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In 2004 Shelley started The National Women in Business Expo; a business show open to anyone with an interest in business success. There are exhibitors from small to large companies, service industries, networking organizations, seminars and workshops – all to provide a wealth of information to help women, both new and experienced, do better in their businesses through a forum with other like-minded women. As she says, “Everybody starts somewhere!” and she wants to help them find a way to do it.
Eighteen years ago, Shelley applied for a receptionist’s job with a company that produced consumer trade shows. They told her that she was over-qualified, but she needed a change, and for the next ten years did many different tasks and learned a lot about the business. She then became a partner in a company that produced Franchise shows, but eventually did not feel that she was growing, and after many years in the business found that Franchising and government legislation was changing. She sold her partnership in May of 2004, and began to look for something else that she might want to do. As many entrepreneurs know, she says, “Not all plans end up as envisioned.”
She had always worked alongside strong businessmen, and she began looking for resources, business women’s networking groups, and other strong women who could confirm that she could do it on her own and be successful – that she was not as far out there as she perceived she was. She was looking for it NOW and all in one place! The search was tough due to a shortage of time and daily obligations; she wanted to be able to walk out of somewhere saying, “I’ve been enlightened, I have a vision.” She found that she desperately needed the support of women entrepreneurs, and wondered who do you call, where do you go? She could not find what she was looking for.
As her background was producing trade shows and it was what she loved to do, she began to research a way of encompassing all of the things that she was looking for into a trade show. She believed that women want to succeed in business and that their number is growing. She started to call people and got a 99% positive response from potential exhibitors and sponsors, so she knew that she was on the right track with what she envisioned. She now produces shows in Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatoon and plans to expand in the future.
Shelley has some super philosophies that she shared regarding weathering the challenges that come with owning and operating your own business. She says that her husband is a wonderful, supportive father who is a very strong support for her and believes in her vision. When times are tough, he is still thoroughly behind her and is the one who “helps her get back up on the horse.”
A mother of five children, ranging in age from 11-21, she says that for the first fifteen years of her business life she traveled and missed a lot. It was a growth period for everyone in the family, but her children knew that that was what she did; they knew she was busy, and they did not know or expect anything to be different. She believes that everyone needs a support network, no matter who it is, whether a spouse, a friend or a mentor.
She says not to expect an overnight success or to think that it happens to others; there have generally been experiences and challenges in the background along the way. Everyone begins with a small idea and has a story – good or bad – as to how they got to where they are today. Nothing can hold you back if you want to be successful. It is unrealistic to think that there will not be bumps, challenges, and times of uncertainty along the way. She believes that many women cannot envision starting without a business degree and lots of money, but she feels that it is so much easier if you love what you do and it makes it more fun as well.
Her motto is one that we could all easily adopt. “Failures happen. It should never be the reason you give up. If anything, it should be the reason that you carry on. Or how else would you recognize the success along the way?!”
Written by: Glenda Van Koot
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