Bella Onay Building Stronger Networks for Mom-Led Businesses
MOM2MOM BIZ®, an Oakville, Ontario-based platform for women-led business networking and development, was founded by Bella Onay, who also serves as its “Chief Connector.” She left her 20-year career in international banking to raise her family and found a need for aspirational women who wanted to create or expand enterprises while balancing motherhood. Her network now connects female-led small-business owners and entrepreneurs, demonstrating that when mothers help one another succeed in business, everyone succeeds.
From International Banking to Entrepreneurial Connector
Bella worked in international finance for 20 years before starting MOM2MOM BIZ. She had senior positions at companies including Citi and Scotiabank, with responsibilities encompassing trade, global transaction banking, cash management, and trade finance portfolio connections throughout Europe, Africa, and Canada. She has extensive experience in foreign capital markets, risk, and relationship management from her high-performance career.
Bella thought she was an anomaly, one of the few women prepared to give up years of professional success to concentrate on raising her kids. She soon found that she was not by herself. To create flexible, value-aligned lives, many women in her community had also left their jobs or turned to entrepreneurship, yet they still faced loneliness, limited networks, and unequal access to business support. Instead of returning to banking, Bella decided to create what she needed: a mom-centred, community-driven business network where women could interact, grow, and learn from one another.
Founding MOM2MOM BIZ®
MOM2MOM BIZ® was first established by Bella in 2017 as a local networking group in and around Oakville, Ontario. Women-owned small businesses, mostly from the Halton region and the Greater Toronto Area, are currently part of this hybrid online-and-in-person network.
MOM2MOM BIZ was intentionally created as a female-powered, community-based support network for women entrepreneurs and small-business owners at all stages, from seasoned founders to side hustlers and solo proprietors. The brand stands on:
- Connect & Interact—curated networking socials, workshops, and private gatherings where women form bonds, exchange recommendations, and work together—is one of its main foundations.
- Learn & Grow: Members can connect with mentors and certified coaches in the network, enabling their personal and professional growth.
- Support & Thrive is a vibrant online community where members share successes, queries, resources, and opportunities around the clock. It includes a private Facebook group and WhatsApp chats.
Another important resource is the MOM2MOM BIZ Business Directory, which highlights only female-owned and led companies and increases members’ web visibility and SEO so “aware consumers” can quickly locate and support women-run enterprises.
Bella’s personal touch remains crucial: every new Biz Member has a 30-minute networking strategy call with her, ensuring that women enter a vibrant community rather than merely joining a directory.
Values, Impact, and Giving Back
The explicit key principles of MOM2MOM BIZ are kindness, self-assurance, authenticity, integrity, community connections, action-taking, and the conviction that variety is our greatest asset. In addition to expanding their own companies, members are urged to actively assist one another by collaborating, recommending clients, and acknowledging each other’s accomplishments, because “when women help one another, wonderful things happen.”
The influence of the network goes beyond financial results. Bella has inspired members of the MOM2MOM BIZ Collective to donate to the larger community through fundraisers, silent auctions, and clothing and food drives.
The network members collectively donated items and raised funds for 360Kids, SafetyNet, Oakville Green Association, Girls Inc. of Halton, Oakville & Milton Humane Society, and the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar.
MOM2MOM BIZ frequently features its members’ and “Biz Stories” on social media, encouraging women to share the “why” behind their endeavours so that others can find motivation and useful role models.
A Platform “Where Networking Never Takes a Day Off”
Bella frequently characterizes MOM2MOM BIZ as a place “where networking never takes a day off,” reflecting the constant connective nature of entrepreneurship.
The organization’s membership model includes invitations to quarterly networking events, social media features for a combined audience of 10K followers, visibility in the online business directory, and unlimited promotional privileges on its designated social media platform.
This adaptable, multi-channel strategy is especially effective for women starting businesses while juggling part-time jobs, family obligations, or reentering the workforce. They are met where they are by MOM2MOM BIZ, which also provides them with networks and tools to help them advance.
Recognition For Her Work
Award Won:
- June 2022 / Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Pin, in recognition of the outstanding service to the Oakville Community
Award Nominations:
- May 2024 / Women Empowerment Awards presented by Rogers
- May 2023 / Oakville Community Spirit Award – Inspiration Category, sponsored by RBC
- October 2023 / CanadianSME Small Business Magazine – Business Woman of the Year
- April 2020 / 28th RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award
- March 2019 / 27th RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award
Lessons for CanadianSME Readers
Key lessons for ecosystem builders and small company owners can be learned from Bella’s journey: Create based on your personal experiences. She transformed her work path into a platform that currently provides services to thousands of people. A strategy for growth is community. When people intentionally assist one another, referrals, collaborations, and shared learning increase. Put women’s realities up and center. She discovered talent that might otherwise go unnoticed by creating a network centred on mothers’ needs and schedules.
Conclusion
Bella Onay has demonstrated how a single person’s career transition can become an entire ecosystem, having gone from an international banking executive to a community builder for thousands of women entrepreneurs. MOM2MOM BIZ demonstrates how well-thought-out networks can genuinely support the success of small enterprises and the women who manage them.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information intended only for informational purposes. CanadianSME Small Business Magazine does not endorse or guarantee any products or services mentioned. Readers are advised to conduct their research and due diligence before making business decisions.
