Impact Story: Glorie Averbach

Co-founder, myCEO
Vancouver, BC

Rise Volunteer

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After more than 25 years as a tech entrepreneur, Glorie Averbach says she was burned out. By 2016, she’d built three start-ups and successfully exited two. So, one day, when an employee walked into her office and said they’d like to buy the third, she jumped at the opportunity.

And then…

“I had a bit of an identity crisis,” she says. “I still loved so many aspects of my work, so I took some time to decide what from my past I wanted to bring into this new chapter.”

Glorie, who lives on Vancouver Island, reflected on her experience, strengths, values, and needs. A few things stood out.

“I’m very passionate about entrepreneurship,” she says. “I strongly believe in people doing their own thing from the perspectives of both freedom and personal development.”

She also knew she wanted to help others learn, grow and succeed—a commitment she’d upheld as a leader.

“Business coaching became a natural segue for me,” she says.

Accordingly, in 2017, she co-founded myCEO, a professional coaching and consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level.

But another part of her “new chapter” still needed writing.

“I’m a big believer in giving back,” she says. “I grew up in a household where doing things for the community was important, whichever community you choose to serve.”

It was while volunteering with another organization that Glorie was introduced to Rise. She was mentoring Vancouver-based entrepreneur Heidi Nagtegaal when they joined the Rise Small Business Lending Program and were approved for a loan. With a strong relationship already established, it only made sense to ask Glorie if she would continue as Heidi’s Rise Mentor—another opportunity she jumped at.

And… She’s supported Heidi as they’ve built not one but two businesses.

Glorie says the aforementioned “identity crisis” and other experiences with both the pressures of entrepreneurship and mental health have helped her be a more compassionate and empathetic mentor. She works hard to create a safe and non-judgmental space for open conversation so she can truly understand her mentee’s goals.

“Everyone’s definition of success is important and valuable,” she says. “It determines what you want to achieve.”

Once she understands an entrepreneur’s goals, Glorie says she can help strategize towards them.

“We’re led to believe that to build a business, we have to take gigantic steps, but it’s really about incremental changes every day,” she says. “I can help entrepreneurs play to their strengths and figure out how to grow their businesses based on their own needs and values.”

It is, after all, the philosophy that guided her to start myCEO.

Despite their formal Rise mentorship having ended, Glorie and Heidi still meet monthly. And Glorie continues to volunteer with Rise, most recently as the Sales and Growth Expert for the Rise Community online. There, she meets a variety of entrepreneurs, each with unique challenges and aspirations. And while she does not give to get back, Glorie says her investment as a volunteer has borne many returns, both professionally and personally.

“Working with Rise has made me a better coach,” she says. “It’s allowed me to connect with people from different walks of life and learn many more layers of business and humanity.”

It’s also given her a sense of gratitude for her own journey and an awareness that “everyone needs help, somewhere, somehow.”

“We all have challenges, we all have baggage, we all have wounds and triggers,” she says. “That I can share my experiences, my challenges and my wins with others to help them move forward—that absolutely fills my cup.”

And, hopefully, many chapters to come.

Glorie Averbach was our 2023 Scotiabank Volunteer of the Year.