March 8 is International Women’s Day – Let’s Celebrate Together!

March 8 is International Women’s Day – Let’s Celebrate Together!

by | Feb 27, 2024 | ace coworking, Coworking News, coworking space

By Nancy Fornasiero

International Women’s Day is a time to honour the achievements of women entrepreneurs, so naturally a women-owned business like ACE Coworking is excited to take part in the celebration!

We’re proud to support and serve 50 amazing “Acer” women in our community. We have the privilege of seeing them up close ­– creating, innovating, collaborating, and building impactful businesses and careers.

IWD is also a time to shine a light on female resilience, while at the same time serving as a platform to raise awareness about gender equality and systemic issues that still hinder the advancement of women all around the world. This year’s theme – “Inspire Inclusion” – reminds us that we still have work to do.

Most of all, celebrating this day fosters a sense of solidarity, encouraging women entrepreneurs to network, share experiences, and empower one another. Speaking of empowerment, we have a number of Oakville events to recommend this year that are sure to lift you up…

OFFA’s 4th Annual IWD Film Event

ACE is a long-time partner of the Oakville Film Festival (OFFA). Every year in March, OFFA celebrates women in film and the arts, and this year is no exception. There will be live music by award-winning singer/songwriter Sydney Mae, a presentation by Grandmother’s Voice and Butterfly Spirit Drum Circle of Women, and of course the main attraction, a critically acclaimed documentary: “500 Days in the Wild.” In it, award-winning director, cinematographer, and author, Dianne Whelan, recounts her personal story of resilience. The doc highlights issues related to conservation, climate change, diversity, and one woman’s unscripted personal journey of discovery: hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing and skiing across our breathtaking country! Partial proceeds from ticket sales go to The Women’s Centre of Halton, an important community organization that supports local women in crisis.

Monday, March 4, 6:15 PM – 10 PM
Film.ca Cinemas, 171 Speers Rd
Get your tickets here

TogetHER Evening

Downtown Oakville BIA is celebrating IWD2024 with their inaugural event: TogetHER. The event highlight will be a panel featuring three inspiring female founders: Ruth Tal (Fresh Kitchen & Juice Bar), Christine Peters (Lemonwood), and Hailey Bogaert (HB Face). All of these women launched their businesses locally and have scaled them to impressive heights. ACE founder, Nancy Fornasiero, will moderate the panel discussion and lead the Q&A. After the panel, attendees will enjoy cocktails and charcuterie, networking, and complimentary headshots. End the evening by sipping, shopping, and celebrating at a variety of Downtown Oakville businesses. Ticket revenue will be donated to the Oakville Zonta Club, which empowers women worldwide through service and advocacy. 

Friday, March 8, 4–6:30PM
Oakville Club, 56 Water St.
More info here

HERhalton Women’s Day Breakfast

Hosted by HALTECH, our local regional innovation center, this annual event always brings together the innovation and entrepreneur community from across Halton and beyond. (ACE Coworking is a proud community partner of the event again this year.) This is an event we never miss: a superb chance to hear inspiring stories, meet new interesting people, and celebrate the success of local women-led businesses. This year’s keynote speaker is Miryam Lazarte, Founder of Global Startups Accelerator and General Partner of GSA Ventures, a fund committed to investing in immigrant technology entrepreneurs. It’s sure to be a worthwhile morning of connecting and learning.

Thursday, March 21, 9–11AM
Burlington Golf & Country Club, 422 North Shore Blvd E
Sign up here

If you’d like to get more inspiration and education from the staff and partners of ACE Coworking, sign up for our monthly newsletter. You’ll also stay up to date on the events we run and the amazing promotions we often offer!
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ACE Celebrates Small Businesses!

ACE Celebrates Small Businesses!

by | Oct 20, 2023 | ace coworking, Ask an Acer - Expert Tips for Your Biz, Coworking News, coworking space, expert tips, small business

By Nancy Fornasiero

October is Small Business Month in Ontario. At ACE Coworking, we like to use it as a time to both look forward to the opportunities that are in front of our company and look back on the successes and challenges we have experienced. One of the best parts of operating a coworking space is that we can amplify this by leaning on the experiences of our members too.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road to travel sometimes, but you don’t have to do it alone (and you certainly shouldn’t). A little advice and support can go a long way to helping you travel the steep mountains and deep valleys on the road to being your own boss.

This year, we asked some of our entrepreneur-members a simple but powerful question: “What do you wish you knew when you were just starting your business that you do know now?” We got some valuable feedback and hopefully their answers can help you and your business, even if you are not in start-up.

From Katherine Vellinga, CEO, Zirkova Vodka

 “You can’t plan for everything. I now realize that some of my biggest opportunities have come from the most unlikely places.”

 From Shez Mehra, owner, The 194 Group

“At the outset I didn’t understand that solutions to business problems require looking a little deeper. Whatever is on the surface isn’t usually the real problem.”

From Ravi Kulkarni, principal, RKCS

“When talking to prospective clients I wish I’d known to get to the answer quicker. Too often a lot of time and effort was spent in the sales cycle when the answer was always going to be a “no” anyway. Coming to that realization sooner would have allow me more time to properly strategize as well as allocate our time and resources more efficiently.”

From Gail Kaufman, independent consultant (J Gail Kaufman Advisory & Consulting)

“Being in totally uncharted territory is okay. And feeling that you don’t know exactly what you’re doing is okay. Part of the journey is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

From Moatassem Moatez, CEO & Founder MyCourier

“Business doesn’t move in a straight line, so don’t make the mistake of getting married to your plan. Also, something I’ve learned along the way is the importance of reframing obstacles. Even the biggest problems sometimes lead to solutions and opportunities that can help you.”

From Jon Root, Creative Director & Founder, Look Local Magazine and Treehouse Creative Agency

“Believe that when you really go ‘all in’ you will find a way to meet every challenge. The hard work is worth it and, in the end, it will pay off.”

If you’d like to get more inspiration and education from the staff and partners of ACE Coworking, sign up for our monthly newsletter. You’ll also stay up to date on the events we run and the amazing promotions we often offer!

Join Our Newsletter