Can you even believe it? I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline one day, and an ad popped up with Queen Arlene Dickinson walking through an elevator door and telling me I could pitch my business to win $100,000! I was like GIRL. Yes. I need to do this! I've watched Dragon's Den for years and I knew this was my chance - and hey she was on my Facebook timeline talking to ME!! It's meant to be, you know when you know? Because I know. Ok, ok, she wasn't talking to me specifically, but it totally felt like it.
So I clicked on the ad, applied, watched some videos, got ridiculous rounds of goosebumps from the excitement, wrote my submission wholeheartedly and explained who I am, how hard I've worked, and what I would do with $100,000. Apparently, the panel of 6 amazing judges liked what this little girl had to say because out of thousands upon thousands of applicants nation-wide, I was chosen to be part of the Top 100!
So what is the Telus Pitch Contest? It's Canada's largest grant contest for small businesses that awards one lucky winner with $100,000 to grow and scale their business and carry out their mission. The other two finalists in the top 3 are also awarded $10,000 cash as well as a bunch of other really cool Telus, Samsung and Facebook perks. The contest overall is a godsend for small business owners everywhere.
As I'm writing this today, on July 13th, the public voting for the contest has ended, and the Top 10 finalists will be announced on July 18th. It's nerve-wracking, it's exciting, it's invigorating and it's inspiring to be in the presence of people making waves in the small business community.
If I won this competition, my top goals are simple:
- retail location
- ecommerce revamp
- hire employees and provide them with a true living wage
- safe physical space for mental health advocacy and women in leadership discussions
- encourage young women who face the same struggles I did to start a business and provide resources on how
I am so happy to have received the love and support from our small biz community already that I have, and cannot wait to see what happens next! No matter what happens, I will never stop trying my best everyday to change the conversation on mental health and I'll never stop proclaiming my advocacy for self-care as a necessity and not just a luxury. Even as seemingly small humans in this big, big world, we can absolutely make a difference in the lives of those around us, who will go on to make even more ripples of kindness and love, that eventually makes waves. We are never ever too small to accomplish anything or make this planet a better place!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me to achieve this incredible milestone and believing in me and my products every step of the way. I am excited to see what is next for everyone in the competition!