bootcamp | | Canadian Small Business Women

Apr 01 2015

Stephanie Lowe: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of March

Stephanie Lowe, the founder of Destiny Wellness Centre, is a Registered Kinesiologist, Personal Trainer and Yoga Teacher. It was during her undergraduate years that she developed her passion for health and fitness while working with Varsity sports teams, the Toronto Track and Field Centre and the York University Fitness Centre. Stephanie also experienced her own transformation during her personal health journey to successfully lose 70lbs through a balanced regime of healthy eating and exercise. She designed and taught her first “Women on Weights” Fitness class and has since then continued her passion for empowering women through health & fitness.

It was following her employment with various physiotherapy clinics, Hospitals and Rehabilitation companies that she saw need to provide an environment where people could address their health needs in a Wholistic environment. Many people looking for a fitness program suffer from chronic pain, repetitive strain injuries and the like. People with serious health conditions also have a need for strength and conditioning programs that assist in increasing function following a rehabilitation program; it was here Stephanie decided to bridge the gap. After pursuing a post graduate degree in Clinical Kinesiology and Orthopaedic Assessments, Stephanie was inspired to open the Destiny Wellness Center in 2014 an expansion of her personal training studio opened in 2009. The clinic is where she is able to merge her passion for fitness (i.e., personal training, yoga and nutrition) with her love for rehabilitation (i.e., exercise therapy, aquatic therapy and therapeutic group classes). The centre also offers massage therapy, naturopathic medicine and other wellness related services.

Stephanie works within the local community providing rehabilitation services to individuals suffering from:

musculoskeletal & soft tissue injuries
arthritis and diabetes
rehabilitation from motor vehicle accidents
strokes

These services are delivered in a variety of settings such as in-pool, in-home and in-facility exercise therapy. Fitness services are promoted via a number of formats including personal training, a Ladies ONLY boot camp, community events, and seminars, DVD’s, online coaching and corporate wellness programs.

Her passion for yoga has inspired Stephanie to create a unique fusion class called YogaCise (a combination of stretching and toning exercises) to help people stay fit using yoga. She also uses yoga and relaxation techniques to facilitate the rehabilitation process in her private Yoga Therapy sessions.

Our Q & A with Stephanie

What inspires you?

I am deeply inspired by the people I work with and the amazing life changing transformations they achieve. I LOVE knowing that I am helping people live healthier more fulfilling lives. The confidence they build, the challenges they overcome… it’s amazing what people can do when they start believing in themselves and start reaching for the things they thought were completely out of their grasp!

I am also inspired by my passion to serve women. I have always had a special place in my heart for their health needs and personally identify with the weight struggles of younger girls. I feel as women we are up against so many odds and I want to empower them to develop self love, good health, confidence and community. When we come together in love there is little we cannot accomplish.

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

I am most proud of the culture and community that the Destiny Wellness Center has created in our 6 years of business. Our boot campers, yoga students and personal training clients have collected toys and raised funds to assist orphans in Haiti. We sponsored 4 orphans through our YogaThon in Oct 2014! We have also held events to support the Breast Cancer society and other local charities within the Oakville/Mississauga community. It’s wonderful that so many people have been able to develop long lasting friendships while also transforming their health and lives through fitness programs and charity events at Destiny Wellness Centre.

I am also proud to have developed “a voice” in our community. I had the opportunity to hold a 1 year fitness segment on Rogers TV that provided fun fitness solutionsto the community. Short 10 minute routines addressing yoga for pregnancy, family/group fitness, how to stay fit during the holidays and more. In addition, Stephannie has given seminars to hundreds of women and hundreds of teenage girls as a guest speaker on topics of health and fitness in various venues including women’s workshops, local businesses and schools across the GTA.

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

I would advise to clearly create a “vision” of what you would like your company to look like; and how would you like it to run. All of your processes, efforts and investments should consistently lead you to your end goal, building your vision.

I would also encourage entrepreneurs to enjoy the journey! You will make mistakes along the way, things will certainly go wrong. Take those bumps in the road as learning experiences to build upon instead of viewing them as failures and dead stops.

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

Destiny Wellness Centre holds monthly events for the community that encourage a sense of community and health. Some of these events include a vision board workshop, “Yoga on the Beach, a “Yoga and Wine” charity fundraiser and a Paint night! The vision board workshop help women set a clear vision and purpose for their lives, we incorporate meditation and yoga to prepare for the session. “Yoga on the Beach” is an annual event. We meet along the beach for an afternoon of sun, yoga and relaxation. Our Yoga and wine events feature a guest speaker and we address topics such as fear, forgiveness, menopause; whatever topics I hear are of interest to the Destiny Wellness Community. The paint night will be a new charity event to raise funds for a microfinance initiative in Haiti for women.

This spring and summer you can expect our usual fun and exciting programs such as our Ladies ONLY Boot Camp, YogaCise (yoga with weights) and the launch of our two new therapeutic classes on Osteoporosis and Maintaining a Healthy Back (therapeutic classes designed specifically for individuals suffering from Osteoporosis and chronic back pain).

Connect with Stephanie

Web: Www.destinywellness.org
Phone:4168187837
Address: 1115 Clarkson rd N, Mississauga

Email:
Info@destinywellness.org
Stephanie@destinyfitness.ca

Social Media:
Facebook

Facebook

Twitter

Mar 16 2015

GTA EVENTS

March 21st

Twitter Bootcamp for Small Business Owners

Mississauga, 10am – 12pm

Teach Me Social

INFO: CLICK HERE

Visual Marketing Bootcamp for Small Business Owners

Mississauga, 1pm – 3pm

Teach Me Social

INFO: CLICK HERE

March 27th

Young Entrepreneurs in Toronto

Toronto, ON 6pm

INFO: CLICK HERE

April 9th

Social Media Time Management Bootcamp for Small Business

Mississauga, 2pm – 4pm

Teach Me Social

INFO: CLICK HERE

April 22nd

B2B Networking: Sales

Four Points by Sheraton Mississauga

Speaker: Julie Flippin

Info: CLICK HERE

Apr 26^th

You Inspire Me Women Quarterly Event

Mississauga, ON

INFO: CLICK HERE

Apr 26^th

Red Rose Convention Centre

The Toronto Caribbean Business Expo 2015

Speakers: Various

Info: CLICK HERE

April 29^th

FREE FACEBOOK CHAT

Vistaprint and Canadian Small Business Women

8pm – 9pm

Info: CLICK HERE

May 11^th

Montecassino Hotel & Event Venue

I AM THE BOSS 2015

Speakers: Various

Info: CLICK HERE

June 06th

Author Summit

Publisher Production Solution

Vendor Opportunity and Workshops

INFO: CLICK HERE

Aug 22^nd

Toronto Airport West Hotel

Canadian Small Business Women

VENDORS WANTED!!

Info: CLICK HERE

Nov 8th

Toronto

Immigrant Women’s Small Business Expo

EXHIBITORS WANTED!!

Info: CLICK HERE

Feb 01 2015

Johanna Quinn: Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month of January 2015

Johanna Quinn is the founder of JQ Fitness and the creator of iluvthis Bootcamp. She has helped shape and inspire the lives of thousands over 18 years in the fitness and health industry through group fitness, personal training and corporate wellness seminars. As a fitness expert, Johanna has a unique connection with her audience and clients that stems from her own personal journey for wellness. Coming from an overweight family and having gained over 80 pounds in her pregnancies, Johanna has the ability to understand and help those who need to get on the right track and lose weight. Along with her passion to help people, she inspires and motivates those through her workshops and speaking opportunities. Johanna is an Honours graduate from the University of Toronto. She currently resides in Oakville, ON with her husband and three children aged 7, 4 and 4 months.

Johanna also shows interest in social responsibility by hosting an annual event, BE[CAUSE]-Workout for Freedom, that raises awareness and funds to abolish human trafficking in Canada. In the past 3 years. Through this event, JQ Fitness has been able to raise over $32,000 to help rescue and support survivors through FREE-THEM.

Come together on the morning of Family Day, February 16 in Oakville and sweat as one big happy family! Bring your friends, bring your family and yes, even your kids.

This morning is a blast… you choose what you want to do:

Form a team of 4 and compete for bragging rights and great prizes in the team challenge event
Come for our large bootcamp class where we get 150 people covered in sweat and fun with all our trainers!
Got kids? That’s sweet, they get their own bootcamp and we look after them while you workout!

This is open to all whether you’re in shape or out of shape! We have lots of fun things planned this morning and it’s all for a great cause! All the funds we raise go to the survivors of human trafficking right here in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton region.

Bonus time! If you’re one of the first 50 adults to register for the event, you get a fancy iluvthis Bootcamp performance t-shirt! On top of that, everyone that comes to the event gets free swag bags.

**For additional event info and to register, please click here**

Our Q & A with Johanna:

What inspires you?
Strong, mature women who have sown into the next generation through both raising their own children and making a difference in the world often sacrificially. They did so when it wasn’t the thing to do. This motivates me and inspires me to think big and act on it.2. As a small business owner what achievements make you most proud?
Seeing a need in the fitness industry seven years ago and developing my own unique iluvthis Bootcamp program from the ground up. In addition, our annual charity event – iluvthis Bootcamp BE[CAUSE] – Workout for Freedom allows us to give back as a JQ Fitness community and help stop human trafficking in our own backyard which is a cause I am most passionate about.

3. What advice would you give to others aspiring small business owners?
Get your business on the ground before you have kids! Seriously though, your time becomes much less when kids appear on the scene. Don’t just create a job for yourself, trading time for money and without vacation pay, health benefits and savings programs. You need to create a business that doesn’t revolve around you and builds systems that you can replicate. Great book to read is “E-Myth Mastery” by Michael Gerber.

4. What new things can we look forward to from your business in the upcoming year?
This year I plan on simplifying things and really focus on the core business as it has grown so quickly. It’s time for me to regroup, seek business mentorship and get a great social media strategy in place.

Connect with Johanna

JQ Fitness: www.jqfitness.com

Twitter: @jqfitness

Facebook: iluvthis

Nov 25 2014

Know your Numbers!

Most people that know me well know that I love looking at numbers. I love creating budgets and expense tracking sheets to manage both my personal and business expenses. I love to look at how my business makes money and look at different opportunities to bring in additional sources of revenues into my business. However, I find most business owners do not do this.

How does your business make money? Yes, you may have a product or service that you sell, but there are so many different areas to consider in terms of how you make money. Who are your strongest consumers, and which outlets do you make the most money in? How profitable is your business? You’ve got to understand the financial health of your business.

It’s unfortunate, but finances tend to be where most small business owners tend to fall short. Entrepreneurs are highly creative, and there’s so much we have on the go, and sometimes the numbers part is what we tend to look at last. However, I’m a firm believer that you really need to look at your numbers and understand your numbers on a consistent basis. Understanding your finances allows you to make the right business decisions, know how healthy your business is, and will help you build a business with longevity.

Take time to sit down and add all the numbers. Do not be afraid of the numbers. When you’re afraid of the number, and ignore them, that’s when you get yourself into trouble. Set an annual (yearly) target and break it down into monthly and weekly targets. Depending on how big your business is, you may want to start with monthly, but I really love breaking it down into weekly.

When you do your budget, don’t forget to take account your own basic needs. Some business owners tend to budget solely on their business expenses. That’s great if you have a full-time job and you’re bridging your business. However, if you want your business to sustain you and you want to run it full-time, you really need to take your personal expenses into account.

You also need to also understand your break-even point. Your break-even point is the point where revenue actually starts to cover your expenses. The more money you make on top of that will go into your profitability.

Start tracking the return on all those activities you’re doing. So, if it’s Facebook marketing, your email newsletter– how are those converting? You need to know how much money you’re getting in return for all the money you’re spending to bring in sales.

Taxes are another great thing to consider. A lot of small business owners miss this completely, and I’ve been guilty of this too in the past. What tends to happen is we forget to set money aside for taxes. But once you do your taxes, especially when you start making more profit, you’ll have to pay taxes, and depending on how much profit you made, you may get a big tax bill. If you have not been setting any money aside for it, it will leave you scrambling to get money to pay for the taxes. Furthermore, it will cause you so much stress and energy. It will also take the focus from running your business to worrying about finances. Always set some money aside, especially if you’re making profit to pay for your taxes.

There’s so much I can write about this, and feel it’s so important to the success of your business that I dedicated a whole module in my 4-Week Business Success Bootcamp online program to ‘Know your Numbers’.

I like to say, ‘your numbers tells you a story’. That story will show you how healthy your business is and areas you need to improve to make it more successful!

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Founder of My Empowered Living (http://www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women shift their mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get her FREE online video training series The 4 Keys to your Business Success! This free 4-day business training reveals her 4 key strategies needed to build a profitable and successful business, and how to put them to work in your business!

Jun 01 2014

Dwainia Grey: Canadian Small Business Women of The Month of May 2014

Dwainia Grey is the woman behind Awesome Biz Online and Supporting Small Biz.ca. Dwainia has over fourteen years experience in marketing / merchandising.

Since 2000, she has been helping small businesses develop business and marketing plans, as well as providing online marketing through web design, search engine optimization and social media.

Dwainia is dedicated to not only promoting what’s awesome and unique about your company but also helping you increase your sales with online marketing. Awesome Biz Online’s mission is to get every business online with custom websites and for every business to be found on the Internet via online marketing using such tools as Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Management and Online Reputation Management.

Dwainia is an advocate for growth, personal growth and business growth and that is why she continuously looks for opportunities to learn and expand her business through customized solutions. By empowering herself she is able to help her clients succeed.

Our Q & A with Dwainia Grey

*What inspires you?

Helping and motivating others inspire me. What I do and my knowledge can make a difference for many small businesses. Being able to offer to help businesses inspires me to keep growing my business and helping others to succeed.

My son is also a big inspiration for me. As being a parent has driven my decision to become an entrepreneur.

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

As a small business owner seeing other businesses succeed because I assisted makes me most proud. Knowing that a business has become more successful due to my efforts is just AWESOME!

On a personal level I am very proud of being an entrepreneur for ten years. My business is continuously evolving an I am currently expanding into new directions with coaching, training and consulting.

I am very excited to teach the WordPress Bootcamp on June 8, 2014 at the Microsoft Store at Square One, Mississagua. I am also now officially open for online marketing consulting.
*What advice would you give to other aspiring small business owners?

I would tell other aspiring small business owners that owning a business is not easy. Be prepared to put in work and get your hustle on! Stay true to your vision and don’t give up. Also be flexible – the vision you started with may not be the one you end up with but as long as it’s still yours and your passionate about it you can succeed.

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

In the coming year, I will be providing more WordPress and Social Media Workshops, 1-on-1 online marketing coaching, and online marketing business consulting. I also plan to release more Do-It-Yourself (DIY) online marketing tutorials to help businesses. The first one is available now forFacebook.

Dwainia Grey has been helping small business succeed for over 10 years and is proud to be a contributor at Canadian Small Business Women. You can contact Dwainia at:

AwesomeBizOnline.com,Facebook/AwesomeBizOnline, Twitter/@DeathOfAWebsite, Google+/AwesomeBizOnline, Pinterest/AwesomeBizOnline, Youtube/AwesomeBizOnline and LinkedIn

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women: