Meet The Member - Dara & Dawn-Marie, The R.A.K
We’re two besties and YEG moms who turned a dream into reality! Every piece here is handpicked with heart, proving that small acts of kindness (and great style) can make a big impact.
Today we’re sitting down for an interview with Dara & Dawn-Marie to learn more about The R.A.K Consignment Boutique.
Tell us more about you and your business! We’d love to know about your business today and the story of how you got here.
We’re two besties and YEG moms who turned a dream into reality.
Located in the heart of Old Strathcona, we make shopping sustainably easy with unique finds as bold as you are — all in a perfectly organized space, labeled, sized, and designed for a stress-free shopping experience.
Every piece here is handpicked with heart, proving that small acts of kindness (and great style) can make a big impact.
Fashion should feel like you, whatever that looks like. Our hand-picked collection is designed for all styles, all sizes, and all kinds of self-expression. We celebrate individuality and body positivity with a carefully curated mix of clothing, shoes, and accessories, so you can find pieces that match your unique identity. without the hefty price tag.
Let’s dive more into your business. What products/services do you offer? What do you do for your clients that sets you apart?
We offer a wide range of carefully curated secondhand pieces and accessories. We're more than a boutique; we're a movement, fueled by love, kindness, and the belief that a little bit of love goes a long way.
What is your favourite part of what you do?
THE PEOPLE! Always and forever, haha, watching someone score a gem or watching their confidence skyrocket when they come out of the fitting room! OH, or, hearing customers talk about how much they love the welcoming vibe of the shop.
What's a challenge you’ve overcome as a business owner, and what did you learn from it that you can share with others?
The pressure to stay relevant on social media, to churn out content like a content-making machine, and to always be "on." Spoiler alert: we're not always "on." Sometimes, we're tired, and that's okay. We're slowly learning to give ourselves permission to rest, to recharge, and to come back stronger.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
That not everyone is going to give us their blessing, or even like us! And you know what? That's okay! It was a tough pill to swallow, but it taught us the importance of staying true to ourselves, even when the world tells us otherwise.
Do you have a go-to motto or quote that inspires you?
Haha, honestly, one of our faves is “don’t take life too seriously, you will never get out of it alive.” This is what we use when we’re creating social media or overthinking decisions!
Meet The Member - Crystal Kelly, Amani Financial
The primary mission of my independent financial planning practice, Amani Financial Inc., is to guide women to financial independence so that they can break the cycle of financial chaos and bring peace of mind to their lives.
Today we’re sitting down for an interview with Crystal Kelly to learn more about building Amani Financial.
Tell us more about you and your business! We’d love to know about your business today and the story of how you got here.
I am Certified Financial Planner® with 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. The primary mission of my independent financial planning practice, Amani Financial Inc., is to guide women to financial independence so that they can break the cycle of financial chaos and bring peace of mind to their lives.
Women have unique needs, challenges, and inequalities they face when it comes to their financial well being, as such the financial advice they receive should be just as unique. This is achieved through holistic, fee-for-service financial planning in the areas of cash flow management, investment planning, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance and risk management, tax planning and small business financial planning. With an emphasis on education and empowerment.
Areas of specialization include women transitioning from employee to self employed and women going through a separation or divorce, and am a candidate for the Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist designation. I am a mixed settler and indigenous woman descending from Musgamagw Dzawada'enuxw, one of four tribes making up the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples in the Pacific Northwest. I have a special interest in serving indigenous nations through education and guidance. All in an effort to help build a robust indigenous economy.
Let’s dive more into your business. What products/services do you offer? What do you do for your clients that sets you apart?
The financial services industry is very male dominated and his heavily influenced by colonized and patriarchal world views. Unfortunately this results in women not getting the type of support they are now demanding, in order to create real, long lasting financial security. Women's unique needs and challenges need to be addressed as part of a financial plan.
In addition, my fee for service model offers a way to get financial advice without product pitches or sales tactics. The majority of the advice out there is tied to commissions from the sale of investment products. My fee for service model eliminates that conflict of interest so that the recommendations made are truly in your best interest. It also eliminates the need to have an existing portfolio to get good advice. You can have a robust portfolio, or be just starting out! It doesn't change the qualify of advice you receive.
I can be hired for the following services:
Comprehensive fee for service financial planning
Educational Workshops
Speaking Engagements
Consulting
What is your favourite part of what you do?
When my clients express how working with me has improved their quality of life, reduced their stress levels, increased their confidence with their financial well being and helped them make informed decisions about their financial security and build wealth long term.
Witnessing my clients go from fear, shame and confusion around their finances to excitement, empowerment and confidence...it's why I do what I do.
What's a challenge you’ve overcome as a business owner, and what did you learn from it that you can share with others?
A challenge I have experienced as a business owner is how isolated and alone it can feel. When you're building the tracks as the train is coming and wearing all of the hats of your business, it can be very difficult. It is similar to the challenges I've faced as a single mother. Sometimes I need to vent, sometimes I need to talk through a problem that I haven't figured out a solution for yet, sometimes I need inspiration when my creative brain feels stuck.
The most valuable lesson I have learned from going through this challenge is to prioritize connection with other women. The relationships we with have with the women in our lives are so incredibly important and the rich connections we build expand our lives in ways we can't see are possible when we are doing it all alone.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Always have something in the calendar that you are looking forward to.
Do you have a go-to motto or quote that inspires you?
One of my favourite quotes is by Russ, when he was asked...
What is the best advice you've ever received?
Russ: "What if it can turn out better than you can imagine?"
What is the worst advice you've ever received?
Russ: "Be realistic"
Is there anything you'd like to share with the YBB Community?
If you would like to receive practical financial information and tools in your inbox and stay up to date on upcoming workshops or launches, please sign up for our monthly newsletter on the website https://www.amanifinancial.ca/.
MAD LOVE MONDAY | Caterina Snyder
I know a lot of people say that they were born as entrepreneurs and that they left their jobs to pursue their passion or their true calling, but I’m not one of them. Not even close. The truth is that although I’ve always been very driven and outwardly successful, in my education, career, for most of my life that was a pretty picture I painted, not a reflection of my inner reality.
I know a lot of people say that they were born as entrepreneurs and that they left their jobs to pursue their passion or their true calling, but I’m not one of them. Not even close.
The truth is that although I’ve always been very driven and outwardly successful, in my education, career, for most of my life that was a pretty picture I painted, not a reflection of my inner reality.
Photography by: @tracey.jazmin
The truth is that I struggled HARD behind the scenes and I never fit in. Not even a little bit. I was bullied from elementary school to high school. I was sick all the time and had chronic infections, brutal migraines, and insomnia. In fact, I was on a pretty regular schedule of major burnouts every 10 years (age 15, 25 and 35) and minor burnouts every 2 years. Despite all this, my ambition, work ethic, and need for approval and validation allowed me to excel in University, skip my masters and go straight into a fully funded Ph.D. program, AND have a lot of pretty impressive jobs… all before I was 30.
But I was living a lie and lies will always fall apart. I was constantly plagued by self-doubt and anxiety.
And even though my transcripts and resume are impressive I quit my Ph.D. program after 2 years because I basically had a nervous breakdown. I've also been fired from 3 different jobs! The people I worked with in my corporate phase mostly hated me, even when I didn’t get fired because I was constantly rocking the boat and pushing the envelope. And let's be honest, in our vanilla society, disruptors are rarely valued, especially when they're fat feminists who are loud AF and are challenging everything you hold dear. But as ugly and miserable as that struggle was, I persisted. I got back up. Again. And again.
I learned from my ‘mistakes’ and all the rejection but not in the way you might expect. Instead, I didn’t tone myself down or try to be more likable… well, that’s a lie, I did try but that failed too. In short, I refused to go quietly into the night and conform to what the world told me I ‘should’ be. And that’s how I met entrepreneurship.
Photography by: @tracey.jazmin
I wish I could say that it was this romantic love at first sight introduction, but the truth is we got off to a rocky start. I didn’t leave my job because I had the courage to change my life, I left on medical leave. Then I spent the next 4 uninspired years trying to make a go of it with in-the-box consulting work. I was eventually financially successful, but I had SERIOUSLY jerky clients. And then things got really bad. Lol. I went 9 months without a single client. My hubby supported us, but we nearly maxed out our credit and cashed in most of our savings. In this time of ‘failure’, however, I did something that the Universe had been waiting 38 years for me to do.
I stopped apologizing for who I was and stepped up to be the leader I was born to be.
It began, in earnest, when I met a life coach, named Glenda Lane. She told me something that blew my mind. Something I had never considered. She said, “You’re a Unicorn, thank God you’re not normal!” In my 38 years on earth, I had never once considered that being so weird was actually an advantage?!? A reason why people might like me instead of disliking me and pay me more instead of less?!? Suddenly, the world of entrepreneurship started to look very different. And I realized something that would, over the next two years, change everything in my life and business. I realized that the only rules were the ones YOU CREATE. In truth, there are NO RULES. No right way and wrong way. And this knowledge set me free.
I finally stopped apologizing for who I was and instead started screaming it from the rooftops. I stopped talking about what I do and instead talked about what I believe because that’s what actually matters. And it worked. Like BIG TIME. People began to see me differently and a community rapidly built itself around me. This is turn gave me the courage and insight to pursue what had always been my true passion and greatest gift, helping other Unicorns realize they’re Unicorns and then using that unicorness (totally a word!) to build confidence, community, and world-changing movements.
In the year following my 9-months-with-NO-clients phase I made $150K, landed my first $50k+ client, and went from working with assholes to working with the kind of Unicorns that are shattering ceilings, debunking myths about who we ‘should’ be, and completely reinventing in an utterly unique way, how we define success.
And the icing on the cake? I even have a team of badass Unicorns who help me do this!
Photography by: @tracey.jazmin
So the next time you think that Entrepreneurship is all about struggle or that you’re never going to make an impact, have a community, or be loved for who you really are… STOP that runaway train of self-sabotage and KNOW THIS: Each of us is a magical fucking unicorn and that all you need to do is let her out.
Caterina Snyder | Brand Consultant & Coach
https://caterinasnyder.com/
https://www.instagram.com/caterina.snyder/
https://www.facebook.com/caterinasnyderconsulting/