This holiday season, The Brand is Female (TBIF) is introducing their Shop from Women Directory and campaign to celebrate and support female entrepreneurship. With Canadians projected to spend a staggering $20 billion on holiday gifts this season, TBIF wants to encourage Canadians to allocate a more substantial share of their holiday budget towards supporting women-owned and led businesses.

In Canada, where only 18% of businesses are majority-owned by women, and with over 99% being small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), TBIF seeks to spotlight the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. These challenges are amplified for women with intersecting identities, such as Indigenous women, Black women, 2SLGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities.

The Shop from Women Directory includes a selection of businesses from across Canada, emphasizing environmental and social responsibility, while also highlighting BIPOC-owned enterprises.

The Brand is Female is a consulting agency and media platform working with innovative leaders to highlight, enable and accelerate equitable and inclusive leadership. The Brand is Female transforms workplace culture by fostering inclusion and equity, thereby granting women and other underrepresented leaders access to new opportunities.

“Our goal is to break down barriers further by providing a platform for businesses owned by women from diverse backgrounds to be celebrated and supported,” stated Eva Hartling, Founder and President of The Brand is Female.

“With holiday spending already underway, we want Canadians to make a positive impact with their purchases by offering an easy one-stop shop for them to buy from women-owned and led businesses. This is one step towards advancing gender equity and women’s participation in the economy, benefiting all Canadians.”

“Choosing to support Indigenous-owned businesses during the holidays is an opportunity to celebrate diverse cultures and uplift communities,” agreed Joella Hogan, Owner of The Yukon Soaps Company Beyond.

“Our commitment is to connect people to culture and land, with a strong focus on economic diversification, fostering genuine customer relationships, and empowering our community, youth especially. Supporting impact-driven small businesses like ours bridges commerce and compassion, creating positive change and fostering unity.”