martensville messenger - nOvemBer 3 , 2016 - Page 5
Sweet Success Event Highlights Local Women Entrepreneurs
Shanine Sealey , Martensville Messenger
Over fifty women gathered at The Legends Golf Course in Warman Tuesday , October 25th to take part in Sweet Success , an event organized by Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc ., Clarence Campeau Development Fund , Warman Chamber of Commerce and Martensville Chamber of Commerce . Those attending were treated to an amazing assortment of hors d ’ oeuvres , desserts and refreshments . The event took place in four communities across the province including ; Saskatoon , Warman , Weyburn and Regina . The purpose of the event is to highlight local women entrepreneurs and hear their stories of success , the challenges and barriers that they have faced in business and how they were able to overcome those obstacles . The Warman Sweet Success event featured Anne-Marie Cey of Wow Factor Event Design , Maizie Bowkowy of Your Everyday Princess , and Chelsey Kara Harder of Passions Beauty Studio .
Cey was the first to speak , talking about the journey she has taken to get to where she is now as owner / operator of Wow Factor Event Design . At 30 , Cey began her first business , ‘ Pixel Perfect Digital Photography ’. Cey continued to speak about what she learned through this business venture , “ Back then I was independent , strong willed , and I thought I knew everything there was to know about being an entrepreneur . I wanted to run this business my way and was very stubborn and reluctant to accept any feedback , or what I took as criticism from anyone on how to improve and grow my business .” The Photography business was not working out as Cey had planned , so she sold the company and started a full time job elsewhere . Years later , Cey had an opportunity to open a 24 hour fitness franchise , and worked hard to make it happen , talking to professionals in the field , taking courses , gathering input and more . “ You ’ re not going to enjoy every aspect of your business . We all have different gifts and talents . I happen to like dealing with people , marketing and event planning . Some people like numbers , some like bookkeeping , some like cleaning . If you don ’ t enjoy the task , hire someone who does . Not only will they do a way better job than you , but you will be so much happier , more productive and have more time to do the things that you are passionate about ,” Cey said . Within four years , the gym was running along smoothly , but something was missing , so it was then that Cey sold the business and began pursuing her real passion ; event planning . In six months , Cey launched Wow Factor Event Design , which she has now been doing for the past two years . “ Since that day , it has been an incredible journey of fun , challenging , sometimes scary days . I have met some of the most amazing people on the planet , and been involved in some pretty awesome events and projects .”
The second speaker of the night was Maizie Bowkowy , who although only 14 years old , has had a substantial amount of entrepreneurial experience throughout the years . Bowkowy began her journey as an
ABOVE : From L to R - Chelsey Kara Harder , Maizie Bowkowy , Anne-Marie Cey , Prabha Mitchell from Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan , Tracey Fesiuk of the Martensville Chamber of Commerce , Elise Hildebrandt of the Warman Chamber of Commerce , Jaimie Malmgren of the Warman Chamber of Commerce and Monica Brunet of the Clarence Campeau Development Fund .
entrepreneur when she was 11 years old , with her business ‘ Doggy Naps ’, where she created pet beds . For every three beds she sold , Maizie also donated one to an animal shelter within the province . In total , 400 pet beds were donated within a year and a half . The business proved to be extremely successful and garnered a lot of attention from the public and the media , to the point that Bowkowy was constantly getting calls requesting interviews , to speak at events , and on the radio . “ It was flattering , but I was absolutely petrified . I was overwhelmed and scared to the point of being not able to function . The fear grew as my success did , and my positive feelings started to change to something less positive ,” Bowkowy explained . This journey helped Bowkowy to discover what it was that really made her happy and she decided that she wanted to be “ somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody ”, which led to the launch of ‘ Your Everyday Princess ’. Through this business , the message Maizie wants to spread is that all girls are princesses , by dressing as Princess Maizie and attending birthday parties , corporate events , and community events . “ If I am called and someone requests Cinderella for a party , I decline , because I want girls to know that regular , everyday girls can be princesses , too , not just ones who look like Cinderella . We are all beautiful on the inside and we are all capable of great things ,” Bowkowy explained .
The last speaker of the night was Chelsey Kara Harder , owner / operator of Passions Beauty Studio in Warman . Harder began her journey as an entrepreneur in 2009 , and has had numerous hurdles throughout the years , however , never wavered from the path that she knew from the beginning she was meant to be on . After graduating from high school , Harder enrolled in a cosmetology course , which is where the passion first began . Taking several years to gain
experience , and learn from her mentors , Harder was given an opportunity in 2009 when the owners of the salon she was working in wanted to sell . At 20 years old , Harder enrolled in business classes , and began making arrangements to purchase the business . Since then , Passions Beauty Studio has seen tremendous growth and success through the hard work of Harder and her staff , and the continuous support from friends and family . Harder has won numerous awards , including national awards and Business of the Year through the Warman and Martensville Chambers of Commerce , and since opening has increased her staff from 2 part-time employees ( and herself ), to a team of 15 . “ To everyone success means something different , so determine what success means to you and you will be one step closer ,” Harder stated . Continuing , Harder explained how important it was to set goals , so you had something to strive towards . She explained that the first salon was not the end goal , but a stepping stone towards her goal and within four and a half years , her dream became a reality when Passions Beauty Studio opened a 2500 square foot salon and spa . Throughout her journey , Harder has always stood by this motto , “ choose a career you are passionate about and you will never have to work a day in your life ,” which is something that you can truly see resonating from within Harder , who has found her “ Passion ”.
BELOW : Women spent time networking with one another once the speakers were fi nished at the Warman Sweet Success event .