June 20, 2006
Moncton, New Brunswick
Eleven women entrepreneurs graduated today from the Managed
Growth Strategy Program, a six month program designed to
assist established women business owners to expand their
companies. The Program was supported through the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency's (ACOA) Women in Business
Initiative. "Our Government recognizes that small businesses are the
backbone of our economy," said the Honourable Peter MacKay,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of
ACOA. "Investing in building the skills of women
entrepreneurs is an important way to support the long-term
growth of small businesses in the region." Nicola MacNaughton, owner of Occupational Concepts, said
that participating in the Managed Growth Strategy
Program "supported and enhanced my skills as an
entrepreneur. This program has been instrumental in
formalizing my vision and setting a plan for action."The Managed Growth Strategy Program, delivered by
Kensington Management Consultants, was held over a period
of six months through a series of one day seminars. The
women entrepreneurs gained skills in marketing, human
resources, finance and production/service delivery. They
also studied how to develop soft skills in areas such as
communication, time management and customer focus to
improve management of their businesses. The Program
concluded with teaching the participants how to use all
these elements to develop growth-oriented business plans
for their companies. By holding the Program over six
months, the business owners benefited from having time to
learn and apply their new skills between sessions, being
able to then bring questions and issues back to the next
session for discussion. Equipping women entrepreneurs with the skills to develop
their own business plans is a unique feature of the
Program. Rather than being reliant on hiring a consultant
to come in and do it for them, these business owners now
have the skills to identify areas of potential growth for
their companies and adapt their business plans themselves
as market conditions and other factors change. The women entrepreneurs represented a diverse range of
businesses from the Moncton region, from naturopathic
health services to professional coaching, retail and custom
plastics manufacturing. A graduation ceremony and
presentation of the participants' newly completed business
plans were held at the Moncton Flight College today. For more information on ACOA's programs, visit our website
at:http://www.acoa-apeca.gc.ca
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Peta Fussell
Senior Communications Officer
ACOA, New Brunswick
(506) 451-2667
Jeannie Benoit
Development Officer
CBDC Westmorland Albert
(506) 533-8711
