My name is Yuliya Cruikshank and I am the Founder of Epic Experiences.

Epicexperiences.ca is the online platform that specializes in unique experience gifts and adventure tours that bring excitement, fun and a “Wow!” emotions to any special occasion. We are on a mission to simplify gift shopping and provide a convenient gift-giving solution.

And my goal is to bring those positive emotions and precious moments to as many people as possible in Canada and beyond through Epic Experiences.

How many of you love Mondays? I love Mondays! I remember when I was working a 9-5 job and just the word Monday itself already made me feel unhappy, but once I became the Boss Babe it got a whole new meaning of how inspiring Mondays can be. Today I would like to share a bit of me, so let’s get going.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I have a bit of an old soul in me, I did realize earlier in life than the material things can make us happy only for a time being but at the end of the day the precious moments that we can cherish forever make us truly happy.

I launched Epic Experiences from my personal desire to give unforgettable gifts to my husband. I wanted to stay away from traditional stuff and would like him to experience something new on his birthday or anniversary that can leave everlasting memories for years to come. The personal reason was a push but the actual idea was bigger than that. I wanted to inspire others to live life to the fullest and experience something new, fulfill it with positivity and happiness that comes from experiences.

I love being an entrepreneur because besides being my own boss it opened up the new doors for me and let me discover new opportunities such as growing as a person and developing the skills that I even did know I had. I love to meet and be surrounded by other amazing entrepreneurs that are driven, inspiring and great to learn from.

I do have many quotes that I use on a day-to-day basis but these three had stuck with me more than anyone else: “Believe in what you do and do what you believe in”.

Life is not measured by the number of breath we take but the moments that take our breath away.

And for my personal life this one: “Life is short, break the rules, kiss slowly, love truly, forgive quickly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything.

Work-life balance is also one of the reasons I launched my company.

I love to have the flexibility to run my business on my own schedule and at the same time be there for my family.

Running an online business has its pros and cons and even I can find lots of positive moments in what I do but there is no secret that the online world can suck you in and you need to know when to unplug and turn the devices off. Having a break from what I do is very important and I do make it a priority for myself.

We all want to be happy, happiness drives our dreams. When chasing the dream remember to have time to enjoy ourselves (the ride) along the way.

“Work hard – party hard”, I had this sort of mindset since my university years and even I am not partying hard anymore these days... but you got the idea. I do take time off on the weekends which are usually dedicated to kids’ activities and the necessary time to recharge. And for me time, I like to have a lazy Sunday once in a while, it’s something that I started to do even before I was having kids and my own business. I like the idea of no need to rush to go anywhere that is time-pressured, I pretty much can stay in pajamas all day, cook meals, play with kids, just unwind or have a movie night with my husband when kids are in bed.

And during the weekdays, after a long day of work, I like to have supper together with my husband & kids where we can connect as a family, discuss how the day went, make plans for upcoming days and disconnect from our phones and just enjoy the company of each other. Just simple real moments can make a work-life balance for me a bit less stressful.

Did you ever have a time where you wanted to give up? How did you overcome this feeling?

Absolutely, I haven’t met anyone yet who won’t go through rough times of running a business. The most challenging time is to pass a 3-year mark. Once you hit this period the ride gets a bit smoother.

I do always tell myself that challenges thrown at us will make us stronger and tomorrow will be a new day. I did have a time when I allowed myself to step away from the business for a couple of days, sleep on it and just clear my mind and regain the motivation. Sometimes we can be just burned out and that is what tells us to give up. I do remind myself WHY I started my business in the first place and this always brings me back.

I also heard, we can have amazing talents and leadership skills but the most powerful skill you can have as a business owner is to never give up, period.

I would like to see more shop local initiatives so we can support each other. I would be happy to connect with like-minded boss babes to collaborate and learn from each other. Please feel free to message or comment on social media to start a conversation.  

Yuliya Cruikshank | Epic Experinces
instagram.com/EpicXPs/