The PEI Business Women’s Association (PEIBWA) is pleased to announce that Sarah Bennetto O’Brien, owner of The Handpie Company located in Albany, PEI is the winner of the 2022 Sensational Summer PitchFest Competition launched in May. This program – the first of its kind in PEI – was a competitive pitch competition for women entrepreneurs from across PEI seeking to grow and expand their operations.
Judges – Cathy Bennett, Founding Manager & Partner, Sandpiper Ventures; Martie Murphy, Co-Owner, D.P. Murphy; Cathy Rose, Owner-Operator, Rose Dental Lab/Seaspray PEI Vacation Rentals & PEI Business Advisory Services; and Margaret Magner, CEO, PEIBWA - determined that O’Brien’s project had the most potential for success and would benefit from the $15,000 cash prize. The Handpie Company is in the process of scaling up its operations and capacity with an ambitious expansion of facility space from 2,400 to 11,000 square feet this fall.
PEIBWA CEO, Margaret Magner was impressed by the quality of all the competition applicants. (...)
Funding for PEIBWA’s Sensational Summer PitchFest 2022 was provided by the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat, as well as the Atlantic Canadian Women in Growth Project through ACOA.
To read our Press Release, CLICK HERE
To Learn More about this Program, CLICK HERE.
The PEI Business Women’s Association (PEIBWA) is excited to announce a new partnership with Copper Bottom Brewing Company to launch the Copper Bottom x PEIBWA Micro Grant Program!
Copper Bottom is releasing a beer called “Betty’s Ale”, commemorating Island singer- songwriter Ashley Condon's mother, as part of their GiveBack Initiative series. (...)
$1 from each can or pint of this beer sold will be donated to PEIBWA, which will then be used to support a micro-grant program to advance Island women in business.
(...) This Micro Grant program is a member-only funding opportunity designed to help new, growing, and established women entrepreneurs through a non-repayable grant and business skills support. Five $500 micro grants will be awarded through this partnership. Applications will remain open until Friday, August 12, 2022, at midnight.
This week, we present you Lindsay Law from Youth Rising Coaching Services Inc. Lindsay is an alumni of our Accelerate HER PEI Program!
Name of Business: Youth Rising Coaching Services Inc.
What kind of work did you do in the past and what inspired you to start your own business?
I worked as a Pediatric Physical Therapist for 10 years before I took some time to be home with my children. Through raising my children, I became passionate about the importance of youth mental health and started conversations with our children about caring for their brains early. I now help youth embrace confidence and self love so that they are ready for life's challenges.
How long have you owned your business?
I have owned my business for 1 year now.
What have your challenges been? How did you overcome them?
I knew that I wanted to help families and youth and I knew that I had a lot to offer from what I had learned through my experience, but I wanted to be able to offer more so that I could help them to a higher degree. This is why I became certified as a youth life coach so that I could really help youth make the changes they needed for better life long mental health.
What have your successes been?
My big successes are when I hear a teen or tween tell me the impact that coaching has had for them. "I have more confidence with friends at school and I don't worry as much about what others say about me." and "I can try anything, because I know that no matter the outcome, I'm ok with me."
What services does your business provide?
I help youth embrace confidence and self love so that they can navigate the challenges of life with more compassion and kindness towards themselves. This allows them to say no when it really matters, avoid self harm activities, ask for help when they really need it and be willing to accept themselves even when they fail. I provide this support through 1:1 coaching.
I help parents show up as the parents they want to to support their teen/tweens self love journey with confidence and curiosity. I teach parents to communicate acceptance of their youth in any situation. I provide this support through a parent e-course, 1:1 coaching and free parent workshops.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
I have 6 children and have personally dealt with self love and confidence challenges as a youth and as a mother with children who have struggled to see their value. My own personal experience as well as my training make me well fitted to serving my customers to the highest level. I don't just teach skills, I coach to help my clients get to the root of what is holding them back from true self acceptance and confidence.
What areas do you serve?
I serve youth and parents all over North America.
How can people contact you?
The PEI Business Women’s Association (PEIBWA) is pleased to announce that six Island women entrepreneurs have been selected as finalists for the 2022 Sensational Summer PitchFest Competition launched in May.
Congratulations to the six finalists:
These six companies will receive one-on-one pitch coaching by industry experts – before participating in the live pitch competition with the opportunity to receive $15,000 to grow and expand their operations. The live event will be held in Charlottetown on Wednesday, July 27th where one deserving company will be announced the winner of PEIBWA’s Sensational Summer PitchFest 2022.
Read our Press Release HERE
To Learn More about this Program, click HERE
This week, we introduce you to Paige Martin from PEI Pelvic and Breast Health. Paige joined as a PEIBWA Member in January 2022.
Name of Business: PEI Pelvic and Breast Health Inc.
I was working as a physiotherapist in an orthopedic clinic when I started doing additional training in pelvic health. I quickly realized that women's pelvic health in our province was greatly underserved. I knew that the only way to make a change was to dedicate my full practice to treating pelvic and breast conditions. So I did just that, I left my ortho caseload and opened a clinic dedicated to treating women's pelvic health.
June 2021
What challenges have you overcome?
It was very nerve wracking leaving a full ortho caseload, not knowing if I would even be busy enough to stay afloat. It is a double edged sword, I am incredibly busy, but that means there are a lot of women who still need help.
Every time I get an email from a patient telling me their successes, I take it on as my own. "I no longer have pain with sex" or "I can jump on a trampoline with my kids and not pee my pants" or "I had the best birth experience I could have hoped for".
Have you had any unexpected surprises?
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have to make monthly lube orders haha
We also treat and educate those that are preparing for pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery, lactating parents with blocked milk ducts/mastitis, and babies with latch issues or oral restrictions.
I don't like to think about other pelvic health physiotherapists as competitors, because we are all working towards the same goal. I have a great admiration for them and we often consult each other when we have challenging cases. The only difference would be that my caseload is 100% pelvic and breast as opposed to also treating typical orthopedic conditions.
I treat patients island wide. I operate in Cornwall but I am currently seeing patients from Souris to Tignish.
This week, we introduce you to Steff Sullivan from Steff Sullivan Collective. Steff joined as a PEIBWA Member in March 2022.
Name of Business: Steff Sullivan Collective
I grew up with two entrepreneurial parents and worked within both of their businesses throughout my teens. My own journey into entrepreneurship began while attending nursing school at McMaster University. A roommate and I started an eco-friendly residential cleaning company and ran it for three years serving students, landlords and the community we lived in. I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and though I was no longer operating that business, my entrepreneurial spirit burned strong. I continued to explore business ventures, sub-contract work alongside my career and obtained multiple certifications in various realms of wellness. I specialized in Women & Infants Health as a nurse, and while I absolutely loved my career and the skills I gained I always had a dream to own my own business.
I’ve been a business owner for a decade now, but I officially began Steff Sullivan Collective in June of 2021. This is the day I launched a new website, though prior I had already begun to build a brand, blog & community. This collective is an amalgamation of offerings I am incredibly passionate about. I feel so grateful to be able to blend all of the skills and experiences I have had in my various professional roles into a space for people to take care of themselves holistically.
The biggest challenge I have found in entrepreneurship, especially in the times we have found ourselves in, is feeling isolated. I went from a very social career, working with large teams and seeing many humans each day to working virtually (for the most part) and on my own learning many new things. I think many people don’t realize that business owners are oftentimes also social media managers, web designers, customer service, technical support & more all while holding space for others. In the early phases it can be very challenging on your mental health and be challenging to find balance or know when to stop thinking about your business. That said, this year I knew I needed to begin to seek support and have more open conversations with other business owners both locally and online. Since doing so, I am finding that many of us have the same thoughts, fears and struggles. I have joined a few new communities this year that have already been so incredibly supportive. We are better together and collaboration is so key.
Throughout my various experiences in businesses, I have developed skills for social media and design work which I really love doing. I think having a strong and cohesive social media and brand presence is so important to help develop community and brand awareness. That said, much of my success in my business thus far has been because I have been cultivating relationships and my community for over six years now before officially launching my current business.
Secondly, within my business I offer many entry points for clients from free content on social media and my blog to group experiences and one-on-one services. Accessibility is very important to me and because of this I think I have developed a very approachable and human centered business that truly cares about the consumer. Relationships are the key to my business, especially being a service based brand and because of this many of my clients have come through referrals.
Yes, more than I can recall. The thing about entrepreneurship that not many people share is that it is often a series of trial and error until you gather enough information to see what works and what doesn’t. And also what feels good to you. It can take a while to build a brand voice and set of offerings that feels aligned, but when you do , you just know. Unfortunately, when you do so people notice and sometimes for the wrong reasons. I’ve experienced people copying my work which has been disheartening. But, I believe that being authentic in your business (and in your life) will always pay off, even if it takes a bit longer.
Steff Sullivan Collective has three main pillars of wellness with an emphasis on self-care:
Movement: low impact barre & pilates style movement classes live on Zoom and through my on-demand platform as well as on occasion at local studios
Discovery: learn how you energy operates, how you make decisions and how to honor your unique self-care needs through the modality of Human Design
Cultivate: community experiences include monthly holistic self-care workshops & the newest offering recently launched: well-being retreats
I blend a unique set of skills through my professional experience as a Registered Nurse, Certified Barre, Strength & Pre/Postnatal Coaching and prior business experience with my own humanness into a brand that offers a soft place to land. I offer payment plans for my offerings and I spend a large portion of my energy and resources trying to be the best person I can be so that I can provide inclusive, trauma informed and accessible services because every human deserves self-care. My work has been described as a coming home. People feel seen, validated and loved when they experience offerings in business and that to me, is the ultimate goal.
My business operates mostly online, but I do offer my services to local studios & host workshops and special events on Prince Edward Island. My next in person offering is a well-being retreat called Moon to Sea Well-being Retreat held at Nature Space Resort near Morell, which is taking place this fall from September 8th to 12th, 2022. I have always envisioned that Steff Sullivan Collective would be a blend of virtual and in-person offerings so I am so excited to bring this retreat to life here! For more information visit: www.steffsullivan.co/moon-to-sea-retreat
This week, we present you Shelley Montreuil and her company, Shelley Montreuil, PMP (https://shelleymontreuil.com/). Shelley joined as a PEIBWA Member in March 2022.
Name of Business: Shelley Montreuil, PMP
I have always been self-employed in one way or another as a restaurateur, web developer and a musician but I have also taken time to work in capital campaign fundraising. Most recently I spent some time up in Iqaluit, NU working as a correctional officer and now I am back on the Island revisiting my web career and growing organic haskaps.
I ran a successful web development business in Ontario (OnCouRSS Media Solutions) for ten years before selling it and running off to be a musician (Yo Mama, Fluffy Little Cowboys). This new iteration of my web development career is only a year old but I have been working in the field for over fifteen years.
Web development is a decidedly male-dominated industry. I have had to navigate that and the preconceptions that come with it for most of my career. But I have found that focusing on the facts and over-delivering on promises does a lot to instill confidence and encourage customer loyalty.
OnCouRSS was the developer of choice for a number of high-profile clients in the Lanark County, ON area, most notably Lanark County Tourism. I worked with them to integrate their third-party tourism database into a beautiful, streamlined website experience. And most recently I had the opportunity to develop the website and ecommerce solution for Growers Station – PEI’s new organic growers cooperative.
Hmmmmm, unexpected surprises … I don’t really know. When you run your own business it seems that every day is full of unexpected surprises so none really stand out amongst the others for me, though I would have to say that having that kind of diversity in my day is one of the reasons I love working for myself.
I specialize in building custom WordPress websites (themes). I integrate custom functionality such as ecommerce and membership while paying close attention to design. I have also spent quite a bit of time helping my clients to streamline their online assets ie: hosting, email and domain registration – I find that people often pay much more than they need to for their website services simply because they are not aware of their options.
Recently I have been creating custom tutorial videos for clients – this is helping them to streamline their own client onboarding and to save time and money in the process.
Web development is one of those services that is a little bit of a mystery to many people so when they come to me looking to get a specific job done I take the time to understand their needs in relation to their objectives. If there is a way to save them time and money in the long term or just generally a better, easier way to get the job done then I will bring it to their attention and review their options with them – even if that means they may not engage me or my services.
When I build a website for a client I create a custom dashboard with links to all the important areas of their site and tutorial videos on how to manage their site moving forward (because it is easy to forget how to update your website when you don’t do it every day).
My services are primarily online so I am able to serve clients from anywhere in the world.
This week, we present you Christine Kleinsteuber from All De Tails. Christine joined as a PEIBWA Member in July 2020 and provides service anywhere on PEI. She is also an alumni of our Accelerate HER PEI Program.
Name of Business: All DeTails Pet Sitting
I started off in retail and retail management, but my passion was always animals and animal care. I left retail to follow my dreams and obtained education in animal care and husbandry. I managed a seasonal mini aquarium and explorer lab on Vancouver Island, where I found enjoyment in teaching others not only about the animals, but also about how to properly handle and care for them.
I also obtained my Animal Welfare Certificate, Pet First Aid and CPR, and was a vet assistant at various clinics in B.C. While at the vet clinics, I found many clients were in need of reliable, knowledgeable and professional pet sitters. All DeTails started in 2017 and was increasingly in demand in the area until we moved to PEI in the Fall of 2018. I'm an entrepreneur at heart and could work in any field that involves animal husbandry, I just love caring for them.
The biggest challenge was getting the courage to start my business and put myself out there. I have always been more comfortable around animals than I have been around people. I am a perfectionist, and wanted to make sure that the services I offered were everything that I would personally want in a pet sitter to look after my animals.
I started advertising and going to “meet and greets” with potential clients. The first couple did not result in any bookings, which was discouraging, but with the support of my family and partner I continued on and got my first bookings.
An on-going challenge is explaining to potential clients the difference between a Certified Professional Pet Sitter compared to having family, friends, neighbors and/or students looking after their pets. This can be difficult to overcome, as the cost of services is a key factor for many. I explain the differences, and benefits of hiring a Certified Professional, but I am always prepared for them to decide on another/cheaper alternative. I have learned to accept this, and a key thing to realize is that not everyone is the type of client that would desire my services, and that is okay.
I've been lucky enough to have support from PEIBWA with the Accelerate Her program, and Pet Sitters International. I became a Certified Professional Pet Sitter in 2018, renewed my Pet First Aid and CPR, and I continue my learning of all animals with online training. I also continue to have clients in B.C. contact me for advice and referrals to other pet care services that I know are reputable.
Any unexpected surprises?
Yes, there always is, but it's my favorite part of being in business. I'm surprised by how many people own exotic animals on PEI; which I find great, because that's my niche. Whether it's snakes, reptiles, bunnies, ferrets, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, parrots, chickens, you name it, I've looked after it.
We offer in your home pet sitting for animals of all kinds and dog/cat walking services. We also provide various consultations, from habitat set-up for your exotic, to how to provide enrichment to your pets so they stay alert, active and healthy. We often find kids with small animals that may not know how to properly care for them, and we help families with that.
We not only have the requisite business and liability insurance, but we are insured with care, customer and control that is specific to the pet sitting industry. This provides coverage beyond the standard business and liability insurance that others may carry, which is beneficial for all parties in the event an emergency arises when your pet is in our care. We are bonded and Certified Professional Pet Sitters, with up-to-date Pet First Aid and CPR.
Our name, All DeTails means exactly that, we not only care for all the animals with tails, but we look after all the details when caring for your pet(s) and home. We don’t just ask where the food and leashes are, we ask lots of questions to better know your pet and how to tailor our care specifically to them. I often hear, "Wow, you've thought of everything" in my meet and greets. I take pride in knowing that I have over 27 years experience caring for people's pets and homes. I've worked in animal rescues, animal clinics, and volunteered in animal disasters.
We are mobile so we can serve anywhere on PEI, but mostly our clients are between Summerside and Charlottetown.
This week, we present you new PEIBWA Member Connie Spencer, from Wee Rover Farm. Her business is located in Murray River!
Name of Business: The name of my business is ‘Wee Rover Farm’ and it’s my dream coming true.
What kind of work did you do in the past and what inspired you to start your own business? How long have you owned your business?
After over 20 years in tourism and customer service I made the leap in 2020. In the midst of the pandemic, I thought “life is too short for not doing what you love”. Last year, I registered the business and had a very soft opening by partaking in the local farmers market in Murray Harbour.
What services does Wee Rover Farm provide?
I sell vegetables, herbs and flowers that I grow sustainably and organically (although not certified yet). I really believe in growing joy with flowers, self care and that everyone should be buying locally grown everything to help our planet and carbon footprint. I also believe everyone should try to grow food and flowers themselves and the mental and physical benefits of gardening are amazing!!!
Along with the farmers market and weekly boxes (pick what you want model) I am also offering by appointment: flower u pick, pick your own for brides, harvest your own supper, and workshops on how to make bouquets. I also have events lined up such as: ‘Beer & Blooms’ at Copper Bottom Brewer, yoga on the farm, ‘sip and snip’ featuring stellar sommelier Leslie, and I am in talks for a vegan farm to table event.
I have had no funding help at all as I’m seasonal and didn’t qualify for anything like SKILLS etc. It’s definitely been building slowly and for a tight few years. Luckily, I have a very supportive hubby and two amazing daughters who help out a bit.
I believe I am set apart from competitors because I offer things no one else does in the Southern Kings area. I’m super excited about this coming season.
See full job posting HERE.
Qualified applicants should forward an electronic resume and cover letter to Margaret Magner, Chief Executive Officer, PEI Business Women’s Association with “Business Development and Membership Officer” in the subject line. Apply HERE.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY, JUNE 3RD, 2022.
Thank you to all that apply; however, only those that are selected for an interview will be contacted.
