100 Women Entrepreneurs of South Georgian Bay with Girl Time Inc.

Bringing local Women Entrepreneurs Together

Now, more than ever, we could all use a little support and community. Ashley Lougheed, CEO and Founder of Girl Time Inc., is a firm believer in building a community that celebrates and cherishes the positive connections and friendships that women create. A community that inspires others to do good, by doing good itself. Recently she brought together a group of four local photographers and close to 80 female entrepreneurs for an exciting photo experience. Read on to learn more about the event and how it came to be from the organizer herself.

This past spring I had the honour and opportunity to be a Panelist and give a presentation at the Collingwood International Women’s Day Panel event. The focus for 2021 was Choose to Challenge and the pledge I took was to challenge ourselves to own our value, to defy our doubts, and stand collectively in our power and voice. When women rise, we all rise, and we do this with true belonging.

Publicly, I declared that I would seek out and celebrate women’s achievements; fully understanding that together, we can all help create an inclusive world and from this challenge comes change. I wanted to be a part of that challenge and create that change so we would all would experience the rise of community, connection and collaboration as the new wave of belonging to a united and diverse sisterhood.

As a firm believer that my words need to match my action, every event, social and activity that Girl Time Inc. hosted, had the intention to uphold this challenge. Around that time, I saw a magnificent photo in a previous publication of Escarpment Magazine, taken by Clay Dolan, which showcased the strength and unity of female entrepreneurs in Thornbury. The idea was genius, powerful and the “idea” seed was planted. By the end of May and together with the Girl Time Inc. Ambassadors, I had planned a branding photo shoot with Jaime Churchward of JY Photography. That night, she captured the very heart of Girl Time Inc. and the power of the Kula we had created. If you aren’t familiar with the word, “Kula” is a Sanskrit word that denotes a community of influential, widespread, legendary goddesses who come together to celebrate inclusivity and a sense of belonging. A word that represents what Girl Time Inc. is achieving.

Following that photo experience, I had another opportunity to have a private, one on one, photo session with the talented Jessica Crandlemire. A session that left a lasting mark on my own self-image and inner self confidence. In both of those photo experiences, the power of aesthetic force through imagery was felt and gave me a sense of my own empowerment. I was fully supported, seen, valued, heard and cradled in love by my Kula and it showed through these images. Combining these experiences, the idea, that was just a seed before, had turned into a full nudge to do something amazing!

I first reached out to Jaime and Jessica, and asked them for the names of other equally brilliant, female photographers to contact. I called Frances Beatty and Katie Lintern right away and together, we crafted the event. We planned to bring 100+ female entrepreneurs and boss women together for one evening, at four powerful and intentional locations, with these four photographers and the Girl Time Inc. team leading the way. For one moment in time, we would capture a glimpse of the impact women have, when they come together, in a photo. Following the photo session, we would then take the four images and link them together, creating one image of impact. A true example of aesthetic force in action. I had the vision, I had the photographers in place and we set a date. Our next big step was to get the word out in a clear and inviting manner, asking for all women in the Southern Georgian Bay area to simply DM me and get involved.

To increase my reach, I had asked the photographers to send me a list of women to contact as well and I personally emailed over 150 ladies. Within those emails, I took it a step further and asked for more contacts of women they know who are entrepreneurs so I could include them. I sent private Instagram messages, curated, posted and shared in the stories on the Girl Time Inc. and my own personal IG/Facebook accounts. I spoke to women on the phone, reached out to magazines and media houses. For a month and a half, I tried to reach as many women as I possible could. The emails included all the details, the intention, the locations and timing, COVID-19 awareness and how we would be following the Ontario Government’s rules and regulations, as well as massive gratitude to each and every one of them. I wanted to be clear with the details while making sure all of these women felt seen, heard and that their time was valued.

Leading up to the event, we had 108 women confirm with us that they wanted to participate. I brought in the Girl Time Inc. Ambassadors and a couple of GTINC. Members to help at each of the four photo locations. They would be the welcome committee and greet everyone personally. Each guest would sign in, complete the COVID screening, fill in their details and then receive a Gift Voucher for a photo session with their photographer as our way of saying thank you. Finally, the evening had arrived and it was a cold and windy, grey sky kind of night. While the cooler weather led to some cancellations, to us, the success of the night had already presented itself. The women who showed up were excited, nervous and ready to say to our community - I am here and I am proud to be a part of this. In the end, almost 80 women, including the photographers and myself, showed up and smiled. It was glorious!

Our intention for this event was inspired by a powerful quote from Madonna, who said, “As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by”. This experience was one that I can honestly say, was a dream come true. We brought together these remarkable, talented and hard working women, all who share a common thread that connects us. We all had a vision of a business that our community needs. We all put in the hours, the dedication, the efforts to create something that is at times, bigger than ourselves. We all also need a community of other women supporting us and our powerful WHYs of what we do. A community that will teach, elevate and stand beside us while we continue doing the work that builds a strong future for ourselves and those we hold so dear.

The Women involved in this event:
Ashley Lougheed, CEO & Founder of Girl Time Inc.
Jessica Crandlemire, Jessica Crandlemire
Jaime Churchward, JY Photography
Frances Beatty, Frances Beatty Photography
Katie Lintern, Katie Lintern



Local LoveFrancesCollingwood, small business, women entrepreneurs, support local, south georgian bay, community, entrepreneurs, female owned businesses1 Comment