Fleur Ottaway, Founder of Venture Digital, is our next amazing woman in business. She has tackled the IT domain. Tackled is the absolute best description, it's one of the most competitive markets out there (we should know :) ) What we love about what she's created is that she's not been swayed away from this great 'Venture' because it's a male dominated industry. On the contrary, she's met it head on.
Venture Digital provides ethical visibility and reputation marketing
services to local businesses in and around Barrie, Ontario. They utilize
public relations practices combined with today's technologies to bring
visibility to local businesses and build their reputation to make them the
business of choice for their target clients. Venture Digital also
provides reputation monitoring and public relations mitigation services. They have a branch of business for affordable web design, as well a
branch of business technology consulting & implementation coming
soon!
Here's how the story unfolded:
What made you pick your path as it is today? What about your chosen field drew you to it?
After dealing with some disabling health issues I found myself struggling in my general day-to-day
corporate job. I felt unfulfilled and unchallenged. Suddenly an opportunity came up where I was not
working for a company anymore and I was exploring having to work in Toronto to stay in an IT sector position. Between the commuting and the same stresses in the corporate IT world I realized that this isn’t the path for me, I need more freedom to push myself past my skills and more freedom of schedule to break away from the 9 to 5. This is when I decided to start my own business. In my spare time for the past 10 to 15 years I was volunteering for many organizations, helping them with their internet marketing, publicity, event planning, and business technologies. I found I always enjoyed digital marketing and publicity more than my daily IT job. I enjoy interacting with people and audiences more than working behind the scenes in IT. So I decided to start my business for marketing and PR in a digital world.
How did you decide or what made you decide that this passion for your chosen career could go from what you love to something others would value to?
It really was part of the realization that I was taking this on in my part-time volunteer roles and loving it so much more than the IT position I was doing full time. The organizations were in great need of these services and didn’t know enough about it to do it all themselves. As well it gave results; the organizations succeeded more when implementing these services as part of their overall activities.
Was there a time commitment to becoming an ‘expert’ in this field and what did you find challenging about this leg of the journey?
I did take a certificate program for digital marketing and certified in the Online Marketing Certified Practitioners (OMCP). For any of the technical aspects of my business, I attended Georgian College for 3 years. I took a diploma program in Computer Systems Technician and a post graduate studies in Cyberspace security. These courses set the groundwork but the hands on positions I did in my co-ops and after school is where I learned the most. I learn best by doing and that is probably why I have all this knowledge in internet marketing and public relations even though I never went to school for it. I also find marketing requires a lot of understanding of people, their personalities, habits, and beliefs. Having grown up in a household where my mother was running her own business in counseling and alternative healthcare I picked up many of these skills. They became ingrained into me.
Given where you are now, what do you find most challenging about getting your business going? How are you dealing with those concerns?
The thing I find most challenging is that I provide high quality work but in today’s economy people want to cut costs. I have been able to work with some of my services like my web design services to find a simple solution at an affordable rate however it is tougher when working with the subjective world of marketing. The things I am doing to work around this is, trying to find the best processes to deliver services to clients that are looking to cut costs as well as branching out into groups like BNI and soon heading south of Barrie for networking groups in Newmarket and Vaughan. To reach larger markets you have to be willing to spend extra time and money and that’s what I have come to realize and started to do.
Given your location how are you going to reach your customers? How do you plan your strategy for business direction or how would you once things get going?
In the Simcoe County region networking is key to building a business, as you move further South it
becomes more about visibility advertising and knowing the right people. As mentioned above I have
been branching into larger networking opportunities like BNI and groups south of Barrie. As I head
further south into the GTA I need to start looking at more paid advertising and making contacts in the
right places, which I usually am pretty good at.
My business direction is to grow, hire employees, and incorporate. All of this is in an effort to start
bidding on government and corporate contracts and eventually move into Asian markets. I want this
business to grow into a worldwide enterprise and support future employees and become a key player inthis industry.
Looking forward in time what is the one thing you hope your business brings to your customers?
I want my customers to feel appreciated and empowered with knowledge. I believe in great customer service and being transparent with my customers. Many of my clients appreciate that I keep them informed as well as teach them to understand the marketing and technical aspects of their business. They feel more at ease and confident and that’s what I want for my clients.
Fleur and her company Venture Digital can be found on:
The weight loss arena is a huge money maker, this goes without saying. There are so many fads and 'diets' out there all boasting grand results and weight loss before you can blink an eye. My next featured Women in Business is Carolina Belmeras, certified Personal Trainer, certified Zumba Instructor, and the only
fitness professional in the Barrie area certified in Sports Nutrition by
Precision Nutrition.
Born in Mexico and with a passion for fitness, dance, and all things
health, she has found joy in sharing her knowledge of exercise and
nutrition as key aspects to wellness. Having finished her
very own one-year body transformation, Carolina understands that there
is no better way to coach than by example.
Here is her story:
Looking back on my childhood I should have anticipated a life dedicated to fitness. In hindsight, not
only my love for sports and movement offered a good clue, but also my inability to focus on numerical tasks, frustration with long lectures, and disinterest of all things history may have been a hint. As you can imagine, I was one of those fidgety kids!
Through motion is how I learn and find my peace.
However, it took me several years to come to this realization. For some time in my early and mid-20’s I belonged to the club of what is popularly known in the industry as the “skinny-fat.” That is to say, my body kept slender (even after the birth of my first daughter) without much effort from my part... but my physical condition was quite lacking. Yes, I was one of those who could eat whatever and not gain weight. But looks can be deceiving.
I had no endurance or flexibility. Any attempt to run or move even remotely fast left me winded and
short of breath almost immediately. I had no muscle tone, and even though my frame looked petite I
could begin noticing a softness and (for lack of a better word) flabbiness that wasn’t there before.
Several years ago a local personal trainer - whose Zumba class I was attending - suggested I consider working in fitness: he needed an assistant trainer for his studio and he wished to hire someone who wasn’t already polluted by all the incorrect information and techniques in the fitness industry, someone he could train himself and trust with his own clients.
And thus began my life in fitness. I learned a lot from working for someone else in the beginning,
including what I would and wouldn’t do with clients of my own. I did many things wrong and many
others right, and I learned from all. In this time I discovered I really like lifting weights and how doing so gives me a sense of challenge and accomplishment like nothing else. At the same time I began exploring with other areas of the health and wellness industry, trying to find my true calling. I gave mountain biking a fair try (not for me), I gave swimming a shot (just... no.), I tried endurance running (never again), all while wondering what was my thing? What was I going to specialize in and focus on in such a vast industry? What if I never found one topic I love and end up just one more anonymous trainer with no specialty to call their own? It was a long process but through lots of exploration and patience, through understanding that I don’t have to be an expert at everything or love every fitness practice, and by keeping an open mind it was that I eventually landed on what became my thing: Sports nutrition.
I can tell you one thing-- the sun shines bright when you find your place.
So if I can give you one piece of advice today it is this: Play. Explore. Go out with the goal of making a fool of yourself and revel in the joy of laughing at your own expense, because in pushing the boundaries of responsibility and composure a wonderful world awaits you; one in which you can find the things that make your heart sing.
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Beyond the sales figures, marketing and social media I think there is a holistic side to business. That side that says I'm doing this for the love of my craft, my enjoyment of doing it, for the happiness it brings me to teach others. We don't get to hear that enough in our highly competitive markets.
I have the pleasure to bring forth, one such woman, one who took that thing which sings to her and decided to make a life from it. Angelina is a yoga instructor currently living in Costa Rica with her husband and seven children. Over the years she has practiced various styles including Hatha, Vinyasa, Kundalini, Yin, Prenatal, and is currently practicing the Primary Series of the Ashtanga tradition.
Here is her story as it has unfolded:
I began my yoga journey fourteen years ago. I was pregnant with my third child and was
looking for ways to improve my health and bring a little peace into my world. I was drawn
to the introspective aspects of the practice and its holistic, compassionate approach to health
and wellbeing. I wanted to explore who I was beyond all of the superficial ways in which I
had defined myself up until then and was searching for a sense of purpose in my life. Prior to
my decision to stay home and raise my children I worked for a large brokerage firm on Wall
Street. Even though I enjoyed it in many ways, I knew that fast-paced lifestyle wasn’t for me.
I wanted desperately to slow down and experience a richer quality of life. When I practiced
yoga asana (postures), spent time in mediation, and made a habit of breathing consciously I
found that slower pace from which I could meet each moment with patience and gratitude.
I began to see opportunity all around me even in the most challenging of situations. So I
stuck with it because I could see myself becoming a better person and I loved watching that
transformation.
Joseph Campbell said, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track, which
has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one
you are living”
There is nothing I could share with as much heart, commitment, and sincerity
as the thing I am most passionate about. This practice is something so deeply rooted in my
heart that it is more than what I do, it’s who I am. I believe if you want to be happy and
successful in this world you have to follow your nature. If you want to know what to do with
your life, how you can be of service to others, you need only look at the things that bring you
great joy and fulfillment because that is what we are all after. For me, that’s the tradition of
yoga. I believe it holds the keys to many answers that people are looking for, proven methods
which can help us all reach our highest potential. When I see this unfolding in my own life,
I feel a great desire to share. In The Inner Tradition of Yoga, Michael Stone says, “Yoga is
a practice of horizontal transcendence (you and me in relation to each other) rather than
a vertical transcendence (my practice for my own freedom).” When I started this practice
it was all about me. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, I believe that’s exactly what
I needed at the time to become my own best friend and see the great value in my life. Once
my cup was full I started thinking more from the perspective of service and how I could take
what I’ve learned and offer it to others.
There is definitely a time commitment to the process of becoming a teacher and then
teaching. I get up early every morning for my sadhana (personal spiritual practice) and in
addition to that I spend time developing teaching skills and teaching. One of the things I’ve
heard many times by experienced teachers is how easy it is to set aside your own practice
when you begin to focus your energies on teaching. So I try to be mindful of that and make
sure I hold a space for my own practice and make it a priority. Living in a house of nine
people, and homeschooling seven children presents many time challenges on its own. I’ve
had to find creative ways to make this a sustainable lifestyle. Practicing before everyone
wakes up is ideal as the house is quiet and I can really be fully present, but that must be
paired with an early bedtime or it catches up with me quickly. It’s always a process of
tweaking as life is always changing, but when you want something badly enough you make
it happen. I’m lucky to have the support of my family; they really stepped up to the plate and
pitched in wherever necessary when I made the decision to become a teacher.
What I find most challenging is dealing with self-defeating inner dialog, because it can
hold us back from giving our business all we’ve got. We are our own worst critics and I
think this is a learned behaviour. I remember as a young child feeling so brave, smart, and
beautiful and never once felt like I had to reserve those feelings for fear of how they might be
received by others. Somewhere along the way we learn to stop thinking and speaking highly
of ourselves. We brush up against the world around us to learn what’s socially acceptable and
unfortunately what I see so often is that we aren’t encouraged to celebrate our greatness. It
stems from the idea of separateness which leads us to comparison. If I abide in the truth that
you are me and I am you, I can only rejoice when something wonderful happens to you and I
will see your beauty as my own. I spend a lot of time journaling and writing out the picture of
what it is I’m trying to create. It helps to go back to it in times when my inner dialog isn’t in
alignment with my intention.
I’ve always intended to use the internet as my main platform for teaching because of its
ability to connect us all to a much larger audience. I live in a remote location on the Pacific
coast in Costa Rica so it especially makes sense in my case if I want to stretch my arms
out further than the local community. My goal for the future is to create a retreat centre
here in Costa Rica where people from all over the world can come and experience a deeper
connection with themselves as they slow down to the rhythms of nature. A place where
others can come to rejuvenate as well as experience the creative synthesis that emerges
through group settings. Defining my target market (those looking for what I have to offer)
and finding ways to reach them by engaging them through rich media (videos, images,
products, etc.) establishes a strong interactive online presence. This type of interaction
creates a more personal connection with my target market than traditional marketing
strategies.
I hope that I’m able to inspire and encourage my students to engage in the transformative
possibilities through the tradition of yoga. I hope to successfully convey a spirit of unity and
inclusiveness that is at the heart of this spiritual practice. I want my students and those who
may simply be following via social media to feel like they can relate on some level to the
common experiences we all find ourselves in and find practical methods of improving the
quality of their lives and the lives of those they touch through conscious living. But the one
thing I hope most of all is for them to feel loved.
Angelina can be found on:
All
to often I am around a gaggle of friends or in a group amongst women
and hear an amazing amount of creativity. They are batting around
ideas, knowledge and expertise in a multitude of areas and they do it
without breaking a sweat. I listen and think that idea / topic / skill
would be the start of a great business.
Something
strange happens though, when you suggest they pursue this idea further.
It's like watching a balloon deflate; like the world has just come in
on itself.
I'm met with many of these reasons, in no particular order...
- I'm not good enough at ______________ to be able to sell
- I wouldn't know how to get started
- I really don't have time
- I have no clue what I'm doing
- What I know people don't need
- No, no this is just my hobby
- I have to put my family first so can't
- I'm not organized enough to try
- I've never been good at following through so it would likely flop
- I'm so scared at the very thought I would rather bungee jump from a low hanging bridge
I was able to rhyme these off without batting an eyelash and
that's because sadly I hear it all too often. I feel strongly that for
many women who work from the home, and care for children and family, don't see their potential to take a piece of the pie in the business
world.
What I would love to see is more YES.
- YES. My idea has value and can make a difference
- YES. I can make the time to build something that is just for me,
even if it's during my children's nap time and I don't get the laundry
done
- YES. I can make a future for myself that involves me being financially independent
- YES. I can learn how to get things started, because I'm all kinds of brilliant
- YES. I have ENOUGH skills to make my idea a success.
Ladies of the world: Say YES! To your ideas, your dreams, YOUR SUCCESS, and to YOU!
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