International Women’s Day event inspires Brampton entrepreneurs

More than 140 women celebrated International Women’s Day at the Brampton Entrepreneur Day Out on March 5 at the Lionhead Golf and Country Club. Mayor Linda Jeffrey opened the event, and celebrity chef Anna Olson was the keynote speaker. She shared her secrets on creating A Tasty Brand, translating experiences gained from her rise to fame into marketing and branding knowledge to inspire women entrepreneurs to greater success. The Brampton Entrepreneur Centre hosted the event, with the support of the Province of Ontario and generous sponsorship by RBC Royal Bank. Participants came away with new knowledge, new friends, and new inspiration to apply to their businesses. Included in the capacity crowd was Brampton entrepreneur Kristina Romasco, owner of Dolcezza Custom Cakes. “I’ve been to Women’s Day events before, and they keep getting better,” she said. “And this one – well, it’s Anna Olson!” Kristina also brought along two high-school students, interns at her cake shop through Brampton’s Creative Industries Co-op program. Kristina has been working with the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre for about five years, and calls their support, “Amazing. I wouldn’t be here without them.” Reann Watson-Griffith, owner of the therapeutic centre A Remarkable Me, came specifically to hear Anna Olson’s message on branding. “We’ve created a brand, but I’m here to learn more about how to really live the brand, and promote it to new and existing clients.” Reann has received support from the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre across all the stages of her business so far, from start-up resources and business planning to financial education and proposal writing. Carmen Fiaes runs Sport Taekwondo Academy in Brampton. One of her reasons for attending the event was the networking opportunities. “The Brampton Entrepreneur Centre has exposed our school to new networks. This event is another great opportunity to expand our connections, get to know new people, and grow our business.”