Canada: More and more women are starting businesses in the tech sector

Annastacia Plaskos, founder of home improvement company Fix It Females (Canada), said she wanted to show other women that they can earn the same amount of money as men in this industry.

Recruiting all female staff

Annastacia Plaskos was exposed to the business world at a young age. Her father ran a flooring installation business. When her parents separated, her mother continued to run the company. As a teenager, she encouraged her mother to add painting services to the company's list of services.

After graduating from high school, Plaskos went to college and took business courses. But she wasn't really passionate about it. "It wasn't something I wanted to do. So I thought, what can I do to be financially free while still challenging myself? I decided to become a contractor," she says.

Ms. Plaskos spent years learning the ropes as a contractor before she felt she had the skills to start her own business. She then founded Fix It Females, a home improvement business that does everything from painting to drywall to masonry.

The business quickly grew its workforce from three to nearly 40 in a matter of years—all women. The female-only hiring was intentional for Plaskos, who was tired of having to prove herself to the men she worked with, along with experiencing sexism and the industry’s pay gap.

“For me, it's about showing other women that you can do it. You can make the same amount of money as men in this industry. It's totally possible,” she said.

Annastacia Plaskos is one of a growing number of female entrepreneurs in traditionally male-dominated fields who are helping to drive small business growth in Canada.

Annastacia Plaskos, founder of home improvement company Fix It Females

According to a recent study by GoDaddy, 43% of businesses with 1 to 9 employees are run by women, while 48% of businesses founded in the last 5 years in Canada are led by women.

Heather Cannings, head of women's entrepreneurship strategy at Nventure, a Canadian nonprofit that supports startups, has seen an increase in the number of women starting and leading businesses in traditionally male-dominated industries.

A 2023 survey found that the number of women starting businesses in manufacturing, science and engineering increased between 2021 and 2022. “I think women bring not only technical expertise but also collaborative leadership, which is incredibly important,” Ms Cannings stressed.

Creating space for women to thrive

Women also tend to be very adaptable, which is extremely valuable in non-traditional spaces where innovation and problem solving are “key,” Cannings added.

A prime example is Aja Horsely, founder of Calgary-based honey company Drizzle Honey. An environmental studies graduate, she founded the company while studying rooftop beekeeping and found herself drawn to the process of honey production. “I wanted to help beekeepers create this amazing product,” she says.

Horsley started out working side by side until she developed an allergic reaction to bees. She quickly rethought her approach and pivoted, hiring local beekeepers to harvest the honey while she handled the branding and packaging.

She also applied and was selected for a business accelerator program, where she learned branding strategies. Arlene Dickenson of Dragon’s Den was an early investor. From the start, Drizzle’s team was all female, which was an advantage, Horsley said.

Aja Horsely, founder of Drizzle Honey

“Women workers are very creative and dynamic. When they have an opportunity in a non-traditional working environment, they are willing to work very hard to achieve their goals,” she asserted.

Monisha Sharma is the chief business officer at Fig Financial, a Canadian digital personal lending company. She was motivated to join Fig Financial as an advocate for financial literacy for women, seeing a lack of opportunities for women in the financial industry.

Sharma says there are few accessible tools to help women achieve financial independence. Sharma leads an all-female team and is part of a leadership team that is 50% women and people of color. One of Fig Financial’s initiatives is “Women in Fig,” an internal mentorship program that provides support for women in their careers.

Programmes like these are “key” to women’s success in non-traditional fields, Ms Cannings said. But she warned that women need more than just a support group, they need active advocates – people who can open doors for them and provide access, training and hands-on technical roles.

More importantly, they need investors to support them as they pursue their careers. As more female entrepreneurs like Plaskos, Horsley and Sharma emerge, the positive impact will have a ripple effect, Cannings said.

These companies can provide a forum for female workers to support each other and be inspired by female leaders. “It gives us a sense of shared experiences. We can express ourselves,” she said.

Source: theglobeandmail.com

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/canada-ngay-cang-nhieu-phu-nu-khoi-su-kinh-doanh-trong-linh-vuc-ky-thuat-20250624114930725.htm