More from Cathy Watters
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The Business of Art(isans): Part II
In Part II, we look at Jenny Hughes, who recently rebranded her company after a four-year trademark lawsuit. She's been in business for five years and designs reusable cloth shopping bags. Her marketing has included getting her bags onto the 'swag' table at Toronto's International Film Festival, resulting in celebrities like Julianne Moore and Matt Damon using her bags.
Jenny Hughes, owner of Me & You, was motivated to start her business because of a strong passion for the environment.
“My business partner and I had a thing against plastic bags,” she says. “If there are good alternatives, we knew people would be motivated to cut them out.”
When she started five years ago, the majority of reusable shopping bags were “really low quality” she remembers. She envisioned a company that would supply heavy-duty, reusable cloth bags designed to last a long time, manufactured by local sewers, with attractive designs and fun sayings.
“Everything just fit. I could do design, own my own company and help the environment,” says Jenny. “It could cover all aspects of what I wanted to do with my life.” …
[ Read More ] • [ 2 Comments ] • [ Filed under Business ] • [ 1/18/10 ] -
The Business of Art(isans): Part 1
Who are the people you see selling their wares at Craft Fairs and Farmers’ Markets? Are they hobbyists, artists or entrepreneurs? Does it pay to sell your stuff at a craft fair? We interview three artisans to find out. Part One: Christine Rio of Pink Gargoyle Design
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Marianne Bertrand – Muttluks Inc.
Fifteen years ago, Marianne Bertrand and her husband were pouring over their finances trying to figure out how they were going to pay their mortgage. It was one of Toronto’s coldest winters, and the weather report came on announcing there would be another two weeks of -30 temperatures.
Marianne decided right then and there to make dog boots.
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How-to: Find a Life Coach
Gerrianne Clare of Clare Consulting, Kelowna, BC, says the most important thing in all these tips is to make that phone call and chat. It’s the best way to get a ‘vibe’ about someone.
“It’s important to interview your coach and make sure they have the understanding of what you need,” she adds. “You’ll know that connection when you get it.”
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Lisa Larue – Big City Cupcakes (Updates, etc.)
In 2009, three women opened a cupcake shop in Kelowna, BC. Things seemed to be going well, with new stores popping up all over the place. A year later, stores were closing and court cases were being filed. This is the original story written in 2009, with updates in the comments section and links to Court Services, Scamchasers.com and stories by the Vancouver Sun and the Edmonton Journal.
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Gerrianne Clare – Life Coach
Gerrianne Clare, a Life and Family Wellness Coach and owner of Clare Consulting Group, says people who decide to use life coaches often have thought things like, “I know I can do better. I know my life should go differently, but I feel like I’m on a treadmill and I’m not getting anywhere. I wish someone would tell me how I can do this differently because I can’t figure it out.”
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Mhairi Petrovic – Social Media Guru
“Social media is like a pub in Britain,” says Mhairi Petrovic, president of Out-Smarts Marketing Inc., a company that helps entrepreneurs understand how they can use the internet to promote their businesses. “People in Britain go to the pubs to get together, socialize, share information, anecdotes, and photographs, and to interact.”
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Cathrine M. Ann: from homeless to millionaire
Cathrine M. Ann, president of Consumer Connections Inc., does over $1-million in revenue annually with her home-based business. But when she started 12 years ago, she was 40 years old, unemployed, broke and homeless. She wasn’t worried, though. She had a plan.
“I was either going to start a business or rob a bank,” she says. She was serious.
