What makes their company and collection stand out is the sisters’ ability to attract diverse clientele while holding true to their ideas. “We like to keep our roster of clients very versatile,” says Lisa. “For example, we will work with companies in the technology industry, urban events, charity events and independent film companies.

It gives us the opportunity to branch out in our design styles.” Some of the duo’s clients include the ReelWorld Film Festival and the High Commission of Barbados; and their work has been displayed at LG Fashion Week. The sisters say getting to know a client’s vision intimately (through hours of brainstorming, for example) helps with creating a product that reflects exactly what the client is looking for. Another colourful aspect of their work, especially through Dn’A, using an older technique to provide a new product.

“We work strictly with words. Dn’A is essentially no pictures and no drawings, just words,” explains Leslie. “It’s easy to create an aesthetic out of objects, pictures or drawings, but we are really creating art out of words. Our Dn’A pieces are glass displays, and we have wall displays and floor displays.”

While X Height Media and Dn’A are making a vibrant impact, the biggest challenge Lisa, Leslie and many other graphic artists face is a lack of validation for their efforts. “There are a lot of people who don’t see the value in graphic design, so you always encounter issues where potential clients may not see the full value in your work,” says Leslie. “You’re also working against the general public, which sometimes does not recognize the time and effort that goes into design work.”

Obstacles aside, both sisters are determined to leave evidence of their Dn’A and take X Height Media to awesome levels. “I believe in our product. I want more of Toronto to see it and the rest of the world will eventually see what we can do,” sums up Lisa.

Nnecka Elliot

By Erica Phillips

Instead of acquiescing to or bemoaning the ever-changing media landscape, Nneka Elliott decided to embrace it. On May 2, the television personality left news channel CP24,  where she had worked for three years, to open her own company.

The Media Huddle (TMH) launched on May 26. It was time for the Ryerson graduate to step out of her comfort zone and listen to her heart, which, since October 2010, had been telling her she needed a change. “I felt like I was becoming complacent and losing my true sense of self. I was out of touch with all the things that made me, me,” she says.

The debut of Toronto-based TMH featured many of her former colleagues, including Dwight Drummond, Nathan Downer, Gurdeep Ahluwalia, Michelle Dube and others. Many of them held up signs that read words of inspiration and encouragement.

Elliott started TMH to help steer media professionals through an industry-wide transition, driven in large part by social media. She wants to help media professionals acquire the skills needed to stay alive and thrive, no matter their stage in the industry.

TMH, she says, is about people coming together, learning, sharing and connecting. “Social media has changed the definition of what media is,” Elliott says. “We can’t just sit back and let the change happen, we must be a part of that process. We need to position ourselves in different ways, align ourselves with different people and learn new ways to tell our stories.”

The 27-year-old has several goals for TMH. In the first year, she hopes that it will become the official source for educating media professionals in Toronto. Over the next five years, she hopes to provide scholarships for media students and develop her web series into a kind of “inside the actors’ studio” for media professionals. In 10 years, she wants to set up branches in major cities around the world.

To do this, Elliott will use thought-provoking seminars, networking parties and skill-building workshops led by industry experts. Topics will include: networking, developing your personal brand, social media trends, freelance work and negotiating contracts, to name a few. Meanwhile, newsletters will provide tips, job postings and links to videos.

As Elliott’s passion is still broadcasting, she plans to appear on television as a contributor and be the face of TMH’s web series. For now, her days start at 7:30 a.m. with her puppy, Remy, and exercise. Then it’s onto making phone calls to potential sponsors and guest speakers, touching base with her personal assistant, interns and volunteers, coordinating web content and event planning. She stops just after midnight.

That work ethic and energy come from Elliott’s major inspiration, her very active mother: “My mom does not know the phrase ‘I can’t.’ She always figures out a way to overcome any obstacle, including breast cancer. She has a quiet strength, a strong sense of self. She gets more beautiful everyday and surprises me with her wisdom every time I talk to her.”

By Takara Small

It’s 12:45 p.m. and Dr. Donna Ambrose is racing against the clock to keep up with her day.

She even sounds a bit out of breath over the phone when she begins to discuss her alternative health clinic — All One Holistic. Dr. Ambrose pauses mid-sentence as the other line beeps. “Sorry,” she says. “I have someone else calling me. Can I call you back?” I agree and wait as she talks with an employee and then a patient.The Canadian-Caribbean doctor is always on the move and confesses that work constantly comes first. “I’m always busy,” she says. “This is my life.”

When I speak to Dr. Ambrose, who believes in natural medicine, she’s been up since 5:30 a.m., has already visited her clinic twice and shows no signs of slowing down. In between meetings for the community health fair that she’s planning in conjunction with a local gym, she settles down to answer some questions. Oh, did I mention that this is her day off?

The Torontonian is the sole proprietor and a doctor in the Roncesvalles Village clinic. She sees it as her mission to educate others while helping her business succeed.

But Dr. Ambrose’s one-of-a-kind clinic is more than just a doctor’s office. It houses 10 other practitioners and is home to free weekly seminars for the community. It’s one unique thing that she says differentiates her business from others and helps to fulfill her promise to teach the community about various health options.

“You need to know what all the choices out there are before you can make an educated decision about your health,” she says.

Her approach combines lifestyle, nutrition and medicine to help clients live better lives. “I chose Chinese medicine because it didn’t introduce anything new into the body. It allowed the body to heal itself, to work with its own energy,” says Dr. Ambrose.

Although she accepts that not everyone will want to take an alternative approach to medicine, Dr. Ambrose hopes that she can create positive dialogue about alternative health techniques. “That’s part of my mission,” she says. “My philosophy is to always educate people because the objective is not necessarily for them to keep coming to me, it’s to know what’s wrong and how to fix it.”

All One Holistic Clinic is located at 141 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto.

Launched November 6, 2010, KAMOCEAN.com is the “world’s only multifaceted indie art store and community interest website”. Founded by entrepreneur N. Kamaria Olubayo, she strives to promote social change in her community and support those who wish to do the same. She shares with Sway her secrets to success.

Business: KAMO Conscious Concepts
Owner: N. Kamaria Olubayo
Years in business: First Year

Secrets to Success:

Set Realistic Goals
“Give yourself a realistic amount of time to complete your objectives. Nothing is worse than over-extending yourself, or not having enough time to fix the things that do not go according to plan”.

Don’t Try To Do It All Yourself
“Starting a small business usually means that you will be doing most of the work, but try to outsource what you can. It is better to do a few things well, than do everything mediocre”.

Inspiration: “My family. For generations they have accomplished so much as Black Canadians. They inspire me to work hard towards achieving my goals”.

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Marie Petigny, founder of Shea Moi Organics, has a passion for hair and is using an all-natural approach to revolutionize hair care.

Petigny first began loving hair as a young girl, and although she has always styled hair, it was only recently that she began creating 100 per cent organic hairdressing products that promote healthy tresses.

“It is my calling,” she says.

It was while working as a hairstylist that she first noticed that many of her clients were struggling with similar hair troubles, including dry scalps, hair loss and eczema.

“I felt like it was my responsibility to provide them with the right education about the ingredients [in mainstream products] and how they affect us,” she says.

She began researching different products and realized many of the products she was using on her clients contained by-products and additives that were harmful to hair. Since then, Petigny has been an advocate of natural products and hairstyling methods like braids and dreadlocks.

This year, Petigny officially launched her Shea Moi Organics products at the Farmers’ Market in Scarborough, where she says the response has been amazing.

Petigny makes all her products by hand in her home with the finest ingredients she can find. They are free of the chemicals found in mainstream products, including SLS (a synthetic foaming agent in shampoo).

She points out that hair care products are supposed to condition and moisturize the hair, a goal she achieves with vegetable oils like carrot and avocado.

“We’re getting the goods from nature,” she says. “I wanted to create something better for the environment and ourselves.”

And although it’s not the most traditional of career paths, she says she enjoys the flexibility she has to make products that help make hair and skin problems vanish.

“I’m fulfilling my purpose in life,” she says.

For more information, check out Shea Moi’s Facebook page here.

Entreprenista co-founder Leigh-Ann Asare

By Isake Tom

Last Saturday, Toronto’s next generation of female entrepreneurs assembled for the Entreprenista Inaugural Luncheon; the newest networking event for female entrepreneurs in the city. The event was the vision of two women; Leigh-Ann Asare and Julene Chung who have been steadily working towards making their business dreams a reality. This summer the pair finally built upon their idea of creating a supportive space for female entrepreneurs and thus Entreprenista was born.

Officially, Entreprenista is a program for women who have either launched their own businesses or are considering taking the big leap into business ownership. Through this program, and with the support and guidance of Asare and Chung, women will receive information on networking events and can also access and contact  potential mentors and business partners.

Introductions at Entreprenista made it clear that Toronto is rich with female movers and shakers looking to exercise their creative muscles and make their mark in the business world. Topics discussed included; how to utilize social networking as a key marketing strategy, the importance of goal setting (personal and business related) and the delicate dynamics involved with turning a friendship into a business relationship.

Attendees (L-R) Naomi, Queena and Joanna enjoying complimentary cupcakes.

“Entreprenista was born out of disappointment. This summer I applied to various programs such as the Ontario Summer Company among others, and had drafted up a business plan that I eventually took to my business mentor. Unfortunately for me he hated it. Following that rejection there were more disappointments that followed. But those rejections and disappointments inspired me to start a program where women like myself, could find the confidence and support we needed to start our own businesses, network with other budding entrepreneurs and gain mentorship from successful business women who’ve already been there”, says Asare.

The highlight of the event was certainly guest speaker and businesswoman Hailey Coleman who inspired all with the success of her product Damn Heels; a stylish brand of ballet flats. These fold up flats come equipped with a bag and work to give your sore and blistered feet a much needed break after a long night in heels. The soft-sided flats are excellent for partying or working and can provide comfort when attending long events such as weddings.

While starting your own business can be both a scary and lonely venture, “once the momentum is started you feel like you can’t  stop,”  a point driven home by Coleman.  You must also be willing to make tough sacrifices and ready yourself for any uncomfortable situations you may find yourself in as a new entrepreneur.

With plans to expand the program to mentor male entrepreneurs as well, for now its all about the ladies with Chung and Asare planning more events and hoping to provide business grants and funding for entrepreneur hopefuls.

“My advice for entrepreneurs out there is don’t give up. Hard work always pays off and remember there is always going to be rejection especially as an entrepreneur,” says Asare, “You also have to be willing to make sacrifices because owning your own business can definitely mean less time spent with family and friends”.

Link Love
Business Development Bank of Canada
Canada Youth Business Foundation
Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE)

As the previous owner of Designer’s House of Fashion, a traditional clothing store in Toronto, Pauline Robinson witnessed first hand the neglect faced by plus-sized women in the fashion industry.  Many of the boutique’s curvier patrons noted the lack of options available beyond size 12.  Pauline herself was a “victim” of this oversight.

“Regular sizes 7, 8, 5 and 6 were just so easy to find, and I found I had to travel out of the country to get [clothing] in the plus sizes. I thought, my next store opening will definitely target that market.”

Backed by the encouragement of her husband Winston Robinson, Pauline opened the first Curvaceous Styles in Brampton in 2006 with a vision to empower women through superior customer service experience.

It was a vision Pauline was able to share with daughter Rennae, a student of fashion merchandising management.  The two had always discussed the possiblity of managing a location and the opportunity came with the opening of the newest store at Bramalea City Centre in June 2009.

Pauline, left, and Rennae, right

“I enjoy working in the business.  I enjoy working with people, and I enjoy giving exceptional customer service.  It’s just kind of up my alley,” Rennae says.

Pauline and Rennae agree that customer service is what sets them apart from competitors. Pauline explains that there are no salespeople at Curvaceous Styles, only consultants.

“One of the things we do is consultation,” Pauline says. “We identify the customer’s need as to the where, when and what they want to wear. Having that answered, we can [begin to] fill that need.  And we follow our customer from the beginning to end.  Service is most important to us.

Rennae says Curvaceous Styles’ large selection of evening wear is a draw for many customers.  ”We have a lot of pieces that you can actually wear to a wedding, you can go to a ball or a baptism in.  I think the majority of our customers these days come in for the evening [apparel].”

Both say many customers come in to Curvaceous Styles feeling self-conscious about their weight or having had a negative experience at other establishments where the plus size section, if there is one, is off in a corner with little or no acknowledgement.

“We’ve built an emporium to accommodate the neglected curvy woman. They’re in their own environment and feeling at ease.  They can say, ‘I don’t have to worry.  I’m definitely going to find what I want here and I’m not going to be looked down upon.  I’ll be looked upon,” Pauline says.

Rennae adds, “We try to teach them confidence.  We want them to feel good about themselves.”

And the best tip for those looking to start up a business of their own–Create a niche by targeting a specific market.

“It’s not an easy thing to get into business right now.  In order for you to really survive, you have to fill a need.  If you do that and stay focused, you will succeed.”

Ladies can shop at Curvaceous Styles in Brampton at Shopper’s World or Bramalea City Centre.  Check out the latest fashions online at www.curvaceousstyles.com.

]]> http://swaymag.ca/2010/10/customer-satisfaction-comes-guaranteed-at-curvaceous-styles/feed/ 3 http://swaymag.ca/2010/10/women-with-sway-asha-mcleod/ http://swaymag.ca/2010/10/women-with-sway-asha-mcleod/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:58:30 +0000 swaymag http://swaymag.ca/?p=4804 Occupation: Owner of Jazma Hair Inc.

Contribution: Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, award-winning stylist Asha McLeod has mastered all kinds of hair textures and even developed her own line of products to make sure her clients’ hair is at its strongest and healthiest. In fact, Jazma Hair Inc. prides itself on knowing its clients’ hair right down to a science. Even Essence magazine agreed, ranking it as one of the top salons in North America.

Inspiration: “When I met my husband, I was actually working in a punk rock salon [with mostly white customers] and at home I would do my Black friends’ hair. People came to me based on my mother’s reputation as far as Black hair was concerned. So whether I wanted it or not, people gravitated towards me. My husband was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re doing white hair in the salon and Black hair at home. Why don’t you just mix it up?’”

Advice to young women: “This is what I tell people when I hire them: It’s okay to be mediocre. But if you’re striving to be the best, get continual education. That means when you come out of hairdressing school find a training salon … but that’s only if you want to be at the top of your game. It’s like any industry. You can get into any industry and stay at one level. You can struggle below mediocre or strive to be the best. It depends on where you want to situate yourself.”

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Loris Thomas, the regional representative of the Ontario chapter of the Congress of Black Women

50 Years of Support

By Stephanie Pollard

Two important factors in being successful are education and support. For more than 50 years, the Congress of Black Women of Canada has fiercely advocated for both, with its mandate to provide a forum for Black women to improve their lives and identify issues that affect them, their families and the entire community.

Former regional representative of Ontario Ettie Rutherford remembers how important support was when she immigrated to Alberta from Jamaica with her husband, who would eventually abandon her and their four young children. She first attended a conference of the Congress in Vancouver, at which 200 Black women were present. “I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” she says, “because in Calgary more than 20 years ago, how many Black women did you see?”

At the time, Rutherford was one of the few Black teachers who came to Alberta from the Caribbean. With support from the Congress, she went on to earn her bachelor and then masters in education. But it was also the harsh realities of racism along with the desire to assist Black women with education, child development, health, housing, pension and sexism that fuelled her passion to work with the Congress. “Every one of those areas is the bedrock of life, regardless of whether you’re Black or not,” she says. “I know information is power, and all of us need to become more powerful.”

Today, the Congress continues to be influential, providing resources such as scholarships, counselling and mentoring programs. Loris Thomas is the regional representative of the Ontario chapter and former president of the Mississauga chapter. She joined the Congress in 1999 because of its sense of community. “[When I first joined], brunch was not being catered,” she remembers of her first experience with the organization. “But these women would get together and one would make the chicken, one would make the rice, one would make the fish … that community spirit was at work. We work very well together.”

Working together has helped the Congress to remain a cohesive unit that is always open to new members — even the ones that may not yet know about it. Thomas says she’s unsure why many Black women are unaware that the Congress exists, but it doesn’t deter her. “I struggle with that,” she says. “But I think when there’s something going on and they need us, they will certainly find us.”

Thomas has 50 years worth of evidence to back her up.

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By Takara Small

If she wanted them to, Camille Gordon’s words could move mountains.

The 18-year-old high school student doesn’t sound like your typical teenager. Instead of boys and celebrity gossip, her conversation is peppered with inspirational phrases like “nothing worth doing is easy” and talk of volunteer work that will see her well into old age. She also tends to shy away from self-praise. “I was always so busy during school that I missed out on a lot of social events,” she says. “I don’t want to blow off my friends, but helping others is obviously more important.”

The Brampton, Ontario native is an active volunteer in her community and has amassed dozens of accolades for her work. But Gordon doesn’t believe the word ‘activist’ — which has been heaped on her for volunteer work such as sandwich runs for the homeless — is best suited to describe her. “You have to sacrifice a lot if you’re going to be an activist,” she says. “I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot. Time, yeah, but that’s it. In the future, I’d like to be an activist. But right now, I don’t think I’ve lived up to that name.”

If Gordon isn’t an activist yet, her newest endeavour has her well on her way to becoming one. Gordon, along with fellow students from St. Augustine Secondary School, created a series of small-sized canvases emblazoned with artwork that were sold to raise money for charity and captured the attention of many admirers, including the media. The success that Gordon is experiencing did not come as a shock to her cousin Allison England. “I wasn’t surprised,” England says. “She cares more about everything else than she does about herself. As long as I can remember, she’s been doing inter community work.”

The inspiration behind her recent attention-grabbing idea started six months ago when Gordon applied for a government grant called SpeakUp. She used her award money to make the inspirational paintings that raised twice the amount of the initial grant. “I always have new ideas,” she says. “It’s great that the government provides ways for youth to get involved and help the community. I will be applying for more grants.”

It was Gordon’s painting of a woman rowing into obscurity away from an abusive situation, with baby in tow, that recieved the most attention. The piece will be sold to help Gordon pay her tuition costs at the Ontario College of Art & Design.

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