Bexecution and risk. Any business which has a definite idea, a pathway for execution and the appetite to take risks has traditionally excelled. In this way, businesses have created a blueprint for success, housing the sub-categories of business development. Business leaders are hungry to break the glass ceilings and bring up new ideas and ventures.
usinesses run on the three pillars of vision,
This is what makes them stand out from the crowdAmbition.
Ambition is a far-stretched word, it's an emotion which carries the weight of manifestation and ideation, all dependent on the hunger to excel. Successful are the ones who stick to their ambition for prolonged periods to make their dream come true. History has proven that ambitious humans have always led and conquered the fields they are a part of. There is no question of ambitious people failing unless and until a major hindrance to growth strikes.
One of the primary reasons why businesses do not grow on the three base pillars already set is a lack of discipline.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
When ambitious people team up their ideas and vision with discipline, it translates into consistency. Well, consistency is the ultimate driving factor for a business to do well, right? It all boils down to how much one wants to get lucky. And luck is not a stroke of fortune but an endless pursuit of handwork and consistency.
– Jim Rohn
Speaking of luck, any business leader in the world does not have an exact answer to how to get the stroke of luck in their stride. But one thing is certain and proven, taking bigger risks can transform a business. And by taking risks, I do not mean shooting your shot in the dark. Taking calculative risks gives business leaders a safety net to save them if something goes wrong. But for that, exploring ideas, sticking to the end goal, and a systematic approach to march towards the ambition is extremely vital.
Leaders who have taken the business sector by being ambitious have always set an example for entrepreneurs. Such are the leaders who feature in “The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow 2022,” edition of Insights Success Business Magazine.
Dive in to get valuable learnings, and do not forget to grasp the articles our in-house editorial team wrote. I hope you have a happy read!
Raunak
Adi Engel
CMO
Daria Dubinina CEO and Co-founder
Diana Jenner Founder & CEO
Elissa Weimer Owner & Professional Trainer
Jekaterina Stuģe Group Chief Executive Officer
Karen Simon President and Managing Partner
Vcita vcita.com
vcita is a all-in-one business management and client engagement solution
Crassula crassula.io
Orchids Retreat orchidsretreat.co.uk
Paw & OrderDog Training pawandorder.com
Crassula is a FinTech software platform providing solutions for businesses to create financial products.
Orchids Retreat offers bespoke services like advanced face and skincare and make up.
Paw & Order offers professional, balanced, in-home dog training and behavioral problem solving
Amber Beverage Group amberbev.com
Emersons Commercial Real Estate www.emersonscre.com
Ruthie Staalsen Founder & CEO
Sandy Ko
Founder & Principal
Sherry Blinkhorn Broker/Owner
Tracy Lamourie
Founder and Managing Director
Ruthie Staalsen Interiors ruthiestaalsen.com
Customer Management Practice customermanagementpractice.com
Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd blinkhornrealestate.com
Lamourie Media Inc. lamouriemedia.com
Amber Beverage Group is a rapidly growing global spirits company, whose products are found in millions of households and venues across the globe
Emersons Commercial Real Estate is a team of real estate professionals dedicated to providing all the benefits of an inhouse real estate management operation.
Ruthie Staalsen Interiors is an award winning Dallas Interior Designer company
The Customer Management Practice (CMP) acts as a complete research, marketing and business development partner, and resource hub to the customer management sector.
Blinkhorn Real Estat implements innovative technologies and offers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance the listings services.
Lamourie Media Inc. a Universal Women's Network 2020 Woman of Inspiration Winner for the Women In Media award.
Karen Simon, President and Managing Partner, Emersons Commercial Real Estate
Our property management, accounting, leasing, sales and consulting teams are passionate about their work and go above and beyond to deliver industry-leading solutions for our clients.
Alady who is leading by example, aiming to impact the real estate business by exploring vast opportunities, is Karen Simon. She has been a mentor for women making their way into the sector for 30 years. While being the President and Managing Partner at Emersons Commercial Real Estate, Karen has managed to run a platform designed to align resources and maximize values. She believes that female industrial and commercial realtors have made a great deal of progress and emphasizes that there is still room for growth and opportunity.
Emersons Commercial Real Estate has put together a team of experts specializing in property management, accounting, leasing, sales, and consulting. Karen delivers industry-leading solutions matching clients’ expectations by putting together an efficient and hardworking team. She leads by example for her team members and encourages them to explore the ever-increasing opportunities in Real Estate.
Karen started her career after getting her master’s degree from Texas Christian University. She was offered a position teaching in a community college and taught there for four years. She geared up for her stint with the federal government by sitting for the civil service examination and qualified as a GS1415. She got offered a position as executive assistant to the regional administrator for the department of housing and urban development for region 10, which is Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Karen worked for them for four years, during which she was in charge of public relations and intergovernmental relations for the states under region 10. With her sheer dedication and hard work, she qualified for the broker’s license, which required 60 semester hours in real estate and real estate-related coursework or 900 classroom hours after sending her transcript to the Texas Real Estate Commission. She completed nine classroom hours out of 900 and got her own license. About six months later, she met the head of the industrial department for the Henry S. Miller Companythen the largest real estate company in the state; fifth-largest in the United States - and offered her a position because she met their criteria. She was appointed as the head of the Industrial Division for Henry S. Miller in Tarrant County. She shares, “The Metroplex includes Tarrant County, Dallas County, and the surrounding counties, but they had an office in Fort Worth, which is Tarrant County, and they had offices in Dallas. They gave me time to take some courses in industrial real estate, the first time, there were 36
men and me, and thus I began my real estate career with the Henry S. Miller Company. I stayed with that group for six years. They had sold the company in about the fourth or fifth year, but the market took a tremendous downturn along about 1988 to ’89.”
Karen had to close her office because she was not interested in relocating or commuting to Dallas because it wasn’t as easy to work remotely. Everything was in triplicate typewriters. There were no computers used in the offices at that time. Everything was sent by fax. It was a different technological world. So, she left and joined a company called The Real Estate Group and formed a company called The R. E. Group Advisors, Inc, which was a woman-owned company. Doing business with the federal government was much more advantageous if the company was woman or minority-owned. Karen expanded her horizons from industrial real estate to the other facets of commercial real estate: office, retail, land, and apartments. In about 1996, she left the REG and formed an industrial and land division for a retail development group called the Woodmont Company. During 2003 or 2004, she was asked to open an office for the Bradford Company in Tarrant County. It was an industrial and office specialty group, and Karen worked with them for the next 12 years. But her pursuit of ownership ultimately led her to Emerson’s Commercial Real Estate Group, based out of Dallas, and opened a Tarrant County office. She is currently the managing partner of Emerson’s Commercial Real Estate for Tarrant County. This is a brief history where she started out in 1983 in the commercial real estate department.
Karen shares, “Well, being a woman in the commercial real estate business in Texas was a bit of a challenge because when I started in 1983, no longer with the federal government, which was blind to gender, there were very few women in commercial real estate. When I became an industrial realtor in 1983, I was the first woman to hold that position in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And I learned, as you would look at challenges, that clients really were not gender-conscious either, but other realtors were genderconscious. So I needed to do more than would be expected of my colleagues. I needed to know more about it. I needed to be willing to work harder. I needed to be more conscientious. Commercial realtors don’t usually work on the weekends, but if you are the only female industrial realtor and it’s more convenient to show a warehouse on Sunday, then it was worthwhile to be to available do so and I did. So, I would say being a woman in a male-dominated
industry just required that I put forth more effort than my counterparts.”
Emersons was founded in 2004 by Richard Webb, who was both a broker and a banker by training, and Matt Price, who was a CPA and a broker. They formed the company because they had worked together on a family trust that extended into the commercial real estate area, particularly in management. They grew the company in the Dallas market and built their management component for property management. They opened or affiliated with a company that they considered a satellite in Oklahoma City. They had some representation in Austin and Houston. During the year 2016, Karen was selling them a piece of property because she represented in the State of Texas the excess properties for CVS Pharmacies, and they were buying a piece of property from her. Richard and Matt approached her about opening an office in equal partnership at Tarrant County. And then, about 2019, along with a company out of St. Louis called Priority Properties, they also formed a company called 1045, whose primary purpose was to manage all of Kroger Real Estate nationwide, which is about 2,800 properties and amounted to over 80 million square feet under management. The company then absorbed into 1045 the Kroger employees that were on the management side for their own real estate. The company has grown considerably since and made tremendous progress.
During the strongest period of COVID, people began to work from home. For a period of almost a year, whatever jobs were able to be remote were remote, and so only a skeleton had to work from the corporate offices, the end result of which is there are many that still do work remotely or they have the flexibility of working at home part-time and working in the office other times. Karen has allowed a lot more flexibility in the Ft.Worh office.
Technology certainly makes a job easier if the person is technologically proficient, but it certainly requires an effort. Karen explains, “I mean, for example, in 1983, I had a cell phone, but it was in my car. I couldn’t carry it with me. I didn’t have a little handheld machine called a BlackBerry till probably the early ’90s to when my email was so portable. And then, of course, the use of portable computers that you could just carry with you also eased the burden of being tied to a location. All that being said, we’re all for technology, but we need to have additional training. The younger people grew up with the benefits that those of us
that have been in the business a long time need to work with and catch up to.”
Karen emphasizes using technical skills and a lot less foot traffic. She advises not to forget core values and always remember to put clients’ interests first to be successful. She shares, “I’d like to, in a mentoring fashion or by example, let them know that there are no limitations as a result of gender. It’s just that until people as a whole are blind to gender when it comes to different specialties that they need to just work harder, be better know more than their counterparts.”
Karen feels that her career in the real estate business has been a challenge. She exclaims, “Oh, I think one of the impacts I had was on other young women to let them know that women can do the same job as well as men if they have the right tools if they’re willing to make an effort if they’re willing to go the extra mile. I think that I helped other women find their own position or their own destinies. I felt it important that I be a mentor to other women, professionally.” She sees herself as a pioneer because she utilized the opportunities that came to her at the right time and stayed on top for a long time. When she first went to work, she found out that it was more difficult because she had a three-year-old and a seven-year-old when she entered the job market. However, as time went on and opportunities presented themselves, those things began to catch up. Day care became more readily available. Karen is glad to belong to a generation where things were able to help her move upward and onward.
The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022
omen have made enormous strides in the
W finance sector. Their contributions in the space are strengthening the financial-services industry and helping businesses stay ahead of challenges. One such woman shaping the future of finance is Daria Dubinina
Before diving into entrepreneurship, Daria's journey has been full of discoveries and industry research. She has been working in the FinTech and payments field for five years, doing e-commerce and online payments. This allowed her to get to know the FinTech industry and strengthened her desire to learn and develop in FinTech.
Daria has dedicated more than nine years to mastering payments, e-commerce, and business development. As a leading strategist and entrepreneur, she has also led major partnership deals with top international companies. Today she is the CEO and Co-founder of Crassula .
Let's unveil more about Daria's journey and how Crassula is delivering the world-class products.
Crassula's story began when Daria met Alex Novozhenov and Vlad Nikolayev. They all are co-founders of Crassula.
The decision to found Crassula was a natural progression of the desire to put the accumulated knowledge into action. They started with a simple idea to provide fast and easy core technology for launching FinTechs. And today Crassula White Label solutions are trusted by the industry leaders. The company allows users to build their PSP, Banking, FX products in days and provides access to worldclass products to over 5 million users.
Crassula White Label software provides the technical infrastructure for the FinTech companies that allows creating their services and products. With Crassula, companies can concentrate on building their businesses without spending years and huge budgets developing their solutions. Also, this approach reduces the risks when testing a business idea; now the company can begin to implement its idea on Crassula's platform, attract customers and enter the market.
Crassula allows its clients to launch their crypto banks and wallets, accepting crypto payments. Using its solutions, clients can start their crypto business in days.
Daria is playing a crucial role in supporting the launch, growth and development of FinTechs around the world through Crassula. Firstly, Crassula helps FinTech companies to bring their ideas to life quickly and save their budgets. It also creates a whole infrastructure of solutions and products, a kind of tech hub, stimulating the creation of new products and services development.
"We also do a lot of R&D and there is a clear trend of FinTech penetration into most tech industries. Social media, retail, gaming, and other industries are developing FinTech components. Thus, our solutions are also becoming more global, which allows us to develop the global market," Daria notes.
Further Daria mentions that Crassula researches and tests the latest technological advances to create the most effective products for its customers. Today, the Crassula platform offers 3 main products: Core Banking System, Crypto Banking System, and PSP.
Core Banking System provides ledgers with IBANs, card management system, KYC onboarding and verification module, AML financial monitoring module, SWIFT & SEPA transfers, Currency exchange, and more.
Crypto Banking product allows Crassula's clients to launch their crypto projects, manage and open accounts with unique crypto addresses, exchange fiat to crypto, make crypto transfers, invest in crypto, issue cards for private and business clients.
PSP is helping create a global payment gateway attributed with alternative payment methods, anti-fraud, risk management, merchant integration, smart routing, and virtual currencies, enabling payment companies to make online payments secure and smart for merchants and payers.
Stating the importance of culture Daria states that the most
“We are constantly developing, growing and improving.”
important value for Crassula is its team. For its community, one of the key principles is called "Freedom And Responsibility". It does not control every minute of working time, giving its teammates freedom to create whenever they want, but expects responsibility of finishing the projects on time and with the highest quality. It created its product with the ability to think out of the box and tries to encourage this skill in its team.
As a CEO, Daria tries to motivate Crassula's community, be a role model, share her experience and stimulate creativity in the area of responsibility of Crassula's teammates.
Daria believes that the basis for building a team is to work with the best. To cooperate with the best professionals from around the world, Crassula developed remote working practices even before the pandemic. So, when COVID-19 flipped the workplaces upside-down, Crassula had already embraced a remote work model before hiring professionals online began to get popular. This approach enabled the team to double in size in 2021. Currently, Crassula is a technical hub bringing together professionals from all over the world. Its dream team is working remotely from Latvia, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.
We asked Daria her opinion on the next big significant change in the FinTech space, to which she says, "Pandemic, lockdown, and society changes led to radical changes in technology. Technologies today are developing rapidly as never before, and the FinTech industry is growing as well. Online banking is becoming a transforming tool in finance. And it's not just about the cashless economy. Digital banking offers more innovative services and products, improves security and transparency. It is important to mention white labelling as one of the main trends. White Label FinTech solutions allow the market to develop faster, and the businesses to launch their own solutions, minimize risks and costs.”
According to Daria, one of the most important financial innovations and one of the main trends is crypto. Trends such as robotic process automation and voice-enabled payments cannot be ignored. No one could even imagine how quickly it could evolve when online banking has just started. Big data projects are still an important trend, as people create an incredible amount of data every second. Crassula is at the cutting edge of technology development, and it is going to work to let its products keep pace with world trends and possibly lead them.
Looking backward, Daria sees a lot of amazing clients, successful projects, and collaborations. Therefore, she is looking forward to working on new solutions for Crassula's clients, to new integrations, nominations, and collaborations.
In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, Daria says, "Building your own business is one of the most hard yet exciting journey. This is a chance to give rise to new trends that may one day change the world. Therefore, you should be open to new opportunities, work hard, and develop your networking skills. You should always take care of yourself, of your team and keep moving to the new goals.”
Everyone deserves to feel great about the way they look. It was this belief that led Diana Jenner to found Orchids Retreat.
Diana turned her passion for beauty into a boutique Beauty Salon that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of its clients. From starting her career by working in a Spa to running an award-winning salon, she has come a long way. At Orchids, she creates tailored programs to suit each client's individual needs of Chemical Peels, Mesotherapy, and Customised Facials to promote and maintain healthy skin.
Inspired by her urge to take beauty industry to the new heights, we at Insights Success caught up with Diana to learn more about her journey and Orchids Retreat.
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Orchids Retreat. What challenges did you overcome to reach where you are today?
My career in the beauty industry began working in a Spa at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas whilst attending University Nevada Las Vegas. I always wanted to own my own business, and as a lifelong passion for beauty, I wanted to have my own salon.
My Dad told me that I couldn't go to beauty school as I needed a formal education not just to learn a trade skill; he wouldn't even let me attend an evening massage course whilst at university. Instead, I got a job in the spa whilst studying at UNLV to gain hands-on experience. Fast forward a few years, and I moved to England to be near my Mom. In Europe they offer Beauty Therapy courses that teach you a variety of skills, so I enrolled in every course possible. For a year, I attended holistic, beauty and advanced courses full-time during the day as well as
evening and weekends, so I completed three years of courses in one year.
Now it was time to gain some experience in the industry. I started my own business called Orchids Hideaway and set up a treatment room in my bedroom at home. This expanded to a two bed house with one room just for salon use; while building up my own clientele, I was working in a salon and managing a bar and restaurant to make ends meet. I then took a job with Virgin Atlantic to see the world and visit spas and salons around the globe. In 2008, I gave up my wings and bought my first salon on the top floor of a hair salon. I was enjoying training and sharing my passion as I grew the team, so I gained my teaching qualification from Greenwich University to enable me to teach beauty. Teaching, running a salon, and growing a family proved to be too much to juggle, so the next chapter was to be a solopreneur.
I kept a treatment room on the coast and took up a residency at the Soho Hotel in London, which gave me the opportunity to host seasonal skincare events for beauty magazines, bloggers and treat celebrity clientele. It was a fantastic experience, and I'm so grateful to Kit Kemp for the opportunity.
The pandemic proved difficult for many, but with grit and motivation, I was determined to swim upstream and provide wellbeing for the community. Last summer, I opened a sixtreatment room beauty and wellbeing clinic. And, we now have a team of twelve to offer beauty, holistic, wellbeing and advanced aesthetic services.
Orchids Retreat's mission is to help others put their best face forward. To educate our team and clients about how to care and maintain a healthy body and glowing skin all year
round. We pride ourselves in offering a high standard of treatments, customer service and client care.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Aesthetic Facials niche through your expertise in the market.
With over 20 years of experience in the Beauty Industry, I still have the same motto - put your best face forward. Healthy glowing skin naturally is about looking after your skin. We're only given one body in this life and you've got to look after it. As one of the first UK Brand Ambassadors for Dermalogica and an Advanced Skin Expert, I created the Youth Boost facial along with a trio of others to focus on clients' specific skincare needs. We use Dermalogica Professional Skincare, mesotherapy, micro-needling and Bio Therapeutics technology to design bespoke facials for each client.
If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the Body Massage industry?
I think teaching therapists how to save their hands and look after their body's is crucial to a lifelong career in this industry. At Orchids Retreat, we welcome apprenticeships and college students to join our team as junior therapists. I host monthly masterclasses for our whole team to further develop their skill set and am amazed how many do not know hands free or trigger point techniques that can be used to save their hands from repetitive strain. I believe the industry should offer this training as part of therapists initial course content.
What, according to you, could be the next big change in Skin Therapy industry? How is Orchids Retreat preparing to be a part of that change?
I think the next big change in the industry will be people trying to undo the effects of having too many fillers and enhanced treatments. Advanced aesthetics are a growing market, but it is important to maintain standards. I think it's also vital for professionals to only recommend what is needed and advise when to put the brakes on and educate their clients about the need to look after the canvas not just continue to plump out the lines artificially. You can't turn back the clock you have to look after your skin.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Orchids Retreat?
I have so many goals and aspirations!
During the pandemic, I obtained a distinction in an aromatherapy course and used my years of product ingredient knowledge to create my signature scent and formulate my own bodycare range to help clients refresh, relax and restore at home. I would like to be a household name one day and to advance Aurum D to being stocked and sold in high end retail stores, not just at Orchids Retreat.
The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology asked me to help the government write the guidelines for our industry to be covid compliant. I was delighted to help the Department of Business and Industry Strategy (BEIS) and to share my knowledge and experience with others in this sector I set up Signature D coaching and consulting.
Going forward, I would like to share my passion and combine features from all three companies to franchise Orchids Retreat around the United Kingdom and launch our Beauty and Wellbeing Clinics globally. Offering a 'Beauty Business in a Box' with advanced coaching, policies, procedures, business set up, marketing materials and ongoing support.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?
Just go for it! You'll never be completely ready; there is no such thing as failure, just lessons learnt. I learn new lessons every day, and it helps us all to grow, develop and blossom.
Life is a struggle that revolves around personal and professional challenges. And, when you are struggling, seeking advice from genuine friends always helps you. But instead of following people and their advice, create your own opportunities that help you find your own path. Because fate is by far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never know where it will take you. But the real question is there an alternative to all of this? While everyone speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss the solution through this article.
Our lives are connected to technology and social media, as they play a key role in today’s modern world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact that the vision to bring change in the lives of the people and transform the world is possible with technology. But, promoting compassion and wellbeing among the people is also equally important. Understandably, everyone wants to create their identity and influence the world. But developing leaders just for the sake of business output and profits will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like today.
We want leaders who can get the best out of their team, which is possible only without the fear of judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all people need, and leaders can bring that hope through these sources. For example, if any employee knows that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that person.
Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to help those who feel down and try to bring the best out of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently. As an organization and as people, we should develop compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the world.
It is only with this approach we can make it possible to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion
and well-being among the people. Now that we have got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next question is, how do you recognize that you need help? Most of us today are too busy making a living. We exist only within our daily routine, as we are preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career, household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too late to realize that you are already struggling –emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our actual/real life.
There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of yourself can be overlooked against all the professional pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health.
Before you extend your compassion and authentic care for people, you must first practice self-care. Why? Because you can never give what you do not have.
Below are things that can help you in practicing selfcare:
Start your day doing things you love the most and boost your mood.
Be grateful for things you have, no matter how small or big it might be.
Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise regularly
Do activities and interactions add value to your life
There are much more things that you can discover yourself to practice self-care. After following all the things, you will appreciate your life, even more, resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know yourself better – see a better version of yourself and attract positivity in your life.
I bond between a dog and owner is impeccable. You might have come across several videos on social media where a dog is happy, carrying out his shenanigans, spreading smiles on millions of faces. However, many efforts go into training these dogs, considered as an essential part of canine companionship. Elissa Weimer takes dog training to her heart to deepen the bond between the owner and the dog to widen their smile.
f you are a pet owner, you may understand that the
different feeling than seeing an agent or police officer at your door.
Elissa is the Owner of Paw & Order Dog Training and is a Professional Trainer, with numerous certifications to her name. Through Paw & Order, she offers professional, balanced, dog training and behavioral problem solving throughout the Pittsburgh area. Paw & Order recently expanded its reach to Southwest Florida, Houston, TX, and Central Ohio through franchising.
Insights Success caught up with Elissa in our endeavor to find “The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch 2022” and talked about how she is instilling pride in dog owners, as well as making dogs safer in the community as a whole!
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Paw & Order Dog Training. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
I joined the military right out of High School. Being a Military Policewoman led me to the path I am on now.
During college, I acquired a paid internship with the Attorney General’s office and later with the Federal Bureau of Investigations on their Violent Drug and Gang squad in Philadelphia, PA. After two years of interning there, I applied for a Special Agent position, but quickly realized that just was not what I genuinely wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to help people and wanted people to be excited when they saw me arrive at their homes—a
I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I did not know where to start. I spent a long time figuring out what I was good at and realized I am good at teaching people. I just had to decide what I would be excited to teach! I realized that I love animals and that they had the power of making people feel good in so many ways. I realized that so many people have dogs, so I decided to shadow many other dog trainers and attended a ton of schools to learn as many techniques as possible to help people ENJOY their dogs. To this day, I continue to learn and better myself and my team of trainers to help as many people as possible. We not only continue our education with behavioral problems, but also
with other areas of dog training such as trick training, Therapy Dog Training, Canine Good Citizen, agility training, large field socialization classes, and K9 Detection training (my Belgian Malinois and I won 1st Place Narcotics at last year’s Police K9 Competition in Kentucky). We realized how much we have to offer and how unique our company is that we decided it was time to franchise in 2019!
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
Paw & Order’s mission is to improve the lives of as many families as we can by providing quality and effective individualized dog training. Our vision is to continue spreading Paw & Order nationwide and have an amazing training program to ensure that the quality of our local Pittsburgh market is mirrored in every major city in the United States. We train our trainers to the highest standards and treat our employees like family. All our trainers are extremely valuable to us, and we make sure that they are well taken care of. It builds their loyalty to our brand, making them want to work even harder to ensure that our clients are happy and excited to refer us to their family and friends.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the training niche through your expertise in the market.
Our training is unique to each dog and family. We have also made training simple and effective for families and dogs. So often, we hear that “my dog will only listen if I am holding treats or the leash/some other piece of training equipment.”
Or a client will say that their dog knows all basic commands (sit, down, come, stay) but will not do it when there are other distractions around or the environment does not look the same every time for the dog.
Dogs do not generalize things well and need hundreds of repetitions in as many situations as possible to reliably understand what you are asking them to do. We have mastered our communication with dogs and their owners to
train SIMPLE. We have found that overloading our clients with a bunch of training jargon that means nothing to them is not helpful. Dog owners want their dog to be a good family dog they can trust and be proud of! They are not competing in shows with their dog where they need to learn fancy tricks and unrealistic positions to their family situation (there is nothing wrong with competitions, but most pet owners do not care about that). Most people do not have perfect timing when it comes to communicating with their dog, so we use methods that allow a delay between rewards and consequences once their behavior, like/dislike, has been identified. This helps tremendously so that their dog will listen even if their owner does not have food or a leash in their hand.
We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the moment. Our clients have lifetime access to our trainers and they have access to a free private adventure group after their training is complete to make sure that they continue to be successful. It introduces them to an amazing community of other dogs and owners to experience fun things with. At least once a week, we meet up at trails, parks, stores, lakes, bars, etc., and go hiking, camping, kayaking, or just enjoy a nice day outside with our dogs and a drink! We want people to experience how life-changing our dog training programs are. Once your dog is well trained, your world becomes more fulfilling and exciting!
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future Paw & Order Dog Training goals?
We recently started opening new locations nationwide and want to continue doing so. We strive for the QUALITY of our trainers instead of quantity. Paw & Order is my “baby,” and we will only expand with individuals that match our integrity and motivation to work hard, be proud of what they are doing, and continue to improve the quality of the business.
“We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the moment. We will investigate and solve your dog's behavior problems.”
2022
With an innovation agenda, covering relentless creativity to develop existing brands and build new ones, Jekaterina Stuģe consistently employs various strategies to seek new consumer insights and find new ways of customer engagement. Her dedicated efforts for her work caught eye of Insights Success which is why we cherish her as one of “The Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022”.
As the Group CEO of Amber Beverage Group , Jekaterina aims to make her business one of the Top 10 spirits companies. Amber Beverage Group is a rapidly growing global spirits company, whose products are found in millions of households and venues worldwide.
Fascinated by her efforts and achievements, Insights Success caught up with Jekaterina and talked about her amazing journey, challenges and what lies next. Below are the highlights of the interview: Briefly describe your professional journey up until now. “My first serious job was with the auditing company Arthur Andersen (later Ernst & Young Baltic). At that time, becoming an auditor in an international audit firm was not easy; it was a great challenge and an honour to get accepted into this community,” says Jekaterina Stuģe. She spent more than 10 years at Ernst & Young, earning an MBA whilst there. She then joined the newly formed Latvian food producer group NP Foods (currently Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Latvija) as a Board Member with responsibility for financial management and information technology. She created the Shared Service Centre there and then joined the Eco Baltija team as CFO and Board Member.
Jekaterina joined the SPI Group (parent company of Amber Beverage Group) as CFO of the Baltic business unit in 2014. She participated in the development of Amber Beverage Group (ABG) and, since then, she has held the roles of CFO and COO and became CEO in 2020. She is aiming to lead ABG to become a €1 billion company over the next five years.
Jekaterina says: “One of big challenges is that Amber Beverage Group is rapidly growing, both organically and through M&A. Balancing excellence vs speed is a challenge. In recent years, the Group has expanded, and when adding new companies, we always need to consider how to adapt to the existing culture and processes. One of the ways of working is to create #ExtraordinaryEveryday. The approach is characterized by constant improvements and changes, such as introducing automation in production processes, introducing RPA functions in the back-office, etc.”
“Our approach is that whatever we do, we do as well as possible. A great example of this is our future logistics centre combining a new state-of-the-art high-bay warehouse to serve export customers; a large customer orders assembly line; and an ability to handle individual and split order assembly jobs,” says Jekaterina.
Tell us about Amber Beverage Group and its foundation pillar.
Amber Beverage Group is a global spirits powerhouse,
We believe that strong brands are built by strong, healthy, and motivated people so our top priority is to provide a culture of vitality and a dynamic working environment.
whose core brands are Moskovskaya® Vodka, Rooster Rojo® Tequila, KAH® Tequila, The Irishman® Whiskey, Writers' Tears® Whiskey, Riga Black Balsam®, Cross Keys Gin® and Cosmopolitan Diva®. ABG produces, bottles, markets, distributes, exports, and retails a range of beverages of which it owns more than 100 and is responsible for marketing and distributing 1,300 third-party drinks brands.
The company has around 2,000 employees in the Baltic States, Austria, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Despite the challenges faced by the industry, ABG had one of its busiest years in 2021 with excellent financial results reaching more than EUR 36m EBITDA, exceeding the previous results by 16%.
The Group's EBITDA has grown annually since its launch in 2014.
Jekaterina says: “ABG is operating in a highly competitive environment and is looking to be a widely integrated company through production, logistics, distribution, and retail. ABG distributes and develops its own brands, whilst representing third party brand owners including MastJägermeister, Beam Suntory, William Grant & Sons, Brown Forman, and others with the aim of growing the market.”
How does Amber Beverage Group promote workforce flexibility, and what is your role in it?
“The Group's success depends on the skills of key personnel and its ability to retain such talents. At ABG we believe that strong brands are built by strong, healthy, and motivated people so our top priority is to provide a culture of vitality and a dynamic working environment. A leader is only as good as her teams and I am fortunate to be surrounded by so many brilliant professionals who are supported in their work through flexible (hybrid) working and new employee training programmes,” said Jekaterina Stuģe.
What is your take on technology's importance, and how are you leveraging it?
Jekaterina is a global business leader, advisor, financial expert, and trailblazer. In addition to her excellent ability to manage and develop a global business, innovation is her second passion.
“As we grow, there are even more processes to be managed, and so we are introducing robotics in accountancy and
adding AI to several operational functions,” said Jekaterina Stuģe.
Jekaterina believes that embracing change is the biggest challenge in every company. She said: “The main challenge to drive high level changes in a global company such as ABG is to make people believe that they need these changes and convince them to see that as something positive. At ABG we implement a continuous improvement culture. We use Kaizen methodology with a focus on real innovation in manufacturing that creates a model for excellence.”
Jekaterina leads numerous projects in order to move towards robotizing standard routines and free up employee time for intelligence analysis.
What are your goals in the upcoming future?
“The innovation agenda includes the development of new products, expansion in new markets and consumer segments, introduction of new technologies, and reinvention of operational and production processes. Overall, ABG is continuing on its growth path.”.
What advice would you like to give the next generation of aspiring business leaders?
“Diversity in the workplace, including gender diversity, makes things better. The more perspectives you have, the more active and creative the workplace dynamic becomes.
“I would advise future business leaders not to fear change because it is part of everyday life. It is better if you are already one step ahead of others and are the first to implement changes before your competitors,” concludes Jekaterina Stuģe.
Ruthie Staalsen Owner Ruthie Staalsen Interiors (RSI)
Known for her exquisite taste, superior sense of style, and infectious personality, Ruthie Staalsen of Ruthie Staalsen Interiors is a prominent name in the interior design space.
Born and raised in South Africa, Ruthie has lived all over the world. She creates homes that have a relaxed, collected look and adds a global flair to her designs. Her knack for utilizing existing pieces within a space to create something completely new makes her a preferred choice among her clientele.
Besides, she has also co-authored the book, Behind Her Brand , which depicts what life is like as a female entrepreneur, mother, and wife, and how to best integrate these aspects to create a balanced business and fulfilling life.
Inspired by her passion for designing spaces, we at Insights Success caught up with Ruthie to learn more about her journey as a business leader.
Below are the highlights of the Interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Ruthie Staalsen Interiors. What challenges do you have to overcome to reach where you are today?
I’m the oldest of 3 kids and carried the role of leader as a kid and still do. I was born and raised in South Africa and traveled the world in my childhood. Leadership has always been part of my DNA, and I think living in different countries all my life, made me a better leader because I learned to adjust to hardships and certainly learned about being flexible. That being said, I’m a very driven person and one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to learn is how to take time to relax. Being that my business relies a lot on me, it is hard for me to shut work off. I learned the hard way and have now hired people to help me do the things
I’m not so good at. This relieves me to do the things that I love, and that brings me more joy and time to relax.
Tell us something more about your company, its mission, and its vision.
We are a Dallas based boutique design firm focussing on residential design. We do everything from walk through consultations to full-service design projects. Again, because of our travels, I watched my mom set up home each time we were in a new country. She always surrounded us with the things that were important to us and created a home around those things. Our mission at RSI is to always give our clients a home they enjoy being in, one that welcomes them home and makes them spend time with family and friends. We want the homes we create to be practical, functional, and beautiful. We create a “feeling” that not just anybody can create.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Interiors niche through your expertise in the market? I am a part of the Interior Design Society and keep as involved as I can. I believe that when you have good relationships with others in the same industry, you can add your knowledge and experience to others and, interns learn from others, making our businesses stronger together. I’m not afraid of making changes to our company if things are not working as they should. Change is hard but can sometimes lead you in a more positive direction.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization. We have a positive and fun vibe here at RSI, and we hire people with that same energy. We love employees that have a lot of experience, however, the most important thing to me is their attitude, character, and “can do” spirit. Everything else can be learned, but these characteristics are crucial additions to my business model.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
We are incredibly active on social media platforms and use them to educate and inspire our existing clients and our future clients. We do before and after videos of our install days and document our behind-the-scenes happenings with our remodels and full home makeovers.
What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Interiors industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
Travel takes up so much time and although we love to travel, we often can't take time away from our ongoing clients. I see more and more virtual events, showroom tours, etc. happening (especially since Covid) so that we can still attend while being in our office. The only problem is the energy and comradery that goes along with in-person events is irreplaceable and needed in this lonely career. We work alone a lot as designers preparing design plans, doing office paperwork, etc. Being with others that motivate and encourage us is very important. I certainly don’t want inperson events to go away.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for your company?
I would love to have a unique line with lighting, rug, or furniture company. I believe my international flair could
God is the giver of gifts, it is up to me to use those gifts to serve Him.
really be a benefit. So many companies need to revamp their outdated showrooms and products to keep them in line with their competition. Promoting other companies through my social media is one of the things I do naturally so putting these two things together only makes sense.
Another goal of mine is to have a Jewelry line made with bamboo, wood, string, metal, and other fun textures similar to the textures I use in my designs.
My future goals are to be able to donate more money to my favorite charities. I started this business with that very goal in mind and want to continue doing so more than ever.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Interiors sector?
Though this industry is a fun one to be in, think about it seriously. There are lot of clients to please and loads of balls in the air to juggle constantly. When you first start, you are solo doing all the things a business needs. Hiring people comes later and those first few years are HARD. I would also say that if you are not good at working with others or are not a problem solver, this industry is not for you. You need thick skin to be an entrepreneur in general, also being a marriage Counselor is definitely in your job description 90% of the time.
There is a tremendous amount of potential in every living entity. Untapped potential should be trapped for the welfare of the world. Where women are empowered that place flourishes in abundance. Empowered women leads to the prosperity of families, societies, nations and the world. Deep down, every person likes to live with dignity by contributing something to the world according to one’s capabilities and potential. Therefore, that potential should be nurtured in everyone and especially in the girls and women. Nothing can dim the light in every person that shines from within. All girls and women has to do is to be aware of their own inner potential and they can contribute to any field of their choice.
The world is currently going through the unprecedented times due to the ongoing pandemic. This is certainly challenging time for many people but some exceptional women leaders see the positive opportunity even in such unprecedented time and actually that is the hallmark of good women leadership. Exceptional women leaders are always aware and they understand that the unprecedented times always call for unprecedented actions, innovative, thoughtful, and win-win solutions. The world may be filled with lot of negativity due to inevitable challenges and causes, but exceptional women leaders call upon their inner light and they use such unprecedented time to develop and nourish their skillsets so that they can be an instrument of positive contribution to the world in the coming times. Now more than ever, women and girls need to call on their inner light to utilize the toughest times to tune into their conscience, learn new things by using virtual platforms and make themselves competent.
In the difficult times of pandemic it is essential for women leaders to be detached from the negativity around themselves. Unless and until one is detached from the negativity, it is very difficult to focus on the positive and to make the most out of that positive. Exceptional women leaders prefer to be courageous to confront issues more diligently and deal with people with empathy and due consideration. Exceptional women leaders choose to think deliberately and act on the conclusion of logical, rational, analytical, systematic, and cognitive-intensive thought process. That is really the most important part of exceptional women leadership. Leaders are supposed to think deliberately and act on the basis of logical conclusion for delivering the efficient results.
Educating and empowering a girl child creates a ripple effect and it creates a positive influence in the community. Empowered women invest time and energy in creating the stronger next generations. The future leaders of tomorrow can be more talented, dynamic, and competent to deliver maximum contribution for the welfare of the world if they are raised by the empowered women. Empowering women is beneficial in so many ways and their contribution play a
very important role in creating the genuinely exemplary future leaders.
Gender equality is beneficial for the whole world. Promoting gender equality is not just responsibility of women leaders or women issue but it is a societal issue and everyone should support in promoting the purpose of gender equality. United nations is again and again promoting the empowerment of women. That’s very crucial. The greater number of women in every field is a sign of growth and evolved culture. The empowered women are boon to the world. That is the reason ‘Gender Equality’ is one of the most important sustainable development goals. Empowering women is essential for the sustainable development of the world. Empowered women become great asset for businesses, families, societies, communities, nations, and that is ultimately beneficial for whole world.
There are plenty of fields where women have opportunities and they can contribute immensely. The world is in desperate need of genuinely exemplary women leaders to make a difference through businesses, science, research, technology etc. Women can become the leaders in the field of businesses, science, research, technology and in any choice of their field if they are willing to be bold and courageous enough to pursue their career in such fields relentlessly. They have the potential to make a difference in the choice of field they go and therefore women should not shy away from utilizing their best capabilities and they should deny the world of their valuable contribution.
Empowered women are the secret weapon of creating a positive change in the society and the world at large. Empowering and enhancing women and investing in them unlocks a tremendous potential for the world. Empowered women are the most important weapon and resource in the fight against the global poverty. The untapped resource of women has the tremendous potential and that should be recognized by the people in the world especially by the people who have the opportunity to create awareness related to this.
The empowered women have the potential to significantly improve livelihoods, productivity, economic outputs, and the overall human life itself. The basic longing to live with dignity, the fundamental desire to have control of one’s lives and one’s future and to be part of determining the course of our communities and our nations are very much universal in the empowered women. These longings burn in the women and girls, and with these longings they can be a great dynamic force in the world to be an agent of change and make a significant contribution for the welfare of the world with their talents, skills, and abilities and that will lead to the ultimate welfare of the world.
Great leaders understand that the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to creating a successful and sustainable work environment.
One rising leader who has centered that understanding in her work while growing a vast network of thought leaders, business executives, and creatives as part of her role producing the world's most extensive customer contact event series, Customer Contact Week (CCW), is none other than Sandy Ko
Sandy is an award-winning analyst, producer, and Founder & Principal of Customer Contact Women (CCWomen) at Customer Management Practice (CMP).
Sandy attended Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Mason Gross School of the Arts in 2007, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education in 2011. Since then, Sandy has pursued a fulfilling career in event operations at CMP where she produces CCW, a customer contact event series laser-focused on the people, processes, and technologies that drive the customer function in businesses across the full range of sectors and industries.
While growing in the customer contact industry, Sandy noticed the need for a space for women and allies to celebrate women and to support them in their careers. This led Sandy to create Customer Contact Women (CCWomen). Since its inception in 2018, CCWomen has been a force for diversity, equity, and inclusion, while allowing Sandy to actualize her passion for driving innovation and success through community.
Let's get a view of her story through this interview carried out by Insights Success.
What challenges did you face along the way?
Early in my career, I did not have mentors, coaches, or sponsors to help me in my career development. I knew I had the work ethic, intelligence, and creativity it takes to
succeed, but I didn't know how to bring these qualities to bear in a valuable way that leaders would recognize. I thought I had to do it all on my own – I didn't know that I needed guidance to grow or an environment to foster my creativity and develop my career.
All changed when I came to CMP. My manager and the company president were supportive and saw my potential. They helped to build a welcoming office that provided the opportunity for my skills and ideas to flourish. I've also had the good fortune to connect with mentors in and out of the customer contact space who have been crucial in championing me and shining a spotlight on my strengths and accomplishments.
These mentors helped me overcome the many challenges that I faced in my career. They pushed me to be my best self and pursue my goals so that I could be a force for change.
What significant impact have you brought to the Business Development industry?
I'm most proud of creating and developing CCWomen. I'm passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and CCWomen has been an incredible way to grow that passion while elevating underrepresented voices. Building CCWomen has been a joy, and I'm so excited to bring more people together to see what we have to offer.
CCWomen is the first and only group of its kind in the customer contact space. We offer our members vital support through networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities. Our CCWomen community features women leaders and allies from across industries and generations who share their expertise and vision on the most critical issues facing women in customer contact. Moreover, our topic-focused events provide the tangible resources and tools to women that they need to excel and be successful in their careers.
As the Founder and Principal of CCWomen, I get to use my excellent project and process management skills to foster
strategic relationships with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. And it's no secret that when diverse voices come together, the job gets done!
How does CMP promote workforce flexibility, and what is your role in it?
CMP consists of a group of innovative, smart, and passionate individuals. We thrive on collaboration and are motivated by the growth potential of our business. We celebrate our achievements and work together to overcome our challenges. In order to tap into every individual's passion and innovation, CMP provides flexibility with work hours, remote work, generous PTO, and wellbeing days, which are important now more than ever. It's a great situation for someone like me – I'm ambitious and selfmotivated, but I'm often most productive outside of the typical office environment. I continue to advocate for flexibility to accommodate each individual's needs because everyone learns and works in different ways. I know that cultivating a flexible workforce supports our team's growth and fuels its passion.
What is your take on technology's importance, and how are you leveraging it?
Technology helps you and your company move forward because the world is constantly evolving. It's crucial to the success of your business and for your internal and external stakeholders. You need to leverage the right technology at the right time, and it has to enhance workflows and experiences.
I'm leveraging technology to conduct market research and analyze data in real time to produce a seamless and whiteglove experience for the CCWomen community. Doing so will help me drive better business decisions and enhance the reach of CCWomen in the future.
Additionally, the digital portal for CCWomen will be launching soon! It's a custom-built digital asset that will utilize the latest and greatest in custom software development to better support the CCWomen community beyond live event interactions.
What will be the next significant change in Market Research, and how are you preparing for it?
We need to have a better read on the pulse of our customers. In order to do that, we need to be better listeners and be more inclusive in the research we conduct. Market Research needs to reflect more accurately our rapidly evolving world. Technology can support this transformation, but we need to deliver human experiences as well to prepare for that change. Build and foster relationships with your community where honest conversations can take place and go beyond traditional market research approaches.
My goals are to continue to grow personally and professionally by advocating for women from all backgrounds and all walks of life. It's absolutely essential that we communicate the power of the CCWomen community to help build a world for women by women and allies. Women are vital to business, and CCWomen is the perfect way to support women's involvement in every aspect of it. Together with our allies, women can be, and are, a force for change and advancement in the customer contact space and the world at large.
What advice would you like to give the next generation of aspiring business leaders?
Do good work, be at the top of your game, and take the time to include others. Be the best you can be because the fight is not over. You have to do the work while helping others along the way.
In order to stay ahead, you have to be the absolute best you can be. This justifies why you should get that raise, and why executives should give you that opportunity. It will give you the authority to stand on your own two feet and ask for what you deserve based on your skills, experiences, knowledge, and accomplishments. It's hard for someone to say no to you when you are the best of the best. You need to leverage your skills to stand out from your competitors. And if you're able to do that, you'll inspire others to do the best work they're capable of.
Most importantly, as you move up the ladder and become successful, always take the time to offer a hand to those who are struggling.
“CCWomen is the first and only group of its kind in the customer contact space. The community is forged in the best fire: a community created by women, for women and allies.“
I difficult to really understand the struggle one goes through to change oneself. We hear stories about people who have achieved success and paved their way to the top of their field, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
t is easy to say be the change you want, but it is quite
the top 5% in Canada's total sales volume with Royal LePage National Franchise.
Numerous factors drive one to make desired changes to be the change they want.
In our search to find such a persona, driven to adapt to change, we came across Sherry Blinkhorn, who perfectly fits the definition of 'be the change you want.' Currently, Sherry passionately leads her venture, Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd. , with her dedication to being the best of the best.
Sherry's journey hasn’t been an easy one. She came up through the foster care system and went through many challenges in her life, but she made some conscious decisions that would change her life for the good after her children were born.
Sherry began her professional journey as a commercial and residential property manager in her initial years then in 1998 she pursued getting her salesperson’s license. She began to achieve one milestone after the other by utilizing her extensive knowledge and experience to accumulate record-breaking sales. It resulted in her receiving national recognition in 2002 and 2003 and in 2004 she received the 'Platinum Award' for her sales achievement, placing her in
Subsequently, embarking on the success, Sherry's adaptability to change led her to the quest of incepting her independent real estate firm, in 2005, Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd., and she has never looked backed since. She sowed the seeds of efforts and dedication, forming a team with likeminded colleagues that reaped her and her firm the fruit of gaining a solid reputation for providing exceptional services and supporting many non-profit charitable organizations.
Adding Different Ingredients to the Recipe of Success
Plunging forward in her path of success, she says the learning process never stops. Sherry holds a diploma in adult psychology, social work, and counselling skills. Being amply trained in the mental health field, she understands how stressful it can be to buy or sell a house.
Sherry has fostered an environment where she puts people first and encourages her colleagues to do the same. She’s created a caring and natural positive atmosphere in her workspace. She knows how crucial it is and is humbled to be part of the most significant transaction of one's life and is overjoyed to help it to become a reality. “We don’t see ourselves as good salespeople – we are good Realtors; there is a big difference,” says Sherry.
Sherry has focused her work approach around her buyers and sellers making them the utmost priority. It was vital to
her to create a familial workspace which gives a feeling of comfort and smoothens the work process. She truly cares about her clients and understands their real estate needs, which is why she implies a friendly and professional atmosphere in her unique way. She has sculpted a valuedriven team that strives and implements effective marketing strategies with honesty and hard work.
The amount of hard work and dedication Sherry puts in her work is commendable in itself. Her work ethic has set an example, and her efforts have been acknowledged with numerous awards, including the ‘Community Mentor Award’ from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County. She also received the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Year award at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce Gala in 2012. Sherry is the first female to receive this honor since its inception in 1991.
Her achievements don’t stop there and go further; in 2018, Sherry received the ‘Volunteer Vision Award’ from the Nova Scotia Mental Health Foundation. The following year she was also recognized with the ‘Women in Business Award’ at the Chamber Business Achievements Gala. Aside
from awards, Sherry was featured in 2020 in the International ‘Top Agent Magazine’ and her life story in the Nova Scotia ‘At Home Magazine’.
At Blinkhorn Real Estate, Sherry has created a work culture driven by values to make client's lives easier and delivers high-quality products. The company implements innovative technologies and offers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance the listings services. They do their best to ensure that clients get the best prices for buyers and sellers by through their experience and expertise.
The journey that Sherry embarked on has been a challenge in itself, she’s worked hard to forge her path to be at the position she is today. Her experiences have all contributed to finding transparency in her life. She has been a passionate advocate for the mentally ill for years. She was also the public relations director for the Canadian Cancer Society, Pictou, volunteered for years on the Palliative Care unit and made it part of her life to give back to her community.
Sherry has built Blinkhorn Real Estate from the ground up and contributed to many community organizations in various ways along the way including sponsoring sports teams and is routinely involved with multiple non-profits and other organizations across the county.
Unfolding the pages of Sherry's life, it is crystal clear that despite hurdles she’s faced, she always has come out on top. She always empowers, inspires, and encourages a TEAM environment at her work. She ensures an ambiance of professionalism, integrity, and superior client service. She leads with a positive attitude, high ethical values, and hard work and says she will persist in doing the same into the future.
Last but not least, Sherry has asserted herself in a firm spot being a leader in the field of real estate. She is an inspiration to numerous people and continues to change many lives. Her compassion, dedication, and her drive to change have made her a successful businesswoman. She is truly an example of taking charge of her own life and being the change, she wants.
Blinkhorn Real Estate is dedicated to selling your home or nding you that dream home creating the best possible experience throughout the entire real estate transaction.
we serve, personally we care!
‘‘
Photographer- Dave Gruggen, gruggenphotography.com
Tseveral transformative changes that are essential for humankind. The voice that media can give a person holds the significant potential to amplify essential messages. Being a long-time advocate on a myriad of critical worldwide issues, Tracy Lamourie is passionate about being a voice for those who most need one.
he power of media is very impactful. It can drive
As the Founder & Managing Director of Lamourie Media Inc ., Tracy has been at the forefront in getting major media attention to help people. She is an award-winning international publicist working across borders and industries, from major entertainment projects to small businesses.
Let us unveil her impacting journey.
Tracy garnered various skillset that ultimately led her to start a business helping other entrepreneurs and creatives build their global brands and reputations for thought leadership as a young advocate for causes she cared about. With no financial resources, no formal backing - nothing more than an internet connection and an old computer in the apartment she rented at the time - and a whole lot of selfbelief and willingness to put the work in.
Tracy started working as a freelancer, which quickly led to her first company Lamourie PR, with her husband and business partner, Dave Parkinson. In 2020, they incorporated Lamourie Media. She mentions that in the early days. The biggest challenge was climbing that mountain to prove herself without the five-year degree behind her name, without thousands of dollars to spend in advertising.
After spending all those years of conducting business, COVID hit, and about 80 percent of Tracy's contracts relating to entertainment, events, and travel were grounded - so she had to pivot to find new clients who needed their messages amplified. She managed to do that very successfully to the point that the last two years have been her best yet from a financial and business growth perspective - even though most of the travel is still grounded!
In essence, Lamourie Media amplifies the incredible things its clients across industries from the creative to the entrepreneurial to experts of all kinds - are doing and give them a global presence. In terms of values, this truly is a company that grew out of its founders' values, from learning to write that first press release that led to a 19-year campaign that ultimately freed an innocent man from death row. This experience taught Tracy the value of media attention and how difficult it is for some to make their voices heard without help. She asserts, "Though today we are a for-profit business, we still make the choices about whom we will represent and what kind of messaging we will put into the world with our values at the forefront."
As the recent winner of the Women of Inspiration award in Media, Tracy heard many affecting words from women she worked with. These women come from all backgrounds, levels of education, and cultures - thanking Tracy for the difference she has made in their lives and businesses by giving them a voice.
Cherishing this remarkable achievement, Tracy says, "I think we have been successful in what we set out to do. Elevate And Celebrate what these incredible people are doing and sharing it with the world. I've also heard from many women who tell me that my career trajectory over the last decade, watching me create this company, and seeing the success I am having with it has inspired them to find their own confidence to put their passions forward and work to create lives for themselves out of those passions!"
Like most industries, the way Tracy does public and media relations has been changing faster than many can keep up. She believes that technology is the name of the game, from new social platforms to services that connect people with thousands of media contacts and beyond. Keeping up on all that is available can seem like a job in itself but ultimately makes your processes more accessible.
Tracy mentions that the media industry is changing, and it is starting to reach a significant milestone. However, it needs to do more work - continued diverse voices and experiences need to reach the public. Those in the positions of privilege need to continue to do the work to level the playing field.
Tracy states that the world will continue to see the effects of people creating their media and effective forms of expression with the evolution of blogs and podcasts and social platforms like clubhouse. It will get more effective, allowing people to reach their growing audiences and mainstream media responding to and often taking cues from that.
Tracy looks forward to the world opening up for travel again to see herself traveling again.
She says, "I am blessed that I can do most of my work from anywhere and after two years of being mostly locked down travel-wise in cold Canada. I'm looking forward to more trips back to Malta in the Mediterranean: one of her favorite destinations for business and pleasure. She gives a huge shout-out to the incredible BE hotel that I feel like is my second home!)."
Tracy wants to visit the world that aligns with her business. She intends to continue pursuing her and her clients' goals with the relentless passion that has got her this far!
Tracy advises upcoming entrepreneurs aspiring to venture to start their entrepreneurial journey to "Don't Dream It, Be It." It is one of her favorite inspirational quotes from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.
