Building feedback, support, encouragement

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This article was published 17/10/2024 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Female entrepreneurs and executives from across Winnipeg are finding a new home at Knew House.

The company offers members the chance to connect with a group of five to seven like-minded women for feedback, support and encouragement.

Leilah Perchaluk was running Well Life, an insurance company, when she started Knew House.

“In the communities I was in, I wasn’t really having the kinds of conversations that I needed to have to get to that next level in my business,” said Perchaluk, 27.

The only options she could find were small groups for people just getting their businesses started, and, on the other end of the spectrum, institutions like YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization that have membership requirements related to annual revenue or number of employees.

“There was nothing really for (people) in between and nothing really just for women, so I decided to build something from scratch.”

Knew House membership is for women who have held a leadership position in their organization for at least three years.

Members meet monthly with their “house,” a curated group of women who align based on direction and ambition but differ in industry, experience and background. During the monthly meetings, which are held in person at members’ homes, participants dive into their personal and professional lives.

Meetings are structured and facilitated so everyone has an opportunity to speak. Confidentiality is paramount, business solicitation is forbidden and advice is discouraged. Rather than tell someone what they should or shouldn’t do, members share their own experiences and leave it to others to discern how to use the information.

“I want everyone to feel like they can be vulnerable and open and really just share with everyone,” Perchaluk said.

Knew House offers members educational workshops, tours of members’ businesses, an app where they can interact between meetings and exclusive events, including an annual retreat in Palm Springs, Calif.

The annual membership fee is $2,250.

Knew House launched in June 2022, with 12 members divided into two groups. Today, there are around 50 members in nine groups — eight in Winnipeg and one in Toronto.

Knew House was exactly the kind of organization Sarah Anderson was looking for when she became a charter member.

Anderson, a co-owner and executive at Bockstael Construction, likens her group to a “personal board of advisers.”

The things members have reflected back to Anderson have helped her overcome obstacles in her professional life, and she’s applied things she’s learned from others’ experiences to everything from management style to business marketing strategy.

“The thing I value the most about being a member of Knew House is the relationships I’ve formed,” said Anderson, 36. “It’s at a different level.

“The women in my group share a high level of ambition both for their personal lives and professional lives and really come in with a shared mindset. It’s been a really great learning experience. A lot of these relationships are ones I’ll carry for the rest of my life.”

After creating a seven-figure business that markets preservative-free energy bars, Cheryl Zealand was looking for a place to find support. The Cranked Energy founder and CEO was one of the first people to join Knew House.

“You always leave feeling heard and supported and I think that’s so important right now,” said Zealand, 50. “It’s empowering. We all know what kind of decisions we have to make in our business, but sometimes getting that empowerment is what we need to finally move forward with those decisions in a manner we feel comfortable with.”

Zealand is impressed with what Perchaluk has created.

“Leilah does such a great job,” she said. “I’m 50, Leilah’s half my age, and I think that speaks volumes. … I can feel comfortable in a group like this where you have women from all stages of life coming together. It’s very special.”

Perchaluk comes from an entrepreneurial family. When she was growing up, her parents owned and operated UnionWare, a union membership management software company. Running a business of her own was always in the cards, according to Perchaluk.

After graduating with a degree in anthropology from the University of Winnipeg in 2018, Perchaluk entered the insurance industry. About a year later, she started Well Life with a focus on educating young professionals about the importance of life insurance, disability insurance and critical illness insurance in their financial plans.

She sold the company to Eleven Wealth and Wellington Altus Private Wealth in 2023, and shifted her focus solely to Knew House.

She is currently establishing additional groups in Toronto. Her goal is to continue growing the company, but at a pace that ensures Knew House remains a quality investment for its members.

“I’m wanting to really look at who these people are and make sure that their experience as a member is of the most value to them,” she said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca