Women Entrepreneurs Get Ready to GroYourBiz in White Rock

WHITE ROCK, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Feb. 27, 2013) - GroYourBiz, an organization formed in British Columbia to foster and support women entrepreneurs and business owners through peer-to-peer advisory groups, will be opening a new chapter in White Rock, B.C. this March. The official launch event, sponsored by BMO Bank of Montreal, is on Monday, March 4, 2013.

BMO Bank of Montreal research has revealed 83 per cent of women say that having access to role models or mentors would be a key ingredient to their success as business owners.

"Fortunately, when striking out on your own business venture, you don't need to be alone. There are a variety of resources available including online blogs, websites, and organizations such as GroYourBiz where you can share information with other women business owners, seek out mentors and take inspiration from role models," said Joanne Gassman, Senior Vice President, B.C. & Yukon Division, BMO Bank of Montreal.

A new BMO Small Business Survey conducted by Pollara in reveals:

• Canadian women are most interested in starting a business in the food and hospitality (19 per cent), arts/entertainment/recreation (15 per cent) and health/social assistance (11 per cent) sectors
• 36 per cent of women are interested in starting their own business within the next 10 years
• 57 per cent of women are interesting in starting their own business as an "opportunity to do something they love"

GroYourBiz brings a tactical and proven approach to meeting the needs of women business owners of small to medium enterprises (SMEs). GroYourBiz now has chapters in six cities in B.C. and three chapters in Toronto. It provides members with monthly peer-to-peer advisory group meetings, along with access to top experts and business analysts from an alliance of top private sector organizations.

Barbara Mowat, the inspiration and driving force behind GroYourBiz, said: "It's proven that peers learn best from each other. Working together to foster and support each other, the members can draw upon the skills, expertise, inspiration and energy of other like-minded entrepreneurs offering practical solutions to attract tomorrow's customers."

Details of White Rock GroYourBiz Chapter Launch Event:

Media are welcome to attend. RSVP to Laurie Grant, BMO Media Relations.

About BMO and Women Entrepreneurs

BMO has a long history of championing the advancement of women in Canadian business. BMO Bank of Montreal is a partner with national organizations including: WEConnect Canada, Women President's Organization, the Canadian Women's Foundation and GroYourBiz.

The BMO Small Business Survey results cited in this release are from online interviews conducted by Pollara with a random sample of 1,040 Canadians 18 years of age and older, carried out between February 14^th and February 19^th, 2013. A probability sample of this size would yield results accurate to ± 3.0%, 19 times out of 20.