November 2004

Real women now eat steak, (real men still eat quiche)
By Jana Schilder

"The secret of my success? Go Big! You can always go back," said Lana Duke at the podium after a petit filet steak dinner at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Mississauga, just outside Toronto. How to Build a Brand from Scratch was the theme of Lana's after dinner speech. And who better to deliver a keynote speech on branding that the number one USDA Prime Beef Queen herself?

Marketing and advertising legend Lana Duke, of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse fame, was in Toronto on Thursday, November 4 to address a combined session of more than 100 women belonging to the Organization of Women in Trade (OWIT), Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (CAWEE) and Women in Food Industry Management (WIFM). I enjoyed my steak, but can't share that delicious taste with you. But I can share Lana's ideas, information, and tips.

In terms of demographics of steak-eaters, 45% are now women and 55% are men, Lana reported. This is a huge change from 40 years ago when 5% were women and 95% were men. The chain now has 90 restaurants, annual sales of US$400 million, is the number one steak house brand in the world, and has been showered with all kinds of awards. Fine wine sales are up; sales of Scotch and Bourbon are down.
"The road to success is always under construction,"continued Lana.

Here are her 10 tips for how to build a brand:

1. Have a vision of where you want to be in five, ten or twenty years. If you donít have a vision, if you donít have a map, how will you know when you get there?
2. Focus on the most important thing about your brand. With Ruth's Chris, it was steak. What is it with your brand? What makes it different, special, unique, better? Donít get lost in the details and clutter.
   K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple, Stupid.
3. Give your brand a unique personality, like our prime steak, broiled at 1800 degrees and served sizzling.
4. Know your customer, but be flexible in a changing world.
5. Give it real value. People intuitively understand value for the money, and if you donít have that, youíve got a problem.
6. Keep asking questions and keep changing.
7. Create your unique brand profile from the Five Ps of the marketing mix: Product, Price, People, Place and Promotion.
8. Invest in the best - don't cut corners especially in the areas where corners count.
9. Market the heck out of it.
10. Work your tail off.

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September 2004

Maxine Westaway announced as the 1st winner of the JoAnna Townsend Award presented by OWIT-Toronto
OWIT-Toronto’s annual summer BBQ was an incredible success. The skies cleared and women in business came to celebrate their contributions to the community and to Canadian business.
Dinner was accompanied by an inspiring speech presented by MPP and Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Ontario, Laurel Broten. Laurel talked about the strides that women in business have made and the work still to be done. The full text of Laurel’s speech will soon be available on OWIT Toronto’s website.
The suspense increased as dinner came to a close with the presentation of the award. Six women completed the nomination process and of those nominees three finalists were selected:
Andrina Lever, President of Lever Enterprises,
Diana Girard, President of Global Links Network and
Maxine Westaway of President of CEO Marketing Associates Ltd.

All of the nominees made significant contributions to support for women in international business. However the judges were tasked to choose one woman who stood out for her "generosity of spirit that motivates and inspires women and her tireless efforts to connect and empower women everywhere". OWIT Toronto was delighted to welcome, Ida Townsend, JoAnna’s mother, who travelled from Kingston, to announce the winner and present the award.

For her outstanding contributions to women in international trade, Maxine Westaway, President of CEO Marketing Associates Ltd. was selected as the first time winner of the award. Maxine is Past President of CAWEE (Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs) where she strongly encouraged women’s international business. She was the first ever non-American President of the International Alliance for Women. She chaired the TIAW international conference in Asia where she was instrumental in encouraging participation by Canadian and Asian women. She is a member of the Canadian team for the Women Leaders Network in Kuala Lumpur. Most recently she founded the Association of Canadian Businesswomen’s Organizations - a broad alliance of women in business, including academia and government.
Maxine commented later:
"I was truly amazed to have won this award with so many great women nominated... and the fact that it was the very first time the award was given in honour of JoAnna Townsend made it that much more special. I felt that to even be a finalist was confirmation that what we do out there really does matter, and that perhaps I have actually accomplished something worthwhile."

Special recognition goes to our award partners; RBC Financial Group, International Trade Canada and Ann Wylie Toal Designs, designer of the award brooch presented to Maxine, for their support of the JoAnna Townsend award.

The evening wrapped up recognizing another great supporter of women in business. OWIT Toronto presented an honourary award, a pin also designed by Ann Wylie Toal, to Betty Wood, RBC Financial Group's former Director of Women's Markets, in recognition of her support of women exporters and the start-up and growth of OWIT - Toronto.

Special thanks go to Grant Thornton, Elizabeth Grant Cosmetics and Solar Wear for the generous support and prize donations for the event.

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June 2004

Growing Your Business in the United States
OWIT-Toronto featured three exceptional speakers that shed insights on managing the border, facilitating travel for staff crossing the border and opportunities and challenges doing business with U.S. partners.

Antoinette Marwitz, US Consul General in Toronto, the first female to hold the post in Toronto, has been extensively involved in promoting trade between Canada and US and with women entrepreneurs.
The focus of Toni's comments was how to get across the border in order to do business. She mentioned that much has been done cooperatively between the U.S. and Canada to offer and expand harmonized programs such as FAST and NEXUS. The focus of these programs is to welcome trade, visitors and legitimate business and keep terrorists out.

Toni is also very involved in the efforts to bring attention to infrastructure issues that are straining resources on both sides of the border. She noted the importance of all levels of government to recognize the need for infrastructure improvements and to devote resources to infrastructure development.

Pam Heilman, Vice President Corporate & Securities Practice Group of Hodgson Russ is an active promoter of cross border trade. Pam has worked on several initiatives to encourage women entrepreneurship and strengthen the Canada/US trade relationship. Pam currently consuls companies on cross border trade and she provided her seven golden rules for doing business in the U.S.:
• Be flexible
• Don't pay taxes twice
• Remember in the U.S. there are fifty government jurisdictions
• Utilize professionals on both sides of the border
• Do your homework and have a business plan
• Have the right visa and
• Use common sense.
Pam also talked about other key issues that companies should consider including the protection of intellectual property, domain name- insurance, country specific labeling, duties, banking, the need for 800 numbers and FDA Registration with regard to the new BIO Terrorism Act.
Pam mentioned too that as businesses grow from solely Canadian based to companies with a physical U.S. presence the requirements for visas and taxes change. These are other considerations that Canadian companies need to be aware of.
Marg Foy, President of Mycloe.com is a successful Canadian multimedia firm that has had experience in the U.S. market. Marg believes the U.S. provides an excellent business environment for Canadian companies and that you don't need a unique product to be successful there. She recommended utilizing the help of government agencies and trade consultants to get on track with all of the requirements.
Marg shared two case studies that reflect Mycloe.com's experience in the U.S. Lessons learned from these two experiences are applicable to any company doing business in the U.S.
Marg pointed out the following considerations:
Ensure that you are dealing with the decision makers, especially if they are based in the U.S., understand the relationship of all the players on projects you are bidding and working on, ensure that subcontractors understand their role and the chain of command, involve all the key players from start to finish., and be aware of different power dynamics that may exist. These dynamics can illustrate small differences in U.S. and Canadian business culture.

The event was generously sponsored by Cassels Brock and Blackwell which provided the space at George Brown House a historic Toronto venue.

The Forum for International Trade Training - FITT Canada provided an online training course that was given away at the end of the program.

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April 2004

Developing Successful Strategic Alliances
Whether your business is large or small, strategic alliances can be an effective and profitable way to grow your business. Global networking specialist Robyn Henderson from OWIT-Australia provided practical advice on how to effectively develop domestic and international strategic alliances.

Robyn suggested:
• Select your partners carefully-Seek like-minded people with similar values
• Document key points after the initial discussion and set specific timelines
• Be discriminating - it's the quality of a strategic alliance that matters, not quantity. Allow 1-1/2 hours per week to sustain an alliance - no one has time for too many
• Be clear on your desired outcome. Women tend to avoid discussing money, but you must know what is the right return on investment for you
• If an alliance is not working, gracefully cut losses and move on.This breakfast, sponsored by RBC Royal Bank, marked the end of the Women Trading Globally Mission & Forum and culminated our chapterÌs Virtual Trade Mission with Australia.

Opportunities in the New England Market
Dina Santos, Vice-consul and Trade Commissioner, Canadian Consulate, Boston, provided an overview of the dynamic New England market and the consular services available to Canadian entrepreneurs.

Dina outlined specific opportunities for Canadian companies in key sectors:
•life sciences,
•information and communication technology,
•crafts and giftware,
•furniture,
•apparel and
•financial services.

If you are a medical device manufacturer, or have client management systems related to the life sciences, homeland security related products/services, spam software or security software, this is an ideal market for you. Among Dina's tips to ensure success in this fast-paced, aggressive market where buyers demand high-quality:
• Before considering entry, develop clear marketing and business objectives, be successful in the Canadian market and develop a U.S. price list.
• Provide quick turnaround and good service. A Web site, U.S. address and toll-free number are helpful.
Remember, if you are ever in Boston to do business, you can utilize the Canadian Consulate office there to meet with clients.
Telephone: 617-262-3760

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March 2004

OWIT-Toronto invited to address University of Waterloo students about the secrets of successful businesswomen
Co Presidents Susan Baka & Mary Anderson and OWIT-Toronto student volunteer Amanda de Vogel, addressed a group of University of Waterloo students about the Secrets of Successful Canadian Women Exporters and the resources and benefits offered by OWIT-Toronto.

Susan Baka discussed the challenges for women doing business internationally. Susan commented that overall women are under represented in the global trade arena - only 9% of women are exporters. There are more than 321,000 women entrepreneurs in Canada so there is huge potential for them to make a significant impact in terms of international trade.

Mary Anderson talked about the role of OWIT-Toronto in increasing the number of women involved in international business. OWIT-Toronto's mandate is to enhance the status and interests of women in the field of international business by offering seminars, workshops, conferences and trade missions creating forums for networking.
OWIT also produces member materials - through a newsletter and a website.

The organization also encourages the participation of entrepreneurs on our Volunteer Board and International Board in addition to offering student memberships and volunteer opportunities in the association.

OWIT-Toronto has also played a leadership role in mentoring new chapters and their leaders. One volunteer that has worked closely with the organization is Amanda de Vogel, a recent graduate from Sheridan College's International Business Program. Amanda shared her reflections on the positive experience of working with OWIT and promoted upcoming events that would benefit students.

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March 2004

Best Practices with Student Interns Breakfast Panel
OWIT-Toronto presented a panel of employers and students who shared their tips on how to select and prepare for an intern, how students' education can be customized to meet specific needs in the workplace, and how to ensure that the relationship is a win-win for both the student and the business.

Panelists included:
• Raj Deer Deputy Principal Commercial Officer, Toronto, U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service;
• Candice Rice, Trade Commissioner, International Trade Centre;
• Sonja Perovic, President, Loopmedia Inc.;
• Nancy Ward, Director of Project Development, Council of Great Lakes Governors, and former intern
• Emily Turton, Canadian Ski Council and former International Business Student, Sheridan College.

The following tips were generated by panel:
• Clearly define the job description and expectations
• Make the student feel truly a part of the team by providing a good orientation and include students in department meetings.
• Don't assign to a student anything you wouldn't want to do yourself.
• Ask students, "What is the skill set you expect to have when you leave here?"
• Periodically ask students for a "one-minute paper" - what are their likes and dislikes about the job, what aspects do they want to keep-change, add?
• If students feel they're being underutilized, ask them to provide a project proposal. The Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters generously provided the space and sponsored the breakfast for the event.