In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Karima-Catherine (KC) Goundiam, founder of B2BeeMatch and Red Dot Digital, shares insights on digital transformation, global networking, and scaling SMEs. She highlights the power of private-public partnerships, overcoming digital adoption challenges, and breaking barriers as a Black woman entrepreneur. As we celebrate Black History Month, her message to aspiring entrepreneurs is clear: stay focused, leverage your strengths, and build with resilience.
Karima-Catherine (KC) Goundiam is the founder and CEO of B2BeeMatch.com, a membership-based business matchmaking platform that helps small and medium enterprises connect in order to outsource, scale, network and find clients. The platform launched early in 2020, just as businesses needed to connect without travel or in-person contact. Since launching B2BeeMatch, KC has signed major partnerships with the Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario (FGA), the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), everywoman UK, and other domestic and international business organizations. In addition, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, tweeted about the benefits of the platform here.
KC is also the founder and CEO of Red Dot Digital, a digital strategy and management consulting firm that she launched in 2014 to bring her forward-thinking, data-driven approach to the world of digital transformation.
With a global mindset, Red Dot Digital helps its clients evolve their businesses, achieve their objectives and manage change in today’s digital world. Red Dot Digital works internationally across a wide range of industries and with organizations of all sizes, from visionary small businesses to major corporate players to government departments and agencies. For example, recently, Red Dot Digital consulted on the Global Affairs Canada website and digital communication tools.
Since 2023, KC has been a member of the board of directors of POLR Company. https://www.polrcorp.com/ourboardmembers
As a leader in digital transformation, how do you see the role of private-public partnerships evolving in fostering innovation and growth for SMEs in the current global economic landscape?
When we hear PPP, we typically think of large infrastructure projects that require building roads, transportation, housing and so on. They are typically geared towards very large multinationals that are bringing investments. As an SME, I have partnered with the public sector to deliver smaller-scale transformational initiatives, bringing to the table innovation and efficiency in program execution. My work with this sector has to do with procurement, whether it’s governmental or institutional, and I believe SMEs need to be included in the procurement process for PPP. I would like to see these processes involving more SMEs and more diversity. We know, from the COVID-19 pandemic, that the supply chain can be quite fragile, so diversifying a supply chain is crucial to ensuring delivery. SMEs are well positioned to step up, if they’re given the opportunity. And with B2BeeMatch, I’m here to help open up those opportunities.
B2BeeMatch has established key partnerships with organizations like the International Chamber of Commerce and the Smart Cities Council. How do these collaborations contribute to building a robust ecosystem for SMEs, and what challenges have you encountered in this process?
B2BeeMatch is focused on connecting SMEs to each other, and we work with institutions and networks that service SMEs. It’s at the core of what we do. ICC brings together thousands upon thousands of SMEs, so we’re an excellent fit to help them connect their members with each other and others in an efficient way. Smaller organizations such as Smart Cities Council have membership-based networks and they want to find ways to connect their members with each other. The key element across all our partnerships is connection, and that’s what B2Bee offers regardless of the size of the group that needs our services. In the end, the more organizations join the platform, the more SMEs benefit from access to additional opportunities and reach to a wider range of industries. We deal with lots of challenges, mostly database-related and around tech adoption as we help organizations take full advantage of the technology that can help them better serve their members.
With your experience in both the public and private sectors, how do you envision the future of ecosystem building for SMEs, particularly in emerging technologies and international markets?
SMEs are the backbone of the economy, and always have been. I’m passionate about supporting this underserved segment of the business world with B2BeeMatch, and giving them opportunities for growth, innovation and partnership–collaboration is key for SMEs who want to carry emerging tech forward. I wanted to democratize networking for SMEs. I think that mission will remain highly relevant going forward in a wide range of markets, and international markets are very promising!
Your platform, B2BeeMatch, connects SMEs worldwide. How does this approach address the unique challenges faced by SMEs in today’s rapidly changing business environment, especially in terms of digital adoption and global expansion?
B2BeeMatch launched right as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, which highlighted the fragility of the SME ecosystem. SMEs are usually not well supported, and they often have a small pipeline, so disruption can really hurt a company. B2BeeMatch was able to scale internationally very quickly, opening markets in the US, the UK, the UAE and beyond. We now have companies on the platform from 99 countries. The platform’s mechanism allows us to help SMEs to scale internationally, and has done this from the very beginning. When a Canadian company in particular wants to find partnerships, connections, and opportunities in other countries, we make that possible. We also recognize diversity and inclusion metrics. This is especially important for Canadian companies right now, when many want to diversify their clientele beyond the US.
Throughout your entrepreneurial journey with Red Dot Digital and B2BeeMatch, what significant hurdles or obstacles have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
I’ve had plenty of challenges! One clear one is that I’m a Black woman in a business world highly dominated by white men. Every conversation I’m in, when people talk about diversity, they look at me. I end up being the representative of a whole set of communities just by walking into the room. I try to constantly use that as an advantage, and not see it as a block. But I do face the fact that I don’t get as many opportunities as white men. I have to work harder, prove more, fail less, be more perfect, say smarter things, be more insightful, show less anger. I get fewer clients and less funding. It’s a lot of pressure, and any failure from me screws it up for others like me in turn, even though it shouldn’t. In this, I’m not essentially different from any other minority. But it does mean I do excellent work and am highly motivated, and deliver ten times better!
As we celebrate Black History Month, what message would you like to share with aspiring Black entrepreneurs based on your experiences and success in the business world?
To be honest, the future can look bleak, and it’s especially tough if you’re just starting out. I would say, keep the focus. This is a time when we can separate the wheat from the chaff. A client that was only hiring you because their DEI efforts forced them to, and that doesn’t recognize your real value, maybe isn’t a client you really wanted to keep. Every crisis can be a growth opportunity. In this difficult time, is entrepreneurship really what you want? It might not be! But if it is, you’ll know, because your vision and passion will become stronger and clearer in the face of adversity. That being said, don’t discount the importance of cash flow. You need money in the bank. Keep the lights on.
