Sharp Women | July 2020 by SharpWomen

Issue 2, July 2020

Why Businesses Succeed Food for Thought

When Cooking is NOT your Jam (or Peanut Butter) Tranquility, Peace & Solitudeâ&#x20AC;Ś Or Not Embracing the Silver Young Entrepreneur Feature

Kristyn Sutherland: I Made it Happen Create a Personal Being or Intention Statement

WELCOME

Letter from the Editor

Singin' in the Rain Gosh, I don’t know about you, but the weather this month has been rough for me. It seems we haven’t been able to get more than two days in a row of sunny weather. As I write this, my back lawn is underwater.

2. To set my intention. In the same way that my life circumstances cannot be permitted to be in charge of my feelings, mood, and decisions, neither can the weather. I get to choose how I feel and how I show up, regardless of whatever is going on “back at the ranch”.

I noticed that it was starting to impact my mood and disposition. I am conscious of this dynamic in winter and take active measures to keep my spirits up and mood stable during the cold months, but, I admit, I have not been practicing mindfulness in this regard through the early part of the summer of 2020.

3. To stop torturing myself. Conventionally, the weather app is the first app I open on my phone every morning. The forecast has told me how to feel. Not cool. I’m not going to look at the weather app anymore – or at least not as a way to start my day.

Well then. What’s a duck to do? Outside of keeping hope alive that we will actually have summer at some point here in Central Alberta, here are a few things I’ve decided: 1. To let go of what I can’t control. I mean, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we have to just roll with the things we can’t control and take control of what we can.

4. To create a self-care habit for rainy days. When my kids were small, if it was a crappy day, I would try to think of something fun to do indoors so we could all feel better. In so doing, fun traditions can actually make a rainy day special. Maybe on wet days I will set extra time to read a novel under a blanket, or bake something, or organize a closet (might not be your definition of ‘fun’, but this is me we’re talking about!). Perhaps by publishing date, the weather will have turned a corner. Still, I think this list is good. No doubt, there’ll be opportunity to use it. Meanwhile, Happy July and Happy Reading. Stay Sharp! From our hearts to yours, enjoy!

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In This Issue

Table of

Contents 04 06 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 28

Challenged by Play RANCHELLE IN THE RAW Tranquility, Peace & Solitude... or not LIVIN’ THE DREAM Opportunity in chaos BUSINESS CAN you feel it? PROFESSIONAL GROWTH Embracing silver PERSONAL GROWTH Reclaiming her spark SHARP WOMAN FEATURE: MYLA TRENCHUK I failed as A stepmom RELATIONSHIP self care is health care HEALTH AND WELLNESS My business partner is god SPIRITUALITY I made it happen YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR FEATURE: KRISTYN SUTHERLAND Why Businesses Succeed FINANCES

30 Food feature

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - WHEN COOKING IS NOT YOUR JAM...

34 Printable worksheets

CREATING A BEING OR INTENTION STATEMENT

July Correction In our June issue, we neglected to include a bio for Health & Wellness columnist Kalina White. It is included below. We apologize for the error. Kalina is a burnout coach specializing in helping people transform from feeling paralyzed and powerless to hopeful, full of energy, and believing in themselves again. kalinawhite.com

Thanks to OUR CONTRIBUTORS Our Team

Guest Contributors Cathy Forner, C4ner Consulting Business Column Kelly Kierluk, Community Futures Central Alberta Finance Column

Danielle Klooster Editor-in-Chief

Ranchelle Van Bryce Chief Executive Officer

Kerstin Heuer Director of Design

Rachelle Scrase Director of Photography

Heather Lyon, First Start Planning Food Column Brenda Kolasa, Visual Resolve Graphics Livin’ the Dream Column Cheryl Viczko, Feng Shui with Cheryl V. Professional Growth Column Kerstin Heuer, Heuer Design Personal Growth Column

Candice Smiley Director, Sales and Marketing

Graham Oswald Sales, Marketing and Technical Support

Elizabeth Smith Sales Coordinator

Ryschell Dragunov Marketing Support

Karen Baker, Magpie Textile Co. Spirituality Column |3

From the CEO

RANCHELLE IN THE RAW

Challenged by Play by Ranchelle Van Bryce

The definition of play is to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. When I share with people that I have a difficult time playing they are often surprised, especially after they meet me, because I love to have fun. I love laughing and I focus on things that bring me joy. The story of my difficulty with play came out last month when Danielle suggested that we get a photo of us on the Trampoline for our July issue. To be honest, I thought she meant that we would go on the trampoline together and pose jumping. You know, like the classic Sears Catalogue pose. I WAS WRONG! She seriously wanted us to jump on the trampoline. It brought up a whole bunch of stories in my head, like, what if I do this wrong? What if I hurt myself? What if I pee (sorry if this is TMI but this is Ranchelle in the Raw)? What if…. And now insert every crazy story and belief and past experiences I have had with play.

I have always loved personal development but in early 2019 I made a commitment to unpack all of my limiting beliefs and create something new to replace them. BOOM!! Here I am, faced with my old childhood stories of not being good enough to play. UGH! Last one picked on every team, not feeling like I was good enough for any games at school - tag, hide ‘n seek, dodgeball, basketball, you name it I felt like I was not capable enough and the deep seeds of ‘not good enough’ were there every time we had Phys Ed or recess. As a child, I already felt like I didn’t belong and my inability to play didn’t help the situation at all. How beliefs are formed are an interesting thing. First, a statement (story) is made by someone of authority in your family (often a parent); then you experience the result of that statement or story. It creates an emotion, and you ob-

serve the result and feel the emotion. Rinse, repeat and you have a belief. It is that simple. The cool thing is that beliefs can be changed just as quickly, you can write a new story.

Here are a few things you need to know about Beliefs: 1. All of us have core wounds and core fears. An example of core wounds is I am not good enough (worthiness), or I am unlovable. An example of core fears is fear of abandonment and rejection.

Sharp Women Cofounders Danielle Klooster and Ranchelle Van Bryce

2. These core fears and wounds pretty much run our subconscious mind until we become aware of them.

2. I created a new experience (story) immediately after I had the ah-ha about the belief and had a new emotion attached to it.

3. These wounds and fears show up in many dif3. I made a commitment to have more play in my life ferent ways (stories). My story of play is an examand I engaged other people to help me have more play ple of my core wound of not being good enough in my life, who will hold me accountable so that I may and triggers my core fear of rejection (being picked experience a different outcome over and over again last for team sports as a child). SO THAT I can create a new belief. 4. You may never ‘get rid’ of your wounds and fears totally so it’s important that you are able to recognize the patterns of behavour and insert a trigger mechanism so you can have a different outcome than usual.

Since the photos for the July issue I have had 2 ‘on purpose’ play situations. One was hiking in the rain near Elbow Falls by Bragg Creek (and that is a WHOLE other story) and one on Sylvan Lake. Both times my subconscious mind did it’s best to talk me out of doing them and both times I had the person who knew my story hold me accountable and make it impossible to back out.

The moment I recognized that I was being triggered about being on the trampoline and actually Do you struggle with play? Or some other core wound that participating IN jumping, I got on the trampoline, limits you? Use the open space this summer to explore shared my feelings with Danielle and Rachelle, and create new stories for yourself. and did it anyway. When you see the pictures you can see the progress of the transformation of me letting go of my fears and starting to play. I think it’s important to share that I was having FUN (easy for me to do) while I was learning to play (more difficult for me to do).

“The only limits you have are the limits you believe” ~ Wayne Dyer

So, how does my resistance to play show up in my life? Unless it’s for business, I am resistant to trying new things (especially games, so if it’s not Yahtzee I would have opted out). If I do decide to try that ‘thing’ or play, then, while I am playing, I am cautious and worried that people will judge me (I am not good enough). It also shows up in life by ensuring that I just didn’t put myself in a position where someone would ask me to do something like that and so it has even limited my friendships or time where and how I spent with my friends.F or example, I am happy to have deep conversations with people but certainly don’t ask me to play a board game with you. Like every deep, dark secret that we have, it always comes to the surface. So, now what? Here is how I have unpacked this belief and am creating a new belief.

Bookkeeping with a balanced approach! Call Jennifer: 403.877.0962 or email Jennifer@sehnbookkeeping.com

1. I shared with people whom I trust (who are coaches and have the training to assist me) what was going on in my head. sehnbookkeeping.com | facebook LacombeBookkeeping |5

Livin' the Dream

Tranquility, Peace & Solitude… Or Not

That’s what I was promised 5 years ago when I was drawn to the activity of kayaking: tranquility, peace and solitude.

At that time, we purchased two kayaks. One for me, and one for my husband. He’s been in it once. So much for that plan. Instead, twice a year, my girlfriends and I venture out in early summer before the river gets too low. We prefer river kayaking as there is always a destination, a current… and something new to see around every corner. We pack enough essentials for 3 days: Clothing, sleeping bags, tent and food are all dry-bagged and strapped down with enough bungee cords to secure a horse. And of course, let’s not forget the wine! The wine becomes the reward after a long day of paddling, after all. I have three great stories to share about my kayaking adventures.

Dickson Dam I learned a trick a few years ago. You can keep wine cold by dragging the bladder from the wine box beside you in the water. This worked great until the year we tried a new route from Dickson Dam. There were three of us this weekend, and we came across a large island. We decided to take the right and started paddling in that direction. Being ahead, I spot6|

ted a pile of branches sticking out of the water that I tried to navigate around. Little did I know, this seemingly innocent pile of branches was creating a counter-current and succeeded pulling me inward. As I struggled to free myself amidst the swirling undercurrent, I could see my kayak filling with water. 6… 4… 2… 1 inch until submersion. Breathe. Stay calm and hang on to the branch above and buy yourself time. Carefully put your phone into your bag… clip and secure anything else. Breathe. Slowly release and backpaddle… without tipping & losing everything (including your sh*t).

I was eventually able to break free and very carefully made it to shore. Thankfully, my friends pulled over when they saw my struggle. Full of water, my kayak became unflippable, and I had my first experience pumping water with a manual pump. After finally being able to flip and empty, I started repacking once again, but there was a big problem. My wine was missing and floating down the river!

The Bear Weather can roll in and disrupt a peaceful night on the river in a heartbeat. We had paddled our usual 6 hours, and after searching for the perfect location to lay down our tents for the night, we hurried to unpack and set up before a dark storm we had been watching rolled in. Soon after, thunder boomed, and it began to pour. We huddled under my large umbrella with our chairs and waited out the storm. We chose to pass the time by uploading a few pictures of the day onto Facebook. Suddenly, there was a response from someone in a comment to watch for the grizzly that was sighted nearby. Um… what? I have never seen any bear on the river, never mind a grizzly! My friend was petrified. Not accustomed to camping or (staying on the side of the river for that matter), the only thing that calmed her nerves was hearing that we had never seen such an animal on the river, and knowing I was equipped with bear spray and a whistle. Completely spent, we eventually crawled into our tents with high hopes for nice weather and a bear free night. Ear plugs? Check. Bear spray? Check… lights out… zzzzz I awoke fully energized and ready to go. However, my friend had been up since 2:30am when she heard the distinct sound of sniffing outside her tent. Paralyzed in her sleeping bag, she lay there wondering how to telepathically message me for my spray and horn! My other friend and I hadn’t heard a thing (remember the earplugs?) and we told her it was likely just a nearby farm dog. Not buying it, we went from three people to two as she decided to spend the next night in her ‘bear free’ bed instead.

Gus We had enjoyed a beautiful paddle from Red Deer to Burbank Campground – a trip we had done many

times. We decided to stay two nights and continue on to Joffre bridge for the Sunday. Our Saturday started out relaxing as we sunned ourselves in the cool river. There are a lot of fishermen in that area, including one man that we ended up meeting, called Gus. Gus was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. He was about 70 years old and I remember him making the comment that it was good to be able to be around ‘normal’ people again. My curiosity got the best of me, and we soon discovered that he had just gotten released from jail. Um… what? At this point, my friend became very uncomfortable and stopped filling her wine glass. I was intrigued and continued to fill mine, oblivious to the stink-eye coming from my friend. He continued to explain that he had been (wrongly) arrested for attempted rape and started to tell a story that was so twisted and convoluted, it should be made into a movie. He had to leave soon, and I remember mentioning that I it would be interesting to hear the rest of his story someday. He left, and my friend and I worked at fitting the pieces of his unfinished story together. Later that evening, we decided to watch a movie inside our sportbrella. Yes, sometimes I bring my laptop – no judgement! Halfway through, we heard rustling outside of our cocoon, and there was Gus. |7

“I thought I would come back with the rest of my story while I cook you girls supper.” He held a SaveOn bag full of corn on the cob, hot dogs, buns and fruit pies. Even though we were disrupted from our movie, I was secretly excited to hear more. As he prepared and roasted everything, I ate like I hadn’t eaten in days – it was truly the BEST corn on the cob I had ever tasted… and the pie was delicious. My friend refused to eat anything… suddenly full ;) As we sat by the fire, Gus continued to untangle a story of prostitution, police conspiracy, being framed, and becoming best friends with someone in the news that was also wrongly convicted of rape. We Googled this man, and the story matched. Gus explained that during his seven years, he ended up becoming an informant for the prison system. He advised what was truly happening at these prisons, and when they received the information required, he was transferred to another. After asking why he wasn’t released due to his innocence, he said that he waited out his term so that his wife could get more insurance money afterward. This never happened, and his wife ended up leaving him.

It was 10:45pm. The gates closed at 11 and Gus followed another couple up the path to his vehicle. Just ease our minds, we followed an alternate path to the day use area. After arriving at to the top, we didn’t see or hear anyone. I secretly started to panic and after a few minutes of scratching our heads, we thankfully heard an engine start up and leave just off in the distance. Somewhat satisfied, we trekked back down to our tents and turned in. Ear plugs check… lights out... zzz.

BRANDING TIP FOR SHARP WOMEN!

The next morning, my friend emerged from her tent looking absolutely exhausted. She didn’t get a wink of sleep and slept with her knife under her pillow(!). I laughed and joked that Gus should come back, cook us breakfast and pack up our gear for us. She didn’t see my humour. As we started to pack up, I turned around only to see (you guessed it) Gus making his way back down the path. He had lost his house keys the night before and came back to look. Ok. I have to admit, this was starting to be a bit crazy and I couldn’t wait to get going. Remember that tranquility I was promised? I still regret not asking for Gus’s last name to verify his story –maybe he truly was just a lonely man, thankful for someone who was interested in a good story. We’ve had some great experiences on our kayaking trips. Have they been all tranquil, and peaceful? No… but there is always the next trip ;) Brenda Kolasa is a Visual Brand expert, Business Success Coach and lover of bonfires, water and wine. Between her design company of 25 years and her coaching programs, Brenda finds time to laugh, share a few memories and connect with her passions. She has two adult children (how did THAT happen?) and has been married for 24 years to her husband George. Her career passion has always been to help entrepreneurs grow, market, and clarify the next step in their journey. She was recently been nominated for RBC’s Women of Influence and has been the recipient of RDDCF’s “Women of Excellence” in Entrepreneurship, which solidified her commitment to mentor and empower others to reach higher and succeed in their business.

“Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” - Arianna Huffington

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Business

OPPORTUNITY IN CHAOS

How to Live and Work While Riding the Waves of Change by Cathy Forner

Last month, we talked about what you can do in your business to be innovative during this time of change. Although the economy is being re-opened, the pandemic is still a threat, and we will be working on business recovery for quite a while.

Here are some more thoughts, as you navigate the shifts and changes, on what you can do to position your business well: 1. Be open to change. During change is a good time to make changes. I know that sounds kind of weird but consider this: Have you tried to make changes in your business and you get pushback, resistance and barriers? Times of great change can be scary, with all the unknowns, but this is the paradox of where we are at. You are in a place and time for changing the way things have always been done. You can use this time to explore what might be possible. A crisis is a great time to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unfreezeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; what you have always done, make big changes and then refreeze to create stability. If you can focus on what you are really good at, what opportunities can you leverage and take advantage of? 10 |

2. Notice new trends. What trends and big changes are you noticing in the world? Take time to look around. What are you seeing and what do you need to consider? What are you good at and how can you find new ways to get your product to your clients? What is the community going to need from you and your business right now, in a week, in a month? Two of the big changes are the move to online and virtual. How do you reinvent your business for your staff, clients and processes? 3. Scenario Planning. There are three types of plans or planning that you can be considering now and into the future. Below is a graph (a reminder from last month) which shows when you need to be each type of planning and using scenario-based planning will help you and your team focus and explore what needs to take place.

Bringing on a Project Consultant can help you plan and manage for potential risks and scenario planning is a great way to explore those

risks. Those risks can be explored and planned for using scenarios to explore from an intellectual or emotional perspective, such as what excites you or scares you about the situation. At times, exploring something completely outside of the box can help you plan for what is closer to home. In the mid-1990’s, as a joke, I planned for the possibility of the Calgary Zoo flooding and having to deal with the animals. At the time, all of us in my organization laughed and joked about it, but we planned anyway, as a ‘scenario’. Well, we all know what happened in the Southern Alberta Floods and our plans were used. The lesson is that no possible scenario is too silly to consider!

Here are a few thoughts to consider as you do your business continuity planning:

a. Maybe you are well-positioned and had planned for this. If so, perhaps the thing to do is stay the course and recognize that this too will pass.

e. How can you build resiliency in your industry? f. How would/will your business respond if there was a second or third wave of isolation?

b. Companies, governments and the general population are tired and want the world to return to normal as quickly as possible. How might you position yourself to consider being part of bringing things back to “normal”?

The point of all of this is to do some planning. Panic and reacting will not serve you or your business. Having a strategy and building a flexible but well-thought-out plan will stand you in good stead to weather whatever lies ahead.

c. Crisis is an excellent catalyst for fast, creative thinking. It stimulated innovation and early development in new systems. Can you pivot? d. Our industries have become more fragmented. How can you merge, acquire, or establish partnerships to shore up your business and extend your reach? Think about situations in terms of ‘If we have this… we can arrange to do this…’

Cathy Forner, owner of C4ner Project Consulting, specializes in tackling unique, complex organizational challenges with clear, actionable steps. With more than 25 years of experience in virtual and in-person projects, as well as her business management expertise, Cathy has effectively led changes across a diverse range of organizations and industries. Cathy lives in Sylvan Lake.

| 11

Professional GrowtH

? t i l e Fe

CAN YOU

Have you ever been outside after a rainstorm? Do you remember the feeling, the smell and freshness in the air? Have you noticed how the colors in nature seem so vivid? Feel the energy that’s shifted in nature, close your eyes take a deep breath, smell the clean air with hint of sweet summer grass. When you stop and think about it, odds are you have walked into a room or a space, business, office or other room and been innately aware of the energy in that space. Whether good or anxious, you can FEEL the energy. When there has been a disagreement or after an emotional trauma, you intuitively know, you sense something has happened. I am sure; you’ve walked into functions and felt the joy and celebration or the sadness after a loss. Everything is energy, as a human species we feel and connect to that energy.

12 |

I can only assume, you’ve experienced many emotions at various times of your life, but may not have equated them to the energy in a given space or at a given time. Even though most people haven’t honed the ability to see the energy, there are those that can physically see the energy inanimate objects give. Since everything is made up of energy, including our furniture, possessions, clothing, of course plants and animals too. Maybe, just maybe, when we look at wanting to shift the energy in a room, we can start to see that everything in that space has living energy. Then we will start to see

and feel how adding in or removing something can affect how that space feels, energetically. Ranchelle and Danielle had asked me to be a part of the first “Sharp Women” event. The intention was to create an “experience” unlike any other event. Utilizing my innate organizing abilities and Feng Shui training, the layout, décor and the table centerpieces were specifically designed. The end result was an elementally balanced space, eliciting the feelings of “WOW”, when attendees walked in the room. These examples show how Feng Shui has the ability to shift the energy in a space.

beverage awaits you, your children and pet (if you have them) are happy to see you. Instantly you relax into your safe haven. The busyness of the day melts away, your shoulders relax, and a huge smile spreads across your face. AHHH your home. Your heart is filled with joy and the energy you give back to those around you, is that of gratitude and love. Hmmm, you can just feel this, can’t you?

by Cheryl Viczko

For thousands of years this Ancient Chinese wisdom and practice called ’Feng Shui’ (pronounced Fung Shway), has similarly been described in other cultures. The only difference is that the Ancient Chinese Masters put a title to it, “Feng Shui”. Based on the study of nature, the ebb and flow of our surroundings, Feng Shui has simply been the study of the unseen (Feng) forces and the effect it has on our seen (Shui) environment. Imagine, coming home after a long cold winter day at work, supper is being prepared, the house smells sooo.. good; there’s a roaring fire in the fireplace, your favorite

Now imagine, walking into an office environment, where there has just been an entire team of coworkers, released from their jobs, it is pure chaos, there are feelings of anger, and anxiety. You are shaken to the very core of your being. Fear sets in, because you don’t know all the details of what has just transpired, but the energy is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Your body tenses, your adrenaline rises, your emotional state is one of confusion and uncertainty. It’s quite possible you are experiencing emotional upset and your physical body is reacting, you may even feel nauseous. This is a contrasting environment to the one described above. In both cases, our physiology changed, because of the energy of our environment. Your Body, Mind and Spirit were influenced by the environment. The purpose of practicing (even basic) Feng Shui, is to produce an environment that is safe, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing and ultimately, to enhance our lives.

When we live in an enhanced state of being, we show up in the world as a better person, a better wife, mother, employer, employee, volunteer, teacher etc. Whatever roles we fulfill, doesn’t it make perfect sense to create an environment of peace, calm, ease and a safe haven to call home or work? If you own a business, wouldn’t you want to create the same inviting, welcoming, joy filled space for your customers and staff? Applying the principles of Feng Shui, you can create the most supportive environment, shift the energy and shift all those that experience it at the same time. Simple shifts can create positive outcomes.

As a Certified Feng Shui practitioner, Cheryl tunes into the energy of a space, which allows her to gently guide you to create a more balanced work and home life. Learn more at https://cherylviczko.com

| 13

Personal Growth

r e v l i S

EMBRACING Let’s face it, hair seems like a silly thing to get worked up about when it feels like the whole world is falling apart. At the same time, people have been going crazy about their hair during COVID just because they couldn’t get a proper hair cut or their grey roots showed up. My hair has been naturally grey since I turned 35. While it used to be fun to try out different hair colours, it became a curse when my grey roots showed up every 2 weeks and I was reminded by kind family members to think about whether or not I wanted to go grey. I thought about it. Many times. But didn’t think it was okay, at least not until I turned 50. Every time the roots showed up again, I felt old. Every time I had freshly dyed hair, I felt young. My hairdresser confirmed that I was “too young to go grey.” My 10 year old almost cried when

14 |

I asked her if I should let my hair grow grey. She and her sister were too concerned about their friends thinking that grandma was picking them up from school. So, I kept dying in different shades of brown. And didn’t like it. The chemicals on my head. And the whole getting older thing. And then COVID hit. And I thought. “What the heck? If not now, when?” And -- I went for it!

Confession I was wondering if I should tell my family in Germany about my plans of going grey or not. I could just wear a toque when we facetimed once a week. They wouldn’t notice until I revealed the grey truth. But two months into COVID and about two inches of grey, I decided to take off the toque and show the progress. My 16year old niece was with my sister when I facetimed her. “OMG!” She screamed, covering her eyes as if my hair was blinding her. The same week my friend

by Kerstin Heuer

(blond long hair) dropped by for a curbside visit. Noticing my progress, she said, “My hair is probably as grey as yours.” “And? I said, are you letting it grow?” “Mmmh. I don’t know. I am concerned that people wouldn’t hire me anymore. Who wants an old woman with grey hair to paint their house?” I was so shocked. How in the world is it possible that we come to the belief that other people wouldn’t work with us just because of our hair colour? And so what if it makes us look older?

Growing old is a privilege And then my dad “George” died. He had been in the hospital in my hometown in Germany for 4 weeks. We didn’t know what was going on and due to COVID-19, nobody was able to visit him. While we were virtually grieving together, we remembered our

time as a family when my sister and I were kids. The campfire in Sweden when the cabin almost burned down. George playing “Oh Silent Night” on his trombone at midnight on Christmas Eve. Our vacation at the Atlantic ocean in France when George constantly reminded us to put on sunscreen and then forgot to apply it himself (And had to walk barefoot for a week because his feet got burned and hurt so much). Thinking about George made me aware that growing old is a privilege. Instead of worrying about our age, we should be grateful for our time on earth. Proud of the things we have achieved. Be who we want to be. Who cares about wrinkles, cellulite, or grey hair? Who says you can’t be crazy, fun, and georgeous at any age? I am now focussing on what age has blessed me with: experience and wisdom (sometimes).

Silver is the new Blond In June, I got my first haircut after Corona. My grey was about 3 inches long and I was so excited when I said “Chop all the brown off.” By that time I got used to the new “hair colour”. I actually like it. It’s shiny silver. Not grey. Instead of a dark brown surrounding my face, it’s a light color that highlights my smile. I don’t feel older. I feel younger. Last week I got the best compliment from my 13-year-old: “Mom, you look like a Rockstar.” Here is what I have learned: • Being old has nothing to do with your hair. It’s your mindset and how you embrace life. You can be old with 25 or still young at 80. • Beauty comes from within. I am not picking my friends based on their hair colour or deciding who to work with just because their hair is freshly dyed.

August 10 - 13

How to move from anxiety and stress to calm and tranquility

•

Not dying my hair feels absolutely liberating. Forget about the stress because your shiny roots show up and you have an important meeting the next day! Going grey saves a ton of money that you can invest in other things (like that new pair of shoes...) You don’t need permission from anyone if you want to go grey. Not even your hair dresser! Just do it. (If you don’t like it, pick a different color again.)

Last week I visited my friend. The one with the long blond hair. I smiled when I saw that she is embracing 3-inches long silver.

Kerstin Heuer is the Co-Founder of HeuerDesign and creator of the YOUthentic Brand Accelerator, the branding program for online entrepreneurs. Together with Dirk, her partner in life and business and two girls, she lives in Red Deer. After she quit dying her hair, she enjoyes more time doing what she loves: hiking, kayaking and learning to play the Ukulele.

benefits & outcomes

WHY NOT

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| 15

Sharp Woman FEATURE

MYLA TRenchuk:

DAILY RECLAIMING HER SPARK by Danielle Klooster

Meet Myla. At first blush, she may seem similar to many other women around Central Alberta. A “mompreneur” with a growing coaching practice, a mother of four busy girls, a wife, a community member. But there is so much more. Myla grew up in a missionary family, which meant she lived all over the world. Born in the Philippines, she has moved with her family to many countries, including the US, Egypt, Cyprus, Russia and Kenya. The exposure to these varied cultures, lifestyles, languages and standards of living made her childhood and youth very unique and has given her a distinctive perspective on people and life. “I always say I am ‘local’, wherever I am,” she chuckles. “My experiences and world view has definitely shaped how I see people and their potential in the world.”

The Influence of Culture Myla says that, regardless of where people live, there are common threads. The main one she sees is how much people are influenced by their environment. Ethnic culture, religious culture, family culture and societal culture can all have a major influence on a person’s beliefs about themselves as a person.

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“It’s amazing to see how many people are so lost in terms of knowing who they are not having learned the importance of making themselves a priority and using their minds to create results that they want,” she explains. “Especially young girls. We need to equip children with the tools to know themselves and their potential so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and not be overly influenced by outside forces.” Smart, dynamic, ambitious and passionate, Myla says her number one goal is to raise four confident little girls to become four confident women. “I have these little women that I need to mentor and be a role model for. That means I need to be sure of who I am and show them how to live in that confidence.”

Passion for Women When Myla became a mom, she did what most moms do and put herself and her needs on the back burner. Babies are demanding and their needs are immediate, she says, so, out of necessity, the mom

learns to defer her needs (showering, eating, sleeping) until “later”. But, for many women, Myla observed that this becomes a habit. She notices a lot of women “living robotically”, which is a lot like not really living at all. “So many women lose themselves, and lose their spark,” she shares. “That’s why my tag line is ‘reclaim your spark’. I am driven to help women find themselves, see their potential, reclaim their spark and begin to live life to its fullest.” Although her education is in communications and public relations, Myla says she’s has found her true purpose is in helping women know themselves and release their potential. She founded Myla Trenchuk Coaching, where she practices mindset and success coaching, two years ago. Even though her children were all ages 8 and under at the time, Myla found that her personal journey could be

an inspiration to other women and decided she wanted to inspire and coach as a way to support women in their journeys.

Self discovery leads to purpose When Myla signed up to take her coaching certification with the Proctor Gallagher Institute, she was amazed at the amount of personal revelation and clarity it offered her. In her words: “I always knew that I was different from pretty much anyone else. I’m taller than most Filipinos. My hair is curly. My accent has evolved from living in so many different countries. It was always so painful to compare myself. When I became a mom, it felt like I needed to try and be the ‘Pinterest Mom’. But I’m not. My mentor once said to me, ‘What if the real reason you’re so exhausted is that you are holding back your potential?’ That was a major truth bomb. I realized that I need to own my uniqueness and let it empower me. Now I own who I am, and it’s so freeing.”

“Instead of comparing, I choose to create.” Myla works daily to “strengthen the belief muscle”, clarifying her goal, reading her life script, writing, and refining her direction. “Defining your goals is like creating a painting,” she explains. “You start with a sketch, and then add colour, brush strokes, shading and depth. As I work on defining, clarifying and honing my goals each day, the picture becomes clearer. The process I practice is the process I drive to my clients.”

Critical to this process is being militant about shutting out negativity. “I imagine myself like Wonder Woman,” she laughs, “using my wrist shields to just deflect, deflect, deflect.” She listens to audiobooks and podcasts and takes in an array of teaching to help her stay the course. She surrounds herself with a positive, supportive community and focuses on what she wants.

Walking the Talk Is it easy running a business and a home and staying on top of your game? Myla confesses it is not. It is a daily discipline to effectively prioritize. For her, a good day is a productive day, but the best day is one where she sets an intention to be “authentically present” with her children. Having a great support system is a critical part of her journey to reaching her goals and balancing her life and she accredits her husband Rob, her extended family, her mentor, coach, and like-minded community people as all having an important part in her growth and success. “I love my girls, and they are extremely important to me,” she says,

“but I know that I am the most important person in my life. When you focus on the good, more good comes into your life.” Myla continues to grow her coaching practice, with a goal to have a global reach, and to do more public speaking. She wants to continue to grow in her own life, share her passion and model that personal strength and resilience to others so that they can create a dream and reclaim their spark. A favourite quote for Myla and one that she embodies:

“God’s gift to you is more talent and ability than you could possibly imagine. Your gift to God is to develop as much of that talent and ability as you can in this lifetime.” ~ Steve Bow Myla Trenchuk is a mindset and success coach with Myla Trenchuk Coaching, where she helps people reclaim their spark. She lives in Lacombe, Alberta with her husband Rob and four children. Learn more at mylatrenchuk.ca

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Relationships

I failed as A stepmom by Danielle Klooster

It may be seen as a shocking confession to come out and actually say I failed as a stepmom. But there you have it. The inclination might be to say things like, “Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself,” or “Beating yourself up doesn’t help.” And I agree – if the sole intent of this confession is just to wallow in self-recrimination, then it’s just a defeated diatribe. Let’s not do that. Let’s learn and grow.

Meddling and muddling My stepchild came into my life at four years of age and had just turned five when I married her dad. She lived with her mom, about an hour away, and we saw her every second weekend. She was (is) a lively, sunny, outgoing person who was always quick with a compliment for everyone she met (no cashier ever felt so glamorous and beautiful as when this little lady went through their till!). She was also super drawn to mischief and lightning fast with getting into things. A handful, but a joy. Over the years, there were periods of time when she came to live with us. She had a lot of stress in her life and had difficulty coping. There’s no manual for parenting, as they say, but there’s not even a handy reference sheet for step-parenting. I tried to parent her like I parented my own kids, but that was ridiculous, since she wasn’t my kid, and she already had a mom and a dad, and I was not either one of those. I have a markedly different philosophy

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and approach to parenting than do her parents, and that was a source of stress and conflict. I didn’t agree with a lot of how her dad parented her, and of course I felt I could fix it, so I got smack dab in the middle of their relationship, trying to manage him, manage her, referee, advise, parent, wife, etc. That was a disaster. Much of the time, both her dad and I felt fairly helpless and ill-equipped to know how best to support her and parent her. We just muddled along. I then learned from an expert that a stepparent is not to ty and parent in the conventional way. Her dad needed to be the primary in parenting, and my job was to support him in whatever way. I liked that, both because I felt like it was better if I got out of their way and let them build their own relationship, whatever that would look like, and because it took a burden off of me.

Upsetting the apple cart Really, if I’m honest, what it boiled down to was how I like my life to go and how much stepparenting didn’t work into my plan. I like structure. I like order. I like my house clean, tidy, and calm. I like predictable and well-managed and straightforward. I mean, we all know that life doesn’t actually go

that way, but I like to keep things as – er – controlled and buttoned-down as possible. I couldn’t get to that with this situation because it wasn’t mine to manage. So I checked out. I withdrew as much as I could from any sort of relationship that might look like parenting. I told myself that it was “best practice”, but, in truth, it was just easier for me. I let myself off the hook from doing the hard work of figuring out and navigating what a healthy, meaningful stepparent/stepchild relationship could look like. I abdicated.

Outcomes and opportunities I’m not responsible for valleys and hard times this young lady went through in her life. I’m also not responsible for her successes and triumphs. There have been lots of both, like there are for everyone. She’s had plenty of other leaders in her life and it would be pretty egotistical of me to think it all rises and falls on me. I can say I did my best with the knowledge I had at the time, and that might be mostly true, but it doesn’t erase the fact that I cared more about my stress levels and how things felt and went for me than I should have. Yes, I deserve to have the life I want. But I had a child in my life who deserved that, too. I had a chance to model some things for her and speak into her life, but, instead, much of the time, I opted

out. I own what I own. Maybe, all things being relative, some might think it’s not really that bad. Like maybe failed is too strong a word. I just know I let her down and, in so doing, I let myself down. Today, my stepdaughter continues to be vibrant and beautiful. She still dishes out compliments like candy (so do her children, which is a lovely trait she obviously models for them). She’s a good mom, and she’s embarking on a new career and moving forward. I’m proud of her. Since she became an adult, we’ve forged a good friendship and I’ve been able to help her and support her through some challenges.

Forgiveness Ultimately, what saved us both is one thing: forgiveness. We both forgive each other, and I forgive myself. This is something I practice regularly, since the temptation to look back and feel ashamed sometimes looms large. Parenting is not easy. Stepparenting can be a quagmire and feel a lot like a no-win situation. Had I practiced more grace and forgiveness, with her and with myself, throughout those years, it might have been easier. But I’m doing it now.

Danielle Klooster is the Editor in Chief of Sharp Women Magazine and a partner in Sharp Women. She also owns and operates Danikloo Consulting and Munikloo. She lives in Penhold, Alberta.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

SELF-CARE IS HEALTH CARE We hear a lot about self-care these days, and, as women, we are coming to realize that it’s okay, and even important, to take care of ourselves. But what really is self-care? by Danielle Klooster to my one’s mental happy place while eating tacos. All of those things can definitely be part of Random side note: the heading for self-care. Problem is that if that’s this section is a quote from the the sum total of how we define best movie of all time (fight me), self-care, that means we think the The Princess Bride. only way, and the only time, we take care of ourselves is by checkAnywayyyyyy, the term self-care ing out. is used a lot (overused?) these days, but I’m not so sure we really But wait, there's more get what it means. It’s not that it Yes, as mentioned, checking out doesn’t mean bubble baths and can sometimes be good selfwine or girls’ nights out or girls’ care. But what about checking in? nights in (perhaps watching the Actual self-care is about taking best movie of all time) or shopping or a trip or hot tub or lounging care of yourself in physical, mental about in jammies reading or going and emotional ways. I would add spiritual to that list as well.

You keep using that word

So, let’s talk about the ways we might check in with ourselves in practicing self-care:

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1. Check in with your physical wellbeing.

Getting enough sleep? Good nutrition? Regular physician care? Moving your body? Don’t ignore signs that your body is not managing well. A healthcare worker once told me that “2 is not normal”. This was in response to the “on a scale of 1 to 10, how’s your pain?” question. In my mind, anything less than a 4 wasn’t worth my time and attention. I’m learning that ignoring small pains and “powering through” is not a good strategy! And, with regard to nutrition, my journey is about changing the way I view it. I used to think I had to “eat clean” and take in only “good” foods (by the way, I’m not a fan of attributing morality to food) out of guilt or out of obligation, because I am “supposed to”.

Now, I see it as nourishing my body and being kind to myself. Makes the brussel sprouts go down easier. Same with moving my body: it’s not about being a certain size or getting the number on the scale right; it’s about being good to myself, because I feel better when I’m active.

2. Check in with your mental wellbeing.

There’s a tie here to your physical wellbeing, of course, because you won’t feel mentally sharp if you are not doing well physically. But it’s also about practicing mindfulness, being present, active listening, and managing your thoughts. We go in the direction of our thoughts, so if I allow negative thoughts and stories to run rampant through my brain, that’s the reality into which I am buying, that I am creating. It might feel a little weird to consider mental discipline as self-care – sounds more like work than rest, right? – but it is a key part of practicing good mental self-care. Beyond that, we need to normalize talking about our mental wellbeing and seeking help and support when needed. Being aware, and checking in with yourself on your mental status, can help you know when to do that.

or malaise, or it will come out in a volcanic explosion down the road. Potentially over not being able to open the pickles or something. If you are not accustomed to checking in with your emotions, and maybe aren’t even sure what you’re feeling, here is a great free printable download (pro tip: it’s not just for kids).

4. Check in with your spiritual wellbeing.

Gentle nudge here. I realize that everyone has their own beliefs and spiritual frameworks and that, for some, just the word ‘spiritual’ makes their neck hairs stand on end. If that’s you and this is not an area in which you feel safe exploring self-care, it’s totally fine and permissible for you to skip over this. But, if you’re open to spirituality, consider checking in and developing habits of communion with The Divine regularly.

and all of the noted ‘check-ins’ as part of self-care, it changes our perspective and helps us lean in.

And yes, eat the taco. At Sharp Women, we’re all about smashing through perfectionism and refusing to “should” on ourselves. Reframing heath and wellness away from what we “should” do to be healthy into how to treat ourselves with love and kindness helps us move away from living by obligation, expectation and endless do’s and don’ts. Above all, be kind and gentle and forgiving to yourself. That’s good self-care. Check in. And sometimes, check out, eat the taco and watch the best movie of all time. Danielle Klooster is the Editor in Chief of Sharp Women Magazine and a partner in Sharp Women. She also owns and operates Danikloo Consulting and Munikloo. She lives in Penhold, Alberta.

Productivity is also self-care

I do want to talk a little bit here about productivity. I can tell you, as a task-oriented person, that I will be more stressed out, not less, if I try to check out when I have a mountain of things to do. Taking short breaks is definitely good for 3. Check in with your emotional one’s mind, but I firmly believe that wellbeing. accomplishing things and finishGotta love feeling our feelings, ing tasks is self-care. Checking out amirite? Sometimes, not so much. does not lessen the load. SomeI’m a pretty emotional person, and times, nothing feels better than sometimes, my emotions can be finishing a project. overwhelming. But I’ve heard it put The driving point is that, if we that emotions contain energy. Emotion. Energy in motion. If I don’t only define self-care as ‘checking acknowledge and process through out’, we are potentially creating a resistant mindset to everything that emotion, that energy has to go somewhere. Either it will come else. However, if we’ willing to see accomplishing things, cultivating out in my body, in physical illness relationships, time management, | 21

Spirituality

Meet my business partner. You may have heard of Him, as He is well known.

My business partner is God I have had faith my entire life. Raised within a small-town congregation, filled with ministers and elders, I learned at a young age what religion looks like, and that it by Karen Baker was not a fit for me. Religion, that is. Faith? Well that, my friend, is another story. I think I have had a close relationship with God from my childhood. I felt him near me all the time, and my favorite way to spend time with God was to sing… alone, just Him and me. I kept my faith a secret, so

my friends would think I was cool, but it was always there.

Always there Many times, I would argue with God when I was sure I knew the right thing for me to do. Have you ever had those moments when

you feel as though you are pushing through brick walls to meet a goal or get something accomplished? I learned, slowly - because that’s how I roll - that God was putting those walls up, trying to say, “this is not your path to take.” Now trust me, I would still forge ahead! After all, I know what is good for me. Then, when I realized what a mistake I had made, He would lead me through. So that is how I learned to trust the Lord; painfully slow, while pushing all the boundaries. God placed me in businesses and with mentors because He had a plan for me. I met amazing, high profile leaders who took the time to teach me, and I soaked up the knowledge. Then He said, “Its time to be an entrepreneur”.

Following His lead I opened a small clothing store. Eighteen months into my business, 22 |

I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like so many factors of being on my own. I wanted out; however, God was determined I would be an entrepreneur, so He dropped a food cart into our lives. This time, my husband is my partner. Most of the time it works well: I am bossy, and he is a worker. Together we built our little business, and it was tough. Loan payments, product issues, competitors, crappy weather (this is a big deal when you have a food truck). At one point our marriage almost broke. I knew something had to change, so after a huge blowout in our backyard, which I am certain the neighbourhood enjoyed, we decided I would go back to my career and we would scale down our commitments with the food truck. Suddenly, the business became profitable. The loans were paid off and we were able to enjoy building our wee business. I was back in my HR career and quite content for about 6 years. Then, in one of my conversations with God, He tells me again it is time.

“Nope, nope and nope. I am not going there. I do not want to be an entrepreneur.” His reply? Challenging, painful lessons at work to show me it was time to go. I fought. Then I asked a friend to pray with me. As he began the prayer, I felt a white veil drape over me and all I knew was peace. I resigned my role and listened to the Lord. Within a very short period, I had an amazing offer for a space to lease and my clothing store, Magpie Textile Co., came together, even through COVID, slowly and with little debt. Every time I wanted to change course, I remembered those hard lessons, and I stayed true. Besides, if this is what God has planned for me, I cannot really argue. I’ve also decided to stop keeping my faith a secret. This allows me to share my joy in Him, not in a preachy way, but my way. Every day I am blessed to meet women of all shapes and sizes, to listen to their stories and to help them find their joy. That can be a simple as a hug, an honest answer, or a fabulous outfit. Finally, I can be authentically me. I asked Him, “Are we business partners, Lord? “ His answer was the whisper of an idea, then the words, “It is time to grow.” Already??

He simply said two words, “Trust Me”. Then He followed it with, “Now quit talking to everyone and let me do my work”. When God tells you to be quiet, you listen.

This is my journey I am not the woman to tell you who and what to believe; I would never assume I am that influential. However, I can tell you this: God was preparing me for this my entire life. He placed me in roles and situations to be exactly where I am today. The lessons were hard, painful and poignant. The reward? I prayed for friendship; I received a circle of dynamic women. I was seeking wisdom; He leads me with a verse. I encounter a challenge; he sends a stranger into my world to help. This has always been His way and I am just finally seeing it. I spend my day with Him, sharing everything I love with Him and great women. I get to see them smile at their refection when the outfit works and I am just as excited to see them come through the door just to say hello. At the end of the day, when I curl up in my prayer spot, with two dogs at my feet, I start to talk with Him, going over the day and I feel his presence and his joy. My cup runneth over.

“The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” Psalm 32:8 NLT Karen Baker owns and operates Magpie Textile Co, Red Deer’s newest clothing boutique. Karen has a diverse background in both retail and Human Resources in senior leadership roles. Identifying the need for a boutique to offer style options for all body types, Magpie Textile Co is upscale casual with a boho heart. With her own authentic way, Karen teaches women to love their bodies and dress to make the most of their assets. Visit Karen at https://magpietextileco.com at C14, 5380-45 Street, Red Deer

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YOUNG Entrepreneur Feature

Kristyn sutherland

I MADE IT HAPPEN When you have kids young, and you look young, and you are young, it can seem like the world just doesn’t want to give you a chance. Kristyn Sutherland well knows that feeling. Kristyn heard from many people that having her first child at age 19 meant she was destined to fail. “I was always put in this weird little category,” she says, “like, ‘This is what you chose – failure – because now you’re going to be limited and poor for the rest of your life. You made this mistake and now you’re going to be stuck in it’.”

Just a statistic She decided she was not going to let other people’s judgment – that she would “just be another statistic” – determine her future. Those around her made an assessment that her worthiness as a person came from having financial success and a strong career, and, she admits, proving to them that she could make it financially and professionally was the fuel to her fire. And so, making money and being a professional success became her number one goal. “I told myself I was doing it for my kids, so that they could have financial stability and live a good life,” she remembers, “but really, I just had this driving need to prove my worth to the naysayers, to show them that I can make it and be financially independent. I wanted them to see that I am smart and capable can do it all on my own and do it well. The problem was that even though I wants to prove them wrong, I really didn’t value myself or know my own worth.”

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She opened a nail salon in her home in 2015 and began working hard. Before long, she found herself working from 8:00 am ‘til 11:00 pm six – sometimes seven – days a week. She had reached the ceiling for business growth. As a solopreneur, she couldn’t make more money because she couldn’t make more time. So, in 2019, she bought Studio Eleven, a hub of beauty professionals providing luxury esthetic and beauty services in downtown Red Deer. At 25, her dream of being a business owner was coming true. But if she thought she’d faced obstacles before, she hadn’t seen anything yet.

Powering Through She was separating at this time, which meant moving and everything else that goes with being a single mom of two. The bank refused to lend to her, telling her there was “too much risk” because of her age, even though she had very strong financials. So, true to form, she poured everything she had into the business and made it happen anyway. She also knocked on every financial institution’s door until someone believed in her and saw her vision. “It was during this process that I realized something important,” she says. “While I was hitting obstacle after obstacle, taking them all on and making it happen, I found I was still looking for that pat on the back, that ‘good job’. But it didn’t come, or not from the people I was trying to prove myself to. It made no difference to them whether I stayed in my home business, or bought the business, or went and

did something else. I was trying to make people care who didn’t care. They still saw me as a teen mom, someone destined to fail. Those kudos were never going to come from them. Trying to change their view of me was killing me and getting me nowhere.”

The AHA Moment Kristyn’s aha moment was that she really had made it happen, she really had accomplished a great deal, that she is smart and capable, and she has nothing to prove to anyone except herself. Her age doesn’t matter; she’s not tied to her lot in life; there are no limits except the ones she puts on herself. And none of that has anything to do with anyone else or the box in which they put her. So, she bought the business and began the work of setting up a team and her business systems. And then, a few months into her new business, her dad got sick, and actually passed away in the winter of 2020. The extra stress and extra responsibility during that time was definitely an added challenge, but Kristyn was learning something else: that she didn’t have to do it alone. | 25

Surrounding herself with a strong team that includes a business coach, a financial advisor, a marketing team, her banking team and, most importantly, her strong Studio Eleven team, she walked through the journey of grief and loss.

No More Lone Ranger “You can’t do it” had lit her fire in the beginning, but it wasn’t a sustainable motive for building a business and a life. “I figured out that I can do it,” she exclaims, “but now I know I don’t need to do it alone, and that, in fact, I really can’t do it alone. When I started believing in myself, other people showed up who believe in me, too.”

And then, the Gift of Covid! In case powering through all those obstacles and welcoming and adapting with the accompanying learning and growth, all in her first year of business, weren’t enough, Covid-19 hit, and she had to close the shop for three months. Thus came yet another transformative revelation: that she is made for more than work. In her words: “Suddenly, everything just stopped. I had to grieve it and work through all the emotions. But I also had time to sit and look at how I was living. I was struck by the thought that, it’s actually not normal to be this rushing, timecrunched, half-crazed person, always running behind. You know, sucking back drinkable yogurt, digging around in the vehicle to give the kids half-eaten Rice Krispy

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squares while racing to or from work, eating a lot of take-out – all that. During Covid, my daughter was so excited that I wasn’t working, so we could sit down together and eat dinner as a family. Something so simple, so normal. I realized that money is one kind of currency, but time is a much more valuable currency. My kids need financial stability, but more than that, they need me and my time. I have now made adjustments to my schedule so that my kids have that time, and I have time. I refuse to go back to being all work, all the time.” Pretty mature thinking for someone who’s “too young”. Hmmm. This young entrepreneur has faced more in her short time in business than many people will in a lifetime. She’s taken the challenges head on and is building a strong business. Her determination and tenacity and gotten her here and will definitely carry her forward to new heights. More importantly, she’s learning that she has value, to herself, to her kids, and to her community. She makes it happen.

Kristyn Sutherland owns and operates Studio Eleven in Red Deer, offering lash extensions, nail services, tanning and more. She lives in Penhold with her 8-year old daughter Azariah and her 6-year old son Kesler.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou

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| 27

Finances

Why Businesses

Succeed

Community Futures is not strictly in the business of loaning money to entrepreneurs – we really want to help build successful businesses that will have a positive and lasting impact on the economies of rural Alberta. So, anything we can do to help reduce the risks is a good thing – including sharing our wisdom about why some businesses fail while others succeed. There are two big reasons that small businesses succeed or fail – management ability and economic conditions. The first you can control; the second you can’t – but you can still be informed and strategic in your response.

Reason 1: Managerial Ability The good news about management skills and abilities is that these are issues that you have control over. Good preparation can increase your chances of success. Key reasons for business failure related to business management include:

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•

Poor cash flow management/poor understanding of cash flow

•

Poor capital structure – errors in determining how much start-up capital is needed, inadequate financing, or conversely, too much debt

•

Over-expansion

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Lack of a well-developed business plan

•

Poor pricing

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Excessive optimism (about sales, time and energy required to be successful, etc.)

•

Managerial inexperience: ineffective time management, not recognizing your weaknesses, not paying attention to your plan after it is developed, inability to delegate properly, hiring the wrong people, poor people management skills, poor execution and internal controls

•

Lack of experience in the industry your business is in

•

Poor marketing and promotion

•

Bad business location

•

Too much focus on one client/customer.

Reason 2: Economic conditions Research indicates that the most common reasons for business failures are due to economic conditions outside of your control. So, a big part of your job as an entrepreneur is surveillance, environmental scanning, and being strategic in your decisions. You need to be able to respond to the opportunities and challenges posed by the environment in which your business is operating. These are some of the economic factors connected to business failure rates that you should keep an eye on: •

Unemployment rate of experienced wage and salary workers – when this unemployment rate is high, business failures increase.

•

Interest rates – when interest rates go up, business failures also go up after 2-3 years.

•

Gross domestic product – when the GDP goes up, business failures decrease. A good GDP means healthy businesses.

•

Profit ratios after tax for manufacturing corporations – when profits go up for manufacturers,

business failures go down. Keep an eye on what’s happening in this sector. •

Many other issues outside of the entrepreneur’s control: changes to government regulation, changes to international trade, and weather to name a few.

Solid management will allow many small businesses to survive in difficult economic periods, but the entrepreneur must also always be aware of the strategic risks posed by economic conditions.

The Community Futures Central Alberta office is a community driven, non-profit organization staffed by business professionals and guided by a volunteer Board of Directors. They provide a wide range of small business services and business management tools for people wanting to start, expand, franchise or sell a business. They also run a number of specialized business programs, organize exciting business events and actively work with community and business leaders to foster rural economic growth. For over 30 years, they’ve been helping people turn business ideas into reality in rural Alberta. Their small business specialists connect entrepreneurs with the skills, flexible financing and resources needed to succeed. 5013 49 Avenue Red Deer, AB T4N 3X1, www.central.albertacf.com 403-342-2055

LEARN TO LEAD THROUGH CHANGE.  Focusing on the art and science of communication  Leadership workshops  Personalized coaching Kari Lotzien

Leadership Coach 403-506-9636 | www.betheanchor.ca

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food feature

Food for Thought…

When Cooking is NOT your Jam (or Peanut Butter) I admit it, I am a “foodie”. I love to cook food, eat food, look at food, try new food, you name it, I am ALL about the food! It is my firm belief that world peace will only be achieved through the sharing of food. I have heard tell of folks who say things like, “I just forget to eat sometimes”. Huh?! You WHAT, now?? How is that even possible?! And yet, there it is. There are people who eat to live rather than living to eat, like me. One of my greatest pleasures in life is having people over for a meal. Sometimes my hubby and I will do something simple, and other times we’ll go all out with a 5-course, fancy-shmancy feast that involves amuse bouches and charger plates and kale gar-

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nishes. (Note: Kale is a garnish, NOT a food, in my humble opinion…) We spend days choosing a menu, searching for obscure ingredients, preparing the food and choosing a table setting. Why do we go to all that trouble? Because we absolutely love doing it! Does it always turn out great? Nope, it sure doesn’t! There was that one time when we thought we had bought pork belly but it turned out to be….SALT PORK!! Ohhhh my, that was so bad, it was hilarious! However, our rule always is, “as long as KFC is still open, we will try almost anything once”! For us, cooking is all kinds of fun and adventure. But here’s the thing - not everyone feels that way. I have friends for whom cooking is a chore, even an exercise in frustration. They go into panic mode if someone suggests they should cook for other people. They stress out over the whole evening so it becomes a nightmare instead of a relaxing night with friends. I’m here to tell you that it just isn’t necessary.

Simple ideas for entertaining:

Give yourself a break.

A variety of cheeses, olives, bread, and wine or sparkling juice

If cooking isn’t your thing, suggest a trip to a restaurant. If that isn’t feasible, how about a visit to M & M Meats or your local deli to grab a selection of sausage, cheese and crackers? There are so many pre-made options out there, no one needs to worry about one-upping your friend who has her own Pinterest followers and carries a garlic press around in her purse. Chances are that none of your guests will care whether you slaved over a hot stove or made a trip to a cool store. If you like, you can easily serve whatever you bought in your own dishes. When your guests compliment the food, answer with a simple “Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!”. And then relax and enjoy yourself. Those who love to cook, should. Those who don’t, should stop stressing out and order in.

Order pizza and a selection of craft beer

Heather Lyon is the owner of First Start Planning Ltd. Based out of Rocky Mountain House, AB, she saves businesses and organizations in Western Canada time and money by providing bookkeeping services as well as financial and administrative skills training. In her spare time, she runs online cooking classes and caters to the whims of her cat, Keri.

And if all else fails, make a reservation for lunch or dinner!

Buy pre-made food and serve on your own dishes Hotdogs and marshmallows over a backyard fire. Better yet, try some Marshmallow Shooters for dessert! (Roast the marshmallow without putting the roasting stick right through, make a small hole in the middle once it is cooked, and fill it with your favourite liqueur.) Make a main dish that you are comfortable with and buy a bagged salad and buns Buns, cold cuts, cheeses, condiments, store-bought potato salad or coleslaw Visit your local bakery to pick up dessert – so easy AND you will be supporting a local business! My personal favourite – Pot luck meals! Ask your guests to bring a dish (and their recipe for sharing)

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The Next 30 Days Whenever we gain nuggets of revelation, we typically think: “Ooooh! I am going to start doing those things!”. Usually, though, within a few days, we’ve forgotten what we heard, read or watched, and life goes on. This worksheet is a printable resource for you to use each month, to collect out the treasures of insight and wisdom you find each month in Sharp Women Magazine (or anywhere else!) and create action steps. Written goals are eight times more likely to be achieved, so this is a great practice! You can make small (or big!) changes by writing things down and holding yourself accountable.

Insights I have gained:

New ways I will think:

New things I will do:

New RESULTS I see:

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BUSINESS INSURANCE 6 STEPS TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT POLICY 1

WHERE TO START

ARE YOU GETTING A FAIR COMPARISON?

COST VS. QUALITY?

Many people avoid allowing the competitor to review their current policy when shopping around. However, to get a fair comparison, it is a good idea to allow the competing insurance company to review your current policy, even if you black out the numbers, to ensure they are quoting apples to apples and are able to offer advice on coverage’s you may be missing or may NOT need.

Like any product of service, cheapest isn’t always best and there may be additional hidden charges along the way. A good insurance company will do much more than a commercial call centre, so think of cost as an investment in quality. Is your insurance company reviewing your policy annually, do they have easy to use websites and apps, can you get a hold of your agent without long hold times or waiting for days for them to call you back?

If you google insurance, you will find numerous insurance companies. But how do you know what you need; and if what is quoted properly covers you and your business pursuits? A good insurance provider will ask lots of questions, gathering information unique to your business to provide an insurance solution. Not only that, they will explain why you need the coverage and how it protects you. Insurance is not one size fits all.

EXCLUSIONS & WARRANTIES | EXPLANATIONS & REVIEWS

CLAIMS PROCEDURES

TALK TO THE PROFESSIONALS

Ask what happens if you have a claim. Will you be directed to a call centre or a dedicated claim administrator? If the claim does not proceed to a conclusion that you are satisfied with, how will you get independent advice? It’s a good idea to do your research on your company's claims service. You can learn a lot about how the company handles payouts when you need them the most, at claim time.

At Swift Insurance & Financial Solutions, our qualified in-house team provides personal advice. We explain the conditions and warranties in plain English ensuring real value for our clients and help you through the claims process to make sure you get a fair resolution.

Seek clarity on exclusions and warranties. A good insurance company will ask many questions when writing your policy to ensure they understand your business and any risks that may pertain to it. They will also touch base at least once a year to review your policy, update any changes during the year and review the coverages with you again.

“Like any product or service, cheapest isn’t always best”

Christine Swift QAFP | Financial Advisor Phone: 403-340-4495 Cell: 403-307-5000 christine_swift@cooperators.ca

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Printable

Creating a Being or Intention Statement Why Do tHis? Central to being a Sharp Woman and living your life on point is living with intention and knowing and functioning out of who you are at the core. Only when we identify the pure essence of who we really are can we set an intention to live out of it, let it flow out of us, and show up as our best selves.

Yeah but what for? It’s about authenticity. We live out of our highest selves when we are authentically ourselves. We can’t do that unless we know who we are! When we create a being or intention statement, it is based on our knowledge and understanding of our authentic selves. Once we have this statement, we can:  Start the day by reading it out loud and reflecting on who we are  Think about what’s on the schedule for the day and make plans for how we can/will show up as our best selves  Check in with it throughout the day to ensure it is guiding us in our activities. Choose it by asking ourselves: “What does _______ look like in this situation?”  Remember it when hiccups happen and we’re tempted to react with hurt, shame, hiding, resentment or other negative, inauthentic ways.

What to Do? Here’s how to work through this exercise: 1. Go through the list of personal values/attributes and put a circle around all of the ones that you feel represent you, your personality and your personal attributes. Circle at least twenty (but it’s okay to circle more). 2. If you feel there are words that describe you that are missing, feel free to add them and circle them, too.

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3. Go back through the list and look at the words you have circled. Narrow the list down to your top ten attributes by putting a box over top of the circle. 4. Once you have your top ten, go back through them and really think about which ones describe you most fully. Put an asterisk beside the 5-7 words that fit that description. 5. Write the final 5-7 words on the next page. Then start crafting sentences using those words. 6. You might choose to start your sentences with “I am…” or “I choose to be…” or with “Today, I will…”. It’s your statement. You get to decide.

What not to Do 1. Don’t rush. Narrowing it down to your top 5-7 might take you a few days of thinking, googling, word searches, looking at definitions, etc. And then working on your being/intention statement should take a while. Set aside time daily to work on wordsmithing and honing it until you feel you’ve really “nailed” it. Even then, as time goes by, you might like to revisit it and work it over some more. This is totally okay. It’ yours and yours alone. 2. Don’t look at it through the lens of how you “want to be seen”. That is not the same thing as who you are and will likely lead you down the path of inauthentic trying. The point of this is to stop trying (exhausting) and just start being (freeing). 3. Don’t ask others how they see you or to help you with this exercise. First of all, they may or may not be right in their perception of you, and secondly, you can only come to truly know yourself if you do the heavy lifting of working through this alone. 4. Don’t insist that it be done a certain way in order to be “right” (like trying to make it be one sentence or to sound good to others). It’s likely it will be 2-3 sentences, but you will want it to be as succinct as possible, so you can remember it and recite it each day. Perfectionism might attempt to paralyze you; overcome this by writing or rewriting a few words each day. Just keeping working at it.

Printable

LIST OF VALUES/ATTRIBUTES Wisdom

Competition

Patience

Contentment

Compassion

Risk-taking

Perseverance

Reliability

Laughter

Ambition

Generosity

Resourcefulness

Joy

Persuasion

Confidence

Vision

Trustworthiness

Methodical

Flexibility

Humility

Pleasure

Analytical

Freedom

Courage

Candour

Fairness

Spirituality

Dignity

Loyalty

Accomplishment

Cooperation

Approachability

Beauty

Adventure

Curiosity

Friendliness

Health

Orderliness

Gentleness

Tenderness

Knowledge

Passion

Optimism

Loving

Justice

Simplicity

Enthusiasm

Carefree

Creativity

Tolerance

Harmoniousness

Consideration

Learning

Understanding

Integrity

Influential

Achievement

Excellence

Respect

Inspiring

Devotion

Focus

Honour

Sympathy

Helpfulness

Innovation

Listening

Honesty

Supportiveness

Service

Accountability

Transparency

Kindness

Independence

Grace

Diligence

Accepting

Calm

Belonging

Imagination

Adaptability

Serenity

Authenticity

Steadfastness

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Printable

MY TOP ATTRIBUTES 1.

MY BEING/ INTENTION STATEMENT

SOME EXAMPLES Okay, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t poach these! These examples are just for reference. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get the most out of this if the statement you write comes out of your own heart and pen. 1. I am open to love, freely giving of myself with generosity out of a place of abundance. My passion for life and kindheartedness fills me and those around me with joy.

4. Today, I will live in harmony with others, deepening relationships by listening, caring and supporting those around me, bringing wisdom and grace to every conversation.

2. I am confident and purpose driven. I take risks, adapt to change with flexibility, and constantly pursue higher knowledge and growth.

5. Today, I will enthusiastically pursue my dreams, allow my curiosity to flourish, pursue adventure, and push my boundaries with innovation and creativity.

3. I live each day with gratitude, surrounded by beauty, laughter and love. 38 |

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403.588.8808 403.877.0962

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403.340.4495

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403.506.3106

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Save the Date! Second annual Sharp Event! February 5th, 2021 Holiday Inn & Suites, Red Deer, AB Join us for a day of: Connections Personal and professional growth Laughter and fun Shopping and prizes To become a sponsor or get involved, contact Ranchelle at 780.679.7275 or email ranchelle@sharpwomen.ca

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Sharp Women | July 2020

Articles inside

Food feature

Why Businesses Succeed

I made it happen

My business partner is god

self care is health care HEALTH AND WELLNESS

I failed as A stepmom

Challenged by Play RANCHELLE IN THE RAW

Reclaiming her spark SHARP WOMAN FEATURE: MYLA TRENCHUK

CAN you feel it?

Opportunity in chaos