A company started in a rural hometown has grown into 40 countries.

As governments attempt to loosen up capital for business growth, Barbara Mowat, the founder and President of Impact Communication, Ltd is delivering a surprising message. She points out that capital is not of any use if an entrepreneur cannot access the market where products and services can be sold. Mowat is good at turning traditional thinking upside down. “Forget about the top-down economic model and look at a community development model that is bottom up, if you want to help people succeed. That is especially true if the business owner lives in an isolated area,” Mowat explains. She speaks from experience as she has been a management trainer, business developer and international trade specialist for 24 years, in addition to providing advice and training to women entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses.

Impact Communication, which focuses on development of SMEs and global enterprises, and its division, Gro-YourBiz.com, rely on strategic alliances to bring women entrepreneurs real world knowledge. Affiliations include the prestigious Women’s President Organization, WEConnect Canada, and the Global Banking Alliance for Women. Mowat brought the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) into Vancouver, B.C., to bolster efforts to establish a support network for women business leaders. Membership in the organization is limited to female heads of companies earning a million dollars or more in revenue and requires participation in professionally facilitated peer advisory groups. GroYourBiz’ mandate is to help women owned companies earning less than a million dollars grow into multi-million dollar organizations. Ultimately, the goal of all Mowat’s services is developing economic empowerment, which leads to social empowerment.