Laura Didyk

LAURA DIDYK

Vice President, Client Diversity and National Lead Women Entrepreneur

2021 Women of Inspiration™ Authentic Leader Award

Women of Inspiration –Women Driving Change Book™ Contributor

How have your SupportHERs™ championed you? I have benefited a lot from having both male and female mentors and professional allies in my career and life. Their encouragement and trust in my abilities to grow and succeed have helped me increase my confidence level and influenced my personal development.

Today, the champions I am grateful for are the people who value and embrace D&I in their businesses and life. This is not an easy path because it takes commitment from everyone, at all levels to make it a reality. Eventually, I would love to work myself out of job because that would mean we no longer look at gender and race—we see people as they are. Is there a quote that guides your practice to be the best you can be? “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” This simple phrase is my mantra most days. Too often, we spend time being worried or anxious— seeking solutions for problems that may not even exist yet and they take up our mind space. Anytime, I am anxious, stressed, or worried, I step back, think about the problem and decide if it is worth my time. Worrying never serves you. Action does.

How would you describe your leadership? My preferred style is collaborative leadership. Leadership is not about one person; it is the idea of working effectively together and Eventually, I would love to work myself out of motivating people to achieve a common goal. It is also about creating a clear vision job because that would and inspiring people to believe mean we no longer look in that same vision. at gender and race—we see people as they are. What is your definition of success? For me, success is not about the achievement of a goal; it is the process. It is knowing that I have attempted something that I have always wanted to accomplish—knowing that I have given it my all no matter what the outcome.

Worrying never serves you. Action does.

When it comes to leadership traits, what do you value? Being decisive. I have been blessed with the ability to quickly analyze information and make decisions. It helps move my teams into action and promotes similar action in them. I genuinely believe actions speak louder than words and want to make an impact.

From where do you source your inspiration? Every day, I am inspired by the thousands of women entrepreneurs that we help at BDC. It is our honour to have these strong, resilient women who own and manage businesses as clients. They have created employment for themselves and for others. They are following their passion and serve as positive role models for other women and young people. What if we had an eight-day work week? How would you spend day eight? I would spend it outside with my family—making the most of every minute!

What would you say is the single biggest thing to help you achieve success? Put simply, I attribute my success to authenticity. I have always brought my true self to work and have stayed true to my values. Before starting a business or making a lifechanging decision, what three things should be considered? The three things I recommend are: 1) Find an opportunity that matches your passion. 2) Do your research. 3) Consider the time and money it will take to put your plan into action.

If you get stuck or cannot stay with the task at hand, do you have a fail-safe strategy? I have several things I can do. First, I step away from the environment (especially when times get too crazy). Mental breaks are important and when they are coupled with fresh air, that combination usually works for me! Second, I might get outside and, preferably, go for a run but a walk does it, too. A word can be a powerful guiding light. What is your word for 2021 and why? My word is resilience. We have all had to be more resilient this year—women, especially. Resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. Resilience helps us so that we are better able to handle adversity and rebuild our lives, our businesses or our careers after a catastrophe. We can learn a lot from the resilience of women. What is your definition of a Woman of Inspiration? A Woman of Inspiration is one who creates a better place. She has the passion and the drive to do something meaningful that will improve the lives of other women. She is a woman who lives her life free from the constraints of the status quo and the generally accepted definitions of womanhood. Is there a work-life lesson that has made a difference for you? I have worked with countless business owners and every day I am inspired by their tenacity and drive. I would remind them to be authentic and confident in their skills, their vision and their ability. I would ask them to ignore the little negative voice sitting on their shoulder and to cast away the doubt that creeps into their minds. I would say, “You’ve got this.” I would also encourage everyone to be grateful for every moment, for the amazing gift of life each of us has been given, and to make the most of it.

Get Certified! Get Visible!

Universal Women-Owned™ | Women-Led Certification

Certifying your business opens opportunities for you to position your company. Certification allows businesswomen to increase visibility and connect to opportunities that otherwise may not be available to them — such as access to key supplier diversity and procurement executives.

Approximately 97% of Fortune 500 companies have a supplier diversity program where they attribute a percentage of their annual spending to sourcing from under-represented diverse suppliers (including women-owned, women-led businesses). With these contracts available to diverse suppliers, it provides an invaluable opportunity for women to grow and internationalize their business.

Gain the advantage of submitting RFP as many municipalities have mandates to support women-owned/ led businesses. While it is not a guarantee, it separates you from the rest!

Universal Women-Owned™

• 51% owned by one or more women, • Managed by a female principal executive or; • Controlled or operated by women in crucial business making decisions (dealing with the company’s finances, operations, personnel, or strategy)

Women-Owned Certification

Proudly market your business publicly as WomenOwned/Led • Opportunities for your business to increase revenue • Access to key diversity and procurement executives • Connect with buyers who have mandates to work with Women-Owned/led businesses • Brand your product or service with your

Certification Logo • Be visible to the consumer, shareholders, partners as Women-Owned/Led • Provide the consumer the benefit to show they support Women-Owned with your certification • Logo for your website, email signature, service, or packaging on your products

Universal Women-Owned Certification

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/womenowned-certified/

Universal Women-Led™

• Female-founder, co-founder, or in an executive position as the visionary or driving the direction of the business with long-term control and management of the business • Active role in strategic decision making – involved in elements related to the establishment of priorities, objectives, and goals for the business, along with overall day-to-day operations and decision making of the business • She must have an equity stake in the company to demonstrate ownership in the company

GET CERTIFIED! Universal Women-Led Certification

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/universalwomen-led-certification/