Made it Happen

This WE RISE episode is featuring Monica Borrelli, founder of Melt Skincare & Melt Body Health!

Born in Windsor, Ontario Canada and raised in an entrepreneurial family, Monica is the founder and owner of Melt Body Health & Melt Skincare. 

At a young age, Monica found her three passions: entrepreneurship, nutrition and skincare. After studying the science of Nutrition and graduating in 2017 from The University of Western Ontario with her Bachelors of Science in Food and Nutrition, Monica’s journey began. She set out to help others feel more confident and comfortable in their skin with body contouring and skin tightening treatments as well as a skincare line that focuses solely on serums - her favorite skincare product. 

Monica has always been fascinated with the science behind body treatments and skincare and has been influenced by serums since they were the only products that agreed with her sensitive skin. Educating and exciting others to take care of their skin and body, lead a healthy lifestyle to increase longevity and improve their quality of life has always been Monica's true inspiration. Her overall objective is to educate consumers, inspire them to look and feel better, become more confident with their skin and body and teach them how to live a healthy enjoyable life save and effective skincare products and body enhancing treatments.

We talk about:
- What she learned coming from a family of entrepreneurs
 - How her background in nutrition led her to start her own business
- Why patience and consistency is key in entrepreneurship
- Knowing your strengths and why outsourcing is critical
- Starting a podcast for her business & using it to educate 
- Learning how to give up control in your business & finding the right people
And more!

Resources
www.meltbodyhealth.com
www.meltskincare.com

Beyond the Skin Podcast
anchor.fm/monica-borrelli/episodes/Beyond-the-Skin

RISE Windsor-Essex
www.risewindsoressex.com

This week's episode is featuring Tedi Bezna, founder of Tedi Bezna Digital Marketing!

Tedi has been working in Digital Marketing for over 6 years and specializes in search engine optimization, web content strategy, and conversion rate optimization. She brings a wealth of experience working with clients ranging from mom-and-pop local businesses to international beauty and restaurant brands. She is passionate about making SEO accessible by providing education to her community and clients and delivering her services with transparency and integrity. Tedi is a third-generation entrepreneur, wife, and mama living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

We talk about:
- How coming from generations of entrepreneurs shaped her path to starting her own business & what she learned from them
- Bouncing back from uncertain times and advice for others going through a setback
- The hard truths about balancing chasing your dreams and managing everyday responsibilities
- Keeping motivated with her business even when feeling down
- How she set herself apart as a service provider - and how you can too!
And more!

Resources

Tedi Bezna:
https://tedibezna.com/

 

This week's episode is featuring Julie Cole, co-founder of Mabel's Labels!

Julie Cole is a recovered lawyer, mom of six and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels. She has helped her company bring their product to a worldwide market, gain media recognition and win countless awards. Cole is a passionate entrepreneur, published author, and sought after speaker. Julie is no stranger to the media, having appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, HLN’s Raising America, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show, CP24, among many others. As a blogger and writer, her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Chicken Soup For the Soul - Power Moms and numerous websites.

When she’s not juggling her busy family and professional life, Julie is an engaged community member serving on boards and volunteering. She is passionate about women’s issues, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and social justice.

We talk about:
- The importance of brands having a face for their business and being relatable
- Managing her time running a business with six children
- Her personal story of why she wanted to start her own business
- Advice for getting featured and business PR
- The struggles of working mother's during the pandemic
And more!

Resources:
mabelslabels.ca

This special edition episode brought to you in partnership with EPICentre's Venture Women Progam is featuring Stephanie and Jillian founders of McCallum and Tiessen Development & Sarah Haefling founder of Elevate Podcast Co., with special guest host, Sydney Thompson from EPICentre.

Stephanie and Jillian co-founded M&T development in the spring of 2021 with a vision of expanding the options available for affordable housing and socially responsible development.  The pair had worked together for nearly a decade in the not-for-profit Sector and were motivated by the number of seniors they seen who were living in deteriorating houses with few affordable alternatives beyond long term care homes.  Stephanie and Jillian had been successfully renovating, renting and investing in real estate for many years and realized that they had the passion and the skill set to expand their work in this area.  When Jillian set off to find a builder to build a coach house for another business she owns hosting short term property rentals she quickly discovered that the local market didn’t offer many turn-key options for this type of a small build.  At the same time, Stephanie was pursuing courses to become a registered home builder in Ontario so that she could expand her opportunities from house flipping to include land development and new builds.  As women managing jobs and family priorities the two overcame many challenges to make their passion a reality.  Tune in to hear more about their story. 

Sarah Haefling founded Elevate Podcast Co. in January of 2021. After launching and hosting her own podcast, Made it Happen, in May of 2020, the podcast had grown rapidly and gained a lot of traction, which led to many amazing partnerships and sponsorships, along with being ranked in the Top 40 Entrepnureship Podcast in Canada. Through Made it Happen, Sarah found a true passion for podcasting and wanted to help other business owners and entrepreneurs launch a podcast of their own.  After being approached by many individuals, she saw the real need for this kind of service in the industry, as it continued to grow quickly. With her background in Business in Marketing coming in, she officially launched her business earlier this year and looks forward to what is to come with Elevate Podcast Co.

 
Resources:

McCallum and Tiessen Development

Website launching in late July at www.mccallumandtiessendevelopment.com 
Facebook: @mandtdevelopment 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccallum.tiessendevelopment/

Join one of their upcoming information sessions to learn more about Additional Dwelling Units and the pricing and design options for their small home models.

Elevate Podcast Co.
www.elevatepodcastco.com/
www.instagram.com/elevatepodcastco/
www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-podcast-co/

Made it Happen
madeithappenpod.com/
www.instagram.com/madeithappenpodcast/
www.linkedin.com/company/made-it-happen-podcast

EPICentre Venture Women Program
www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/epic-venturewomen

This special edition episode brought to you in partnership with EPICentre's Venture Women Progam is featuring Violet Azenabor and Ziquita Riberdy!

Ziquita Riberdy is the founder of Divide Magazine, a digital, global centric, contemporary art magazine focused on showcasing artworks from emerging artists and interviewing established creators.

Divide Magazine pre launched in October of 2020, during the pandemic, and has accelerated it’s growth since then with over 500 artists submissions and thousands on readers on Issuu.com

Violet Azenabor is the founder of Canvas of Diamonds! She has a background as a marketing strategist and content creator, which she used to build her personal YouTube channel to over 42,000 subscribers. She's also worked with companies in Canada and the United States to build and execute their marketing strategies. Now she is using her experience in marketing to grow her new business, Canvas of Diamonds. They are an online store that sells Diamond Painting Kits for people interesting in picking up a fun, new, and relaxing arts and crafts hobby. At Canvas of Diamonds, they believe that everyone should have a creative outlet and they strive to provide just that with their shimmering Diamond Painting Kits and Accessories. Similar to paint by numbers or cross-stitching, Diamond Painting is a fun and relaxing hobby in which you apply thousands of resin “diamonds” to a coded adhesive canvas. The end product leaves you with your very own creation of a sparkling Canvas of Diamonds to decorate your home.

We talk about:
- What made them decide to start their own business & join Venture Women
- Challenges in the creative industry as a business
- Barriers to entry in the market
- Learning PR quickly and the two sides of gaining press
- Essentials on social media as a business owner
- Behind the scenes of their business people don't see
And more! 

Resources

Divide Magazine

Website: https://dividemagazine.com/  


Canvas of Diamonds

Website: https://www.canvasofdiamonds.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canvasofdiamonds/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canvasofdiamonds/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@canvasofdiamonds?lang=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/canvas-of-diamonds


EPICentre Venture Women Program
www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/epic-venturewomen

This special edition episode brought to you in partnership with EPICentre's Venture Women Progam is featuring Erika Pozzuoli, founder of Pure Mentality, and Carla Bragança, founder of Bazar Brazil.

Erika Pozzuoli is a Certified Aromatherapist, registered social worker and mental health worker. She is the owner of Pure Mentality, Mental Wellness Boutique, offering one of a kind services and products that promote mental wellness and self-care.

Carla Bragança is an industrial engineer with more than 15 years of experience in the automotive industry. She is also business and project management certified. After maternity, this busy life wasn't fitting her lifestyle anymore and she decided to take control of her own future. In 2020 she started an Academia career and also founded with her husband Bazar Brazil, which is an online business that sells Brazilian products. Bazar Brazil has as purpose to offer Brazilians and lovers of Brazil the most renowned brands and products with unique flavours from their beloved country. The goal of her business is to unite and strengthen the Brazilian community by disclosing their culture and traditions in the Windsor-Essex region, besides inspiring other communities to discover a whole new world of unique flavors.

We talk about:
- Where the idea for their own business came from
- What made them apply to Venture Women Program 
- Fears they had to overcome with starting their businesses
- The importance of self-care as a business owner and time-management tips
- The loneliness of entrepreneurship & finding your community 
And more!

Resources

My Pure Mentality
www.mypurementality.ca

Instagram & Facebook
@mypurementality

Bazar Brazil
www.bazarbrazil.ca 

Instagram & Facebook
@bazarbrazil

EPICentre Venture Women Program
www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/epic-venturewomen

This week's episode is featuring Moria Hazan, founder of Mor Media!

Moria is a CEO coach and Marketing Consultant helping Female CEO’s Elevate their brands, Raise their impact and Activate their income to create a new ERA.

She’s an ex-corporate Marketing and E-commerce specialist that managed a multi-million dollar portfolio and 50x it in under 2 years, and now helps women create that success without sacrificing health for hustle.

We talk about:
-  Going from managing portfolio's of brands to helping women create success without sacrificing health and hustle
- How a personal experience pushed her to start her dream business
- Hustle mentality and how to avoid it
- Recognizing the signs of burnout
- Differentiating her business from other coaches & how to attract your dream clients
- Building authority online as a business owner
-Finding the right business coach for you
And more!

Resources
www.mormedianyc.com/

Podcast Production
www.elevatepodcastco.com/

Get social with us!
www.instagram.com/madeithappenpodcast/

Sponsors
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

This week's episode is featuring  Diana Nguyen of Lux Second Chance!
 
Diana is a former trader/analyst who now curates luxury goods from US, Canada and France.

When Diana’s banking career took her overseas to Asia, she discovered her love for designer luxury goods. Diana quickly noticed that the pre-loved consignment market in Asia was far more advanced compared to North American markets.  When she returned to Toronto, she decided to launch Lux Second Chance by selling 23 of her own handbags and applied the same knowledge of the stock market to secondhand -- buy and sell wisely. 

Lux Second Chance brings the world’s best pre-loved designer luxury goods into the palm of your hands. Lux Second Chance source and curate beautiful collections of high-end brands, featuring both timeless classics, and trendy, in-the-moment items – many of which are not available in North American markets. Some rare pieces even come from private sales, having never been available on retail shelves. From only the most discerning, reputable, and prestigious consignment shops from London, Paris, New York, and other designer-obsessed cities, right to your front door.

We talk about:
- Transitioning from the banking world to being an entrepreneur and how it wasn't the 'slow-paced' path she thought it would be
- Some background on fast fashion and how her company works towards sustainability
- Expanding her business to a new country each year and how she has managed this growth
- How people can shop second-hand wisely and what to look for
- What marketing tactic she used to really get 'over the hump'
- Putting processes in place and setting up her business for longevity
And more!

Resources
luxsecondchance.com/
www.instagram.com/luxsecondchance/

Podcast Production
www.elevatepodcastco.com/

Get social with us!
www.instagram.com/madeithappenpodcast/

Sponsors
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

This week's WE RISE episode is sponsored by WEtech Alliance!

WEtech Alliance provides Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent tech and tech-enabled entrepreneurs and companies with business services, training, mentorship and strategic connections to help bring new ideas to market, scale to the next level and build a dynamic culture and a community of innovation. WEtech Alliance has served as the catalyst for technology and innovation in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 2011. Visit them at www.wetech-alliance.com or connect with them on all social media platforms at @WEtechAlliance

This episode is featuring Emily Johnson, Founder of StrongerU Senior Fitness.

Emily Johnson is the Founder and Creative Director of StrongerU Senior Fitness. She is on a mission to innovate and elevate senior fitness by empowering recreation, fitness, and wellness professionals, and senior serving organizations, to deliver exceptional senior fitness experiences. She currently works with individuals and organizations across Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand and has trained over 500 senior fitness instructors.

We talk about:
- Where the idea for StrongerU Senior Fitness came from
- What made her decide to follow her passion and start her own business instead of waiting for a company to give her the chance to start what the world needed
- The benefits technology played for her business and how she had an advantage being the only online seniour fitness course
- Naturally expanding her business and considerations for going International
- What marketing tactics have worked for her business 
- Making the transition from a 'side-hustle' to a full-time business owner
And more!

Resources
www.strongeruseniorfitness.com
linkedin.com/company/strongeru-seniorfitness
https://www.instagram.com/strongeruseniorfit/

Sponsors
www.wetech-alliance.com
www.risewindsoressex.com

This week's episode is featuring Kara Latta, Founder of The Playful Warrior!

Kara is the Founder and Chief Fun Officer of The Playful Warrior, a brand that reconnects adults back to their inherent nature and playfulness. She is also a Play and Mindset Coach and the Creator of ThoughtPLAY. ThoughtPLAY is an innovative 8-week PLAY journey that transforms your subconscious mind and uses the power of uninhibited creativity to cultivate self-worth and create a life that excites you. It features the PLAYBox and PLAYBook delivered to your door (mail to get excited about!!) Kara is also a Speaker and Certified Life & Success Coach, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, TIME Techniques and EFT Tapping Practitioner.

We talk about:
- Feeling lost in her corporate job and starting her business during a low point in her life
- Becoming the first play coach for adults
- The benefits of connecting with ourselves through play and getting creative
- The isolation of entrepreneurship and finding your community
- How she markets her unique business
- Going from a corporate job to a business owner and boundaries she put in place
- Plus, we chat about being Bradley Cooper's publicist for a day....

Resources
www.theplayfulwarrior.com

Sponsors
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20