Bringing Innovation & Activation To Your Business

Being an entrepreneur can be tough.  Being a momstown chapter owner makes the tough parts so much easier.  This past weekend, the entire momstown team from across Canada came together for our annual Fall conference.  To have a room full of other entrepreneurs that understand your business, your challenges and your successes is such a source of support!  We gathered in Niagara Falls for three days of brainstorming, planning, evaluating and innovating, I can honestly say that it was a bit overwhelming, but in the BEST possible way.

Momstown can't be considered a new company anymore, we are more than five years old.  While we have achieved many successes since opening, the theme of this conference was innovation.  The vibe in our conference room over the course of the conference was electric, positive and inspiring.  We are all ready to take our businesses to the next level.  And while creativity and innovation are very exciting, they are nothing without activation.  Not only did we spend lots of time being innovative but we did the work to make sure we can activate and make 2014 the best year yet.

So what went in to making this weekend an undoubted success?

• Fabulous accommodations at the newly renovated Courtyard Marriott in Niagara Falls.  A big thanks for their hospitality including a scrumptious dinner at The Keg located inside the hotel (so handy) and a delicious buffet breakfast each morning.  The hotel is in a great spot, right in the middle of all of main Niagara attractions - museums, casinos, restaurants, etc making it easy to walk around and enjoy the sites.
• Arriving in style thanks to GM Canada providing our crew with Chevrolet Equinox vehicles
• An awards ceremony recognizing the hard work from across the country.  Momstown Oakville is so proud to have been the recipient of the 'Chapter of The Year Award' for 2013!
• Working sessions that provided smart goals thanks to the momstown head office team and Shelagh Cummins from BizTrainHer.com.  We also came up with the momstown five daily practices to help grow our business.
• Sharing best practices with all 18 other momstown chapters across Canada
• A perfect balance between work and play.  We worked hard, we really did.  But we also got a chance to visit Chateau Des Charmes winery, enjoy mani/pedi's from Ah Bella Luna Mobile Spa and got some fabulous new head shots taken by CL Buchanan photography.

On the steps of Chateau Des Charmes winery

This conference was a game changer for many momstown chapter owners.  I can hardly wait for 2014 to arrive!  I am so proud of what was accomplished at this conference and ready for a great year ahead.  To find out how you can bring momstown to your community and join a group of incredible entrepreneurs, click here.

Why Being An Entrepreneur Can Help You 'Lean In'

I think by now most people have heard of Sheryl Sandberg's new book called 'Lean In'.  In a recent interview with the author, the book was hailed as the new manifesto for all women and the new voice of feminism.  The overall ideas expressed in the book are that woman can and should do more to advance their careers but in order to achieve this ideal, society also has to change to create more equality.  And not just in the workplace but everywhere.

While I don't intend for this post to be a book review or a debate about the principles expressed, I can speak to the fact that I believe that entrepreneurship can be a key factor to having more women 'lean in' to the workforce.

For me one of the biggest barriers to sticking with a corporate career environment is the lack of flexibility.  I actually had an employer that offered me tons of flexibility, they were great about it, but it still wasn't enough. A company can only bend so much before it effects the company culture, the way the entire company does business and the inefficiencies of trying to use a 'one size, fits all' model.  I think that that is the hardest part. How can corporate companies accommodate hundreds of people so that they can try and be effective in their home life and their work life?  They can't.  And woman want that ability.  Enter the option to be an entrepreneur.

In a recent Globe and Mail article, this quote really struck a chord with me: "In fact, companies owned by women are the fastest-growing segment of the Canadian business sector, according to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The number of female entrepreneurs in Canada increased 208 per cent between 1981 and 2001, compared with an increase of 38 per cent for men."

I think woman are using entrepreneurship to redefine how we are leaning into our careers.  Sheryl Sandberg is right, society is not ready for woman to be more equal at every level and so  in the mean time we've come up with another way to continue to advance our career, but on our own terms.  I realize that being an entrepreneur is not for everyone, but for me it has enabled greater career and personal successes and at the same time provide the higher level of flexibility.  I don't think I could ever get such pliability from a traditional corporate role.

Have you ever though of being an entrepreneur?  Joining the momstown team has been a positive career move for me.  Interested in learning more?  Click here.

The Importance of Creating a Productive Workspace When You Work From Home

This weekend I finally made my work space a priority and bought a new desk for our home office.  When you work from home, its important to make your work space a priority and really think of it as one of the keys to growth and success.  I have now been a momstown chapter owner for one year (woot! woot!) and am just as in love with my business as I was those first few months.  Over the last 12 months, momstown Oakville has grown a lot and as a result, working from either my dining room table or my incredibly small desk with no storage was no longer cutting it.  It was taking me longer to find things, I didn't have a proper place for anything and if I was in the middle of something, it all got packed up and moved off the dinning room table so my family could sit down to eat.

As I start year two of growing and creating success with momstown Oakville, I knew it was time to make my work space match my business plan - it needed to grow too!  I still have to put some finishing touches on the space - it needs some colour and of course some momstown bling but I am loving it already!

Here is the desk I had before:

Photo credit

My husband and I bought a version of this desk pictured above (ours was a lighter wood colour) when we moved from Calgary back to Toronto and were living in a basement apartment - that was 10 years ago!  Since we had previously both worked in offices outside of the home, this desk was fine to house our laptop and a few other things.  However, working from this desk on a regular basis was not ideal at all.  There is no desk space to spread out papers and the unit above the flat work space was crowded and really didn't offer any great storage.

Here is my new desk:

Photo credit

As mentioned above, our old desk was a light wood colour, this one we got in white and I love it!  It automatically brightens up the workspace and goes nicely with our lovely momstown colours of orange, blue and green!  There is so much more work space and I love the storage unit attached to it that now takes up a corner that was previously wasted space anyway.  I bought some coloured bins for some of the compartments and now just have to buy a few more storage pieces for file folders and other papers.  Because the area above the desk is now open, I have the chance to add some decor which will really help the space feel like mine.  I feel more professional in this work area and know that this will help momstown Oakville continue to thrive and to achieve all my goals for 2013!

Any ideas for wall decor?  Send them my way!  Would love some fun DIY projects to dress up the walls.