ELLA - Express

ELLA Express

Marketing your business can feel like one more thing on an already long list, especially when you are still figuring out who to reach, what to say, and where to focus your time. ELLA Express is a flexible, three-month online program designed to help women entrepreneurs build the marketing foundations they need to grow their business.

Through bite-sized modules, you will gain clarity on who your customers are, strengthen how you communicate the value of your business, explore the right channels to reach your audience, and build a focused strategy for attracting the right customers.

Most importantly, you will learn to apply concepts directly to your own business through practical assignments and a capstone project that brings your learning together.

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What you will learn

ELLA Express takes you through the marketing foundations that help turn an early-stage business into something customers can understand, connect with, and buy from.

Marketing Mindset for Founders

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Build the right mindset and overcome common roadblocks to make informed decisions.

Understanding Your Customer

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Get clearer on who you are trying to reach, what matters to them, the problem you are solving, and how customer insights can inform your business decisions.

Brand & Messaging

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Strengthen how you position your business and communicate what you offer, who it is for, and why it matters.

Content & Marketing Channels

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Explore how content can support your business, identify the channels that make the most sense for your audience, and begin building a marketing approach you can realistically maintain.

Reaching Your First Customers

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Explore practical and resourceful ways to generate interest, build relationships with potential customers, understand your customer journey, and develop a plan for reaching your first customers.

Measuring What Works

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Learn which marketing metrics matter at your stage and how to review your activities so you can make informed decisions about what to continue, change, or stop.

Founder-Led Growth

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Explore how your own voice, expertise, relationships, and presence as a founder can support marketing, sales, and early business growth.

Modules designed for women, by women.

Meet Your ELLA Express Instructor

Anita Chauhan

Anita has managed brands with $100MM+ in annual revenue across AI, tech, finance, lifestyle and end of life categories. Currently, she is the Chief Marketing Officer at Oomple and MedBox Rx Pharmacy, where she defines and executes their marketing strategy, target audiences, and channels.

What You Will Walk Away With

A stronger marketing foundation for your business
A clearer understanding of who your customers are
A sharper way to position and communicate your value
A focused plan for reaching your first 20 customers
A practical marketing workbook you can keep using after the program

Community

Building a business can feel isolating. Through the online platform, you can connect with other women entrepreneurs, ask questions, and share ideas. You will also have opportunities to join broader ELLA events to connect with the broader community.

Learn by Doing

Apply what you learn directly to your business. Your work builds toward a capstone project where you bring everything together and receive feedback.

Flexible Learning, With Structure

The program is designed to fit around running a business.

Over a period of three months you can learn on your own schedule while staying on track with the modules and capstone project.

Timeline

Applications open:

All year round

Application process

Step: One

Applications for renewed ELLA Express are now open. Apply now and get your spot today.

If you have any questions about the application process, email us at ellawomen@yorku.ca

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Step: Two

You will receive access to the ELLA Express online learning platform and begin your three-month journey through the program.

Program eligibility

You are a woman entrepreneur preparing to launch or in the early stages of growing your business.
Your business is based in Canada.
You are building a product or service-based business.
You are looking to better understand your customers and strengthen your marketing approach.
You are open to testing, learning, and applying new ideas to your business.
You can commit to completing the online modules, required activities, and capstone project over the three-month program.

Frequently asked

For any questions related to our program, please email ellawomen@yorku.ca.

The program is open to women-identifying entrepreneurs who are at a pre-revenue/early stage, and want to validate their business idea and gain the foundational knowledge they need to build a business.

ELLA Express is a three-month program.

The learning is flexible, allowing you to work through the modules at your own pace and apply what you are learning directly to your business throughout the program.

You will need to complete the required modules and capstone project within your three-month program access period.

ELLA Express focuses on the marketing foundations early-stage founders need to understand their customers and begin reaching them effectively.

Topics include understanding your customer, positioning and messaging, content strategy, marketing channels, customer acquisition, marketing metrics, and founder-led growth.

Throughout the program, you will apply these concepts directly to your own business rather than working through hypothetical examples.

Yes, with some structure.

ELLA Express is asynchronous, meaning you do not need to attend a class at a specific time each week. You can complete the learning when it works best for your schedule.

The program follows a three-month learning journey

Your capstone is a comprehensive workbook that you will build throughout the program, bringing your learning together and applying it directly to your business.

As you move through ELLA Express, you will complete activities that help you think through your customers, messaging, marketing approach, and customer growth strategy. Each section builds on the last, so by the end of the program, you’ll walk away with a completed workbook and concrete marketing plans you can use to launch and grow your business.

The capstone is a required part of completing ELLA Express and gives you an opportunity to receive feedback on your work.

Yes. ELLA Express includes access to online discussion and community spaces where participants can share ideas, ask questions, and connect with other women entrepreneurs moving through the program.

ELLA Express participants also become part of the broader ELLA community, where additional events and opportunities to connect may be available throughout the year.

The program is designed for women entrepreneurs in Canada who have already started working on a business idea and are now ready to move it forward. This includes founders who are preparing to launch or are in the early stages of building a product or service-based business.

It is especially relevant for those who already have an idea or early offer in development but need greater clarity around their customers, messaging, marketing priorities, and how to begin intentionally reaching the right audience.

You don’t need to have marketing expertise before joining. However, you should be ready to commit to your idea, reflect honestly on your assumptions, and actively apply what you’re learning to build momentum in your business.

Yes. Founders who successfully complete the required modules and capstone project will receive an ELLA Express Certificate of Completion.

This program is fully funded through the generosity of our sponsors, Desjardins and ISED. We are proud to offer this program at absolutely no cost to women entrepreneurs in Canada.

Apply now

Applications for ELLA Express are now open.

Apply now

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Contact us

For more information, please contact us at
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416-736-2100 ext. 44940