Wonderkind brings unique & tailored gifts right to your door. They represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in Canada businesses, support communities, empower female entrepreneurs & spread kindness. One gift at a time.  

Now that’s some kind of wonderful. Or is it?

Is it possible that all of this good is complicating Wonderkind’s offering and making it harder for the consumer to buy? Are the founders, Tara Cochrane and Shawna Pereira’s burning desire to sustain woman enterprise, distracting them from building a sustainable business? I went to three experts to ask these questions and more, and all came back with exceptional advice, Arlene Dickinson, Dragon, Entrepreneur, Partner, and Mother who has mentored, guided, and invested in so many successful leaders and businesses. Jay Bhatti, co-Founder of Brand Project, one of the world’s leading thinkers and doers on how entrepreneurs can develop and scale their ideas, and Nazine Virjee, VP of RBC. She focuses her wealth of experience partly on new ventures.

A heartfelt story that beats with passion, emotion, and desire combined with insights and ideas that anyone can apply to make their dreams a reality.

Presented by RBC.

 

Books, Tara’s best friends (01:45) Moving around a lot as a kid in a single-parent household, taught Tara resilience and that anything was possible. Books were her best friends. Feeding her curiosity and imagination and by immersing herself and learning other people stories, enabled her to better understand and connect with people as well as opened up a different way of thinking.

A chance meeting leads to great things (04:31) While getting back her roots of writing, Tara Cochrane, meets Shawna Pereira at a fundraiser. They worked well together, shared the same values and had a passion for small business. The beginnings of a new partnership and a new business emerge with the idea of taking the power of storytelling - the stories of local businesses - and making it into a business platform.

Curiosity and kindness come together (06:02) Tara and Shawna combine the concept of personalization and the sense of surprise to establish Wonderkind, delivering unique & tailored gifts right to your door…curiosity and kindness coming together. Showcasing businesses founded and cofounded by female entrepreneurs, they represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in Canada businesses, sharing kindness one gift at a time. But there could be too much for customers to wonder about.

First-class advice from our experts (11:47) Naznine Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC, doesn’t start by looking at the numbers, rather she first wants to understand the business model and the customer problem Tara is solving. Additionally, Nazine, pints out that managing is very important, and if there is one thing the COVID pandemic has taught is how to manage risk. Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder & Partner, Brand Project, believes that Tara’s core product offering and purpose have to mesh together very well in order to attract customers and talent. Arlene Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures Capital, advises Tara to be clearer in her messaging on how Wonderkind's process works - simplicity is key.

It’s a wrap - Tony’s final thoughts (26:41) It’s important that Tara chooses from the many options Wonderkind offers and lock onto to what success looks like. Is it supporting woman entrepreneurs, gifting or supporting charities? Clarity of purpose and my you matter is going to be key.

 

Links and References

Tara Cochrane, Founder + Creative Director, Wonderkind https://www.linkedin.com/in/taracochrane/

Website - https://wonderkind.ca LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wonderkindinc/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/wonderkind_inc Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wonderkind.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wonderkind_inc

Arlene Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures Capital Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlenedickinson/

Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder & Partner, Brand Project LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybhatti/

Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/naznine-virjee-73695a7/

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit - https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/

 

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ