When Lauryn Leung, founder of Clear Complexions Co., sought financing to lease a larger space and grow her business, every bank she approached turned her down.
“I funded my business myself without ever taking out a loan and had never been in debt, but a lot of banks still said no,” says Lauryn. “Being young, a minority, and a woman in a beauty-based business didn’t help my case either.”
That changed when Vicky Sharma-Lal, Vancity Small and Mid-Sized Business Account Manager, introduced Lauryn to Vancity’s Women Entrepreneurs Program, delivered in partnership with WeBC.
“Vancity saw the strength of my business and provided the financing I needed to grow,” says Lauryn.
What began as a skincare studio in a spare bedroom in her parents’ home has grown into a business offering customized facial treatments, advanced skincare and wellness services.
Today, Clear Complexions Co. is gaining recognition in its industry for its holistic approach to skin health, combining high-tech treatments with a focus on wellness and self-care. Lauryn was also recently named a 2026 BC Business 30 Under 30 winner.
For Lauryn, the most rewarding part of this work is helping people feel confident in their skin. “We work with many young adults experiencing severe acne, and I think people sometimes underestimate how much that can affect someone’s confidence and daily life,” says Lauryn.
Lauryn’s experience points to a broader reality many women entrepreneurs still face when trying to access financing.
“In many cases, women entrepreneurs are relying on personal credit to run or grow their business,” says Vicky. “What shows up in their personal finances does not always reflect what their situation would look like if they had access to the right business financing.”
That’s why, as Vicky puts it, lenders need to challenge assumptions and look beyond conventional measures to understand the full picture.
Lauryn knows firsthand how discouraging those barriers can be. But even after repeated rejections, she never stopped believing in her business.
“For all the women out there that have faced the same barriers I did, I’d say, just keep trying,” says Lauryn.
“You would think that after the third or fourth time of getting denied by a bank, I would have just stopped. But I knew I wasn’t making an emotional decision. I’m very much someone who looks at the numbers, looks at the business plan, and looks at whether the business has been successful and profitable,” she says.
Vancity was among the first to rethink how lending can better support women entrepreneurs.
Established in 2020, the Women Entrepreneurs Program shows how financial institutions can challenge long-standing policies and practices that have made it harder for women to access financing — by simplifying application processes, broadening how risk is assessed, and lowering the minimum credit score needed to qualify.
By the end of February 2026, the program provided over 2,000 loans totaling nearly to $50 million.
And the impact doesn’t stop there. Earlier this year, WeBC hosted a summit with 15 financial institutions to share details on Vancity’s lending approach and learnings from the program, with Bill Cunningham, Vancity’s EVP, Business and Commercial, and Shauna Harper, CEO of WeBC, leading the discussion.
“The summit was incredibly inspiring,” says Vicky. “People left with concrete ideas for how we can do things differently, and a real desire to help make change happen.”
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