Made it Happen

This week's episode is featuring Rachel Kelly, founder of Make Lemonade!

Rachel is the Chief Lemon behind the coworking community, Make Lemonade. Rachel believes that everyone deserves to feel like a boss; whether they’re the CEO or starting their first internship. She encourages everyone to go after their dreams, no matter how big or small, or what lemon life has handed them.

Make Lemonade is a design-forward coworking environment, where the coffee is strong, the lighting is bright, and phone calls can be made without worrying who might be making a racket beside you. They now also have a virtual coworking community connecting women in business. The club is to help you be held accountable to your goals, connect with a community that cares, and join calls that boost your mood and productivity.

We talk about:
- Starting Make Lemonade and overcoming imposter syndrome
- How Make Lemonade has evolved over the past year and pivoting to a virtual environment
- Why community in entrepreneurship is so important
- Advice for goal setting and avoiding burnout
- What makes this community so successful
- Opening a brick and mortar at 26 years old
And much more!

Resources:
www.makelemonade.ca/

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Ava Droski, founder of Featherstone Music & Performing Arts Company and Author of ‘Photos of a Wren.'

Ava Droski is a local entrepreneur and author from Windsor, ON. In 2019, she opened a music school in Walkerville - Featherstone Music & Performing Arts Company. She also took the leap into the publishing process for her debut fiction novel, ‘Photos of a Wren’ the same year.

Ava graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from the University of Windsor in 2016 and moved to Toronto where she taught professionally for two years at ‘On the Off Beat Music School’ - one of Toronto’s top-rated music schools in Leslieville. She also accepted a teaching position at ‘Rock This Way!’, a top-rated pop/rock performance-based music school in Vaughan. Ava believes that all students - of any age - should have fun in their lessons and she teaches with a student-centered approach.

Ava has always had a passion for writing and storytelling and began writing ‘Photos of a Wren’ ten years ago. Her debut novel has received early praise from local bestselling and award-winning author, Lynn McLaughlin. Ava believes that music and storytelling work hand-in-hand, and now finds her worlds colliding in a beautiful and unique way. 

Her debut novel ‘Photos of a Wren’ is available for purchase at Amazon as of March 1st, 2021.

We talk about:
- The pressures of finding a 'secure job' coming out of highschool and eventually following her passion for music
- How she knew she wanted to open her own studio
- The beautiful story behind the name of her company
- How she's dealt with the pandemic with a newly launched business
- Dealing with burnout and ways in which she manages her time
- Writing her own novel and where this came from
- The fears of publishing and resources that have helped her through it
And more!

Resources
www.featherstonecompany.com
www.avadroski.com

Social Media
@ava.droski.author
@featherstonecompany

www.risewindsoressex.com 

Sam Wallace is an Entrepreneur, Fitness Cover Model, Fat Loss Specialist, and Health and Wellness Coach. She is the Founder + CEO of Sam Wallace Fitness, an online personal training company where she specializes in helping her clients with weight loss and creating lifelong sustainability, based out of Phoenix, Arizona.

Samantha is passionate in helping other individuals regain their quality of life and helping her clients instill health and fitness into their everyday lives almost seamlessly. Her goal is to educate and empower men and women on the importance of their health and wellness through her online presence.

She has been featured on the cover of Scottsdale Health Magazine, The Side of Mayo Podcast with Nick White, and Beyond The Image Podcast with James Patrick. As well as recently influenced for Fab Fit Fun, Wycked Naturals, and Bodytrec. Sam thrives in helping others unlock their greatest potential by helping them create a lifestyle of balanced health and wellness.

We talk about:

- Going from the service industry to a full-time health coach and entrepreneur
- Key piece of health advice for women right now
- How to keep going when you're feeling unmotivated
- Prioritizing yourself, setting boundaries and non-negotiables
- How to gain media awareness and get featured in your dream publications
- How like don't generate leads & how to avoid a bad headspace in social media
- A key reminder when wanting to work with brands
And much more!

Resources
www.samwallacefitness.com
www.instagram.com/samwallacefit

Sponsors
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

This episode is featuring Lauren Kurtz, founder of Après Actif!

Après Actif is a minimalist lifestyle apparel brand inspired by ski + snowboard culture. 

It started as the pursuit of a better state of mind. We push ourselves out of our comfort zones and celebrate the small wins on a daily basis.  Chasing the after-sport endorphin rush to experience the Après lifestyle. 

Après Actif, strives to create minimalist apparel that can weather many seasons, but more importantly - their mission is to inspire our community to do just the same.

We talk about:
- Turning her blog into an apparel brand
- The fear of starting a business
- Competition with yourself as an entrepreneur and building confidence
- Key advice for getting into retail stores
- The growth of the company since 2019 and what has lead to this
- Building an audience first before a product
And more!

Resources:
apresactif.com/ 

Sponsors:
Sponsors:
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

This week's episode is featuring Maureen Lucas, founder of LucasWorks!

Maureen is the Former President and CEO of LucasWorks!, a successful recruitment firm in Southwestern Ontario with offices in Windsor, Kitchener and London. Maureen was in business for thirteen years and for the last eight years she was one of Canada’s most successful female owned businesses, as acknowledged and ranked by Profit Magazine. She sold her business in 2017 to a large Canadian staffing firm.

Maureen is very active in her community and is currently involved on the Executive Board of the Windsor Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce As an active Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) Maureen has chaired multiple committees and events including Art in the Park, Youth Services Committee, Children’s Fest and the club’s Centennial Planning Committee. In 2013, Maureen Co-Founded 100 Women Who Care Windsor Essex, a group that supports local charity work. It was the third chapter started in Canada and since that time there has been over 200 other chapters started in Canada. Our local group has raised almost a half million dollars for local charities and we are so proud of the women in this community who are involved.

“My other great joy comes from working with young entrepreneurs to assist them with the challenges of starting a business. The EPICentre has given me the opportunity to do that by asking me to be the Entrepreneur in Residence. I believe it is a full circle of starting a business to helping others to achieve their dreams."

We talk about:
- Lessons she learned quickly in her business  & what she wishes she knew
- Creating a good contact list & how it benefits your business
- Always having a worst-case scenario
- The three ways you can go with your business 
- What to look for in a mentor
- 'Failure to launch'
- Navigating negativity
- And more!

Resources
www.risewindsoressex.com

This week's episode is featuring Emma Yamamoto, founder of Emma's Accessories!

"My name is Emma Yamamoto and I am 17 years old and attend high school in Brampton, Ontario. I started my small business during one of the most challenging times of my life and despite any difficulties faced, I have been able to grow my business to what it is today. My idea for my small business started around April and I released my website at the start of June. Due to covid, I was temporarily laid off at my job working retail, school was all online, I was isolated and couldn't see my friends, no sporting events and everything was drastically changing. However, I took advantage of this time to be my own boss and make money from the comfort of my little bedroom. I want to show other people my age, younger and older that no matter the circumstances, you can truly do anything you put your mind to and encourage them to follow their passion. I have used my platform to also build a positive community of individuals who have helped me build my brand and also teach them more about entrepreneurship. 

In addition to my passion for entrepreneurship, I am also recognized in my community for my athletic abilities. Since a very young age, I have played hockey and softball at the highest level as well as multiple sports within my school. I have been awarded a total of three "Female Athlete of the Year" awards and continue to play these sports while running my business and focusing on my academics. I bring sports into this because it is a huge passion of mine that has taught me skills that I have translated into my business. For example, taking risks, hard work, leadership, communication, and time management. Being a full-time student, participating in multiple sports at a time (7 days a week) can be extremely challenging but I have developed great time management skills that allow me to achieve my dreams. Although I may be slightly different than most teens, in the end, I am still a regular 17-year-old who makes mistakes and is constantly learning. "

We talk about: 

- What inspired her to start her business at the age of 17
-  How she learned to make her own jewelry
- Using her platform to reach more people for important initiatives 
- A key element that has helped her business grow rapidly that many don’t realize 
- How it doesn't take money to make money
- Learning the behind the scenes of running her business
- Raising $1,500 for BLM with her business initiative 
And more!

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Eryn and Janet, owners of Shop Aggregate, BeeKeeper Food Wraps & Bubble Gums Ltd!

Aggregate is a collective boutique specializing in small decor, eclectic giftware and accessories, sustainable necessities, and everyday essentials for families. They are located in the heart of the shopping and food & beverage scene in Windsor ON, at 1505 Ottawa Street.

Janet is the owner, founder, creator, maker, web designer, social media rep, communications lead, head of customer experience and the dreamer behind the business and brand of Bubble Gums Ltd. In what seemed like a pretty saturated market (amazing teething and sensory product businesses are everywhere!), she just couldn’t find what she was looking for. She wanted her little’s accessories to match outfits from current collections in stores, she wanted them to be affordable, versatile and safe. As a naturally inquisitive person, a leader and a high energy achiever, it was inevitable that this little mama dream would come to life. Through a crazy amount of dedication, belief and tenacity, this business has blossomed into a notable brand and an amazing opportunity to connect with individuals and the small business community.

Eryn is the founder of BeeKeeper Food Wraps, 100% natural and compostable food wraps to replace plastic in your kitchen and keep your food fresh. Made in Ontario with local beeswax, they use only local services and suppliers to make the best and most natural product possible.

We talk about:
- What inspired them to start their own individual businesses & Shop Aggregate
- Creating a unique store and what they wanted to do differently 
- Giving up control in your business 
- Learning the business as they go along
- Managing their time with running two businesses 
- The biggest obstacle they’ve overcome with starting their own businesses
- Advice for finding the right business partner 
And more!

Links:
shopaggregate.com
bubblegumsltd.com

Partnership:
risewindsoressex.com

Sponsorships:
www.shekind.ca 20% off using code MADEIT20
www.threeshipsbeauty.com 20% using code MADEITHAPPEN20

This week's guest is Crystal McGrath, a Country Pop recording artist and songwriter from Calgary, Alberta!

In September 2019, Crystal released the Room to Breathe EP, and her latest release “Game On” inspired by artists such as Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilara is out September 2020.

“Game On” is a song to empower women to go after what they want, whether it be a dance at a club or going after the CEO position of a company. Produced by Juno- Award Winning Producer Spencer Cheyne(Brett Kissell, Jocelyn Alice), it is a feel good get up and dance anthem with country pop fusion making listeners want to hit repeat.

Crystal is an advocate for women’s empowerment and believes in the importance of using your voice and going after your goals in life. She is also the founder of “Live With Love” an online movement and mindset platform providing tools for women to live their best lives. Crystal has partnered with Indigo to bring her movement, mindset and music coaching as a part of their digital experience offerings.

She also hosts the podcast Crushing Chaos, sharing inspiring stories from women around the world on how they push through resistance in their personal and professional lives. No stranger to the stage, Crystal has performed all around the world including gigs in Canada,
USA, Mexico, UK, and Australia. She has shared the stage with Canadian Country heavyweights George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett to name a few. In November 2019, Crystal was invited to participate in Canada’s Music Incubator’s Artist Entrepreneur West professional development program at the National Music Centre, where she spent five-weeks developing her business.

We talk about:
- Getting into the music industry & how she knew that's where she was meant to be
- Her songwriting process and the inspiration behind her new song Game On
- Her experience in the Canada Music Incubator Artist Entrepreneur program and what she learned from it
- Starting multiple businesses and her passion for entrepreneurship
- How she got over the fear of not being good enough & tips for overcoming self-doubt
And more!

Website: www.crystalmcgrath.ca
Instagram: www.instagram.com/crystalmcgrath
Music Video: https://youtu.be/B2vQMFqpreM

Sponsors:
Three Ships Beauty Code MADEITHAPPEN20
Shop SheKind Code MADEIT20

This week's WE RISE episode is featuring Kat Pasquach, founder of Culture Shock Jewelry!

Indigenous-owned and family-operated, Culture Shock Jewelry's handcrafted business strives to create amazing jewelry and crafts that you will love. Living in the most southern city in Canada, they work hard to make sure that people from all over the world love their authentic pieces.

Their family is from the James Bay region and their work has spanned four generations of Cree women who have dedicated hours of planning, creating, and sharing products that they are proud of. 

We talk about:
- Starting to make her own jewelry at 5 years old and how she got reunited with the art after highschool 
- The creation process of the products &  always going back to her culture
- Why authenticity is so important in a brand & in her products 
- Two major highlights that happened due to the power of social media (hint it might have to do with Vanity Fair & Jordan Subban)
- Resources she would highly recommend for someone starting a business
- Why she believes in finding community instead of seeing it as competition 
And much more!

Resources:

http://www.windsoressexsmallbusiness.com/

http://choosewindsoressex.com/

https://www.wetech-alliance.com/

Apatisiwin Program at the Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre

http://caifc.ca/program/apatisiwin-program/

Handmade maker can join the Rose City Etsy Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1726421444316123

Online shopping:

www.cultureshockjewelry.com

www.ujimaa.com

Brick and Mortar Shopping:

https://www.facebook.com/urbanartmarket

https://www.facebook.com/nativewonders/

https://www.facebook.com/thelocalmaker

This week's episode is featuring Rachel Valenteros!

Rachel is a homemaker and founder of creative studio Toto + Tess, & vintage shop Waipahe Co. She is also the Chapter Leader for San Diego Business Babes! With degrees in Fashion Design and Business Marketing, with 12 years of experience in business including designing for Guess and being the Director of Client Services for a boutique CPA Firm in San Diego.

We talk about:
- Becoming a homemaker and starting multiple businesses
- How she got involved with San Diego Business Babes and becoming a chapter leader as an introvert
- Turning her blog into a full business and launching in 4 days
- Burnout and managing her time as a mompreneur
- The loneliness of entrepreneurship & finding community 
- Learning to say no to projects that don't align with her
- The challenge of discussing business with family
- Key advice for someone thinking of starting a business

Links:
www.instagram.com/rachelifornia
rachelifornia.com
www.instagram.com/waipahe.co
www.instagram.com/totoandtess
www.instagram.com/sdbusinessbabes