How Francine Mbvoumbo Is Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Imagine you’re a Millennial or Gen Z woman hoping to start or grow your business and have the chance to for one-on-one mentorship and guidance from a woman who is older, more experienced and can guide you through your entrepreneurial journey. That’s exactly why Francine Mbvoumbo founded her non-profit Mothers to Daughters: because she believes that older generations (mothers) can pass not only knowledge, but also wisdom to younger generations (daughters).

She draws inspiration not only from her own mother, who is an entrepreneur, but also from women who were her university professors and professional mentors.

“They’re just not my biological mothers, and because there was such a sense of warmth, affinity and bond between those different relationships,” Francine said.  

This wisdom gave her the tools and strength to build a life far from home and start a business.

While it’s common for college students to want to leave home, Francine wanted to go to college in Canada, halfway around the world from her parent’s home in Cameroon. As if that weren’t enough of a change, she also wanted to study in English, a new language.

“I just thought, ‘Why am I going to leave my parents household and go to another environment where I speak the same language?’” Francine said.

Adjusting to a new country and culture was not easy; while she came to Canada not knowing anyone, her classmates had known each other since childhood.

“I needed to talk to people make friends,” she said. “And those friends at the beginning were immigrants, and then I started opening up and or being inserted in certain circles. That’s how I really made friends over time.”

Francine stayed in Canada after graduating. Wanting to build community, she stayed connected to the African immigrant community, sharing what she learned in her journey. She discovered that a lot of their stories were very different from hers.

“They just wanted a better future for their families, and they were asked to start from scratch, meaning getting entry level jobs to integrate in the country,” she said. “I had an epiphany while going through these experiences.”

Francine‘s consulting career engaged her curiosity and problem-solving skills and she continually moved up the ladder. Once she landed a leadership role at a prestigious firm, what felt like a dream job at first led to stagnation.

“Instead of being so stimulated and happy to be there, I became miserable, because the experience wasn’t great,” Francine said.

It was at that time where she really started to take the advice of her mother, who she considers the “epitome of wisdom.”

“My mother told me, once you can have a freedom if you keep working for people, there’s no freedom in it,” she said.

She launched Mothers to Daughters in March of 2020, combining her passions for personal growth and building community.

In its five years of existence, Mothers to Daughters has provided many opportunities for both mothers and daughters to grow their businesses. In addition to the one-on-one matches, the organization has hosted over 100 events featuring lectures from outside experts and networking opportunities. Francine also makes sure mothers and daughters continue to learn from each other.

“When you think about the context where a Generation X advises a millennial or a baby boomer advises a millennial, there is another context where a Gen Z because they’re more savvy with technology or social media,” Francine said.

And the impact of Mothers to Daughters on Francine? She started her own consulting firm at the beginning of 2024. Although she has accomplished so much in the 15 years since she moved to Canada, she still has the drive and passion to constantly push for bigger and better.