Wendy Mayhew, President, Business Launch Solutions
Wendy Mayhew is an author, speaker and entrepreneur, with more than 40 years’ experience successfully launching and managing businesses across Canada. She pioneered new practices in the real estate, wine and education sectors and founded the communications agency Mayhew & Associates, which grew to sales of $3 million with only one employee. Based on her own experience—and after seeing the need for practical business support amongst older demographics—Mayhew launched WISE: Seniors in Business, to support entrepreneurs through panels, online resources and the 50 over 50 Awards.
A co-author of the bestselling Building Your Dream: A Canadian guide to starting your own business (McGraw-Hill Ryerson), Wendy’s Real World Entrepreneur Training video series was the first all-digital entrepreneurship program used as a standalone university course. In addition, she shares her expertise through workshops and presentations, as well as podcast interviews and blogging.
About Wise
WISE – Seniors in Business serves the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurship in the world – senior (experience and knowledge) entrepreneurs (people over the age of 50) who are looking for an encore career, whether it is because they want to, or have to. Extensive research shows people over the age of 50 have a different set of challenges than young entrepreneurs who are starting a business for the first time. As there hasn’t been any support, they struggle and are frustrated when starting their first business. They have, up until now, mostly been left on their own.
Intergenerational Entrepreneurship is also on the rise. We have Wisdom, Initiative, Skills and Experience (WISE) and young wannabe entrepreneurs understand the technology which is a large part of business today. Between the two age groups, many successful businesses have been started and many older workers are finding meaningful work in these businesses.
WISE founder and Canada’s leading expert on senior entrepreneurship, Wendy Mayhew, has done extensive research and understands the challenges facing this newest and fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. Wendy is a sought after speaker and workshop facilitator by small business organizations now starting to realize the importance of serving this newest group of entrepreneurs. Wendy also offers assistance and guidance to help small business organizations set-up programs specific to new entrepreneurs starting a business later in life.
Wendy is affiliated and collaborates with organizations around the world supporting senior entrepreneurs.