Moms are facing difficult decisions around balancing life and business.
The coronavirus continues to have a startling impact on the job market in Canada. Over three million Canadians lost their job between March and June due to the pandemic and subsequent national measures that were taken to ‘flatten the curve.’ VISA Canada reports that 67 per cent of small businesses have tried a new approach to stay on track since the start of COVID-19. The greatest immediate concerns include revenue declines (52 per cent), attracting new customers (46 per cent), and having to reduce wages or salaries (22 per cent).
According to the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, approximately 55 per cent of jobs lost during the initial COVID-19 wave between March and June 2020 were recouped by July. Approximately 419,000 jobs were added in July, a 2.4 per cent increase over the previous month. More women were hired than men in July, however, women are still not as close to pre-COVID employment levels as men. Women, racialized people, LGBTQ2S+, and immigrants have all been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The second wave of COVID-19 which started in September is proving very worrisome as 865,000 Canadian women lost their jobs in that month alone — a number that is four times higher than men. Now more than ever Canadians are looking for innovative ways to navigate through the crisis and adjust and carry on. For many women and mom entrepreneurs, COVID-19 presents a whole other layer of challenges that must be dealt with to succeed.
Success and a love for entrepreneurship was the inspiration behind a local event in Toronto last year to help passionate, entrepreneurial moms. A year later, Canada’s Total Mom Pitch has become a national initiative to empower, support, and help women across the country to build and launch successful businesses. The timing in many ways could not be better as ‘mom entrepreneurs’ build their businesses despite COVID-19. The founder Anna Sinclair captured the attention and support of The Scotiabank Women Initiative™ and Visa Canada. Their aim is to assist ambitious moms across Canada through networking with powerful women, asking for recommendations, and getting valuable support when they need it most. The initiative has a magnified meaning this year as it aims to support entrepreneurship among moms, so women don't slide back into unemployment.
Interested participants can apply now through November 12, 2020. Participants can submit their business online via ttmp.thetotalmomshow.ca. A select group of successful entrepreneurs & business executives will select the top five strongest applicants ‘moms’ on Friday, December 11, 2020 who will then compete in a three-month-long ‘Accelerator Program’ for a Grand Prize of $10,000 in non-repayable cash and $20,000 in essential business services. The Accelerator Program will offer each of the ‘mom entrepreneurs’ private mentorship with some of Canada's hottest incubators including Google, DMZ, EDC, Rebel Office, Henry Business Law, Buckley & Associates, Sinclair Creative Agency Inc, Shopify, and more. The Total Mom Pitch finale will be hosted on March 15, 2021, in front of a panel of exclusive judges who will be cheering these businesses on and supporting their every move. Additionally, the top five will receive a membership with The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Executive Network.
“It’s helping ambitious moms across Canada by networking with powerful women, asking for recommendations, and getting valuable support when we need it most,” says Anna Sinclair, CEO & Founder of the Total Mom Show Inc., which produces the Pitch initiative. “It was a no-brainer to partner with The Scotiabank Women Initiative and Visa, both leading the industry with action to ensure women entrepreneurs have access to powerful resources.”
For more info about Canada’s Total Mom Pitch, please visit the website and FB & IG @TheTotalMomShow
About Total Mom Inc.
The Total Mom Inc. is a digital network, community, and event series that provide support to moms as they travel through their journey of motherhood both personally and professionally. The Total Mom Show which is Canada’s first and largest holistic festival for moms focuses not on kids and babies, but on the overall well-being of moms and parents. The festival is expanding into major cities across Canada and hosts interactive digital and in-person micro-events. The Network brings together resources that empower women and provides global access to education and inspiration to meet the needs of moms and small businesses.
