{PASSING ON THE LOVE} Stella & Dot, Independent Stylist Terri Jordan

One of the most important things to me as a small business owner is to see other entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed! I firmly believe in the benefits of community and this belief exists in my professional life just as much as it does in my personal life!! And, I want to make sure that the world knows about the awesome people I get to know and work with as a part of my own small enterprise!! Thus, I have created the Passing On The Love interview series, a regular feature that introduces you to someone great and gives a little insight to who they are [and what their business can offer you]!! 

Meet Terri, a beautiful, warm-hearted and super fun woman and Independent Stylist for Stella and Dot. 

What are you three "fun fact" things that people should about YOU?

I love to shop; I love to talk; and I love to share fabulous finds with friends!

Tell me about your business. What are you doing/offering, etc?

I am an independent stylist with Stella & Dot. I give women an opportunity to shop for the latest jewelry fashions without having to leave the comfort of their home. They can either shop online, or enjoy a fun night in with their girlfriends by hosting their very own jewelry Trunk Show. By hosting your own trunk show, hostesses have the opportunity to get hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry to add to their wardrobe for FREE!

How long have you been doing what you are doing? (When did you start your business, When did you enter this profession, etc)?

I started with Stella & Dot in January 2012 after downsizing in my previous career, forced me to have to look for another position. However, I have been in the sales industry for the past 10 years. Becoming a Stylist with Stella & Dot provides the opportunity to work from home but continue be social and do something fun and exciting.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love helping women find styles to suit their personalities. When I see someone wearing one of the unique pieces from Stella & Dot, I can't help but smile inside because I know that it makes them happy inside as well.

Whether you are offering a service or a product to your customers, there is an experience that you they have when dealing with your business. What kind of experience do you want you customers to have with you?

When a customer decides to host a Trunk Show, they can be rest assured that it will be a very relaxing experience with no sales pressure. All they need to do is browse the catalogue, play with the jewelry samples that I bring to their home and decide what they want to have for themselves. I always give the hostess two days after the trunk show to gather more orders, if necessary and to decide what they want to choose for their free items. A customer service is key, so I want everyone to have a wonderful, stress free experience. If they have any questions or concerns, I am more than happy to help them out.

What inspires you to grow or be more creative in your field, and in running your business?

I am excited to share my products and offer the Stella & Dot opportunity to others in order to grow my business. I would love to be able to share my sales training and experience that I have been so grateful to receive over the past 10 years. It is exciting to be able to offer other women the freedom to make their own choices and be their own boss as well.

All of have us have dreams and goals for our businesses. What are some of your dreams and goals that you wish to share and experience with your customers?

My dream is to be able to share this opportunity and continue to provide for my growing family. We took our three boys to Mexico last year for a family vacation and since then, they are hooked on vacationing in the Caribbean... my dream is that I will be able to provide that opportunity, plus many more to them for years to come.

Besides offering your businesses services or products, what are some other ways you wish to serve Charlotte County through your business?

I have been a member of many services groups over the past 10 years in every business that I have been involved in. I love to network and share my experiences (good and bad) to others. I love to network with fellow business owners and feel that being involved in my community is the best way for me to give back.

I don't think a lot people know how awesome it is to live in Charlotte County. What are some reasons why you have chosen to be here, and to own a business in here?

I love the small town living that Charlotte County offers. I believe that Charlotte County has a lot to offer and I am excited to see where we will be in another five years. There's nowhere to go but up! We live in an amazing area... one that a lot of people take for granted... the beauty and character of this community is breath-taking.

What has been the most challenging part of starting a small business or running a small business?

The most challenging parting of starting a business is making yourself known in the community and having people understand your products and services that are offered.

What has been the most rewarding part of starting a small business or running a small business?

The most rewarding part of my business is being able to offer something new to our small community. It's nice to have the ability to buy beautiful things without leaving your own community and home. Also, the flexibility that my business offers is a huge perk with a growing family.

I has so much fun hanging out with last week while photographing her modelling some of the gorgeous Stella and Dot jewelry she has on hand! Seriously if you have any interest in jewelry you have to check out the wide selection that Terri has. This stuff is beautiful, and high quality! 

Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May

{GROWTH} The Cost of Being Stretched

2011 was a very stretching year for me as I stepped out in faith towards something that had long been a shelved idea: being a working photographer. Granted, this wasn't the first time I made a major life-altering decision that scared me to bits. Quitting a career job and moving across the country to attend university at an age when all your friends are getting married, buying houses and getting promotions is not an easy thing to do. In both cases, I have no regrets (most of the time anyway... there are always the lingering what-if's, but they are very quiet in comparison to the what-if's I would have heard had I not made the choices I made!).

This year will be even more stretching. There is an ever-growing lists of personal and professional goals that I make for myself. The hard decisions I am becoming more and more accustomed to making in order to achieve these has me well on my way to reaching my goals for this year, some of which are:

1> Book and shoot 14 weddings (more than halfway there).

2> Get published.

3> Officially launch High School Senior Portrait website and Spokesmodel program. I am so excited about working with High Schoolers in Charlotte County!! AND, next week I meet with my first two Spokesmodels!!

4> Develop client gift program (Oh boy! I have some wonderful treats in the works!).

5> Make more photographer friends. The new relationships have been endless, and this is in part to the awesome online community of Showiteers (the gaggle of photographers and designers who subscribe to the same website builder that do... seriously in love with these people!!).

6> Grow as a business women. This is happening everyday, and I am so thrilled to be going to Boston next week (along with fellow New Brunswick photog friends Randi, Carla and Jen, to learn from one of the industry bests, Jasmine Star. 

7> Grow as an artist. I am consistently looking for inspiration as an artist, seeking to develop my skill levels, and striving to improve the quality of my work. Thus, I am over the moon excited and feel so privileged to be one of only fifteen photographers to be spending two full days with International Wedding Photographer Clayton Austinin his Austin, Texas studio this June.

8> Encourage, support and promote other local businesses and artists (My Passing on the Love interview series is helping me get started with this!).

9> Develop a "Client Lounge" website for my brides and grooms and pepper it with all sorts of tidbits that will help make their wedding planning and wedding photography absolutely perfect (I started working on this last night!!!).

10> Learn to love like Jesus, more and more.

Wow. Writing those out is an encouraging exercise! But also makes me realize how much work I still have to do! And, the cost of allowing myself to be stretched and grow towards fully achieving my goals? Letting go of the belief that I can't do it.

Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May

{Passing On The Love} Luxe Day Spa and Salon

One of the most important things to me as a small business owner is to see other entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed! I firmly believe in the benefits of community and this belief exists in my professional life just as much as it does in my personal life!! And, I want to make sure that the world knows about the awesome people I get to know and work with as a part of my own small enterprise!! Thus, I have created the Passing On The Love interview series, a regular feature that introduces you to someone great and gives a little insight to who they are [and what their business can offer you]!! 

Please meet Judy McCarty and Tiffany Pike, owners of Luxe Day Spa and Salon in St. Stephen, NB. 

I first came to know about Judy, Tiffany and Luxe when I went there to photograph my September bride Carolyn. Tiffany was the hairstylist behind Carolyn's gorgeous contemporary up-do, and Judy was the master artist responsible for Carolyn's gorgeous and glamorous makeup! 

The salon is as beautiful as Tiffany and Judy are, and provides a very aesthetically pleasing and relaxing environment for any patron. My favourite space in the whole place: Judy spa room - the black and white damask wall paper and hot pink accessories makes the girly-girl in me so happy!!

Here, in their own words is a bit about the salon, and Tiffany and Judy's vision for their business.

Tell me about your business. What are you doing/offering, etc?

We are a full service spa & Salon. We offer great service with a selection of retail products. We try to stay up to date with anything that is current in the beauty world. We want to bring exciting new things to our town such as: Hair Feathers, Spray tanning, etc. We are always on the look out for new "trends" to stay current. We offer everything to do a full makeover! Come in get a spray tan, nails, makeup, new cut & colour! You can leave our spa feeling like a million bucks!! We also offer spa parties. They are great for a girl's night out, bachelorette, bridal, baby showers, and birthday parties. If you come up with any fun ideas we will try to accommodate!

How long have you been doing what you are doing? (When did you start your business, When did you enter this profession, etc)?

We have been in our profession for about 5 years. We went to school together for hair & esthetics, and had decided that we would one day open a spa & salon named "LUXE" and worked hard to accomplish our dream! We finally opened our doors to Luxe Day Spa & Salon in August of 2011 with lots of help from our family and friends. We have wonderful clients and without everyone's support we wouldn't have made it! So we send many thanks to our family, friends, and clients who have also become like family! Xo

What do you love most about what you do?

Our jobs allow us to be very creative. Everyday is different so it NEVER gets boring!! We love our jobs and going to work everyday doesn't feel like "work" so we think we are in the right profession :)

Whether you are offering a service or a product to your customers, there is an experience that you they have when dealing with your business. What kind of experience do you want you customers to have with you?

We want people to come in and relax and have the attention focused only on them while they are at our business. We take our time and never rush clients in and out. If clients want to vent and get things off their chest about how their day/life is going we want them to feel comfortable in doing so. We keep our lips sealed so vent/gossip away. At the same time some clients come in to have peace and quiet and would prefer not to speak, so come in enjoy a nice flavoured coffee or tea during your service while you relax :)

What inspires you to grow or be more creative in your field, and in running your business?

We strive to be the best that we can be. We have learned overate years that it is impossible to please everyone, but we will do a damn good job trying to! We want our small town to thrive and for people to not have to go to a city to have a "city" environment/experience. Many people think they have to venture outside of our town to get the latest up to date hairstyles/spa services, but we are always trying to stay one step ahead and offer anything that is new.

All of have us have dreams and goals for our businesses. What are some of your dreams and goals that you wish to share and experience with your customers?

We hope as the years go by that our business will grow. We have future plans to add onto our staff and our service menus. We hope clients continue to grow with us.

Besides offering your businesses services or products, what are some other ways you wish to serve Charlotte County through your business?

We try to help out local organizations by donating our services when they have fundraisers, or Gift certificates. We know how important it is for our town to stick together and to try to help out if it is possible.

I think a lot people are not aware of how awesome it is to live in Charlotte County. What are some reasons why you have chosen to be here, and to own a business in here?

We both grew up in the area, so it is great knowing the people in your town. It makes their experience a little more personal like you are chatting with a friend. Growing up it always seemed to be everyone's goal to get out of this town, but we are both very close to our family and friends here and as you get older you come to realize our town isn't so bad and that it actually is a great place to live and to have a family. Owning a small business in a small town is probably easier than if we lived in a big city because we know a lot of the locals, and it is a small town so word of mouth travels fast! If someone comes in and loves their service they will tell a friend, who will tell a friend, etc so our client base will continue to grow. As long as we continue to provide great service then people will recommend us. We hope someday our business will expand to offer some jobs to locals, or people that want to live in our town. We also hope to see other small businesses open to provide jobs so our town doesn't become a ghost town. Competition is healthy and keeps our town thriving and it is always good to support local businesses so they don’t have to close their doors.

What has been the most challenging part of starting a small business or running a small business?

The most challenging part of starting and running a small business is the unknown. It is really a big leap to quit your job and invest thousands of dollars and then some into a business that you can see so vividly in your mind and hoping that others see if too. We both dove into our venture with high hopes and determination, and so far it has been successful. We just have to cross our fingers and hope our venture continues to thrive.

What has been the most rewarding part of starting a small business or running a small business?

The most rewarding part of running a small business is being able to be as creative with it as we want. It is nice to be your own "boss". If something goes wrong we only have ourselves to blame. Our future depends on us so everything is in our hands :)

Here are a few pictures from Carolyn's September wedding and a few pictures from an inspiration wedding shoot that Judy and Tiffany did the gorg hair and make-up for!!

Pass the love and share this interview with all your friends!

Happy Monday,

Shannon-May

[passing on the love] the bistro on the boulevard

one of the most important things to me as a small business owner is to see other entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed! i firmly believe in the benefits of community and this belief exists in my professional life just as much as it does in my personal life!! and, i want to make sure that the world knows about the awesome people i get to know and work with as a part of my own small enterprise!! thus, i have created the "passing on the love" interview series, a monthly feature that introduces you to someone great and gives a little insight to who they are [and what their business can offer you]!! 

when i first arrived in st. stephen over five years ago i was a little disappointed that i would have to drive over an hour for a espresso based coffee, or that if i wanted to eat something that came close to gourmet i would have go to saint andrews or make it myself [the disappointment did not last too long once i discovered that we have a fantastic breakfast joint - carmen's diner!!]. so i was very, very happy when i heard that a bistro, complete with an espresso machine and beautiful decor, was opening in the spring of 2010!! the first food item i tried was the french  onion soup, it remains one of my favourite items!! back in august i sat down with diane ganong, owner of the bistro on the boulevard in st. stephen to chat about her vision for the bistro, what inspires her and the hope she has for her business and the community of charlotte county. if you have not yet paid a visit, i strongly encourage you to make it a priority!

when did the idea for a bistro in st. stephen come to mind?

i’ve been thinking of it for sometime. but last year in the winter i decided that if i was ever going to do it, i had better get on with it, so we opened last may [2010].

what was the journey like from conception to the birth of all this?

well i knew what i like in a place where i could sit and have coffee or have a nice meal. i thought we needed a place with nice ambiance and nice music and good service and an interesting selection for the menu. i just sort of used a lot of recipes that i liked in the first menu, and then we change it seasonally, so we change it three or four times a year now. now we get input from the staff but i still have a hand in deciding what the menu will be.

one thing i notice with the menu is that there is always fresh food [real food], there is nothing that would come in already prepared and this is reflected in the taste as well... this is in part because of the philosophy you have behind food, there is seems to be a health aspect...

yes. we decided not to have a deep fryer, there is lots of opportunity to have deep fried food in st. stephen, and charlotte county in general so we thought that was pretty well covered and would try to do something that was a little healthier by serving salads and sandwiches, that are probably fewer calories and cooked in such a way where there is not as much fat.

and then you have the option of gluten free items. can you talk about that a little?

yes, well, i am a celiac so i have eaten a lot of salads in my day because often that is all you can get in a restaurant so i thought well, the gluten free products are readily available now and there are a lot of people who really looking for gluten free now and it’s easy to do for us so we do that. and we try to accommodate other allergies as well, for example we have soy products.

so you mentioned that ambiance is important to you – something that is comfortable and relaxedy, and obviously something that is aesthetically beautiful... what inspired the look and what is the kind of experience you want people to have when they walk into this space?

well, i wanted it to be warm and relaxed, and yellow happens to be one of my favorite colours so that was a very easy decision. and, i have a friend who is very good at decorating so she came and helped me with the banners on the wall. and i contacted the decorator in st. stephen and she sat down with my for a while. and the building itself lends itself to the ambiance with the brick walls, and the fact that it is a heritage building i think helps. the hardwood floors are original, we had them refinished but they are the original factory floors. so i think the building echoes the stories of the people who worked here for years and years so i think it’s just neat to have a restaurant here.

what have you enjoyed most about running this bistro?

i have learned a lot in the last fifteen months because i have never done anything like this before! but i think meeting the customers, seeing people really enjoy themselves here really means a lot.  and we have the comment cards, which sometimes are not always good but we learn from those comments... but generally speaking i think people enjoy coming here and meeting their friends or having business meetings or having intimate dinners with their spouses or partners.

through that you’ve expressed is one of the things i love about this area, which is the relational aspect of doing life here. you basically said you love running the bistro because you get to meet new people and learn from them and provide a space for people to build relationship... i love that and it is so inspiring!

in terms of running a business and doing something that hasn’t been approached before, offering higher end food and coffees... what are your hopes?

well, there is still a lot of people who not even been in, and one person told me that they didn’t think they knew what anything on the menu was! but it’s really not that complex a menu – there are some terms like panini and such, but i think because of that some people have been unsure about coming in. and there are still some who don’t even know we offer take-out coffee... signage is a bit of an issue for us. but i hope that more people will come in and give it a try!!

last year you teamed up with st. croix theatre company and had a dinner theatre event here... what are some other unique ways you hope to have the bistro participate in the community life of st. stephen?

well we also did a dinner for hospice and i think we’ll do that again, and we have talked about doing some theme nights - last year we did a cuban night and would like to do more, and with summer winding down we’ll have more time to plan them. and maybe have something special on friday nights.

what are three things you would like st. stephen to know about you?

i grew up here and family is really important to me, and i love living in charlotte county.

i like to travel.

i like meeting people, having new experiences and i like a challenge!

love & sunshine,
shannon-may

featured in the photos were: lobster stuffed mushrooms caps, a mocha latte, happy employees and very regularly [satisfied] customer!!