Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Michelle Ferguson: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of December 2015

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My name is Michelle Ferguson and I’m a Canadian small business owner Eternal Garden along with my children.  I’m a single parent and my child  was experiencing eczema on her skin and didn’t have a clue what to do except go to the doctor for help after receiving the cream I was unable to use it because as the medicated direct to not apply to broken skin.I was frustrated and had no clue what to do so I did some searching and found something that worked natural Butters which originated from plants and so Eternal Garden was born.

Eternal Garden is a Canadian Business that makes handmade natural skincare body products using all natural ingredients for people experiencing  with sensitive skin or trouble skin our products are Lip Balms, Body Bars(lotion) which are made with Butters such as mango,shea,Cocoa ect,Soaps,Bath Bombs.

Our Q & A with Michelle:

*What inspires you?

Art inspires me because it overlaps into different areas such as music,art,color,creativity and imagination.My girls also inspire me to be the best mom and Business woman I can be to get up each day do my best.

*As a small business owner, what achievements make you most proud?

I’m most proud of being able to help people and inform them of what we do and how our products can help them like my daughter to live a more peaceful life without the side effects of eczema. I’m also proud of my kids because they’re such  wonderful human beings because being an Entrepreneur isn’t easy especially if you have  a family to take care of and to balance the two. It took some trial and error to balance both but I continue to reflect and make adjustments for both of these important aspect of being a mom.

*What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?

My advice would be enjoy everything about being an Entrepreneur because it took strength for you to step out and follow your dreams. It gets easier as time goes by because when you have a network of people cheering you on it doesn’t feel lonely or hard. Train your mindset to be positive and expect something great to happen everyday.

*What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?

I’m so excited about 2016 because things are going to be crazy fun for us as a business and as a family. Things that we missed last year will be strategically planned so that we hit every opportunity out of the sky. We’ve started doing themes instead of random creations and more fun filled ideas coming that you have to keep your eye out for.

Connect with Michelle:

Twitter, Facebook, Website

Benefits of Experimentation For Every Industry

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Many years ago, I was involved in a high leveled art program. Everyone who was apart of the program was given their own studio, freedom to structure their workflow and access to anything from a photography dark room (Yes, it was that long ago) to oil paints.

However, there was part of the program that was structured. It was the requirement to produce something that they called ‘Experimental Studio Research’ (ESR). This wasn’t the perfectly polished framed painting that you may think your mentors want to see – no. This was the process. The work that brought you to that finished piece. The samples of palettes that didn’t work. The sketches that never produced a finished product.

At first, I almost had to force myself to experiment because I was usually quite certain of how I wanted to work. But I learned valuable lessons by committing to ESR, and it is something that I have taken into every business I have been apart of.

The lessons translate to business so well because as we all know – there are no guarantees and it is inevitable that some things will work better than others. For the purposes of this article – the ‘Studio’ can refer to your industry and the ‘experiments’ are considered strategies that you implement and programs, products and services you offer.

For example, let’s use the coaching industry. You may try offering one-to-one intensive retreats for the first time instead of your 3-month group packages.  You have never marketed such high priced service so you expand to advertising in high-end print magazines instead of investing in just Facebook ads. After two months you haven’t gotten any sales of your retreat but have gotten 25 phone calls about your 3-month packages and requests for year-long programs. Taking the risk (experimenting) with a different marketing approach didn’t get the desired results, but there was unexpected benefits. The results of the ‘research’ of trying a different approach then led to business growth by finding the coach’s clients and what their needs are.

As you can see in the example – one important lesson is that: effort in one direction may actually benefit you in another area that you don’t necessarily expect. The key is to be open to the findings of the ‘research’ and less focused on the unexpected turns that will inevitably come.

Another lesson I applied through this concept is that the ‘process’ is valuable too. You may not only get unexpected business growth, but you may find unexpected skills and interests of your own that you can apply to the future of your business. For example, the coach we talked about before may have found out that she really loved the long-term relationship that she was able to develop over a year’s worth of services.

The value of perceiving things this way is that you can really avoid the ‘failure’ mindset. If everything you do is used to inform your next decision (Ie: NO one bought that program, or I got 400 new sign ups with the newest opt-in), it is all valuable. Knowing what didn’t ‘work’ is just as important as knowing what does.

I hope that reading this you have considered how your ‘experiments’ within your industry can still contribute to the success and growth of your business, even if you ended up not proceeding the way you originally thought.

 

Tamara is the Founder and Creative Director of Sweet Clover Studios. Where she provides resources, planners, learning opportunities and inspiration for other creative small business owners. You can also see her personal gallery of products as a surface pattern designer at http://www.SweetCloverStudios.com

Cindy Roemer – Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of January 2014

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Cindy Roemer is a Toronto based Style Coach and Certified Image Consultant who has inspired and taught thousands of men and women to look and feel their best.

Cindy is also a regular guest expert in the media with TV appearances on Breakfast Television, Daytime Toronto, and Sun Media. Further, she is a featured Fashion writer and Editor with various online magazines and has styled for many photo shoots.

Cindy’s Guarantee:
“When you make your image a priority in your life:
You are more SUCCESSFUL in your career and earn more money.
You bring more love into your life.
You are happier and healthier.”

Cindy’s expertise lies in her creative abilities to put together the perfect look for her client’s silhouettes and lifestyles as well as providing them with the tools and knowledge to create their best look every day. Cindy shows her clients that they can work with any budget to look polished and fashionable and works with all forms of budgets from ‘frugal’ through to ‘outrageous’.

 

Our Q & A with Cindy Roemer.

 

*What inspires you?

  • Reading about other men and women who are making a difference in this world
  • My clients
  • Beautiful fashion and art
  • Reflecting on successes and to see how much personal growth I have had over the years. I actually used to be very shy which most people would not believe.
  • To think about life purpose. To remember why I am here – to help as many people as I can feel great about themselves and be more confident and successful in their life so they in turn can touch the hearts of others

 

 

*As a small business owner, what achievements make you most proud?

  • I have helped 1000’s of men and women through an image training workshop I facilitate called ‘Suitable Impressions’. This program is run through an incredible charity “Windfall Basics”, www.windfallbasics.com . Those attending the workshop learn about the importance of image when looking for employment.
  • I write a women’s fashion column for two online sites, each with a very different demographic. I write fashion advice for the single gals in ‘Eligible Magazine’ (www.eligiblemagazine.com) and I write women’s fashion advice to bring out your beauty for ‘Find Your Beautiful’ (www.findyourbeautiful.com )
  •  I was a personal shopper at Square One mall for many seasons.
  • I have done many fashion shoots and had the opportunity to work with high profile celebrities as Fashion Editor for an urban lifestyle magazine, ‘LOCALIEZ’.
  • I have enjoyed presenting to various groups of individuals at a corporate level.
  • I have worked with a diverse group of individuals, each having a slightly different need in terms of their image (men and women looking to climb the corporate ladder, yummy mummy’s, singers, actors, single men and women).

 
*What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?

  • Have a vision of what you want your success to look like and spend time feeling what that would be like. Set goals to achieve this and visit them regularly. Don’t beat yourself up for needing a break.
  • Don’t get caught up in the HOW. The best advice I ever got was JUST DO IT!!! I am still trying to take this advice. We get caught up in the details and they prevent us from moving forward. When you feel stuck ask yourself why? Procrastinating is a form of fear. If we can’t let go of the fear we will never reach our potential.
  • Be authentic. It will take you places.

 

*What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?

  • 2014 is about impact! This year I want to reach the masses and share my knowledge to help a lot of people build their self confidence and lead a more joyous life.
  • I will be launching a series of videos so I can help reach as many people as I can.