Interview with National Advisory Committee member - Annie Nadeau
November 17, 2021
Watch Annie's video below
The Leading Lenders' team had the chance to sit down and chat with Annie Nadeau, Vice President of Commercial Banking at UNI Business. Annie is really involved with entrepreneurship and she is proud of the success of women entrepreneurs in her region. In this interview, she answers questions about the Leading Lenders' initiative and related topics. (Please note that the video is only available in French. A translated written version of the interview is available below.)
Question #1: In your opinion, what is a leading lender?
For me, a leading lender is someone that takes each business project for what it truly is. It’s really to take the time to show interest in the business, to be willing to learn more about it, to listen to the entrepreneur, to be considerate, to be present and to do research if you don’t know the business type and/or its sector. It’s really to be innovative as a lender.
Question #2: What inspires you about the Leading Lenders project?
What inspires me about the Leading Lenders project is really to be able to have equality for women and men in business across Canada. It’s to be able to see the business loan application for what it truly is and not only for the person that is making the loan application.
Question #3: In your experience, what are the most significant barriers women entrepreneurs face when trying to access business financing?
When starting a business, many women entrepreneurs are in their twenties or thirties, with some of them having young children. They have less time on their hands and they are available at different hours. Often, financial institutions are not always available at those hours. It is important that they are available outside the usual business hours. Time and availability, for women entrepreneurs and for financial institutions, can be an important barrier for women entrepreneurs. Another barrier is that finding capital to start up a business is not always easy to obtain for these young entrepreneurs. They need to be creative to be able to find business partners. These are some of the barriers encountered by women when they are looking to start a business and obtain their initial business financing. When they do develop a trusting relationship with their lender, they are usually able to bring their business to the next level, but initially this is what women entrepreneurs told me about the main barriers they encountered.
Question#4: What tips would you offer to lenders who are looking to support a woman entrepreneur during her journey?
The tip I would offer to lenders who are looking to support women entrepreneurs during their journey is to take time to listen, to be present and to be open-minded. They need to support women entrepreneurs. It’s more than just saying yes or no to a business loan application. It’s to understand their business project and accompany them during the different steps of their entrepreneurial journey. In my opinion, it’s lenders who take this role as supporters that will help women entrepreneurs thrive even more in business.
Annie Nadeau is a member of the Leading Lenders’ National Advisory Committee. We invite you to learn more about Annie by visiting her page on our website.
The Leading Lenders' team had the chance to sit down and chat with Annie Nadeau, Vice President of Commercial Banking at UNI Business. Annie is really involved with entrepreneurship and she is proud of the success of women entrepreneurs in her region. In this interview, she answers questions about the Leading Lenders' initiative and related topics. (Please note that the video is only available in French. A translated written version of the interview is available below.)
Question #1: In your opinion, what is a leading lender?
For me, a leading lender is someone that takes each business project for what it truly is. It’s really to take the time to show interest in the business, to be willing to learn more about it, to listen to the entrepreneur, to be considerate, to be present and to do research if you don’t know the business type and/or its sector. It’s really to be innovative as a lender.
Question #2: What inspires you about the Leading Lenders project?
What inspires me about the Leading Lenders project is really to be able to have equality for women and men in business across Canada. It’s to be able to see the business loan application for what it truly is and not only for the person that is making the loan application.
Question #3: In your experience, what are the most significant barriers women entrepreneurs face when trying to access business financing?
When starting a business, many women entrepreneurs are in their twenties or thirties, with some of them having young children. They have less time on their hands and they are available at different hours. Often, financial institutions are not always available at those hours. It is important that they are available outside the usual business hours. Time and availability, for women entrepreneurs and for financial institutions, can be an important barrier for women entrepreneurs. Another barrier is that finding capital to start up a business is not always easy to obtain for these young entrepreneurs. They need to be creative to be able to find business partners. These are some of the barriers encountered by women when they are looking to start a business and obtain their initial business financing. When they do develop a trusting relationship with their lender, they are usually able to bring their business to the next level, but initially this is what women entrepreneurs told me about the main barriers they encountered.
Question#4: What tips would you offer to lenders who are looking to support a woman entrepreneur during her journey?
The tip I would offer to lenders who are looking to support women entrepreneurs during their journey is to take time to listen, to be present and to be open-minded. They need to support women entrepreneurs. It’s more than just saying yes or no to a business loan application. It’s to understand their business project and accompany them during the different steps of their entrepreneurial journey. In my opinion, it’s lenders who take this role as supporters that will help women entrepreneurs thrive even more in business.
Annie Nadeau is a member of the Leading Lenders’ National Advisory Committee. We invite you to learn more about Annie by visiting her page on our website.
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