I’m filled with so much gratitude that so many incredible female founders attended #SHIFT2026 in Smiths Falls. I knew in my heart and soul that this would be the region’s premier live event for women business owners of all types, sizes and shapes.
I wrote a similar gratitude statement 11 years ago when I hosted my first live event in Montreal. And for many years that event continued, morphed and expanded to Ottawa. And then came COVID, and I stopped. I ran out of steam, and the years progressed.
However, #SHIFT2026 has given me renewed energy, motivation and inspiration that days like this- not just conferences, but true transformative days impact not just women business owners but the whole region. Because when women’s businesses succeed, so does the region – there’s a huge ripple effect. That ripple effect is now what motivates me, and I hope it inspires you as well.
Events like SHIFT don’t come together overnight, and they aren’t produced just by me. As they say, it takes a village, and I’m so grateful to those women (and men) who supported this event in more ways than I can count, from Helen Snell, who reached out to me months in advance to see if I would collaborate with her on hosting a day event, to family and friends who gave me the much-needed encouragement.
Of course, a day like SHIFT would not be possible without financial support from our 10 sponsors who quickly said yes to the opportunity to connect with ambitious women entrepreneurs! Thank you – not just for your financial support but for helping me reach so many others through your connections.
And thank you to YOU! Without you in the room, there would have been no day; no transformation; no ripple effect. I appreciate you in so many ways.
Will I do another SHIFT? Probably!
But something else, something bigger, is cooking in my office – I have a BIG vision for a community of female founders based in the counties of Lanark and Leeds and Grenville.
At the time of writing this, I’ll call this group – Female Entrepreneurs on Fire! For the next few months, I’ll be playing with the recipe for this group and by early spring, intend to launch it in full with networking events held at locations owned by women business owners; with an online community for sharing and connecting and of course a SHIFT conference!
If this is something you’d like to be part of – simply reply with the word FIRE, and I’ll put you on a special email list for updates.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
Diana
P.S. If you missed this year’s SHIFT, perhaps because you don’t live in the area or you had other big plans for the day – I highly encourage you to do this one thing – mark ONE day off in your calendar before the end of 2026 and spend it ON your business and your life. Give yourself that gift. It will pay you back over and over again.
