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Our partners
Introduction
The Finance Cafe is pleased to offer our business financial literacy program for Women Entrepreneurs through the women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
If you’re an organization supporting the advancement of women’s entrepreneurship, we have proven programming you can offer to your clients, communities and advisors.
Created by the women behind The Finance Cafe, the online program teaches women entrepreneurs how to build the story of their businesses through numbers while inspiring them to challenge their financial beliefs and explore how their financial perceptions, attitudes and behaviours shape the emotional connection they have to their businesses.
The curriculum not only focuses on key financial concepts and relationships, but also addresses internal and external attitudinal barriers that shape women’s perceptions and behaviour around money, risk and debt. It also explores the impact of stereotypes and bias when raising capital, and focuses on strategies to help women be more successful when pitching to lenders and investors.
The Founders
Co-founded by women entrepreneurs, Shannon Pestun and Shauna Frederick, the highly respected duo bring years of financial expertise to the table.
After years of working with women entrepreneurs, Shauna and Shannon saw alarming trends impacting the start-up and growth of women-owned businesses. They knew that confidence and capability impacts women’s emotional connection to their business growth, opportunities and success. Together they realized their combined knowledge could help women overcome these challenges and obstacles by simply teaching them how to build their business story one number, and one story at a time.
Shannon is a former business banker that led the first dedicated strategy for women entrepreneurs at ATB Financial, where she created programs, including the ATB Build Her Business initiative, which was recognized by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub as an emerging funding model in Canada.
As a proud Metis women entrepreneur, today Shannon runs her own consulting practice whose primary focus is the advancement of women’s economic empowerment. Recognized as a Canadian thought leader in women’s entrepreneurship, Shannon was one of seven women appointed to serve on Canada’s women’s entrepreneurship expert panel. She is also recognized as a SHEInnovator by SHEInnovates Alberta – a pilot chapter for UN Women and a finalist for the Diversity Ambassador of the Year award by Women in Finance – Canada.
The Finance Cafe has been supporting WESTEM clients since October 2020, and has been invaluable in building the financial literacy, knowledge and skills of the women entrepreneurs that we work with in southern Alberta. The program has proven to be an accessible and valuable program for women as they develop a lifelong relationship with and appreciation for financial literacy. This will help in their future business endeavours.
The Women Entrepreneurs-in-STEM program (WESTEM), through Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL)
As a skilled Chartered Professional Accountant, Shauna has experience not only as a female entrepreneur but by working with entrepreneurs across a variety of sectors an on-the-go CFO that takes the frustration and anxiety out of the accounting unknowns, helping entrepreneurs navigate the financial and accounting challenges that come with running a business.
Shauna is currently working with CPA Canada on a Value Creation Proof Of Concept Initiative as well as providing input into the overall CPA Competency Map. Shauna spent close to 10 years with the Famous 5 Foundation (“F5F”) and chaired the Foundation for five of those years. During her time with F5F, Shauna was able to connect with and learn from many female entrepreneurs, oversee committees across Canada, work with external partners and Government officials and co-lead the creation and delivery of a Girls’ Leadership Program, a 5-week program focused on building leadership skills in girls. Shauna is passionate about entrepreneurship, diversity and advancing the rights of women and girls.
“We founded The Finance Cafe because of a common passion to advance women’s entrepreneurship and the belief that we need to change the learning experience. It’s time for a financial literacy platform that addresses gender gaps in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.” Shannon and Shauna
The Program
The Finance Cafe’s curriculum focuses on key financial concepts, going deep into areas where women’s confidence and competence are needed most for effective financial decision making.
It also explores how perceptions, attitudes and behaviours shape the emotional connections women have to their businesses. The course is designed to be a progressive learning experience where women complete the following seven modules:
Module 1: The money mindset
“There’s always more than one bottom line”
Module 2: Financial fundamentals
“Learn how to tell your financial story”
Module 3: The profit story
“Exploring the different types of profit”
Module 4: Cash is queen
“Turning profit into cash”
Module 5: The solvent business
“Keeping your small business solvent – the importance of liquidity and solvency”
Module 6: Your financial roadmap
“Creating your financial roadmap, building your company’s future”
Module 7: The financing landscape
“Learning the in’s and out’s of financing for your business”
Partners
Let's Connect
If your organization is interested in learning more about how you can partner with The Finance Cafe and offer our Financial Literacy Program to women entrepreneurs in your area, we’d love to have a conversation.
Email: info@thefinancecafe.ca
Phone: 403.560.4885
