Black women entrepreneurs across Atlantic Canada are gaining access to expanded mentorship, resources, and opportunities through the continued work of Black Women in Excellence, an organization founded by Halifax entrepreneur Tia Upshaw.
What began as a mentorship initiative in Halifax is now expanding its reach beyond the city, creating opportunities for Black women and girls across the Atlantic region to develop their entrepreneurial skills, connect with mentors, and build sustainable businesses.
The expansion builds on Upshaw’s long-standing commitment to addressing the barriers that Black women can face when starting and growing businesses.
Creating Opportunities for Black Women Entrepreneurs
Upshaw founded Black Women in Excellence after becoming frustrated by the limited number of businesses owned by Black women and the lack of accessible support available to many aspiring entrepreneurs.
The organization’s original mentorship program was designed to provide education and encouragement to women who were either starting businesses or looking to grow existing ventures.
“We need to be included and we are not included,” Upshaw told CBC News when discussing the motivation behind the initiative.
For Upshaw, entrepreneurship can provide an opportunity for women to turn skills, ideas, and side businesses into sustainable sources of income and long-term economic independence.
From Side Hustles to Sustainable Businesses
Many aspiring entrepreneurs begin with a side business while balancing employment, family responsibilities, and other financial pressures.
Upshaw’s own experience shaped her understanding of those challenges. As a Black mother, she described facing difficulties including inadequate child care and other barriers that influenced her decision to work for herself.
Her experience led her to encourage other women to take their entrepreneurial ambitions seriously and develop them into sustainable businesses.
The mentorship program focuses on providing practical knowledge that can help participants navigate the realities of running a business.
Practical Skills and Business Education
The original program included 16-week workshops covering fundamental aspects of starting and operating a business.
Participants learned about practical matters such as registering a business with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies and understanding business tax requirements.
The program also recognized that business development involves more than technical knowledge. Participants received encouragement and support to build confidence, understand their value, and develop the skills needed to move their businesses forward.
After completing the workshops, participants were paired with mentors in their respective fields for ongoing guidance and support.
The expanded initiative continues this emphasis on mentorship, resources, and connections, while creating opportunities for Black women across Atlantic Canada to access support within their own communities.
Mentorship That Extends Beyond the Classroom
One of the most important elements of Black Women in Excellence’s approach is the relationship between participants and experienced entrepreneurs.
Mentors can provide practical insight that is difficult to learn from a textbook. They can share lessons from their own experiences, help emerging entrepreneurs navigate challenges, and offer encouragement during difficult stages of business development.
When the original program was launched, Upshaw called on experienced business owners from across Canada to become mentors. She emphasized that mentors did not need to work in a particular industry. What mattered was their ability to share information, education, and support with women coming behind them.
That intergenerational exchange remains an important part of building stronger entrepreneurial networks.
Addressing Barriers to Business Growth
The need for programs such as Black Women in Excellence reflects broader challenges faced by Black entrepreneurs.
Participants in the original program spoke about difficulties accessing appropriate business support and encountering doors that did not always seem open to them.
For Black women, these challenges can intersect with other responsibilities and circumstances, including parenting, employment, financial pressures, and limited access to professional networks.
Providing dedicated mentorship and resources can help address some of these barriers by connecting entrepreneurs with people who understand the realities of building a business and can offer practical guidance.
Supporting the Next Generation
The impact of entrepreneurship can extend beyond the individual business owner.
For Black women and girls, seeing successful Black women building businesses and taking on leadership roles can provide important examples of what is possible.
The program also creates opportunities for participants to develop businesses that can support their families and communities for years to come.
One participant in the original program, Lezlie Upshaw, spoke about wanting to build a business that she could eventually pass on to her children. Her experience reflects a broader aspiration among entrepreneurs to create something sustainable that can benefit future generations.
Expanding the Reach Across Atlantic Canada
The expansion of Black Women in Excellence beyond Halifax represents an opportunity to connect more Black women across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador with entrepreneurial support.
By extending mentorship and resources across the region, the initiative can help strengthen connections between Black women entrepreneurs and create a broader network for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and mutual support.
Regional networks are particularly important for entrepreneurs who may otherwise have limited access to mentors or business communities that understand their experiences.
Building a Stronger Entrepreneurial Community
Supporting Black women entrepreneurs is about more than helping individual businesses succeed. It is also about strengthening the communities and networks surrounding those businesses.
Entrepreneurs who receive mentorship can go on to become mentors themselves, creating a cycle in which knowledge and experience are passed from one generation to the next.
This model can help build greater economic participation while creating stronger pathways for Black women and girls to pursue entrepreneurship and leadership.
Black Women in Excellence’s expanding mentorship work demonstrates the value of creating spaces where Black women can access practical knowledge, encouragement, professional connections, and opportunities to grow.
By expanding its reach across Atlantic Canada, the organization is helping ensure that more Black women and girls have the support they need to turn their ideas into businesses, their businesses into sustainable opportunities, and their experiences into a foundation for the next generation.