Are you hungry?!

Because these two friends were and they didn't want the usual pizza delivery and the time it was going to take to go out and grab a bite, just wasn't in their schedule. . and so the idea for supporting local businesses, delivering hot food straight to your door, with the best customer service experience possible was born.

Ryan Schmidt and Dan Renaud created a groundbreaking app and chaged the concept that big city conveniences never make it to small towns. They started their business Valley Eats, a food delivery service in 2019, starting out in Pembroke and Petawawa and have grown to include rural towns throughout the Ottawa Valley, Lanark County and even outside of Ottawa.

In this episode, we discuss:

🍔 How Valley Eats started, the journey of expansion, and where it's going (and how it's growing!)

🍔 If Valley Eats plans to deliver alcohol and cannabis to your doorstep 🥃

🍔 How Ryan & Dan deal with negative comments and reviews ("my food was cold" or "I got the wrong order" or "my food was LATE"

🍔 Being entrepreneurs + parents + husbands with spouses that aren't biz owners (and the honesty around this!)

We all want our businesses to stand out - but it first starts with 👉🏼BRAND IDENTITY👈🏼 with crucial elements such as color, design, and a logo, that identifies the brand, making it recognizable and most importantly, memorable.

Jaana Brett of Paaper Studio (yes - that's spelt correctly 😅) is a graphic designer and brand specialist who creates functional, fun & inspiring branding for businesses, non profit organizations and municipalities and you may recognize her work throughout Lanark County, as her portfolio includes designs from The Plaid Cow, C'est Tout Bakery, North Folk Cafe, Heritage Bikes, as well as the Perth Smiths Falls Hospital Foundation, Town of Carleton Place, and even the 2010 Olympics!

Get the inspiration, tools and confidence to grow your brand from paper to purpose with this babe's expertise and dynamic design solutions!

Inspired by their love for their hometowns in the Ottawa Valley, camping, and surrounded by nature, this creative couple wanted to create a sustainable candle collection that reminds you of experiences, the great outdoors and everything that is our beloved Ottawa Valley, while also being vegan, cruelty-free, and phthalate-free.

J.P. Waxington candles are made with 100% North American soy wax, and each candles is wicked, poured, and labelled by hand.

As a military veteran, co-owner Chad Kendall wants to be able to hire local veterans and military spouses to provide veterans an inclusive space where they can feel safe, have the ability to create and feel supported. Their candles can be found on the shelves throughout the Ottawa Valley, including Ottawa Valley Apparel, Flurish, Valley Creations, Blended Renfrew, along many others.

Tune in to learn more about this incredible and fun candle company and the power couple behind this fun and creative business !

Shana Sibera and Hanna Hall were two friends that met working together at another hair studio in downtown Pembroke when they both realized that they wanted to open up their own hairstyling studio and decided to embark on this path together, creating Mack & Lily!

These ladies gave the low down on everything that goes on behind the chair that our hairstylists have been trying to educate their clients for YEARS!

💇🏼‍♀️ Like how they can tell when you've boxed dyed your hair (don't do it!) 🛑

💇🏾‍♀️ Why the main ingredient in drugstore shampoos is WATER 💦

💇🏻‍♀️ How often we should be washing our hair (and do frequent trims really make our hair grow faster?!) ✂️

And..... apparently perms are BACK! And it's not women that are asking for them!! 😵

📲 TUNE IN NOW!

We're all familiar with landlords renting out homes but what about property managers that are wanting to say goodbye to the 9-5 and embark on a new path to become a full time AirBnb entrepreneur?!

Jennifer Cobus decided to take things up a notch further when she not only took her passion for renovating properties and turning them into luxury AirBnb chalets and cabins, but started her vacation rental management company, Wilder Waters!

Jen has also recently left her full time nursing job to pursue her concierge property management company, as she oversees, manages and markets rural cottages, cabins and unique stays throughout the Ottawa Valley and area. And she is KILLING IT! 🙌🏻🤍

You also have most likely seen her listings displayed on her Instagram, photographed by some of the best photographers in the industry, and showcased by some high profile travel bloggers and influencers. Tune in and hear how this boss babe got into this business and more about what it takes to be the perfect AirBnb superhost!

Dr. Sandy Musclow ND/LAc, MSc, PGeo is a naturopathic doctor who provides individualized holistic primary health care to children and adults out of her practice, Foundation Stone Medicine in Madawaska Valley. Naturopathic doctors work with their patients to identify underlying causes of illnesses and develops personalized treatment plans to help address them.

From sinus infections, headaches, UTI's, tabacoo and alcohol dependence, various pain management, and reproductive health such as PCOS, menopause, fertility, and other various conditions, more and more women are turning to naturopathic doctors to help with illnesses, pain, and diseases, along with doctors that will take their problems and conditions seriously.

In this episode, Dr. Musclow breaks down:

👉🏼 Why it's important for women to advocate for their health.

👉🏼 If all women will experience menopause (and the signs to look for).

👉🏼Holistic methods for managing PCOS.

👉🏼How we can navigate our menstrual cycles without using birth control

If you love doughnuts....and I mean really love doughnuts, there's a new donut shop that is total drool worthy! So move over Tim Horton's and Krispy Crème, because there's a new kid in town and they pulled a Tyra Banks and life sized up! 🍩

Perfected by Samantha Armstrong and her husband Tyler, Holey Confections donuts are larger than life and are known as Ottawa's best 140 layer donut, not to mention 3 inches tall and full of fresh, tasty goodness.

In this episode, Sam shares:

🍩 Where the inspiration for a 140 layer donut came from

🍩 When did we start choosing donuts over cake

🍩 Why Sam and her hubby are the #DreamTeam

🍩 How Sam and Tyler manage to oversee 3 donut shops + a busy household

The pandemic through a curveball at everyone, including Codie Stevens, but it ended up working out in her favour, as she opened her own oral health practice, Roots Dental Hygiene!

Codie shares why seeing an independent hygienist has its benefits (like, you don't actually have to see a dentist for oral care, her services are covered under your medical benefits, no waiting room!) as well as all of the different services she offers (including being the first Certified Guided Biofilm Training Clinic in the Ottawa Valley!)

In this episode, we also:

🦷 Debunk teeth whitening products that actually work

🪥 Being a new mom navigating entrepreneurship

🙌🏻 How she's teamed up with other boss babes in the OV, including Kim Chenard from Crazy Beautiful Dresses and how Pearly Whites Mobile Dental Hygiene Services inspired her to open her own clinic!

Melanie Pieschke was working for the MRC Pontiac when she decided to take a leave of absence for a year and started selling clothes at the Sears store counter, realizing that she loved it and never looked back.

She opened her fashion boutique Jolie Folie in Hello Shawville because she was passionate about building economic development in her community and wanted to give people a reason to shop local instead of venturing to the big city.

In this episode, Mélanie shares:

👠 Fashion trends (that have come and gone)

💼 Why she decided to return to the 9-5

🎄 Christmas gifts at Jolie Folie under $50

👗Her underground fashion "vault"

****************************************

✨ALERTE NOUVEL ÉPISODE✨

Mélanie Pieschke travaillait pour la MRC Pontiac lorsqu'elle a décidé de prendre un congé d'un an et a commencé à vendre des vêtements au comptoir du magasin Sears, se rendant compte qu'elle adorait ça et ne regardait jamais en arrière. Elle a ouvert sa boutique de mode @joliefolieboutique à Shawville parce qu'elle était passionnée par le développement économique de sa communauté et voulait donner aux gens une raison d'acheter local au lieu de s'aventurer dans la grande ville.

Dans cet épisode, Mélanie partage :

👠 Tendances de la mode (qui sont passées et venues)

💼 Pourquoi elle a décidé de retourner au 9-5 🎄Cadeaux de Noël chez Jolie Folie à moins de 50$

👗Sa "voûte" mode underground, et plus!

Calling all future biz owners, entrepreneurs, business leaders, career professionals or anyone looking to develop their business skills and gain valuable education and experience to think like a leader. The two-year Business program at Algonquin College Pembroke Waterfront campus is delivered in a compressed format over 42 weeks, provideing you with a well-rounded education in multiple areas of business - from finance, accounting and marketing, to operations management and human resources.

And the business program is great for locals or those looking to study remotely, as this program offers multi model learning, allowing student participation in class or remotely.

Denise DeFrancesco is a local business alumni babe who took the program shares her experience with our listeners!