Grant Thornton and Xero partner to provide free custom cloud accounting solution to Canadian women-owned SMBs

Canadian accounting and business advisory firm Grant Thornton and global online accounting software company Xero have teamed up to launch the Business Boost program to help Canadian women entrepreneurs solve business problems with a complimentary custom cloud accounting solution.

“We know these last 18 months have been hard for all Canadian SMBs, but that women in particular have been disproportionately impacted. We hope to help complement and build upon the great work these women are already doing so they get time back to focus on doing what they love,” said Faye Pang, Xero’s Canada country manager, in an Oct. 12 press release.

Program benefits and services

• A complimentary customized cloud accounting solution from Grant Thornton that addresses the business’ pain points.
• A complimentary two-year subscription to Xero accounting software, including a subscription to the document collection and management application Hubdoc.
• Up to 15 hours of customized cloud accounting services, including set up and support, from a Grant Thornton advisor.
• Training for women entrepreneurs and their staff on how to get the most out of the cloud accounting ecosystem.
• Key performance indicators designed to drive and measure success.

Five women entrepreneurs will be selected and awarded entry into the program. 

Who’s eligible to apply

• The program is open to Canadian businesses with 100 employees or less. 
• The owner or founding member must be a woman and a Canadian citizen who has reached the age of majority in their province 
• The program is not available to any current or potential clients or businesses that may cause a conflict of interest with an existing or potential client or business
• The program is not available to residents of Quebec

Related:

Canadian women entrepreneurs getting access to IFundWomen program from Visa Canada

Application and selection process

Eligible business owners may submit an application here between October 6 and October 29, 2021. 

A selection committee consisting of employees, partners, directors or officers from Grant Thornton and other parties selected by Grant Thornton (the selection committee) will review eligible applications and select up to five applicants for inclusion in the program. The company will contact the selected participants via email or phone call by November 10, a Grant Thornton spokesperson told IT World Canada.