Ivanna

Meet Kyla – a truly “kind” person, and the face behind “A Kind Heart”…

Kyla, you are the owner of North America’s first brick and mortar charitable concept store “A Kind Heart”; where every brand you represent in your store is one that gives back to charities and causes globally. WOW! What an incredible idea. Can you share with us how the concept was created and why you decided to do this?

I’ve been in retail for 30+ years. Believe me, I’ve seen it all: the good, the bad and the uber-ugly. Thing is, I’ve always had the ability to quickly size up a situation, learn from it, then turn around and make the necessary adjustments.
More than that: I always knew I could do things better. I saw this huge gaping hole in the industry, and I knew how to fill it. I could see it, feel it even…A brand and space where people feel welcome and respected, and where the spirit of giving back heavily infuses everything we do.

Tell us more about yourself. What kind of a person are you?

I’m a person who likes to get sh**t done. Always been that way. I don’t enjoy lying around and doing nothing, especially when I know I could be doing something amazing. I’m open-minded, incredibly vision-oriented and willing to try anything. And I’m not afraid of so-called failure, it simply doesn’t exist in my
world. Everything is part of one giant, amazing puzzle or experiment to create the best “whatever” [I’m working on].

Where did you get your entrepreneurial spirit?

From the womb, baby!! No, seriously… I honestly can’t pinpoint one particular source. I’ve just always had this thing inside me, a gnawing relentless drive to try things, you know? Like my fabulous lemonade stand when I was 7. I just don’t know any differently. Plus, after being in the game for so long, I just can’t
fathom doing it any other way.

What has been the most significant barrier or challenge in your entrepreneurial career?

Hands down, my biggest challenge is wrestling with the traditional notion that “business isn’t personal”. I was always told, trained even, that it’s wrong to show emotion if I want to be taken seriously and perform in a “professional” manner.

This made absolutely no sense to me! How can I NOT be emotional?? This is my baby we’re talking about. All my blood, sweat and tears have gone toward nurturing it. Besides, when did being non-human (showing no emotion) become an asset? I will rally against that nonsense till my dying day:) And more to the
point: I’m proof that being a kind human in business is not only extremely satisfying, but it can be highly profitable.

Do you believe there is a winning formula for becoming a successful entrepreneur? What is yours?

Surround yourself with great people! Create the best team ever with people that are aligned with your company’s mission, values and overall spirit. I always try to empower my staff so they can make decisions and actually see their value and impact. This way they become more invested in their role and the company.

I’ve learned over the years that I can’t do it all by myself. I mean, believe me I’ve tried! This was a solo show for a long time in the beginning, but I quickly realized it’s not sustainable.

Basically, this is a “find your tribe and love them hard” scenario because when you take care of your team, they’ll travel to the moon and back for you. You can’t train people for that kind of commitment. So when you get it, never take it for granted.

Is there someone that has been your biggest inspiration in your career?

There’s really not one single person that encompasses everything that I admire. I’m drawn to strength, resilience, and of course, kindness. It’s the people who’ve been knocked down so many times–like, you’re sure they’re done–but they keep getting up, all dusty, bruised and bloody. Those are the people that move
my soul. You don’t mess with those people. They’re my people.

What advice would you give the next generation of female leaders?

Follow your heart and stay true to you! You need an almost obsessive drive to anchor yourself so you’re not flailing in the wind when things get rough. Root yourself in your vision and values and you’ll be able to trust yourself to make sound decisions.

And remember to breathe! You’re gonna have hard days. Expect them. Plan for them! So when they happen you have a strategy in place to help keep you moving forward. You’ve got to keep pushing. Never give up.

Do you feel that you’ve had to make sacrifices to be successful?

Absolutely. Time spent with family. Time for myself. That’s all been lost. But what I’ve gained, I hope, makes up for that. Which is: I’ve cultivated a life for myself where I can call the shots and have greater control over my time and what I do with it.

I mean, in the beginning you have to expect it to be hard, right? It’s a lot of work. You gotta get down on your knees and start digging. If you can fall in love with the process of getting down and dirty–and all the other things you have to do to build the strong foundation that’s gonna support you for years to come–
you’ll be unstoppable.

How should women support other women specifically in the retail world?

Be less judgmental. Try to have more of an open heart and mind to ideas and people that have the power to change not only your business, but the industry as a whole. Imagine what we could do if we truly all worked together, with everybody’s best interests in mind?? My God, we could revolutionize the industry, maybe even the world:)

Lastly, what is your favourite cause that you are passionate about?

Anything with kindness and humanity at its core. All living things basically. Ultimately, this question always takes me back to why I started A Kind Heart: to create a retail space unlike anything people had seen or experienced before. Everything here is intentional. It’s a place where kindness for people and the
planet is the focus and the reason why people are attracted to our store, why they buy and why they keep coming back.

• @akindheartstore

Meet Laura, the Mompreneur and visionary behind “Sunday Mane”…

Laura, you are a mom of two, and the face behind the Canadian hat brand “Sunday Mane”. Can you share with us how you got started with the brand and how the idea of Sunday Mane came to be?

The idea for Sunday Mane came to me during the winter lockdown in early 2021.  It was January and I was outside playing with my kids everyday for at least an hour.  It was more time than I’d spend outdoors in the winter since my own childhood!  My hair is fine and was bleached blonde, and my stylist had recently suggested I switch to a satin pillowcase. But my hair was dry and brittle being stuck under a regular hat all day.  With her advice in mind, I started looking for satin lined winter hats, and nothing I found spoke to my sense of style and desire for something special.  So, I decided to go for it, and source them myself!

Where did you get your entrepreneurial spirit?

Definitely my Mother.  She worked very hard when I was growing up.  She had her own business and would take the bus everyday to get there, then come home and cook for a family of 4.  She never complained or lost her cool with us kids and I just admire her and how easy she made it all look.

How did you come up with the name for your business?

For me, Sundays are a one of life’s little luxuries.  It’s a relaxing day to get prepared for the week ahead and that includes some self care (and hair care too).  I wanted to convey that in the name of the brand, it’s a little luxe but it’s selfcare and you deserve it!

Being a mom and an entrepreneur probably comes with many challenges! How do you juggle being a mom-preneur?

I’m lucky that Sunday Mane is a seasonal business. I focus on it a lot in the fall and winter, but I get to dial it back in the summer.  I work on it during evenings once everyone is in bed, and Sundays for the most part. This year my 12-year-old has been helping me too- She has counted inventory, tagged merchandise, and helped me make reels!  Having a supportive husband has been key to my success as well, he’s very hands on with our kids and he cooks!  

What do you think are the best ways to handle stress and frustrations in business?

Haha yes, big dreams come with big emotions!  I am grateful to be surrounded by female friends that are entrepreneurs as well. I vent to them all the time to get frustrations off my chest, work through issues I’m having and seek advice.  I also value sleep, water, and movement to help me manage stress.

Do you think there is a winning formula to becoming an entrepreneur?

I think it’s a bit of that “preparation meets opportunity” situation. I have years of experience in the fashion and accessory wholesale world, so I knew what I was doing (to an extent) getting this off the ground when I had that lightbulb idea. But if you’re confident that you can work hard when you’re exhausted and humble enough to ask for help in your weak areas, I think that formula will take you far as an entrepreneur. 

If you could talk to one person from history – who would it be and why?

Princess Diana!  The fashion,  the philanthropy, motherhood and all the drama that has me hooked on The Crown would need to be covered.

How do you define success? 

Work/ life balance is big. What’s it all for if you can’t spend your days with loved ones? But also getting to the position to support other women in business. It’s been the highlight of all this so far, being lifted up and believed in by my peers. That sense of community is so empowering. 

What is the next step for Sunday Mane?

I think after two years of working out the kinks, I’m ready to expand my wholesale business. Independent retailers have the power to grow brand awareness in a valuable way, and I feel like I’m ready to properly take on that growth now.  

Lastly, what is your favourite quote?

Cliched, I know, but “this too, shall pass” It keeps my grateful and humble when life is going well, and blessings are abundant. But it’s also a positive reminder that tough times don’t last either. 

• @sunday_mane

Meet Penny Light, the shining star in the boutique world…

Penny – you are the face behind Grit & Grace, the new multi-boutiques in locations popping up around Ontario. Can you share with us how you got started in this business and what was the drive to open multiple boutiques?

After 19 years in the corporate world, working for some fortune 500 companies, I kicked off my heels, threw down my pencil skirt put on flip flops and a sundress and I moved to Costa Rica (after a previous year spent living in Botswana, Africa). 

In Costa Rica I founded a transformative adventure travel company – Live Life Light Adventures and a marketing consulting company working with high-end tourism properties. Whilst there I reconnected with my one true love, a boyfriend I had in my early 20s and we were in a long-distance relationship for about a year. On one of my visits back to Canada, the world came to a rather abrupt halt, as we all know, shutting completely down. The travel industry came to a screeching halt, and in 24 hours all my contracts got cancelled and I was refunding guests who had booked trips with me.

I had left my home in Costa Rica for this one visit not knowing that I wouldn’t be returning. After about 4 months when we realized this wasn’t ending anytime soon, I had to make the difficult decision to let my home there go. My friends had to pack up my home, and put my things in storage for me, and I was forced to pivot, hard.

It was while shopping for a new Canadian weather-appropriate wardrobe (all I owned were bathing suits and flip flops) that I became disappointed in the Canadian retail landscape for women, specifically women my age, around 47 (ahem).

Let’s face it, we’re not our mothers, or our grandmother’s version of middle age anymore. We’re more youthful, light, and wish to express ourselves as such. I came home from shopping feeling worse about myself, not better. 

So out of frustration, and in the middle of a global pandemic, I launched Grit & Grace, the first location in Sauble Beach, Ontario. I wanted to curate unique, high-quality clothing for women just like me… and to create a space where women would feel welcome and confident in their own skin. I want Grit & Grace to feel less like a store and more like the home of a great friend. It’s why our stores have a cozy, living-room-style seating area – so we can all gather, connect and lift each other up. And sometimes even sip rosé! I also wanted, first and foremost, to create a community, and if in that woman found unique and storied pieces (dresses) that they felt great wearing, and self-expressive in, then even better. In our community, we host book clubs, workshops, yoga, dance classes, private shopping parties, tarot card readings, and more. Sauble Beach is a seasonal location, opening in the spring and closing in the fall. I now live in Guelph Ontario and so it made sense to open a 2^nd location that would be year-round in my (now) home town. As it turns out, people are really digging my little creation and so I am opening a third location in 2023 in Toronto with plans to open one store a year. Maybe even one in Costa Rica!

How did you come up with the name for your company?

I believe that our most admirable character traits as women are the stories of grit and grace that brought us to where we are today. Grit helps us to be willing to leave our fears behind, grace helps us to look past whatever differences we have and see each other’s hearts.

What motivates you?

Retirement! LOL But seriously, hearing stories from the G&G guests about their positive experience in one of my stores. Especially when they tell me they found something so special that they never would have thought they could wear, but now do so with amazing confidence. I really have an incredible team behind me and none of this would be possible without any them.

What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Time and freedom. After 18 years in corporate working on someone else’s dream, and my time being dictated by a force outside of my control I felt so claustrophobic. I wanted more than anything to own my time. Now, I do.

Can you share with us on what has been your greatest entrepreneurial achievement so far?

Honestly, just doing “this” every day. Often, I look back on my life and I’m like, dang girl, look at you doing your own thing. This shit is hard, be proud even when it’s scary, even when it’s not going to plan, which it often does not.

Also, when Rio Can came to me and asked g&g to join their portfolio in their new “work, live, play” project in downtown Toronto called “The Well”. When a company that size believes in you, it’s a pretty big compliment!

Do you have a role model or someone that inspires you the most?

I was lucky to have been surrounded by two incredible entrepreneurial women. My step mother, and my adopted mother were both business owners. The worked hard, but they called the shots, and owned their own time. Also, my granny is 101 years old, still does squats, is sharp as a knife and smiles all day long. When I grow up, I want to be just like my granny.

Would you say there is a winning formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Surround yourself with people smarter than you. Build, and empower your team. Invest in people, not ideas. Business ideas fail, but people who keep trying are more likely to improve the odds with each new venture.

Build your business on strong values and live them.. It’s the foundation that will hold you up G&G was built upon a strong value system; it was the very first thing I got clear on when creating G&G. It’s our north star. I believe it’s what’s attracted such a great team, and such great and loyal customers.

What is your favourite quote or metaphor for describing entrepreneurship?

Get the right people on the bus. Entrepreneurial knowledge, values and skills can be learned, meaning all people can become entrepreneurial. But not all people share the same worldview and values. It is important to find people to work with who share your passion.

What has been your biggest challenge this far in your journey?

Every single day is a challenge. Every single day I google “how to”. I have no idea what I am doing from one day to the next. But I wouldn’t trade that in for the world. Because of this, I am constantly learning, constantly growing. I have zero desire to be comfortable. My only desire is to be constantly growing, both professionally and personally. Also, the “pivot”. I’m so sick of the pivot, but if there is one thing more certain than taxes in entrepreneurship, it’s that you’ll ALWAYS be pivoting. You just have to learn how to scuttle the ship!

Lastly, one of my favourite questions – if you were a type of shoe, what would it be and why?

HA! Barefoot on a beach is ALWAYS my preference. BUT if I had to choose… this is a hard one… Flipflops on a beach!

• @gritandgraceclothing

Our July Boss Babe is the visionary behind LIVIE jewelry. We had the opportunity to share her story about entrepreneurship and all its challenges and milestones… ​

​Jules, you are a successful entrepreneur, and the face behind the beautiful “LIVIE” jewelry brand. Can you share with us where the idea of LIVIE derived from?

​Thank you for your kind words! Before Livie came to fruition, I struggled to find unique, minimalistic and that perfect balance of “edgy meets feminine” pieces in a price range that was affordable. I often found myself compromising on quality for a design that I wanted, or overpaying for great quality in a style of jewelry that was not exactly what I had been looking for. I created Livie on the fundamental principles of feminine, edgy, minimal yet stylish jewelry that stands the test of time and ultimately makes its way into a woman’s (or man’s) daily essentials. I wanted the brand to be accessible and inclusive to all, offering trendy and timeless pieces with the quality to match without breaking someone’s wallet.

How did you come up with the name for the company?

​LIVIE is named after someone very special in my life. My best friend Olivia passed away in a car crash when we were in high school and when it came to naming the brand this was the perfect way to honor her memory.

Where did you get your entrepreneurial spirit? Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

​I always knew that working a traditional 9-5 for someone else was not my calling and that I would find myself on an entrepreneurial path somehow. My background and education was geared towards becoming a lawyer but the creative dreamer in me took a chance to do something less traditional.

The “no risk no reward” mentality is how I live my life and taking the leap to create a brand from the ground up was the best decision I could have made.

​What are your hidden inspirational sources?

​I am constantly inspired by everything that is around me. There is always some form of inspiration that I incorporate into our designs that I find in fashion, art, architecture, vintage archives and so many other sources. Our team is also always trend forecasting what is going on in the industry, what is popular on Pinterest and Tik Tok which gives us a lot of ideas and starting points when creating new drops. A big “hidden” source of inspiration for me when I design is also incorporating nature. You will find elements of it throughout all of our collections whether it is the flower in our NAVEE necklace or the sun pendant in the LUNA necklace.

Who is your biggest support when facing hardships in business?

​I am lucky to have a great support system around me when I may be facing hardships with the business. I believe it is very important to always be open and transparent when facing challenges and to ask for help. My family, my significant other/ friends who own businesses and the women on my team are all people I turn to. In order to be successful, I ask a lot of questions from other successful female entrepreneurs in my life as well. Reaching out to my mentors or others whose opinion I value always gives me a different perspective and a way to problem solve something that I may not be seeing myself.

​What’s your way of hunting talents and building effective working teams to achieve great results?

​I have learned not to try and be good at everything. Let people be good at what they’re good at and acknowledge areas that are not my expertise. Letting go of control and delegating to a team are essential in achieving great results.  We are an all women team that works together to bring our collective vision to life while remaining authentic and creative. Finding individuals who are experts in their chosen fields and utilizing their talents in our projects is how we produce our best work. I want to empower women to support each other’s talents so that we can all grow together – it is all about collaboration NOT competition. When looking for new talent to work with, we partner and hire creatives that are fellow women entrepreneurs. We also love working with people in our local network in Toronto whose vision and practices align with ours. We are always looking for new talent to work with!

Do you believe there is a winning formula for becoming a successful entrepreneur?

​I do not believe there is a winning formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur but that is the exciting part about it! No entrepreneur has the same path that gets him or her to where they are going and that is the beauty in the unknown. A female entrepreneur that I look up to, Jen Atkin, always says: “Be humble, work hard, and don’t try to compete with anyone else; there’s enough to go around for all of us to be successful. Don’t expect success overnight.” As long as you are focusing on your message and remain authentic to why you started and what you’re putting out, only great things can happen.

​What has been your biggest challenge so far as a female entrepreneur?

​All entrepreneurs, male or female, face challenges along their journey in many different aspects. In my experience I found that women may feel as though they need to adopt a stereotypically “male” attitude toward business: competitive, aggressive and sometimes harsh. I am lucky to say that the industry I am in is full of strong hard working women and is not as male dominated as others. At times, especially in the beginning, there were moments where I struggled to gain respect and to be taken seriously by others. I remind myself that remaining true to yourself and finding your own voice are the keys to rising above any societal challenges that come along with being a boss babe.

Do you have any entrepreneurial tricks that have helped you stay focused and motivated?

​Stay true to yourself and your vision always. When things may not be going your way, or the business is not doing as great as you want it to, I remind myself why I started this journey in the first place. I also make sure that I don’t let the Internet or social media rush me – we may be seeing someone’s chapter 100 while we are still on chapter 10. I keep a list of goals and as a team we frequently reflect upon how we can get there together and what we need to do to grow. Great things take time to happen and I believe greatly in divine timing.

​If you could be any piece of jewelry, what would it be and why?

​Any Livie necklace stack of course! It is an easy way to elevate any outfit and make me look and feel put together and fabulous effortlessly. 

• @julesbeliavski
• @liviejewelry