inspired and motivated by Sally, send us your thoughts, stories, or ideas and we'll post them here so you can share your comments with the YWiB community.  Email info@ywib.ca.

Balance Yourself with YWiB & Aritzia

join YWiB & Aritzia in a conversation on balance in your personal and professional life. YWiB is very excited to host Sally Parrott, Senior Director of Marketing at Aritizia as our featured speaker for this evening's event.  she will be sharing her unique story as a successful woman in business and lessons learned along the way.

combined with an exclusive private shopping event at Aritzia's newest store in Pacific Centre (including a fun gift from Aritzia!), come out and mingle with other ladies in an evening of balanced inspiration, learning and fashion.

date | march 22nd 2010 time | 7pm to 8:30pm venue | Aritzia @ Pacific Centre  (3rd Floor, 609 granville street in downtown vancouver) price | $20 per person [$10 for YWiB members] rsvp | this event is now sold out!

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YWiB is very grateful for the generous support of:

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Jeremy Lim Photography