Women: Well equipped to lead

For International Women’s Day, we celebrate our female staff and customers.

CWB National Leasing provides business owners with equipment financing solutions – yes, that’s true. But it’s also true that at its core, CWB National Leasing is in the business of empowering growth.

We empower growth for our customers by tailoring their equipment financing to suit the needs of their businesses. We empower our staff, by employing the right people, and developing them so they can experience personal and professional growth assisted by our organization. (We ❤️ our staff!)

A group of CWB National Leasing's female employees recently attended a She Day event in Winnipeg, MB.

Approximately half of our 400-person workforce is made up of women. But CWB National Leasing doesn’t just employ women – we employ women with a variety of business experiences and expertise and in all levels across the company including leadership positions. Of the 67 jobs in our company at the supervisory, management, director and executive level, women hold almost 60 per cent of those combined positions.

Every day, I’m surrounded by women in our company who approach business challenges with grace and determination. Focused, intelligent and unstoppable women are a huge part of advancing our and our customer’s businesses.

Building connections and businesses

I recently had the opportunity to head out in the field with Raunora Westcott, one of our dynamic Account Managers, to visit a customer’s business. Melanie Talastas-Soriano owns Insahyu Training & Therapy, located in Winnipeg. Insahyu comes from the phonetic sound of the Spanish word “Ensayo”, which, translated to English means to test, rehearse or practice. A perfect message to convey the practice of healing musculoskeletal injuries through athletic therapy, massage and exercise.

Melanie is a female business owner who doesn’t know the meaning of the word failure. As the only business owner in her family, and the first to pursue post-secondary education, she stepped out of her comfort zone and took a chance – on herself. She found a space and had a dream for what her business could become.

Melanie says, “I started off working as an employee in the industry, and then gradually started taking clients on my own. I built on that and loved connecting with my clients, so I secured a space and prepared to launch my business.”

When Melanie and Raunora first met, Melanie was just getting started. Raunora says, “I got a tour of her great space and through the use of equipment leasing I was able to help her fill that space with some new therapy equipment that was essential for her business.”

Without her new massage tables, ultrasound machines and other therapy equipment, Melanie wouldn’t have been able to successfully run her business, so she took the leap.

Raunora says, “I enjoy working with clients like Melanie that have drive and passion because it’s just so contagious and it feels great to have a hand in helping them realize their vision.”

It’s that helping hand Raunora can provide that she counts as her biggest achievement as a woman in business. She says, “I’ve worked hard to gain the respect of my customers through my knowledge of lease financing so they trust me to help them build their business.”

That trust and connection is evident when seeing Raunora and Melanie chat. The signing of lease documents for Melanie’s latest purchase is a formality, but is met with smiles and laughter. They’ve developed a relationship over the course of several leases and through transitions in Melanie’s business approach.

“When I opened a second location and then decided to close it down, I was afraid of failure. But I’ve realized that sometimes making a smart business decision isn’t about failing – it’s about making the tough choices and then learning from them.”

In Melanie’s case, the second location divided her time and didn’t allow her to truly focus on her flagship location. She’s now shifted her focus back to one studio and can provide a richer experience than she could have done with two. While being a business owner is a great learning experience, the challenges of being a woman business owner are not solely business related.

Up to the challenge

“One of my biggest challenges was balancing the business after becoming a parent,” says Melanie, adding, “I’ve learned to build my team up around me. I’ve hired to have some support and now I have the right people in place to offer my clients a full range of services. “

Regardless of gender, becoming a parent presents its own challenges, whether you work in an office, from your home, or are focused on being a full-time parent. Anyone who’s a parent knows, it can be a great way to hone your management skills in juggling meal and nap times, activities, outings and trying to please your fickle little clients. #leadership

Melanie’s learned to overcome the challenges of being both a parent and business owner by finding a balance that is right for her and her family. She’s found a schedule that works for her clients, has hired new staff to provide a variety of wellness services and is still dedicated to growing her business.

Insahyu Training & Therapy is about to undergo a renovation as Melanie prepares to launch a Bootcamp in her facility. With her latest purchase, including some on-trend spin bikes, she’ll be able to let her clients put the pedal to the metal and gear up for whatever challenge they’re training to conquer. (We like that drive!)

If you’re interested in learning more about your how CWB National Leasing can help you grow and thrive as a business owner or as an employee please, connect with us!

Stay tuned to our social channels to hear from Janice Boulet, Senior Vice-president of Centralized Services, about our International Women’s Day Event happening soon!