Local Female Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Advice

The SMRT POP UPS event called 8 Things: Female Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Advice takes place Oct. 18 at Baked Café at 7 p.m.

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Wondering how to get your business from side hustle to full time? Struggling with balancing kids, hobbies and relationships, while building your brand? Looking for inspiration and motivation to get you through the inevitable blocks and challenges that comes with being an entrepreneur?

Women face unique challenges when launching into the world of business. For many, a community and network of support, encouragement and learning can help them face these challenges – whether starting out or ready to take a business to the next level.

An event taking place on Oct. 18 at Baked Café features seven female entrepreneurs all at different stages and places in their businesses ready to share their advice and hard lessons learned.

The event is called 8 Things: Female Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Advice, and it will feature: Stephanie Dixon (Stephanie Dixon Motivational Coaching), Patti Balsillie (Patti Balsillie Management Consulting), Brianne Bremner (GBP Creative), Anne Lewis (The Vaxandi Group), Emma Barr (Emma Barr Fine Art), and Emily Payne and Erin Nicolardi (Rivers to Ridges).

Hosted by SMRT POP UPS, the event is a follow up to the SMRT Women series that took place March 8 this year, which offered a full day of coaching, learning and connecting specifically for female entrepreneurs.

Wondering what to expect? Here is a snapshot of four of the featured speakers.

Stephanie Dixon

Stephanie Dixon launched her Motivational Coaching Business this year. Living an unconventional lifestyle as an ambassador for the Canadian Paralympic Committee and other Canadian sport organizations since retiring as a competitive swimmer, Dixon found it a challenge to find a career working for someone else.

She knew she wanted to work in the health and wellness industry, but wanted something that offered the flexibility to travel and continue her global work.

Dixon accidentally found out that owning a business was exactly what she was made to do.

“I thought to work for yourself that you needed to be Type A, business-minded (love spreadsheets) or an entrepreneur,” she says. “I was the last person I would have described as either of those things.”

Emma Barr

Emma Barr has been in the business of fine art for over a decade. Barr found that while she loved the freedom of being her own boss, it could also be a challenge. “Having too much freedom allows for laziness or loose structure,” says Barr. “Sometimes I don't use my time wisely enough and don't end up getting much done in the day.”

As she has grown her business, Barr has used tools and focused goals to overcome this challenge and stay motivated.

Patti Balsillie

Patti Balsillie has been helping businesses, people, communities and organizations for 27 years in the Yukon. She leads a multi-million dollar trust for Canada’s North, serves tourism in Canada as a board member of Destination Canada and runs a successful consulting company with clients across all sectors, governments and First Nations communities across Canada.

Her best business advice comes from dozens of others. The experiences and perspectives of these many influencers have shaped her own experiences, values, and approach.

Erin Nicolardi

Erin Nicolardi runs Rivers to Ridges – an experiential outdoor education program for children and adults – with Emily Payne. Nicolardi and Payne met when they both worked through the same school. When a vehicle breakdown and a snowstorm stranded them at a B‘n’B in Watson Lake, they discovered a common passion for experiential nature-based programming, and from there their business dreams began.

Nicolardi and Payne have found parallel lessons in starting many campfires that have helped their business succeed and grow.

8 Things: Female Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Advice is hosted by SMRT POP UPS and will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Baked Café from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Event details and tickets are available on Facebook and Eventbrite.