Design de Plume Women in Leadership

DDP’s Co-CEOs recently had the opportunity to participate in some great leadership development experiences. We sat down with them to learn more about the process.

The Forum Founder’s Circle, presented by TD Bank and funded in part by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, is designed for women entrepreneurs seeking the financial, community, and/or wisdom capital to build and execute a roadmap to smart and sustainable growth. Members participate in a series of virtual sessions that discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that come with business expansion.

About your experience:

“The Forum Founders’ Circle is a supportive space for all types of business owners. It’s run by an incredible group of diverse women and non-binary folx. Coaches and leaders were brought in to advise on our specific needs. There was lots of mutual learning and growing, and I learned a lot about what DDP is doing very well and where we could improve. Understanding our gaps will help us to move forward to achieve our goals.”

What were your main takeaways?

“The sessions reinforced my belief that strong vision alignment is the best foundation for continued success and growth. Everyone on a team can contribute to this through knowledge-sharing, which has the added bonus of bringing everyone up. Women- and non-binary-owned businesses are resilient, strong, and often disrupt their industries. That representation gives me hope for a more inclusive future.”

How can you apply this experience to DDP?

“I learned a great deal about financial management and about scalability. Having that foundation of knowledge and a clear vision of our pathway forward only solidifies for me the amazing growth that I expect for us and our clients here at Design de Plume.”

Since 2022, the Entrepreneurs Access Network program has allowed Black and Indigenous leaders to access learning and networks to transcend barriers and scale their business. The curriculum supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities through seven tried-and-tested drivers of growth: people, technology, operations, customer, finance, transactions and risk. Jenn joined 11 other visionary Canadian entrepreneurs from diverse industries to participate in this year’s program.

About your experience:

“Connecting with a new network of like-minded people is always a great experience. It is interesting to see what challenges we have in common and really experience the amazing energy that entrepreneurs seem to innately have. I still have so much to learn.”

What were your main takeaways?

“Growth feels uncomfortable. Practice asking “Why not?” and challenging your presumptions of planning for success. Peer networks have valuable lived experience; why make the same mistakes when others are happy to share their lessons learned? And finally, prioritize finding time to work on your own skills as a business owner.”