March 8th marks International Women's Day around the world, highlighting and celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Our business is predominantly women as many florist studios are. We are female-owned and operated and celebrate the achievements of women every day. On International Women’s Day we do more than celebrate how far we’ve come, we look at where we still need to go and the progress yet to be made to achieve a diverse, equitable, and inclusive society.
This year, the International Women's Day campaign theme is ‘embrace equity.’ This is a call to action for all genders. There is no equity and no equality without men, women, trans, and non-gender conforming humans working together. To actualize gender parity, education and awareness are only the beginning.
While many of the faces of the florist industry are women, the industry is largely male-dominated. Traditionally, women occupy the roles of designers and customer service, often at lower pay grades, while men grow the flowers, manage the auctions and work wholesale, dictating pricing, profits and product availability. There are incredible men in our local florist industry, but we’d love to see more women in leadership roles. Sometimes to advance equity, we need to raise the obvious points. Equity means inclusive spaces where all genders are in positions of influence.
MOD Accounting & Tax is a great example of women working smart, paving a new path in a male dominated industry. MOD exemplifies a way of working that aligns with their priorities of advancing their careers, serving businesses and maintaining family, life and work balance. MOD Accounting & Tax is a full service, women-led, virtual CPA firm based on Treaty 6 territory. They support organizations across the country including independently-run florists in Vancouver. Their expert advice, support and innovative approach make them incredible service providers. (Spoiler: MOD does the accounting for Garden Party Flowers!)
MOD was formed when the pandemic challenged the role of working moms. Demands were high and unsustainable when three moms decided to work smarter and use their entrepreneurial drive and professional expertise to make change. These women inspire our business and the way we run it. The support they offer women entrepreneurs and progressive, purpose-driven organizations is efficient, and effective. MOD’s vision to change the way professional accounting and tax service is provided, is not only impacting their business, it’s showing their clients what’s possible. They are purpose driven, understanding the balance between profit and impact. We are so grateful to have such an incredible team supporting Garden Party Flowers’ financial needs.
We ask you this International Women’s Day to celebrate the women in your life. Brag about their accomplishments and share smiling pictures but as you do, consider how we can each advance gender equity. Research shows that businesses with female leaders profit financially and have more productive, happier employees. When women are treated well and given fair and equal opportunities, we all benefit.
Happy International Women’s Day. We’ll leave you with a friendly reminder that it’s tax season ;) No better reason to get in touch with MOD Accounting & Tax and learn more about the socially conscious, top tier, professional services they offer.
