Interview with an Entrepreneur

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Michelle Ward, a friend and person I greatly admire for her energy and entrepreneurial spirit.

Michelle has started her own line of clothing called Addaboy which she refers to as “modern clothing for little rockers”. The inspiration for launching Addaboy came to her after her son, Kale, saw an old music video (new wave) and asked her if he could have some clothing that looked like the stuff he had just seen. After about a week of searching and coming up empty-handed, Michelle was stumped and very excited. Kale had inadvertently ignited a new business idea that would become Addaboy.

This is what I truly admire about Michelle because her passions seem to spark ideas for her businesses. Michelle has a passion for music and spent much of her late teens and early 20′s enjoying Toronto’s punk/new wave scenes.

This isn’t her first foray into starting up her own business; Michelle was also the person behind Fly Gurlz, the first women’s mountain biking community in Canada. Her love of biking and the lack of any women’s teams or women specific mountain bike training was the impetus for dreaming up and starting the program.

Kate:
So Michelle, how many days do you work per week?

Michelle:
We have two small children so life is a complete juggling act. I work 4 full days a week and then log in hours at night once the kids are in bed. I tend to do graphic design, web and computer-type work at night and deal with the manufacturing/sales side of Addaboy during the day. We bought a huge wipe off calendar for our kitchen and it never ceases to amaze me at how chock-full it looks at the end of the month!

Kate:
Many people think of ideas for a company or product but never really follow through. Do you consider yourself courageous? And how do you deal with the risk involved?

Michelle:
I think any person tackling something new is courageous and risk taking is generally about doing something that extends you out of your personal comfort zone! This is one of the main things I miss about running the Fly Gurlz. Women would be trying something they had never done before and at the end of the ride, lesson or race they would be on fire with enthusiasm – I fed off this vibe – it was incredible! Then this new-found self-confidence would have a ripple effect throughout their personal and business lives. They took a risk and gained rewards for facing it. This is the way I approach my entrepreneurial life. You have to go all in and experience the good with the bad. There is risk and it can be very daunting and scary at times but because of what I learned from Fly Gurlz, I know that I will come out the other side stronger, tougher and more knowledgeable than before I started. I am surrounded by an amazing family and lean on them often for support and encouragement. I think communication is the key to managing the stress of going out on your own and taking the risks involved with building a business. I am a long distance runner now as well and this seems to really help me stay focused and work out the bugs that tend to creep into your head when you are struggling to build a dream. Passion will get you through the tougher times as well – it is the lifeblood of any small business.

Kate:
When you started building your two ventures (Fly Gurlz and Addaboy) did you have mentors who provided help and advice? If so who were they and what did they teach you?

Michelle:
There were no blueprints available for Fly Gurlz when I started and because of that it was a very tough go. We were trail blazers and as a result I didn’t have any business model mentors to look to for advice. We were the first affiliated all-women’s club in Canada, the first North American all-female mountain bike trade team and the first event organizer to host a women’s only mountain bike race. So initially the community had to rely on itself and ironically this is what created such a strong foundation. As the program developed so did the amazing creative pool of women involved. So I can’t name one person over another, except to say that Fly Gurlz was always a team effort grown out of a mutual love for the sport of cycling!

With Addaboy things are different as there are many designers working in Canada who have already laid an incredible foundation for companies like mine to follow. Sara Filmore at Planet Kid in Toronto is most certainly my mentor for this business and she has been such a terrific help. She has taught me so much that I could fill a page with her wisdom! Suffice to say that I feel so very blessed for knowing and having her in my life.

Kate:
What advice can you give to a potential entrepreneur interested in building a business?

Michelle:
Do it right from the start. All those little things like name searches, registering your business, insurance and looking into the legal obligations of the kind of service/product you wish to bring to the marketplace. I believe it’s worth the investment to hire a lawyer to help you out with incorporation and the like. You also have to have a working business plan. A great book that was recommended to me by one of my mentors is the “E-Myth” by Michael Gerber. I think it’s a must read for any person who wants to improve their small business or launch one.

Other key advice I would give is that there is always a pay-off for hard work and in North America I think we often equate this reward as monetary. I have found over the years that money is often the last pay-off after many intangibles ones have been offered up. You need to keep your expectations in check and don’t get bogged down by negative tapes that can start playing as you struggle to launch your business. It’s normal and natural to experience many highs and lows as you travel down the entrepreneurial path. I remember around year 5 with Fly Gurlz another organization got a huge cash sponsorship. I was still slugging it out – working for 9 bucks an hour to help pay for insurance, team kits etc. That tape started in my head, “Why did they get that money? I should be making a living by now! ” Well, really, who said I should? By allowing those emotions in I became very angry, bitter and resentful and nobody wants to be around a person like that. Keep your expectations in check and realize that the early pay-offs will most often come in the most subtle and quiet ways. If you are in the land of anger they will go right over your head and you won’t see them. These small pay-offs are the very thing that you will need to keep going and persevere through the early hard times of building a business! Celebrate & rejoice in every small achievement and by all means – toot your own horn because nobody else is gonna do it for you!

Kate:
How do you define success?

Michelle:
Success for me would be defined as living a positive and upbeat life and never taking my health, family or passion for being on this planet for granted!

Kate:
Michelle, many thanks for sharing your views and advice on being an entrepreneur!

For further information on starting up your own small business, RBC Royal Bank has a good section on their website, and if you google the words “entrepreneur” and “test” you’ll find many online quizzes which will help you determine if you may have what it takes to launch your own business venture.

About these ads