MAD LOVE MONDAY | Danielle Dugan - Etched In Marketing
Hello YEG Boss Babes! My name is Danielle, and I am the owner of Etched In Marketing. I found a love for marketing in university, and with that came a dream of one day having my own consulting business.
Nicole Constante Photography
Hello! My name is Danielle, and I am the owner of Etched In Marketing.
I found a love for marketing in university, and with that came a dream of one day having my own consulting business. My goal with this business was to have the opportunity to work with amazing business owners and brands to help others see how great they truly are. After a few years of working in a couple of very different industries, the time came when the only questions left was "why not now?". So with some support and motivation to take a leap, I started Etched In Marketing. At first, it was a side hustle, and now it is my full-time focus.
Through Etched In Marketing, I work with local small businesses and entrepreneurs in various consumer industries, with a focus on wellness and lifestyle. Etched In Marketing provides a full range of marketing consulting and services, customized to a businesses needs, goals and resources. For one client, this may mean help creating a presence online with training to manage it themselves, well for another, it might be developing and implementing a cohesive marketing and communications strategy. My goal is to work with a business to provide support and find an effective marketing strategy that works for their unique situation.
Nicole Constante Photography
Work/Life/Social Media Balance
I often get asked about how I balance my time on social media when it is such a big part of my work. Since I am sure this is something many of you encounter, I thought today I would share a bit more about this topic.
By now, most people are aware of the negative implications social media can have on our mental health, but it also isn't all bad. Social media can be entertaining, a great way to connect, a source of inspiration, a way to find out about new places, and many other positive things.
While I am by no means an expert on mental health or work-life balance, from my experience, there are two points that have helped me to balance life online with real life:
1) Remember that social media is, at most, only partially representative of reality.
Even when authentic, the posts we choose to share online are still curated - it still takes numerous shots to nail that selfie, and we still adjust the framing or staging of a photo to make sure it looks "just right".
While I 100% encourage you to be real online in a way that you are comfortable and that fits with your brand (this type of openness leads to real connections) there will still be things that don't make it into your feed. That is okay! But just as there will be things that you won't' be sharing online, everyone else will have more to their story that you can see.
Don't use social media as your measure for business or personal success, or a benchmark of what your life should be.
2) Be intentional about how you're spending your time online.
Nicole Constante Photography
You have limited resources both in your business and life. Why are you investing those resources in social media? What are you hoping to get out of this investment? Is your investment paying off?
Instead of being online simply because everyone is online, or because it is a habit, be intentional about it. Move away from those times you, without thinking, pick up your phone and start scrolling and be present and deliberate about how you spend your time and energy. Turn off notifications. Set time limits that make sense for you and your life. And if your posting for your business, spend time to come up with a plan that makes sense and schedule when possible.
In general, enjoy the time you are on social media, and if you are not, it's okay to take a break.
While it does require an ongoing effort to find that balance, at the end of the day, I do love social media as a way to learn about new businesses/places/events, to hear about what people are up to & to make new connections. Find me online or at a Boss Babes event and let's chat more!
MAD LOVE MONDAY | Ashley Mielke - Ashley Mielke Strategic Consulting
My professional titles are Social Psychologist and Organizational Health and Culture Strategist, but I prefer People Lover and Connection Builder!
Christina Louise Branding @christinalouisebranding
Hi, I’m Ashley!
My professional titles are Social Psychologist and Organizational Health and Culture Strategist, but I prefer People Lover and Connection Builder!
I support Founders, CEOs, and Leaders who envision happier, healthier, and more profitable futures for their companies through cultivating high-trust, high-performance, Conscious Culture.
I’m obsessed with inspiring workplace environments that value, embrace, and encourage the fundamental truth that humanness is the common thread that connects each and every one of us, and that feeling loved, valued, and safe is the foundation for a high-performance organization.
Ashley Mielke Strategic Consulting
My Big Hairy Audacious Goal is to inspire leaders around the world to value and embrace the fullness of their people, build cultures grounded in trust and belonging, and reap the rewards of meaningful relationships in their companies and beyond. I aspire to accomplish this BHAG through speaking, writing (hello book deal), consulting, and facilitating my signature training program – Conscious Culture Bootcamp.
I’m often asked the question, “Why culture?” I typically respond with “I didn’t choose this path. This path chose me.”
I was called to my purpose early in life, following a painful childhood punctuated by my father’s alcohol and drug addiction and eventual suicide. From this, the darkest, loneliest, and most excruciating period of my life, I uncovered a deep and passionate desire to serve others and a natural ability to create a safe space for others to be vulnerable and to feel heard and seen in all of their humanness.
My experience of suffering and my willingness to share my story, is what gave me the deep sense of connection and belonging with others I so desperately desired in childhood and throughout most of my life. It is this foundation that has motivated, inspired, and moved me to share the power of connection with others. It’s also what made me the leader I am today.
After nearly six years as the Founder and Director at The Grief & Trauma Healing Centre Inc. and almost a decade of practice as a psychologist and grief specialist, my passion has shifted from the therapy world to the organizational world; a space that is more often driven by fear rather than by love and a space that grossly underestimates the power of connection in driving organizational health, performance, and profitability.
Some may call me a delusional optimist when I speak about my vision for changing the landscape of workplace cultures around the world, but it is my ‘why’ and my commitment to the long game that motivates me to go all-in for the cause.
I remind myself that it isn’t about me. It’s about love. It’s about God. It’s about people. It’s about connection. It’s about community. It’s about contribution. It’s about making a difference that truly benefits others. And it’s about creating a legacy of love for future generations that far out lives me.
Christina Louise Branding @christinalouisebranding
The daily prayer that grounds me in my faith and courage as an entrepreneur is, “God, I will go where you want to me to go, and I will be what you want me to be. I am yours. Amen.” This daily surrender grounds me in my purpose and reminds me to trust that the desires in my heart are God’s desires in me.
I am also so proud to connect with a community of other women entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders through YEG BOSS BABES who truly appreciate and understand the highs and lows of entrepreneurship; a world that can feel very scary, isolating, and lonely at times. The bond that we share as a community is incredibly special and reminds me that I’m not alone on this journey.
I define Conscious Culture as a place of rootedness and safety. A place of connection and belonging. A place where trust is readily built. A place where people show up fully and put their best foot forward. A place where people can take risks and make mistakes. And a place where people grow and evolve together.
I truly believe YEG BOSS BABES embodies the characteristics of a Conscious Culture and it is through the strength of this foundation that we can become everything we aspire to be as women, as mothers, as wives, as leaders, and as business owners.
Thank you to Kirsten, Amy, and Kayla for creating this beautiful community and to everyone else who has brought their vision to life! I look forward to meeting everyone at future events and gatherings.
If you are curious about the work I do or you’d just like to connect, I’d love to hear from you at ashley@ashleymielke.com!
In Love and Friendship,
Ash
MAD LOVE MONDAY | Trish Reeves - Portage and Main
Hey! My name is Trish and I am the owner of Portage and Main. We design and manufacture kids clothes here in Edmonton. We have been around for almost 5 years now. We operate a factory out of South Edmonton where we make all your goods, and two retail stores in Edmonton.
Photo | Lauren Dary
Hey! My name is Trish and I am the owner of Portage and Main. We design and manufacture kids clothes here in Edmonton. We have been around for almost 5 years now. We operate a factory out of South Edmonton where we make all your goods, and two retail stores in Edmonton. We believe fashion should be fun and kids should be comfortable in what they are wearing.
If you are looking for information on what we stand for and our manufacturing processes we have a wealth of information on our website, however I would like to take this chance to talk to all the Boss Babes out there about YOUR business.
Your business cannot be all things to all people.
This means saying no (a lot).
It means saying no when you are asked to make or do something that you don’t believe in or aren’t passionate about. This could mean taking on a side project that detracts from your main business, or simply providing a product of service that doesn’t align with the values of your company. Women have this amazing thing called intuition, and it is right the vast majority of the time. Listen to your gut.
Pretty much everyday I have customers, staff, family and friends that have “shirt ideas” for me. I politely smile and nod, but the unfortunate thing is these ideas are more often than not things they have been on shirts made by other companies. My sister sent me a screenshot of a Brunette the Label shirt she wanted me to make for her. First of all, we have a ton of amazing designs that we have poured our heart and soul into to choose from. Secondly, support the company that actually designed it (it was even on sale for cheaper that I would make it for)!
It means saying no to people who would prefer your products or services to be at a specific price point. I hear this all the time from entrepreneurs- “customers”, family and friends trying to get a deal. THEY AREN’T YOUR CUSTOMER. Your customer is willing to pay full price for your goods or services. Wait for your customers and treat them like gold. Your customer is amazing and will support your business in ways that you could never believe possible.
As a business owner you want to satisfy the needs of everyone, but in doing so not only will you compromise your own mental health, but you will LOSE customers along the way. Being true to what you believe in regard to your business is so good for your soul. Once you stop saying yes to everyone and start doing only what aligns with your core values and believes will help your business be sustainable long term.
This community of Boss Babes in Edmonton is so crucial for support. Support what other women are doing whether as a customer, or someone to vent to on the tough days. Historically being a woman business owner hasn’t been the easiest, but we can change that narrative and be supportive in the community but also assertive in our business.
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