MAD LOVE MONDAY | Sharon Mellott
My name is Sharon and I’m the proud owner of a photo booth company called fotobüth. My journey to becoming the owner of a photo booth business is different than most. To be honest, it wasn’t something I set out to do or even considered looking into.
My name is Sharon and I’m the proud owner of a photo booth company called fotobüth. My journey to becoming the owner of a photo booth business is different than most. To be honest, it wasn’t something I set out to do or even considered looking into.
A friend of mine originally owned fotobüth and was running it as a side hustle. Her primary business was growing and she simply didn’t have the time to continue to invest in fotobüth and give it the love it needed to grow. I initially looked into it out of pure curiosity, but the more questions I asked the more interested I became.
Photography by Nicole Constante
In June of 2018 I purchased fotobüth and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
When I first took over fotobüth I was pretty nervous. I knew very little about the industry, but knew enough to know I was entering a competitive market. I wouldn’t consider myself to be computer savvy either, so to say I was overwhelmed by all of the cords and technology to make this baby run smoothly was an understatement! I have to be able to set this up how fast… and in the dark? What if something goes wrong? I spent hours in the basement practicing how to quickly set-up the booth and how to take it down so I’d be able to do it at an event without being stressed.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past year is you need to believe in yourself and in your product.
Otherwise, how can you expect other people to? I’m also the owner of an Interior Design company called Weaver Design Inc.. I may not of had any experience in the photo booth industry when I first purchased it, but I already had the skills to run a business. Although fotobüth is currently a side business for me, it has grown to be so much more than JUST a side hustle. My passion for this industry has evolved over the past year and I’m always anxiously waiting for the next event. I enjoy meeting new people and I’m excited for the potential this company has to grow. My favorite part has been customizing the photo booth to make it my own. I’m always trying to think of new things I can add-on to make fotobüth stand-out against my competitors in this ever-evolving industry.
Running a business certainly comes with its challenges and is not for the faint of heart – the hustle is real folks! I’ve contemplated giving up more often than not, which is why I feel it’s so important to surround yourself with people that will continue to uplift you. Sometimes the only way to push through the difficult times is to have a little faith and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If it was easy, everyone would do it! At the end of the day, it all comes down to the fact that I love what I do. Watching people come together and get outside of their comfort zone, share some laughs makes all of those struggles worth it. There is no greater gift.
One thing I love about being a business owner is that you are in control and there really is no limit as to how far you can take it.
There is something so empowering in knowing that you’ve created something that is 100% your own and watching a business grow is the most rewarding thing I can think of. There are no words. Being an entrepreneur has really pushed me to live outside of my own comfort zone and to embrace the discomfort in the unknown.
I’m so glad I found the YEGBOSSBABES community. It can be challenging to find a mentor in your industry or even someone to talk to that can relate to the struggles that come with being a business owner. I cannot say enough about how fantastic it is to have a community of strong, like-minded entrepreneurs to share experiences with. There is so much we can learn from each other!
Sharon Mellott | fotobüth
instagram.com/fotobuthyeg
facebook.com/fotobuthyeg/
Soulful Sunday - Nutrition Tips, Tricks & Hacks | EVENT RECAP
Our panelists took a deeper dive to explore a much more complicated element of nutrition and wellness: the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy mindset around food.
On September 29th we held our third and final Soulful Sunday event of 2019. The Soulful Sunday series was created by YEG Boss Babes, The Wellness Warrior and Momentum Walk-in Counselling with the intention of empowering women through wellness conversations; and what an empowering conversation it was! For our final event of the year, we gathered a panel of industry experts to lead the conversation around nutrition and the role it plays in our wellness.
Our panelists touched on the importance of fueling our bodies with good, wholesome, healthy foods, as this can help to regulate our stress, emotions and energy when we have a lot on the go. One of the most important recommendations we heard was about being prepared. This could be as simple as grabbing an apple and a handful of nuts for the road, preparing a smoothie at the start of the day, or having protein snacks/bars in your car. The preparation doesn’t have to be fancy, the point is to ensure that you have easy, nutritious grab-and-go snacks nearby, so you are able to feed your body with something nutritious when you feel hungry.
This was a valuable point because as business owners, side hustlers and corporate leaders, we all know how hectic life can get on a daily basis, and being able to sustain our energy and focus throughout the day with good nutrition is crucial for our well-being.
But the conversation didn’t end there.
Our panelists took a deeper dive to explore a much more complicated element of nutrition and wellness: the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy mindset around food.
With the overwhelming number of “clean” eating trends that fill our social media feeds, the pressures of comparison, and the responsibility to take care of those around us, it’s no wonder that our relationship with food can often take a stressful turn. One of the most common ways we see this play out is by attaching emotions to what we eat and beating ourselves up for our food choices. We’ve all been there; shaming ourselves for having ‘fallen off track’ after eating that donut, or over-exercising the next day to make up for those added calories we consumed. Often times, we don’t even pay attention to the fact that we have these habitual reactions, and if we’re not choosing to be more self-aware around our reactions to food, these habits can lead to more serious issues such as disordered eating.
Many of our panelists shared their own story of disordered eating and how food may have played a part in coping with anxiety and/or depression at some point in their own lives. So we leaned on their experience and expertise and asked them to provide some key takeaways on how we can practice adopting a healthy mindset with food on a daily basis. Here’s what we heard:
Practice self-awareness or mindfulness. Evaluate how you think and feel and what your behaviour is around food. Pay attention to when you are feeling negative about food and get curious about it. What are the emotions or the beliefs that are associated with that thought, and can you reframe the thought to not take on such a negative meaning?
Set yourself up for success. Give yourself the tools that you need to understand how food supports your body. Try to look at food objectively, rather than tying an emotional response to it, and put plans in place that will support healthy eating habits.
Educate yourself on diet culture and what this means for women. There are so many opinions floating around on what we should and should not be eating and often these opinions can create more harm than good. Empower yourself in your food choices by educating yourself!
Listen to your body. Ask yourself: what do you need right now? And honour that without judgment. Learn to trust yourself with food and know that you have the answers to take good care of yourself.
If you are struggling with any form of disordered eating and you feel that you need help, seek that help out. There are resources available, and YOU are worth it!
@GlowJuicery is offering a offer a special discount code for 20% off purchases from Glow Juicery's website.
website: www.glowjuicery.ca
Code: GLOW20
Breakfast Snacks provided by @kb&Co, Coffee provided by @bravefoxcoffee, Mimosa Bar courtesy of @rivieraliquor, Venue @worknicer
BODY POSITIVITY & NUTRITION INFLUENCERS
TO FLOOD YOUR FEED WITH:
Our Panelists have come up with a list of instagram accounts that are positive influencers within the world of Nutrition and Body Positivity. Happy following!
@drtaliand
@Bodyposipanda
@bodyimagewithbri
@lizzobeeating
@thebirdspapaya
@bodyimage_therapist
@hgoodrichrd
@Marielle.elizabeth
@DRMARKHYMAN
@Drjoshuawolrich
@ELIZABETHLOUISENUTRITION
@Jennifer_Rollin
Follow our panelists on instagram:
Kalin herbach, dietitian at Pine health - @kalinhrd
Marnie Ashcroft, Founder of glow juicery - @glowjuicery
Sophie grey, founder of dive thru - @sophiegrey
Brandi Gruninger, Founder & Owner of Evolution Psychology - Facebook
Summer Corporate Mixer at Old Timer's Cabin | EVENT RECAP
I am sure you have heard us say it, and we do not mind saying it again, our word for 2019 is COLLABORATION! We jumped on board with the team at Bottomz Up Bartending and Old Timer’s Cabin in Edmonton to collaborate on a beautiful Summer Mixer.
Photos by Nicole Constante
A mixer with a vibe
I am sure you have heard us say it, and we do not mind saying it again, our word for 2019 is COLLABORATION! We jumped on board with the team at Bottomz Up Bartending and Old Timer’s Cabin in Edmonton to collaborate on a beautiful Summer Mixer. Our meetings for this event start back in early spring as we created the theme and vibe that would encapsulate the beginning of Summer in Edmonton! We quickly came to the conclusion that our theme was going to be boho with acoustic music and great company with the joining of our YBB Community and Edmonton’s Corporate scene. From there, Shelley Fransisco helped up take the boho vision up a notch or two with the help of her talented bartending team and our delicious local food collaborators, The Art of Cake & The Art of Charcuterie. Gloria, the owner of Art of Cake in Edmonton, is such a sweet woman and her team is fantastic! They have a variety of treats and eats, and get this, you can go there for High Tea. If you haven't been to their incredibly beautiful location, please do yourself a favour and go! It’s a mini Parisian getaway!
Now what is a party without beautiful balloons? Thanks to the incredible talent of Maggie Gutierrez owner of Bow & Tie Events and fellow YBB Member for creating a balloon arch that any person would admire. Our team was so impressed by this backdrop she created us that they did everything in their power to fit it (or what would fit) into their vehicles by the end of the night. Her hand picked high end supplies area always a conversation piece and no one wanted to say good-bye to this eye catcher that evening!
Carrying with our theme, local artist, Connor Shaw played beautiful acoustic music for our attendees to listen to as the ventured from inside the venue to outside on the beautiful deck overlooking downtown Edmonton and the river valley. Truly a breathtaking secret gem this historical venue holds! A very popular photo booth set up by Inception Photo booth was full of attendees throughout the evening capturing memories! Inception Photo booth is a local company that has high end photo booth equipment (did we mention ring light) that made sharing photos instantly to instagram or email very easy! Thanks to their great team for creating the graphic with us and providing the cutest rose pattern background!
Oh My Charcuterie
I truly feel that Edmonton’s food scene is no longer just a local best kept secret now-a-days, with some of the best dining experiences you can find in Western Canada here in our backyard. Thanks to local talents in this industry, our experience with food in any season can be the talk of an event. The Art of Charcuterie took us through a unique and memorable canapé dining experience like no other with the beautiful display of locally curated meat, vegetable, cheeses and breads chosen by creator and fellow YBB Member, Diana Harrison. This was a piece of art that attendees dawned over together. Bonding over food, always a great conversation to have when networking in our opinion. Diana offers her Charcuterie board (we really mean art) to local events of any size. Private parties, corporate events, you name it, we would highly suggest you take advantage of her expertise in curating delicious local food and bringing it all together in an unforgettable manner leaving your guests in awe. We hope to collaborate with her again not only for a YBB event, but also for personal parties or just event a girls night (when Kayla and I can start drinking wine again preferably because I don’t know a better friend to cheese than wine)…
What is a Mixer without prizes?
Our attendees were greeted by our team at the door where they checked in and entered to win a door prize! Our door prizes were supported by local businesses The Wellness Warrior, Christina Bolstad Realestate & Simply Sasha C Essential Oils. Tiffany Champagne Glasses, Prossecco, Life Coaching Session, a Goal Creation Book, and Curated Face products and Essential oils were given away to attendees that evening. Yea, we like to spoil our guests with the help of our fantastic sponsors. If you are interested in participating, contact us! We would be grateful for your support of our community!
The big winner of the night however was Jessica of Ripple Effect Marketing who took home the grand prize courtesy of Old Timer’s Cabin and Bottomz Up Bartending valued at over $1600! She will be booking an event at the Cabin in coordination with Bottomz Up Bartending soon! An amazing giveaway that was our largest yet!
Special thank you to our our Team Sponsor, Sal from Accounting by Sal. Sal Rezai is passionate about empowering small business owners to achieve their dreams. She found Accounting By Sal in 2008, an accounting training firm dedicated to helping businesses succeed through cloud based technology. Accounting By Sal uses modern technology to give clarity to small businesses for their accounting/bookkeeping practices and she adds value through training, business coaching and additional services based on your specific business needs, If you are looking for some accounting support connect with Sal to see how she can help you out!
A little more about our Mixer Partner’s The Old Timer’s Cabin & Bottomz Up Bartending & Events
The Old Timers Cabin opened in 1959 and is a not for profit organization that holds heritage status! This location is fantastic for so many reasons including the fact that we are so close to downtown and have a completely free parking lot! It can host corporate and private events of up to 250 guests and it is wheelchair accessible. The Old Timers Cabin is a very versatile space that can be used for conferences, meetings, trainings, casual events, parties, or more formal events. If you are interested in learning more about this space, including membership, you can connect with Shelley here. Membership at the cabin is $20 / year and is a great way for you to support the cabin as well as access a lot of the historical information available.
Speaking of Shelley, her team from Bottomz Up Bartending and Events served our attendees and created delicious drinks (both alcoholic and non alcoholic) at the mixer. Bottomz Up offers bartending and events services with customizable packages.hey are fully insured for liability and have Proserv, they offer complimentary budget and event consulting, and can help you out with everything from bartending to dj’s, bands, florals, and more. They are a mobile service, meaning that they can travel to clients offices and different venues. They will help you coordinate your event from start to finish.
Special thank you to our collaborators, our team, and sponsors who made this event one to remember!
YBB Team Sponsor: Accounting by Sal, an Accounting Training Firm here in YEG and fellow YBB Member
Emcee & Event Partner: Jocelyn Davison, Ambassador with YEG BOSS BABES & Owner of The Virtual Effect
Bartending Services & Event Sponsor: Bottomz Up Bartending & Events
Venue & Event Sponsor: The Old Timers Cabin located off of Scona Road in downtown Edmonton.
Balloon Arch Sponsor: Bow & Tie Events, party supplies and fellow YBB Member
Food Collaborators: Art of Charcuterie & The Art of Cake
Music Entertainment: CS KID Conner Shaw
Photo booth Inception Photo booth
Photographers on site: Nicole Constante and Jamie Dimitry
See ADDITIONAL event recaps below!
On September 30th, our fellow ambassador & photographer, Nicole Constante held her first Sip & Support. It was all about how to show up for your audience on Instagram stories.