Grant Thornton LLP and Xero team up to Boost women-owned businesses

New Business Boost program helps empower small businesses with big potential

TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Leading Canadian accounting and business advisory firm, Grant Thornton LLP, is pleased to announce the launch of Business Boost, in partnership with the global small business platform Xero. The Business Boost program will empower up to five women-owned small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to realize their potential with Grant Thornton's experience and Xero's cloud accounting technology.

Women are important to the success of the Canadian economy and are critical for the country's SMBs; however, they have been disproportionately affected by employment loss and financial uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Statistics Canada, as of January 2021 more than 200,000 women fell into long-term unemployment.ⁱ

Though the road to recovery may be long and winding for many women-owned SMBs, implementing digital technologies can help such businesses get in the fast lane to success.

The Business Boost program will provide up to five women-owned SMBs with a complimentary custom cloud ecosystem designed to help solve their business' pain points and make them more efficient. They will also receive two years of access to Xero's cloud accounting platform.

Program benefits and services:

• a complimentary two-year subscription to Xero accounting software, including a subscription to Hubdoc, a document collection and management application
• up to 15 hours of customized cloud accounting services, including set up and support, from a Grant Thornton LLP advisor
• training on how to get the most out of the cloud accounting ecosystem
• key performance indicators designed to drive and measure success

"Grant Thornton is committed to helping businesses and communities thrive. That includes supporting women-owned small businesses who continue to face unique challenges amid these uncertain times," says Kevin Ladner, Executive Partner and CEO, Grant Thornton LLP. "We are excited to join forces with Xero to expand our support of women entrepreneurs through the Business Boost program," adds Martha Banner, Senior Manager of Cloud Accounting Services, Grant Thornton LLP.

Faye Pang, Xero's Canada Country Manager, says "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."

Applications for the first cohort of the Business Boost program are open now and will be accepted until November 5, 2021. To learn more about the Business Boost program, please visit: https://www.grantthornton.ca/campaign/business-boost/.

About Grant Thornton LLP in Canada

Grant Thornton LLP is a leading Canadian accounting and advisory firm providing accounting, audit, tax and advisory services to private and public organizations. We help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Grant Thornton LLP is a Canadian member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, whose member and correspondent firms operate in over 130 countries worldwide. To learn more visit www.grantthornton.ca.

About Xero

Xero is a cloud-based accounting software platform for small businesses with over 2.7 million subscribers globally. Through Xero, small business owners and their advisors have access to real-time financial data any time, anywhere and on any device. Xero offers an ecosystem of over 1,000 third-party apps and 300 plus connections to banks and other financial partners. In 2020 and 2021, Xero was included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and in 2020, Xero was recognised by IDC MarketScape as a leader in its worldwide SaaS and cloud-enabled small business finance and accounting applications vendor assessment.

____________________________________________

ⁱ Grekou, D. & Lu, Y. (2021). Gender differences in employment one year into the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis by industrial sector and firm size. Statistics Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021005/article/00005-eng.htm

SOURCE Grant Thornton LLP

Lindsay Barnes, Senior Manager, Media Relations, Grant Thornton LLP, (e): [email protected], (t): 905 999 6448