Lucinda Butland
Lucinda Butland
Hairy Ideas Salon
by: Women in Business N.B.
Training

 

Women in Business New Brunswick (WBNB) is delighted to announce the return of its outstanding program, providing a unique opportunity for women entrepreneurs in New Brunswick. The WBNB Business Mentorship Program , which includes mentorship components as well as confidence-building and cultural capacity development initiatives, will begin in September 2025.

This six-month program, led by WBNB, runs from September 2025 to February 2026.

This unique one-on-one mentorship program aims to build confidence and cultural capacity among women currently operating a business in New Brunswick.

WBNB will match each mentee with a mentor for individual support. Facilitated group sessions will discuss barriers encountered by women entrepreneurs. The roots of these problems will be explored and strategies will be developed to address them.

*The deadline to apply for one of the roles is Friday, July 4th, 2025.


I was one of six chosen women across NB to participate in this exceptional learning opportunity. To work with professional business women who shared their expertise and leadership with us over a 6 month period. We met monthly with a trainer/business coach along with having our own personal coach who led us on a journey of growth and strategic planning. I had a plan for 2024 or at least I thought I did before taking part in this program. The guidance and structure of the lessons from one month to the next led to expectations beyond what I thought I could accomplish.

This program laid the groundwork for my business to grow and achieve goals I did not think possible until 2025. This program is extremely valuable for all women, no matter what stage of business they are in. We learned from each other as well as from our coaches, we became a dynamic team throughout this 6 month journey. I truly appreciate the opportunity to have been able to take part in this program and have shared my successes with other women leaders. We can not do this alone and there is so much to learn on how to run a business.

- Heather



Potential Mentors
Are you…

  • An experienced entrepreneur (7+ years) or industry expert (10+ years) willing to help a women succeed in business?
  • Looking to expand your own network?
  • Someone who has built a network and is willing to share ideas with a woman with limited networks?
  • In possession of valuable knowledge, skills and experience that you are willing to share?
  • Open to sharing your knowledge and expertise for the benefit of newcomer women entrepreneurs hoping to succeed in business?
  • Looking to enhance/reinforce your existing skills or build new ones (leadership, communication and interpersonal)?
  • Able to commit to a minimum of six hours of one-on-one mentoring during the six-month program (about one hour per month)?
  • Able to attend a one-hour mentor-mentee orientation session?
  • Willing to participate in a final networking event?
  • Committed to diversity as an important tool for building a stronger community, business sector and economy?


This Call for Mentors is open to all candidates who meet the above criteria. You DO NOT have to be a woman business owner to be a mentor.

(*All mentors will be compensated for their time.)


Please review the schedule to ensure you have the time to commit as a program mentor:

  • 30-60-minute assessment meeting
  • 60-minute mentor-mentee orientation
  • Minimum of one mentorship meeting per month over a six-month period
  • Final networking event (around two hours)

The time commitment for each mentor works out to roughly 10 hours over six months.

APPLY HERE (Mentor)  



Potential Mentees
Are you…

  • A woman entrepreneur or actively in the process of becoming an entrepreneur in New Brunswick? (*must be at least in the startup phase)
  • Looking for a supportive environment to share challenges and barriers and develop strategies with peers and a professional business coach?
  • Hoping to develop confidence and develop tools to overcome challenges to entrepreneurship?
  • Looking to develop a successful mindset and gain clarity on your business goals?
  • Interested in sharing your knowledge and experience while learning from and supporting your peers in a safe and inclusive space?
  • Interested in working one-on-one with an experienced entrepreneur or industry expert who will support you and your business goals?
  • Looking to grow your network and practice your networking skills in New Brunswick?


Please review the schedule to ensure you have the time to commit as a program mentee:

  • 30-60-minute assessment meeting
  • 60-minute mentor-mentee orientation
  • Minimum of one mentorship meeting per month over a six-month period
  • Seven facilitated confidence/cultural capacity-building sessions (two hours each)


** The facilitated sessions will have a set date and will run from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. None of the sessions will be recorded, and participants must be able to fully commit to attending. **

Final networking event (around two hours)

The time commitment for each mentee works out to roughly 25 hours over six months, not including homework assigned during mentorship meetings and/or confidence/cultural capacity-building sessions.

APPLY HERE (Mentee)  



Program Dates 
The program will run from September 2025 to February 2026. 

**If the recruitment drive goes as planned, the mentor/mentee matching process will start in September 2025, and the program will conclude at the end of February 2026. 

*Since the number of spaces is limited, we will review all applications and conduct interviews with all potential candidates. The selection of the official cohort will be finalized around the end of August 2025 before the program starts in September 2025.


*The deadline to apply for one of th
e roles is Friday, July 4th, 2025 .

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Project Coordinator, Isabelle Arseneau, at Isabelle.arseneau@wbnb-fanb.ca .