2022 Clients

What was your motivation to start your business?
I love to cook. I wanted to bring innovative, exciting, ingredient-focused cuisine to London. I wanted to build a community of like-minded food-loving individuals together, and I wanted to support the health of the hospitality industry.

How has being an entrepreneur improved your life?
I used to get so anxious and stressed with workplace drama. Feeling boxed in and stunted by the limitations of corporate-minded bosses who didn’t understand the restaurant industry. Now I can make the food I want and have a creative outlet. I have the freedom to succeed or fail based on my own choices. I feel at home when I am at work.

What does it mean to be a business owner?
Learning everything about everything regarding your business. Restaurants have many moving parts, and how we do it is complicated with changing menus and hundreds of small suppliers. Bootstrapping a business means fixing your own used equipment, doing your payroll at first, and doing your social media. You have to be a wizard at many different things, which you had never considered when you were writing your business plan and creating your initial vision.

Many people say it is easy to start a business. What do you think about it?
I am sure it depends on the type of business. We have 22 staff. Our industry is highly regulated. Our product spoils if we don’t order the right amount. Our staff need to be skilled. Our equipment is expensive to source, maintain and repair. Add to that a global pandemic, downtown social issues, and constant construction. Easy is not the word I would use.

What is your proudest accomplishment?
We are still here. Grace opened at the end of May 2019 after considerable contractor delays and went straight into six months of construction, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our bank would not even give us a credit card at the time because our business was too new. Three years later, we have two additional businesses open to diversify our revenue stream and make us resilient against possible lockdowns. Here we are as close to the other side as we can be.

What words of wisdom did you receive as a child that still apply today in business?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Don’t let fear stop you from learning something new. Nothing is impossible. Be the person you want to work with.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
Take accounting courses. Don’t sacrifice your physical and mental health for a business that doesn’t care about you. Invest in yourself.

Learn more about Grace Restaurant, Grace Bodega, and Grace Pantry.

Tell us about yourself
I grew up in London, Ontario and love this city! I knew opening a business here would be the best decision I’ve ever made, and It’s so nice being part of such a vibrant community. My education mostly consists of business courses, as well as animal care courses. After working with animals most of my life in the veterinary field, I decided to open my own business! I opened Happy Tails Doggy Spa and Pet Boutique in 2016 and have loved every moment!

Tell us about your business
I opened Happy Tails in 2016. We started with a small retail boutique, with only one groomer on staff. We quickly realized the demand for pet grooming in the Hyde Park area and hired a second groomer within the first year of business! In 2020 we outgrew our original location and moved to a larger facility where we could have a better retail area and accommodate more dogs for our grooming services. We now have a staff of five groomers and a receptionist and have become quite the popular place for people to shop for dog supplies and have their dog spoiled!

What are the lessons your business learned from the covid-19 pandemic?
In order for my business to survive the pandemic, I had to learn to change and adapt to the many different challenges. I had to learn new skills, such as creating an online store and setting up new procedures for sales and service. During the lockdowns, we were permitted to continue selling our pet supplies but had to set up new ways of selling and promoting them since shoppers were not allowed inside the store. I learned quickly that I had to be more flexible and ready to change my entire business plan to accommodate the ever-changing needs and restrictions.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre, and how have they helped your business?
When we moved in 2020, we found we had many costs that we needed to cover. With our new location came more growth opportunities.

That also meant the cost of new equipment, tools, and retail shelving. The London Small Business Centre not only provided a small business grant to help me grow my business but also provided group meetings with other small businesses. We could discuss our challenges and learn how to grow our businesses together during challenging times.

What led you to start this business?
Working for years in the veterinary field eventually became mentally exhausting for me. I knew I still wanted to work with animals in a happier, less stressful environment! I wanted to work for myself and follow my dreams, and owning my place was the only way to do that.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started, and how did you overcome them?
One challenge I faced when opening my business was learning to use all the different social media platforms. I quickly had to learn how to create my website, as well as how to use Facebook and Instagram properly. It was a huge challenge, but I also knew how important it was to learn how to use these platforms.

Being a part of the Hyde Park BIA has been very helpful for me. With some of the online digital help they were able to provide me, I was able to learn how to utilize the different platforms best. Through those services, I learned how to grow my business online. Facebook and Instagram have played such a huge part in promoting my business and helping it become part of an online pet community.

As a busy entrepreneur, what do you like to do when you take a break?
I find it’s hard being a business owner and learning to give yourself breaks! There’s always work to be done and improvements to be made. You can easily get absorbed in your work if you’re not careful. Making time for family and friends is so important but can be a real challenge, especially with a new business. Spending time with my family and friends is the most satisfying way to take a break from my business!

Can you tell us about an entrepreneur you admire and why?
I don’t have a particular entrepreneur that I admire. I admire anyone that has had to overcome major challenges to follow their dreams. Opening up a business can be a huge financial and mental struggle for anyone, but people who have defied all odds and succeeded are the ones I admire the most.

What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur today?
Do what you love, and work with what you know. It’s the only way to be happy and successful!

Learn more about Happy Tails Doggy Spa and Pet Boutique

Tell us about yourself
Leaving high school in Hamilton, ON, I thought I wanted to move into my father’s accounting practice. I was a bit of a numbers guy, so I headed off to Western University in London for the Business School. With a degree, I realized I could never sit behind a desk. So, with a huge apology to my parents, I headed to Humber College in Toronto, where I completed a cabinetmaking apprenticeship over four years. I was destined to spend my life creating with my hands.

As much as I loved building custom furniture for people, I soon realized that my true calling was to teach others about the art and craft I was passionate about. So, off to the teachers’ college in London I went. It took three bouts of schooling, but I finally have things figured out. I was born to be a life-long learner and educator, and to be able to teach what I so love to do is an experience to which few can lay claim. Incidentally, it turns out that it was the combination of Business School, Trade School and Teacher’s College that was the key to the success of Stem2Stern.

Rewind to the year 2006. My son was nine, and my daughter 15. I had been looking for a working holiday for the three of us to do some family bonding and heard about a family boatbuilding workshop in Brooklyn, Maine. We spent one glorious week together building our Optimist Pram sailboat, which still lives by the pond on the family farm. I had always vowed to bring this program back to London and share the joy we experienced as a family over 15 years ago with others. The concept for Stem2Stern was born!

Tell us about your business
Stem2Stern is a Community Boat Building organization that, for the most part, targets marginalized youth in London and the surrounding area. We build wooden rowboats and then launch them ceremoniously into local lakes and waterways, most notably Fanshawe Lake. I founded S2S in the Winter of 2018 and started building boats with youth in the summer of 2019. We built one boat that year while I was still in the classroom.

Traction was still a little slow in 2020, with just two boat-building summer workshops, but then I was still teaching construction full-time in a high school, and we had also plunged into a pandemic. My third career officially got underway in 2021 when I left the school board and began building boats with youth full-time, year-round. We registered eight workshops that year.

We have been pleasantly overwhelmed with 18 week-long workshops planned so far this season and much more interest shown. Our main product is building a twelve-foot rowboat with hand-carved oars. However, we are now diversifying with other products, such as Muskoka Chairs, toolboxes, Charcuterie Boards and any other wooden products our hosts request their clients create.

Our business relies on the fact that we are completely mobile, running out of the back of a 20-foot cargo trailer, which doubles as our workshop. This allows us to set up outside at any location in Southwestern Ontario, removing the hurdle of transportation for our participants. All workshops are free to the participants, relying on sponsorship dollars from the host organizations and donations from the greater community. At this point, we have no paid employees, as the sponsoring organizations happily provide plenty of volunteers to help on-site.

What are the lessons your business learned from the covid-19 pandemic?
The pandemic has been tough on so many members of our community. Everyone was quarantining out of necessity or by choice. We soon realized that so many youths were struggling while stuck inside their homes, wasting time on their screens. We learned that people really do want to get outside, socialize with others, work with their hands, ditch their screens, be creative, work together as a team, pick up new skills, enjoy nature, play on the water, and become involved in activities that are somewhat structured but still have so much freedom built in. Our workshops take place outdoors, so we were able to adapt our workshops with a great amount of social distancing. And then, we were able to capitalize on the easing of restrictions once things started to loosen up this year.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre and how have they helped your business?
I have utilized many programs and services at the SBC. Starting and running a small business can be a daunting and overwhelming venture. The SBC takes a lot of the guesswork out of the equation by answering questions beforehand, rather than relying on the trial-and-error approach. Utilizing these services gave me the confidence to jump right in and get started rather than delaying our opening while running around town searching for information. Some of the services/programs I have utilized include: Business Planning Guide Workshop, Starting a Small Business, Income Tax for Small Businesses, Advisory Assistance (access to resources and other information), Recommendations to Professional Services (legal advice), and the Scale-Up grant program which helped us purchase our cargo trailer.

What led you to start this business?
I have worked very hard to get to where I’m at, but I also recognize that I have had a somewhat privileged upbringing. I could not have achieved my success without the support of so many others along the way. Having taught in the secondary school classroom for almost three decades, I saw first-hand what it’s like for those less fortunate – the marginalized, minorities, and newcomers. I now have the ability to give back to our community in appreciation for the support I have enjoyed in London. The school board is drowning in red tape through no fault of its own. Moving outside that system allowed me greater opportunities to help those most need it. I have three main loves: woodworking, boatbuilding and working with youth. I realized I could combine all three passions and do much more for our youth by starting my own business.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was jumping in with both feet as an unknown in the community and finding organizations willing to put their trust in me to work with the youth in their care. I worked hard to find a high-profile organization in the mental health field and convinced them to take a chance. Once we had worked successfully with the first organization, it became much easier to land new work. The testimonials worked magic.

The next biggest challenge was finding liability insurance to cover our workshops. Our premiums were higher than our revenue in the first year. Now that we have entered our fourth-year incident-free, finding reasonable premiums has become much simpler and at a fraction of the cost.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received and why?
I recall spending many weekends at the home of a relative several years back, agonizing over the perfect business name and the perfect website to use, continually delaying the business launch. This relative finally had enough of my procrastination and said, “Just Do It!” Better to do something imperfectly than do nothing perfectly. Done is better than perfect. That afternoon I launched Stem2Stern.

What’s in the future for your business?
We plan to diversify the business beyond the hands-on workshops we provide to the community by opening a concession stand on the main site of our workshops in the city centre. The concession stand will be on the water’s edge, along a bike path, and near the home base of the local Rowing Club. The snack bar will provide employment opportunities for our newcomers, providing even more transferrable job skills. It will also be a secondary source of revenue for the sponsorship of upcoming workshops. And it will serve as an information centre to help educate the public about the good work we do with those less fortunate. We also hope to put a second crew on the road to allow us to run more than one workshop each week, therefore servicing more than one organization at a time. We were disappointed this year having to turn away some organizations as we had filled all our time slots throughout the summer.

Learn more about Stem2Stern

Tell us about yourself
From a young age, I studied Music. I played the piano until about 14 years old and continued to study Music throughout high school. I’ve always loved Music which is one of my passions. For my post-secondary studies, however, I selected to study Business in preference to Music because I felt it was more practical. I also studied marketing at Fanshawe College and Business Management at Ryerson University. After my studies, I was selected to attend a paid Management Operations Training Program with Hudson’s Bay Company to become a Store Operations Manager.

After completing my programs, I worked in retail, sales, and operations management for about eight years. I’ve always loved to work. I learned a lot of skills that are helping me drive my Business these days. I have had a passion for proving my skills and a keen desire to do something different since I was young; this fact made me so vigilant about doing different kinds of jobs to attain skills at an early age. One of my favourite jobs was my newspaper routes. For some reason, I enjoyed waking up at 3 am and being the first to accomplish something. I am passionate about creating and developing my creatives into interesting tools. I left Retail Management as I felt it didn’t satisfy me. I have desired to help people feel better about themselves; hence I decided to study Massage to help lift the vibrations of others around me. I love to massage. It also gives me some excitement, that’s why I never get bored of it. I am a very spiritual person. I was raised Catholic but am not as religious as spiritual. I believe in energy, synchronicity, raising your vibrations, and the law of attraction. Moreover, I have a small family.

I am the youngest child in my family and have an older sister. I was born in London, Ontario, but my parents are first-generation migrants from Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Their transferred traits, such as being independent and learning skills, have made me stronger in life. I am a single mom of a beautiful and amazing 9-year-old daughter. That is my whole world as well.

Tell us about your business
Mobility Massage London is located at 509 Highbury Ave. N. (Between Florence & Brydges). It was open for business in January 2018, offering Relaxation Massage by Practitioners. The initial goal was to appeal to clients without Health Insurance benefits who wanted a professional Relaxation Massage in a business setting. We initially offered massage at a lower price point than Registered Massage Therapy. As our business grew, we added various massage modalities to our offering. We also expanded to add Registered Massage Therapy and Aesthetics services. We currently have over 800 loyal clients and continue to grow daily. Mobility Massage is a well-loved and trusted massage studio in the London Community. In 2021 we were awarded the Gold Winner in the Massage Category by Community Votes London. This year we won London’s 2021 Top Choice Massage Clinic and received the Platinum Winner in the 2021 London Community Votes Contest.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre?
I have found the HST course and Business Planning Workshops at the small business center very helpful. There are so many courses available for entrepreneurs, and I recommend them, especially to entrepreneurs with no formal business training. I look forward to attending more! I have also attended some networking events and utilized the one-on-one coaching from the Business Advisors. These advisors understand small business owners’ issues and the challenges they face. It’s nice to be provided with the necessary guidance. They always seem to direct me in the right direction. I have also been presented with many grant funding opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to receive. The Small Business Center is an amazing asset to me and all entrepreneurs! Two thumbs up!! Thank you, Small Business Center!!

What led you to start this business?
That’s an interesting question. It’s laborious to clarify; however, even before I knew how to massage, I had a vision in my mind that I’d run a massage business. Our subconscious typically grasps what we would like before we do it. I spent a lot of time operating in Retail Management and running other people’s businesses, but I knew I wanted my own. I left Retail Management to attend Massage School in January 2011. I wish to use my knowledge and skills and offer my services to assist others. My goal is to elevate people’s spirits in hopes for them to feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally which will make a positive difference in their lives.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started and how did you overcome them?
I decided to start this business at the worst point in my life. I had a lot of personal life and financial challenges. I had just gone through a separation from my husband. In 2017, we sold our house quickly without having the chance to find another; and we decided to part for a while. Only weeks after the separation, my ex-husband was hit by a school bus and disabled, leaving me full responsibility for my 5-year-old daughter. So, I renewed and started my business. I developed all the marketing materials I needed and designed the vision for my business. My educational background in marketing really helped me position my business. I posted an ad on Kijiji and opened the doors of Mobility Massage. And so, the business began, and it has grown one client at a time. Another challenge I had was regarding business operations. I had a lot to do in my personal life, and one of my challenges so far is not having enough time to do everything that needs to be done. The Things: Being a single parent with full parental and financial responsibility and being an entrepreneur is very difficult. Many personal sacrifices have been made, and I am lucky everything is going well. I believe that massage, especially in silence, is a form of meditation that helps organize your thoughts and emotions and increases your vibration. It’s good for the client but also for the person doing it. Good things will come to you with high vibration and action towards your goals. Massage helps me clear my mind and exchange positive thoughts and energies with people. Even though I’ve had a lot of personal issues, I think doing so many massages helped me heal myself, get stronger, and move forward to build a successful business with amazing clients! I hope I have also made a positive impact on the lives of my clients.

Can you tell us about an entrepreneur you admire and why?
I admire the work of David Wu, and Al Quesnel, entrepreneurs and founders of the “Athletic Club” renamed Movati Athletic. I admire their work because they made everything from scratch. They had a vision in their head to build something high quality that would benefit people’s health and improve their lives. The first location was opened in London and grew to multiple locations all over Ontario in a matter of years. To be able to watch something you create grow to that scale from an idea in your head; to bring your ideas out of your head and action them to become such a successful business employing many is very admirable. I hope to achieve that success one day – to see my vision for my business through every step of the way with unwavering determination. It’s like raising a child and watching them grow. You can’t make a case for that feeling. It takes a great deal of commitment, dedication, perseverance, loyalty, learning and passion as well to realize that sort of success.

What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur today?
To anyone thinking about entrepreneurship, these are the following pieces of advice I’d give them:

1. Know what you’re getting yourself into – I assume several entrepreneurs just like the plan of being a business owner; however, they may not perceive what it takes or if they have what it takes. Recognize what’s expected of you to grow and operate a successful business; know what your capabilities are and wherever your weaknesses will be. Ensure you have the proper support, then build a decision. If you think you have what it takes to succeed, choose it! If you’re unsure, don’t do it.
2. Love what you do! – You’ll be committing plenty, if not all your time doing it, so you better love it! Growing a business is certainly not a 9-5 job. Be ready to invest unpaid hours, days, and months to grow and develop your business. It ought to be your passion, so you don’t mind spending the time and energy it takes to make it happen without instant reward.
3. Be prepared to make sacrifices – Because of the time required to make it as a new business, you will be sacrificing time from somewhere else to give to your business.
4. Focus on where you are now – The only thing that matters is where your business is right now. Start where you are and continue one step at a time. Know that each step brings you closer to your short-term and long-term goals.
5. Acquire as many related skills as you can – In school, pay attention, learn as much as possible, and produce high-quality work. When you work for someone else, treat their business like your own. These skills and qualities you develop will help you in your own business.
6. Manage your time wisely – As a business owner, you will be busy, and you should be busy. If not with customers, you are then developing your business.
7. Be a good problem solver – Many obstacles will appear for you, and you will have to face them. No one will hold your hand, so it’s best to be self-taught and not be afraid to learn how to do something independently.
8. Just Keep Going! Mistakes will happen- Learn from them and move forward. Don’t quit. Just try your best to correct them and not repeat the same mistakes.

What’s in the future for your business?
The short-term business goal is to operate the studio’s near-maximum capacity efficiently while maintaining high-quality service. I am looking to add other therapists and aesthetics professionals to our team who also provide a high-quality entrepreneurial spirit. Because it’s a small business, everyone here must share the same core company values and wish to develop and advance their careers with Mobility Massage. Once you have perfected your model and have a high-quality team functioning at optimal levels together, it’s easy to replicate the business model and open more.

The company’s long-term goal is to open another larger site. I am available to work with investors and entrepreneurs with experience in the healthcare industry, in particular Massage Therapists and Aesthetics Professionals who wish to become business partners of the new location.

Learn more about Mobility Massage London.

Tell us about yourself
My name is Luke Thomas, and I’m the owner of Healthy Eats. I grew up just outside of London, where my grandpa ran Thomas Bros. Farms. I did more eating than I did working, though. I studied at Western University and have a degree in Criminology. But, my true calling is in the fitness and health world, where I’ve worked for the last seven years.

Tell us about your business
I started Healthy Eats in 2017 with the vision of helping busy individuals reach their nutrition and lifestyle goals by using the highest quality ingredients around. In the beginning, we were meal prepping just six products. Now, I have two employees, multiple delivery drivers, and over 30 different meals on our menu at any given time.

Our main two products are regular/personal meals; these meals are fully cooked and portioned. All you have to do is heat and eat them. We also offer family-sized meal kits that feed four people. The difference between regular and family meals is that family meals come prepped, portioned and packaged, but you have to cook them according to our included recipe cards. But you don’t have to wash or chop any produce or protein or make any sauces or marinades, so it comes together quickly and painlessly.

What are the lessons your business learned from the covid-19 pandemic?
The main lesson I learned is to overcome adversity. There were a lot of negativities associated with the lockdown; businesses closed, people lost their jobs, and it was a very difficult time. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to stay open and took that to grow from an individual and business standpoint. Meal prep and grocery delivery grew exponentially, and so did my competition. So, you could either grow with them or get lost in their dust. We expanded our menu from 12 meals to 30 meals, hired multiple employees, and got personalized boxes. We had to show the community how professional our service was by competing with the large corporations in the space.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre and how have they helped your business?
We used the “Scale Up” program to learn about taking the steps needed to grow our business. It helped with making sure we have the proper labels, documentation, and steps in place to hire employees – the list goes on. And more importantly, we met other business owners who were having the same issues, so I could talk to them and see how they addressed and overcame those issues. I think many business owners do what it takes to get by, but the London Small Business Centre showed how to grow and scale businesses and ultimately be successful!

What led you to start this business? Was there something that drew (or pushed) you into being an entrepreneur?
I have been involved in the fitness and health industry for seven years. Working with my clients, I found that they had many questions about nutrition and food and were very busy living their healthy lifestyles. I looked at meal prep options for my clients, but none would’ve helped them achieve their goals. So, I decided to do my own meal prep company that didn’t sacrifice on portion size, the freshness of ingredients, or nutrition, which would give people the results they needed.

What is the #1 small business book/blog/website you recommend?
E-Myth Revisited is by far the most influential book I have ever read. It gets you into the mind of an entrepreneur. You look at all the steps you need to take to get to your big-picture goals and learn the differences in being a business owner, an employee, or an entrepreneur.

What advice would you give to an aspiring Entrepreneur today?
If you’re thinking about being an entrepreneur and have all these dreams and aspirations, take the leap and do it. It doesn’t matter if it is a success or a failure. At least you tried. I find people are too scared of failing, so they never take that leap.

What’s in the future for your business?
The future of Healthy Eats is having multiple locations to help feed other communities using local ingredients produced by farmers in their region, just as we’ve done here in the London area.

Learn more about Health Eats

Tell us about yourself.
I am a third-year university student studying mathematics at Western University.
I grew up in Dorchester, Ontario with my mom, dad, and brother. I love to stay active by playing many different sports, my favourite being hockey. I also play the piano and love all kinds of music!

Tell us about the business you launched during your time at the Summer Company Program.
Through the Summer Company program, I launched an online tutoring business for students of all ages in grades 1-12. The subjects I tutor are mathematics, science, and English. All of the tutoring was done virtually in order to follow public safety measures amidst the pandemic. My business is still running, although on a much smaller scale since I am back in school full-time for the year.

How has the Small Business Centre helped your business?
The Small Business Centre helped me learn the essentials to starting a business. My biggest takeaway was effective marketing and outreach strategies. I also learned the importance of proper accounting and awareness of your company’s finances. The grants that the Small Business Centre offer definitely helped me get my business off the ground and subsided the start-up costs of the company, which was extremely beneficial,” explains Victoria.

What led you to start this business?
I tutored once in a while growing up, so I knew I had what it takes to help children with their studies. The pandemic forced education to be virtual for quite a while, and I saw the toll this took on the parents, teachers, and children involved in the education system. I wanted to help ease the stress of online schooling by working with students over the summer and ensuring they were on track for the fall.

Tell us about your experience within Summer Company Program?
Summer Company Program was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. I had the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial strategies from professionals that have gone through the process themselves. Additionally, I met other young entrepreneurs with the same goals as me. We were able to learn from each other as we navigated our first business. Overall, Summer Company Program was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in entrepreneurship!

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I faced was finding students that needed summer tutoring. In the program, we learned marketing and advertising strategies, and by using these effectively, I was able to reach more people and find enough students for the summer.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received and why?
The best business advice I’ve received was the importance of having a great, 30-second introduction to you and your business. When meeting new people, this allows you to effectively explain who you are, what your business is all about, and why they might need your service. The key is highlighting a need in your target audience and then offering a solution through your business. Doing this in a quick and interesting manner is very important when networking.

What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur today?
The first piece of advice would be to join the Summer Company program if you are able. This is a tremendous help in planning and funding, especially during the beginning of your new business. Secondly, if you are trying to decide what type of business to start, look for a common problem that people face in society, and be the solution. Every purchase people make is essential to solving a problem. If you can be the solution to someone’s problem, you’re already on your way to clients and sales!

Visit Accelerate Tutoring

Troy Blackwell is an 18-year-old entrepreneur from London, Ontario. He attended the Catholic Central High School and currently, is studying Fish and Wildlife at Fleming College. His passion for the outdoors, hunting and fishing led him to start his own business in the outdoor sporting goods industry.

Top Knotch Paracord, launched in 2021 with help from the Summer Company Program, produces high-quality handmade paracord items for outdoor enthusiasts made from Canadian sourced materials. “This business started relatively strong and progressively grew as the hunting seasons started in the fall. Over the summer, I was limited to what my own two hands could produce; since then, I have paid workers to do a good majority of the work, which has increased my order volume by about 3x,” celebrates the student.

With the London Small Business Centre support, Troy received a grant that helped him to purchase bulk materials. “In addition to this, the seminars from various professionals helped get valuable information on topics that may be daunting. I know that the tax side of things was very confusing for me. They helped me understand and organize effectively. The program was well organized, enjoyable, and provided individuals with the funds to turn a dream into a reality. I know I would not be where I am right now without the Summer Company Program,” says the young entrepreneur.

When asked about the challenges of starting a business, Troy recognizes that one such obstacle is the need to establish a reputable name. In order to do this, Troy has invested time in building up a social media presence. He has used strategic advertisements and reached out to other companies to create collaborations, which increased interactions with potential customers. “The main thing that helped me the most was networking. You never know who you might meet and what connections they might be able to offer you,” he explains.

Happy with the business growth rate that allows him to balance it with his schooling, his long-term plan is to sell a product to every province and state, and he is well on his way to achieving this goal. So far he has sold to eight provinces and eighteen U.S. states. Troy’s success is an inspiration to other young entrepreneurs, proving that anyone can find success if willing to work hard and pursue their dreams.

Visit Top Knotch Paracord

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Michelle Pierce Hamilton. I am a Project Management Professional by trade and my business is a second career. I studied nutrition a the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) and also hold a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University. I studied nutrition and tea at the same time and part of one of the earliest cohorts to graduate as a professional, Canadian Tea Sommelier through George Brown College. An educator at heart, I’ve been fortunate to share my knowledge and passions as faculty instructor at several colleges in the areas of project management, nutrition, and tea education. When I believe in something I love to teach it! As an entrepreneur, I have manifested a business that allows me to unite my passions for tea, nutrition, and the healing arts. I have never believed I need to do ‘just one thing’!

Tell us about your business.
The Tea Lounge is an ‘old world’ tea house that serves my curated selection of ethically sourced loose-leaf teas & tisanes (by beTeas), as well as a full lunch menu, scones and other treats. Our selection of tea ware and other gifts makes us a great destination to shop for someone special. It’s also a place to enrich and engage in an array of classes and events. On Tuesdays, I have ‘clinic’ at my business (when the store is closed to the public), and this is when I still see private clients for nutrition coaching and healing arts. Cultivating healthy lifestyles and unique experiences are central to our business as is cultivating other local business relationships. When you fully experience and shop The Tea Lounge, you are taking quality time for yourself while also supporting 15+ local small businesses we collaborate with.

What are the lessons your business learned from the covid-19 pandemic?
The most important thing I did was let go of my business plan and reimagine the space. I lived by the mantra, ‘don’t let the things you can’t do, stop you from doing what you can.’ We pivoted many times and tried several new things; some were temporary, and others I’ve learned from and kept doing. You must be willing to admit when change is needed because something doesn’t work – and not take too long to do it.

The pandemic was changing the rules, so I did my best to be nimble and respond to whatever new limitation was being thrown at me. Another thing the pandemic reinforced is that customer service is key. I bent sideways and upside down for my customers and made extra effort to thank them for supporting us and supporting local. Our customers responded to this and really rallied when I needed them to. When you go the extra mile for your customer, you build loyalty, and that kind of loyalty is one big reason we are still in business. It’s reinforced the cardinal rule for any small businesses – the importance of thanking every customer, every single day.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre, and how have they helped your business?
When I was researching starting my business many years ago, I attended a couple of small business workshops, namely one on business planning. During the pandemic, I applied for, and received, a small business recovery grant that was deeply valuable in helping my business get through that difficult time. The connection to other small business owners in the same boat was also very mentally and emotionally supportive.

What led you to start this business?
I was joking to someone the other day that I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur until I was one. Ideas bloomed in the process of exploring new passions in the areas of nutrition, tea, and holistic health. The business took on a life of its own from there. I remember the first time I was forced to self-identify as ‘an entrepreneur’. It felt so weird to me, and I sat with the words for a minute until I had to admit, ‘yeah, I guess I am!’.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenges occurred building my first website. It did not go well, despite all the best planning and research, especially as those were the days before more accessible solutions like Shopify and Square. This remains a challenging area to navigate for small businesses today. Nearly every small business owner I know has a ‘website story’.

What do you like to do when you take a break as a busy entrepreneur?
A break for me means spending time with my family and friends or learning something new. I love to immerse myself in new experiences, new challenges, and continuing education. A break for me might be a vacation with my family, travelling to one of the tea regions, walking Camino de Santiago, taking a class, or attending an educational conference on nutrition or tea.

If you could sit down with any business leader or industry expert, who would you choose and why?
As part of my business planning, I learned from a couple of the top industry experts in the North American tea industry. I learned so much from them and about myself to form my unique vision of how I would bring my brand to life. At this stage, if I now could pick anyone to sit down with, I think it would be extremely cool to have a coaching session with Elon Musk. I’d love to hear the advice of this true thought leader, visionary and outside the box thinker – over a delicious high mountain oolong, served gongfu!

What is the #1 small business book/blog/website you would recommend?
A book I really enjoyed that helped my mindset, and supported the kind of ideas I had for my business (which were unlike any others like it this market) was, The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World, by Chris Guillebeau.

Is there anything currently happening in the London business community that excites you?
I’m honestly just excited that we are back to business, at full capacity, relaxing restrictions and able to serve more people and get back to our in-person events and classes. I feel the public is ready to get back to experiences we’re excited to host them. I have so many planned and a long list of others I am working on right now!

Can you tell us about an entrepreneur you admire and why?
This is a big question, and I don’t think I can answer this one as asked. It requires a lot of bravery and moxie to put yourself out there and make your passion and vision vulnerable to the world. As they say in the theatre, ‘there are no small parts, only small actors’. It doesn’t matter how much ‘success’ you’ve had; I think all entrepreneurs who dared to dream, deserve admiration.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received and why?
A dear tea industry friend and mentor finally told me in one of our business coaching sessions, “to just get on with it.” I tend to over-research and overthink myself into inertia. He was so right because nothing was ever going to be perfectly ready, and I wasn’t going to learn what I needed to know until I started doing it.

What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur today?
If this is deeply in your heart, then make a business plan and go for it – but you HAVE to do the work. When they think about writing a business plan, people groan, but how can you expect anyone else to buy into your vision if you can’t be clear enough on paper and articulate it in a business plan? The vision needs to be clear; the numbers need to work. Expect the best but prepare for the worst-case scenario. You must be prepared to fail and clearly identify what success and failure look like.

What’s in the future for your business?
My short-term goal is to make up for the loss of 2 years of growth the pandemic has set us back and ensure our sustainability as a business. My long-term goal is to continue growing, provide an exceptional product, and create great experiences. At some point, sell the business to the right person to take over and continue what I have started and make it their own so that the Tea Lounge is a place I can continue to enjoy visiting as a customer once I decide to retire!

Learn more about The Tea Lounge.

Tell us about yourself.
I was born in London, Ontario, in 1977. My parents separated when I was 5yrs old, and I went in and out of foster homes residential schools. I started playing guitar at 10years old, began teaching guitar at 14 years old, and 30+ years later, I’m still teaching. I’ve also been composing and performing throughout Canada for 32 years throughout that time and spent most of the time living in Vancouver, honing my survival skills being a musician in the big city. In 2013, I got married and went to music school at Vancouver Community College. In 2018, I returned to London with my wife and three cats.

Tell us about your business.
I started the guitar shop out of frustration in finding credible employment. Also, the need to have a music shop closer to downtown was apparent. I always thought a guitar shop would be great if it served coffee. So, from the beginning, it made sense to have that as a great way to build customers relationship and different revenue streams.

How has Covid affected my business?
Covid has been both a difficult and a learning experience. We have adapted by creating a great website and switched to online service. Also, Covid restrictions and two summers of construction in our area affected the business.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started, and how did Small Business Centre help you overcome them?
Being completely new to business ownership, they have provided my wife Natasha and me with great coaching through different programs. Such as the small business grant and advice throughout.

We literally ran out of money when we opened. Starting a guitar shop with six Guitars on the wall and six boxes of strings made many people probably laugh at what I thought was a guitar shop. But combined with coffee shop, it allowed me to offer a variety of other revenue streams, such as selling ice cream in the Summer.

Learn more about Strings Guitar Shop

Tell us about yourself.
I took over Featherfields in 2019, after moving back from living in Toronto for many years. I graduated from Photography at Fanshawe College, and over the years, I worked as a photographer in magazine publishing, in Engineering, and managing retail stores. I attained many skills working in such differing industries but came back to wanting to work with the public in some capacity and wanting a creative outlet. Purchasing Featherfields has been the perfect combination of all things I love! After weathering the (ongoing) pandemic, I opened a second Featherfields location in Wortley Village in September 2021. Along with my 1.5-year-old son Parker, our new puppy Georgie, and my amazing assistant (who happens to be my mother), I am busier than ever.

Tell us about your business.
Featherfields has been in business for over 25 years now. The original owner was an ornithologist (study of birds) who opened the store in 1996, specializing in high-quality bird seed for wild birds, feeders, and gardening/backyard décor. Over the years, the store evolved into a one-stop shopping destination, specializing in Canadian-made gifts. Everything from home décor, local food items like maple syrup, and even greeting cards and stationery – all with a nature theme.

Has your business been impacted by COVID-19?
Yes, the business was greatly impacted due to reduced numbers, lockdowns, etc. We implemented delivery service, curbside pickup, and recently online shopping. We had to find new ways of operating, but our customers were happy to know we could still help them out, and we managed to pay the bills during such a difficult time.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre and how have they helped your business?
The Small Business Centre has been such a wonderful resource. I received a Grant through them in 2021, and the weekly meetings we attended were a great opportunity for me to talk with other business owners in the city, bounce ideas off one another, and learn from the guest speakers.

What led you to start this business?
Being an entrepreneur has been in my blood all my life. I come from a family of female entrepreneurs who has always inspired me. I have always wanted the creative freedom of being my own boss. I dabbled in the idea of opening businesses, and when Featherfields was for sale, it was perfect timing for me.

As a busy entrepreneur, what do you like to do when you take a break?
My passion is travelling, and I cannot wait to get back to doing that. I find inspiration in the different cultures, architecture, art, and people I meet when I travel. I collect art and find it so inspiring. I also love to read, decorate, or do anything creative when I find the time.

What’s in the future for your business?
Our larger Featherfields location in Wortley Village has allowed us to expand in many areas, including future classes. We plan to add educational nature workshops for children, book reading events for both adults and children, and collaborations with other local businesses.

Learn more about Featherfields

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Paula Vergara. I am from Colombia. I studied at Licee Francais in Colombia. I came to Canada 17 years ago with my family. I have a Graphic Design advanced diploma from Fanshawe College. I speak Spanish, French and English. I am also, the Executive Director and co-founder at Half and Half Social. I am with my husband 24/7 because we work together, live together, have fun together. He is the Video Production and Media director at Half and Half.

Tell us about your business.
We started as freelancers in 2010, developing a full set of services and skills while working full time for different agencies in London, Toronto, and Latin America. Our company was founded in 2017, our dedication is focused on developing key strategies from design processes to measurable results which help our clients achieve their goals and brand objectives. In 2021, we became an award-winning videography and cinematography company.

Our creative services include Branding, Web Design, Graphic Design, Video Production and VFX, Motion Graphics, 3D and 2D animation, photography, and printing.

Our Digital Services include Campaign development, PPC Advertising, Media Planning and Buying, Video Marketing, SEO and Google My Business.

Has your business been impacted by COVID-19?
COVID has been the best that has happened to our company. The first few months were challenging because we had no idea what to do. But thanks to that, we understood the market, and the new “reality” became a great opportunity for us because everything is online.

What services/programs have you utilized at the London Small Business Centre and how have they helped your business?
They guided us and helped us organize and understand our goals better. With the courses they offer, we were able to understand what we were doing wrong and find better ways to do things. Their speakers were knowledgeable and well experienced, their stories were excellent! They provided examples on how to overcome challenges, they also inspired us to go ahead with our dream.

What led you to start this business? Was there something that drew (or pushed) you into being an entrepreneur?
One day, I was crying at the job I had. Answering calls at an office was not fulfilling for me, as it was not related to arts or my experience as a creative. I went to work at 8am, and after a painful meeting, by 10am I had decided to take all my stuff and leave. My husband was happy with my decision. I was crying and wondering what steps to take next. We are both artists, I am an art director, and he is a video production and media director. With the experience we gained throughout the years, we decided to go ahead with our dream and put our skills together. We created Half and Half Social. That is where the name came up because of a husband-and-wife vision. We are each other’s Half (yes, it might sound cheesy, I know, LOL) plus, we always tell our clients that we do our Half, but they must do theirs to accomplish the results.

What were some of the challenges you faced getting started and how did you overcome them?
Some of the challenges that our business faced were not having a full network, insufficient savings, and lack of equipment. Logistical information such as knowing how much to charge was another obstacle, which even cost us our customers. It took us about three years to figure these issues out, and around this point we started to value and trust ourselves. Before this we were doing work for free in order to build a portfolio, however we realize which was another one of our mistakes. Never work for free unless it is a nonprofit or sponsoring events, but think twice, and the ROI has to be worth it.

As a busy entrepreneur, what do you like to do when you take a break?
Play with my daughters.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received and why?
Do what you do because you love it, not because you have to do it!

Learn more about Half & Half Social