Small Business Week 2022 was a great success.
We would like to thank the entrepreneurs featured below for participating in our social media features.
TAAG would like to recognize all entrepreneurs for their dedication, creativity, and vision. Congratulations on your continued success!
Meet Kelly.
Q What is the significance of selling items from local makers and designers?
This is two-fold. Not only are you offering your customers beautiful and unique items (not found in big box stores or on Amazon) but you are also providing them with the option of supporting our local community. When I am doing my own personal shopping, I always make an effort to support local if it is an option because I like the idea that the money, I am spending is staying within my community. Supporting local to me means potentially making one person’s dreams come true as opposed to supporting big-box stores. You never know where the money is going or who is benefitting. I also like the idea of creating a community with unique and interesting storefronts, each one a reflection of the individual owner(s).
Q What inspires your sense of fashion?
Minimalism. In my own personal closet, I strive for mainly classic pieces made from sustainable fabrics. When the majority of your closet consists of such pieces, you can throw in one or two ‘trendy’ items each season to complement your outfits and avoid having them look dated. This method also reduces the need to purchase numerous “fast fashion” pieces each season in order to keep up with the trends. I believe that my minimalist-inspired fashion sense becomes evident when shopping at Trove. Our inventory selection has always been focused on style and sustainability and the belief that the two go hand in hand.
When attempting to create a minimalist wardrobe, consignment stores can be immensely helpful. Consign the item you never wear and replace it with something that you will. It will feel great, trust me!
Meet Matt.
Q How do you stay up to date on current trends in the real estate market?
Keeping a pulse on all things real estate helps me stay on top of the market in Ottawa and throughout Ontario. Whether it’s watching the news, monitoring the pandemic, or global issues, or even as simple as reading books or scrolling through different social media platforms, all these options help paint a picture as to where people are focusing their attention, what works, what sells and what doesn’t. The market has cooled off considerably in the second half of this year and now more than ever it’s important to focus on all trends and go the extra mile for my clients to stand out in a market that can be difficult for those not as experienced.
Q What are the best moments that you experience as a realtor?
Helping my clients find their dream home is not only one of the best moments as a realtor but also one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever experienced. When my clients say that they found their “forever home” it makes me feel like I’ll be a part of their story forever, even if it's a smaller chapter in their book. It’s a feeling that’s indescribable, and one I’ll never take for granted. A close second would be the friendships I’ve made throughout this career. I’ve met a lot of people that I now know that I wouldn't have crossed paths with had it not been for this business. They are friendships that I know can last a lifetime.
Meet Mike.
Q What does quality workmanship mean to you and your business?
Quality workmanship takes multiple forms in our business. On the surface, we want to provide a quality end-product to our customers as any trade business does. Deeper than that we also want to provide a quality service to our customers. We want them to feel at home while we are working even though there is a major renovation project taking place. That is why sometimes we will finish a bedroom, office, and kitchen 100% first so that our customer has somewhere to live comfortably for the rest of the week. This has been the key driver in the growth of our business. We are focused on providing a seamless experience from quote to invoice for the customer and in the middle delivering a good product. On the business side of things, quality workmanship also refers to completing tasks within our required time budgets. In the business of painting, we are sometimes covering 10,000+ sq ft of wall, door, and trim in paint, we need to pay attention to the details but also not get too bogged down in the perfection of each sq ft or we would never be able to complete a project. Our goal is to not let perfect work become the reason we do not complete a project.
Q What inspires your entrepreneurial spirit?
My entrepreneurial spirit was originally inspired by family. When starting our business, I just wanted to create a job for my brother who had decided post-secondary education wasn't for him and was looking for his next adventure. Now we are four years into the business, and it has taken on many different forms and iterations. It is now about creating businesses that will be strong and resilient into the future—opening the door for further adventures and possibilities while creating the life at home that I want to live and pursue all other passions.
Meet Brigitte.
Q What types of positive impacts do you create in your patients’ lives?
The field of Speech-Language Pathology is generally not always known to many. When someone asks me what I do for work, they often reply: “You help individuals who stutter or who have a lisp, correct?”. Although they are not wrong, the scope of practice of a registered Speech-Language Pathologist is much broader! In fact, a Speech-Language Pathologist is a health professional who assesses and treats a wide range of communication disorders, including speech sound disorders, language disorders, stuttering, voice disorders, feeding and swallowing disorders as well as cognitive-linguistic disorders. The most important tool in life for human interaction is communication. When the ability to communicate with others is difficult or impaired, this can have a negative impact on an individual's quality of life. Whether we help a toddler say their first word, help a person who stutters increase their fluency, help a school-aged child accurately pronounce his “r” sound, or help an adult communicate following a stroke, my role as a Speech-Language Pathologist is valuable to many individuals and is so very rewarding to me.
Q How do you balance being both a clinician and a business owner?
Balancing being both a clinician and business owner is not an easy walk in the park! I
I have learned through my experience that you manage things as they arise, but most importantly, prioritize your tasks. I think it is also important to keep your head up high and keep the focus on your goals as it is easy to get sidetracked on little and insignificant tasks. Once a goal is achieved, I always have a few new goals lined up. I am always trying to automate as many tasks as possible to make the process as smooth as possible for clients and staff. This allows us to continue to provide professional and tailored speech therapy services to our clients. At the end of the day, anyone can read through emails, buy office supplies, and pay for everyday business expenses. However, it takes a leader with a certain determination to work alongside their team to make a business successful.
Meet Martin.
Q How did Magpie Jewellery start as a business?
Magpie started on 286 Dalhousie Street in the front window of Market Cleaners, a laundromat, and dry cleaner. It was 100 sq ft and we paid $500 per month. It was so much fun! Market Cleaners are still there by the way.
Q What is the future of the jewellery market?
The Future of the Jewellery market involves a completely integrated live inventory with one's eCommerce website—the brick-and-mortar working seamlessly with eCommerce. The brick-and-mortar store provides on-site repairs, manufacturing, design, and excellent in-store inventory and choice of goods. These are all things we do now at our Westboro store. The future will be using technology to make things even smoother and less time-consuming. This will increase the productivity and profitability of the trade.
We would like to thank these entrepreneurs once again for all that they do for our community!
Published by TAAG Corporation
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