Made it Happen

Allison Mistakidis is a creative and passionate entrepreneur dedicated to building a community of like-minded changemakers. As co-owner of Whiskeyjack Boutique, she has taken an empty storefront in downtown Windsor and turned it into a Canadian-made gift and souvenir shop that has become a destination for tourists and locals alike. Since 2010, Allison has been creating and selling Aloraflora Jewelry at local shows and boutiques as well as online, while building a recognizable and sought after brand for Windsorites. A tropical ecology field course in University piqued an interest in birds and research, she completed a Masters degree which focused on why birds are so colourful, and this appreciation for birds led to the meaningful name behind Whiskeyjack Boutique. Allison has held a number of roles, including University instructor, fitness instructor, group fitness manager, and most recently as a merchant success representative at Shopify. In every position, she soaked up everything she could to guide her own ventures to success. When she's not managing Whiskeyjack Boutique or making jewelry, she's working on publishing her novel and cheering on fellow bosses in the small business community.

We talk about how Whiskeyjack Boutique got started, where the name of the store came from, what made them decide to build their business in Windsor, how she and her co-founder decided to go into business together, what people should keep in mind when looking for a business partner, how COVID-19 has affected their business, how they market Whiskeyjack Boutique, some of the challenges they've overcome with their business, publishing her own novel, advice for someone thinking of starting a business and more!

5HUNDREDS was created by Erika Hanchar & Elizabeth Johnston. Two creatives, who independently ran creative businesses and careers frequently crossed throughout the last 15 years. They have collaborated on numerous creative projects from full-scale events to business consulting, media production, and business writing.

They saw a need for a professional marketplace that combined consulting services with swift turnaround times, accurate results, and affordable rates. The result was a fresh new marketing perspective experience that makes it easy for business owners to take advantage of a variety of creative marketing services again and again for a low guaranteed price. 5HUNDREDS was created for the busy professional to launch, complete or strategize specific projects.

Erika and Elizabeth have been friends and business associates for 15 years and have worked with companies across Canada, USA and the Caribbean. Their creative work in media, events and design has been published around the globe in magazines, newspapers, online publications and international advertising campaigns. Their client list boasts some of the top companies in North America and numerous small to medium business start-ups.

We talk about the creation of 5HUNDREDS and their unique offerings, what made them decide to start their own business and having that entrepreneurial spirit, how they both got into this industry, what made them decide to go into business together, a challenge they are currently facing and how they have found a new way to do business to cope with it, how they use social media to find their clients, launching their business during a pandemic, what they would have told themselves when starting their business, and much more!

This weeks WE RISE Thursdays episode is featuring Brandi Bechard, Founder & Owner of Ground Culture, and Wen Teoh, Director of EPICentre. We talk about the services that EPICentre offers including their VentureWomen Program & businesses that have come from the program, where the idea for Ground Culture came from, programs and services that helped it get started, the most common thing holding women back from starting their own business, pivoting with COVID-19, a key piece of advice for someone starting a business, challenges entrepreneurs face, future plans for Ground Culture, and much more!

Wen is the Director of EPICentre (the Entrepreneurship, Practice and Innovation Centre) at the University of Windsor. Wen joined EPICentre in 2014 as a founding member and the Venture Start Director. She has twenty years of experience in IT, project management and entrepreneurship. She co-founded an international gas distribution company in Malaysia and a high-pressure cylinder distribution company in the US before moving to Windsor. Wen has a B.B.A. from University of Toledo and an MBA from University of Windsor. Wen teaches Entrepreneurial Resource Management sessionally at Odette School of Business. Wen is also a board member at the WindsorEssex Community Foundation.

Brandi Bechard is the founder of Ground Culture, an ecological landscaping company based in Windsor and Essex County. They create outdoor spaces with both people and the planet in mind by designing and building gardens that serve a purpose, such as vegetable gardens, fruit trees and hedges, rain water management systems, pollinator and wildlife habitat, and native biodiversity gardens.

This weeks episode is featuring Lindsay Nahmiache, founder of Jive PR + Digital. Recognized as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the Financial Post, an Enterprising Women of the Year, Top 40 Under 40, PROFIT: Top Female Entrepreneurs, and ambassador to UN for Women's Entrepreneurship, Lindsay helps companies create financial and social impact in the brand and entertainment industries.

Located in Los Angeles, Lindsay divides her time between Vancouver and LA as she operates Jive PR + Digital, which just celebrated its 11th year. Jive is a full-service Public Relations, Digital, and Social Media agency that services over 20 clients in industries that range from Entertainment, Food and Beverage, Tech, Lifestyle and Non-Profit, all with Lindsay at the helm of the company of 10 employees and counting.

We talk about how her unique background gave her a different perspective on the world, lessons she learned about paying attention to the numbers in business, how she got into the industry, what you need to know when going into business with someone, having the strength of being able to accept your weaknesses, why constraints fuel creativity, what she looks for when hiring for her team, what she is most proud of from her journey, why thinking small is actually harder than thinking big, challenges she's overcome while running a company, what she would've told herself when starting a business, and much more!

This weeks WE RISE episode is featuring Myrtle Donnipad, the Youth & Entrepreneurship Advisor at WindsorEssex Small Business Centre, and Surria Fadel, Partner & Product Developer at Cedar Valley Selections. We talk about the services available for local businesses in the WindsorEssex area, the creation of Cedar Valley Selections & starting at farmers markets to now being sold in nation-wide retailers, what has been the key to success for this business, obstacles small businesses are currency facing with COVID-19 and how to pivot, success stories from local organizations, advice for someone who wants to start a business, the main goal of the Small Business Centre, the best piece of advice given while running a business & much more!

Myrtle is an experienced business consultant currently serving as the Youth and Entrepreneurship Advisor at WindsorEssex Small Business Centre, a department of the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation. A strong community advocate for Windsor-Essex, she is passionate about helping young business owners and entrepreneurs successfully launch and grow their ventures. Previously, as a new immigrant herself, Myrtle worked as an employment counselor to newcomers at the New Canadians’ Centre of Excellence Inc. Myrtle moved to Windsor in 2007 where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Windsor. 

Surria Fadel is a Partner and Product Developer at Cedar Valley Selections which was founded by her son, Ameen Fadel, at the age of 16 in Lakeshore, Ontario. Cedar Valley Selections began with the creation of Canada’s FIRST bottled Fattoush Salad Dressing. With a small grant from Ameen’s school board and Surria’s signature recipe, they had all they needed to begin their venture. Following over a year of product development, testing, and sampling with Ameen's high school teachers, Cedar Valley Selections’ Signature Fattoush Dressing was ready. After just selling to family and friends, Ameen approached his first local deli in Belle River, ON, and had finally brought Canada it's very first bottled Fattoush Dressing.

Ellen Hyslop is a co-founder and head of content at The GIST. Ellen has developed the signature voice and tone of The GIST that has resonated with 100,000+ female fans (and growing!) across North America. She leads The GIST’s content strategy including written content, social media, co-hosting The GIST of It podcast and managing a team of content contributors. As a lifelong avid sports fan, Ellen is not only passionate about her fave teams, but also about leveling the playing field in the sports industry. 

Ellen and her team have been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 2020 and have been accelerated through programs with Facebook, MLSE, Comcast NBCUniversal and Techstars. Prior to going full-time with The GIST, Ellen worked as an underwriter at Chubb Insurance and graduated with a Commerce degree from Queen’s University (where she met her two co-founders!).

We talk about the creation of The GIST and where the idea came from, taking the business from a side hustle to full time, levelling the playing field for women in sports & important statistics on women in sports, building a company 'By Women for Everyone,' creating strategic partnerships and other marketing initiatives, advice for young females in sports, working at creating an inclusive industry, being named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 and other highlights from her journey, who she looks up to in the industry, advice for starting a business, and so much more!

This week's WE Rise episode is featuring Yvonne Pilon, President & CEO of WEtech Alliance & Mara Beaux, Founder of Beaux App! You won't want to miss this episode where we talk about all things women in tech! We talk about what WEtech alliance is and the services they offer, the creation of Beaux Beauty App, pivoting businesses due to the pandemic, how COVID is affecting business owners, entrepreneurs, and women, how the tech industry has changed over the last 10 years, inspirations for women in tech, advice for those thinking of starting a business, building a business during a pandemic, misconceptions about women in tech, services available for female entrepreneurs and women in tech, and SO much more!

Yvonne Pilon is the President and CEO of WEtech Alliance. At the age of 24, she founded her first tech venture, AD2IT, and by the age of 29, became the youngest woman to lead a Regional Innovation Centre. Yvonne has over 10 years of experience in the tech sector with a core focus on growing companies and building a thriving entrepreneurial community. She is also the host of the #TechInTheCity podcast.

Mara Beaux is the Founder of Beaux App. Her decade young professional journey centres around serving others. She has always been entrepreneurial, starting and successfully running two wedding businesses, and currently building up a third - a mobile platform for the beauty and barbershop industry. Beaux is an ecosystem of beautiful people who uphold safety and celebrate beauty – physical, mental, and entrepreneurial.

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Kavaughn Boismier, President & Founder of The Women of Windsor Mentorship Collaborative, and Tashlyn Teskey, Manager of Projects and Research with Workforce WindsorEssex.

Kavaughn Boismier is a senior leadership professional for the financial industry with over six years in Wealth Management as a Private Wealth Consultant & Wealth Advisor; Kavaughn is honoured to be one of only 16% females and 1% visible minority in the Professional Advisory space in Canada. Her primary focus and mission are to enrich the lives of individuals and entities in her community through mentorship, advocacy, and advice. Kavaughns's vision is to build a comprehensive hub of education, support, and service in Windsor-Essex County for clients who value the ability to manage their financial security and career security - is coming to life through the WoW Mentorship Collaborative.

Tashlyn Teskey is the Manager of Projects and Research with Workforce WindsorEssex. She began her career there four years ago as a Research Intern while completing her Masters degree in Political Science at the University of Windsor. After completing an 8-month internship in Nepal during her undergraduate studies, she recognized her passion for working in grassroots organizations but a little closer to home. Much of her research work has focused on employment in the skilled trades, career pathways for graduating high school students, and increasing the presence of females in the local workplace. She also considers herself an expert in all things Gilmore Girls and celebrity pop culture.

We talk about the report created for RISE Windsor-Essex highlighting key findings on women entrepreneurs and why this was important to research, what we can take away from the report and implement in our community, what the most shocking thing Tashlyn discovered through this report was, challenges women face in STEM & entrepreneurship in Windsor-Essex, best practices in other communities that support women in these fields, the creation of the Women of Windsor Mentorship Collaborative, why it was started and the need in the community, who is part of this organization and the types of mentors available, how to become involved with this mentorship collaboration, successes that have come from this initiative, and so much more! 

Pearl Cicci is a Nutritionist, Health Coach, and personal trainer with a passion for educating people about nutrition. Her goal is to make it easy and simple to achieve optimal health. Taking a very holistic approach, Pearl is focused on the overall well being of a person. Using plant-based approaches Pearl works with women entrepreneurs to increase their energy levels and optimize their health. She believes that, with proper information and guidance, everyone can become the healthiest version of themselves at any age.  

We talk about how she got into the health and fitness industry, what attracted her to the entrepreneurial lifestyle, how she knew she wanted to start her own business, why she wanted to focus on female entrepreneurs, the importance of word-of-mouth marketing, how she finds her clients, one key piece of health advice that anyone can follow, the learning & growing curve as an entrepreneur, overcoming self-doubt, having a positive mindset, the ups and downs of owning your own business, 2 key pieces of advice she would tell someone starting their own business, who she looks up to in the business industry, common misconceptions in the health and wellness industry, and so much more! 

WE RISE: Through Build a Dream – the non-profit that she founded in 2014 — Nour utilizes her 13 years of experience as a workforce advisor, mentor, and influencer to inspire youth to make informed career choices that challenge the status quo. Her experiences are not just limited to the workplace… Nour watched her mother struggle and persevere as she started and grew a successful auto parts company in a male-dominated field.

Through real-world examples of how embracing diverse workplaces leads to success, Nour connects with her audience and engages in discussions like:

•  Recruiting (and retaining) top talent
• Challenging gender bias in policies
• Inclusive workplaces: the heart of innovation
• The benefits of building each other up
• Asking bold questions that lead to action

Nour has traveled across Canada speaking about workforce development and recruiting women for male-dominated industries. She also led a national research project with AIA Canada to develop a national strategy to help the industry attract, recruit, retain, and advance women in the automotive industry. Nour has worked on programs for youth, newcomers, women on social assistance, internationally trained doctors, and has talked with hundreds of representatives from all levels of industry, education, and government.
 
From her role at the University of Windsor to motherhood to running a growing foundation, Nour wants to tell real stories about workplaces and share what leaders are getting right.

We talk about expanding Build a Dream from a local organization to a national one, what inspired her to start Build a Dream, diversity in the workforce, having a work-life balance in the skills trade, advice for someone undecided about their future, talking about financial goals and independence as a female, finding her new sense of confidence, leading an organization through COVID, how you can get involved with Build a Dream, and much more!