MAD LOVE MONDAY - SOBER SATURDAYZ

The business I have created is called Sober Saturdayz. I work hard to plan really rad, alcohol-free events around YEG! I’ve teamed up with some of Edmonton’s most amazing restaurants and bars to build community and implement non-alcoholic options into their establishments. Although this business is on the up-rise now, the brainstorming started at a very young age. I grew up in an abusive home this includes physical, verbal and substance abuse. I saw first hand how alcohol altered my family and I felt first hand how it started to deteriorate my own personality. I became obsessed with the idea of how to help my family, reading numerous self-help books, researching resources online and reaching out to advocates. Even though I put in so much time and energy, I felt like I had hit a dead end. I became frustrated with the fact that I was unable to save or cure some of my family members and that lead to my own binge drinking. Things were dark and felt helpless for a little while but eventually when I began to help myself, my passion project arose! Its amazing how things line up when you start taking care of yourself, and that was the birth of Sober Saturdayz.

Growing up I always knew I would own my own business and that I would help people rekindle the fire within themselves. I just didn’t know how, I tried a few different things but nothing ever came to full fruition. It always felt like I was forcing things, until Sober Saturdayz came around. Initially it was me and another friend who brainstormed ideas, but slowly the project became too big of an idea and I was alone. I knew I was relatable because of what I had been through and I knew I needed this project just as much as this project needed me.

“The goal is to become a little more awake and aware each day. You have come too far to fall back asleep dear sister. Weave your wisdom. Search for ways to wake up”.

Besides the Sober Saturdayz project I am also in school to become an Acupuncturist. I Will finish my Degree by march 2020, this is my toughest goal and will take the most dedication!

I was lucky enough to have a meeting with some of the crew at Start Up Edmonton, they are really good at breaking things down into easy(er) steps. The ability to hold (sold out) events every month is goal one. Finding the most delicious non-alcoholic products is goal two. Collecting resources for addictions and other support in the city and adding it to my website is goal 3. Integrate DELICIOUS non-alcoholic beverages into local establishments is goal 4 and creating my own non-alcoholic product is goal 5. Man that feels good to write down!

There have been more than many times where I wanted to end things. My own mental and physical health played a big part, lack of support from friends added to that and then dealing with my own family was the icing on the cake. Dealing with it all was gross, I’m not going to lie about that. I lost some friends, had to spend a lot of time alone and take risks that I didn’t feel brave or capable enough to take. But here we are, and seriously if I can do it, so can you.

I knew things were going to be okay when I started getting attention from the press. When CBC radio messaged me, followed by an interview on CityTV news and then a 15 min convo with Ryan Jesperson. This showed me that importance of my project and that I wasn’t the only person hungry for change!

I definitely get the best responses from people/community on Instagram. But facebook has been really great for media to get in contact, I think they’re both important platforms to use. I don’t mess with Twitter, I think that will lead to me spreading myself thin. Also I have to say WIX has been THE BEST for creating a webpage. It the only site that was easy enough for me to use and with the layouts I needed!

Finding balance with work and school and Sober Saturdayz has been a ride for sure. Not drinking DEFINITELY helped with that. For me it was really important for me to do things slowly and on my own time. Staying in on weekends, getting enough sleep and long walks (without my phone) with my dog were seriously therapeutic. Not to mention baths with candles, essential oils and face masks. Because for some reason face masks always make me feel like I have my shit together!

The support within the YEGBOSSBABES community is what i'm most stoked about! The fact that we are encouraging one another and helping out with advice when we can (without judgment) is incredible. It’s a seriously amazing feeling seeing woman around you following their passion and glowing because of it!

Interested in being featured? Contact us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com

MEET EMILIE IGGIOTTI OF EMILIE PHOTOS

My name is Emilie and I am a portrait photographer based in Edmonton.

I have been a photographer for 9 years now… wow time flies! I started as a wedding photographer but I am now only doing portraits, and especially women portraiture.

I have created this photo series called “The Truth in You” where I photograph women who want to celebrate themselves, despise what the society tells them to do or be and away from the beauty standards which are too restrictive. The society currently classifies women regarding their role (you are a mother, you are a wife, you are a daughter…) but women should not be defined by those roles only. You should be able to give yourself a photo session just because you want to celebrate YOU, without waiting to get married, become a mom or getting a promotion. Society teaches girls to be quiet, to follow the rules it has decided for them. Women are not allowed to be single, divorced, and with no kids without being judged EVERY DAY. And I don’t even start with the struggles the women of colour have to face, and also the LGBTQIA community. It takes every human to change the standards but we will get there one step at a time.

I started my own business 9 years ago when I quit my job as a corporate lawyer. As much as I loved my studies, I hated the job and could not see myself being a lawyer my entire life. So I had an opportunity to start my own business and I did it. I never looked back!

I must say being my own boss and having my own business has been eye opening for me. I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur (everyone in my family is a teacher) but I learned along the way, and I love being an entrepreneur now. I love meeting new people all the time, I love having a flexible schedule, I love being my own boss and making the decisions about my business. I am totally in charge of how I do my business and it has been life changing.

One of my professional goals is to open my own studio one day.

To have my own space where I could work with other creatives. It’s a big goal for me because I have a very specific idea of what I want (design of the space, the size, the light, etc.) and it’s not something that I can just “rent”. I would need to think of every detail, design the space and maybe even build it myself… well hire someone to build what I want!

Being a small business owner is not always easy though. And I wanted to give up many times! I almost got a 9-5 job a few years ago when I moved to Edmonton and I had to start over here. Long short story about me: I was born and raised in Reunion Island, a French island located in the Indian Ocean nead Madagascar and I moved to Canada in 2011. I lived in Quebec for 5 years before moving to Edmonton in 2016. Nobody knew me in Edmonton and I had t start my photography business from zero. This is when I wanted to give up. But I did not and now my business is doing very well.

One of my mentors, Seth Godin, wrote this and it just sticks with me now: We fail when we give up too soon. Sometimes, well often, the moment we want to give up is actually the moment we need to push forward.

I remember the first time someone in Edmonton came to me at an event and asked me if I was Emilie Iggiotti, and I said yes, and they complimented me on my work and told me they love my work. That’s when I told myself: Okay this is good, people know who you are now, it’s getting there.

Also, because I use Instagram a lot, lots of people “know” me from this platform. Which is very cool! I found that Instagram completely changed the way we interact with each other. I feel like I have a community of people who know me and who I know even if we never really met in real life. And when we meet in real life, we feel like we know each other. It’s the same for my clients. They feel like they know me already and it creates a feeling of trust even before the photo session. And because I work a lot and I spend a lot of time on Instagram, my favourite thing to do when I am not working is going to a coffee shop with a book and just chill. But it’s very hard to do for me. My brain is always working and even when I am supposed to read and chill, I think of a million different ideas for a photo session or for my business. I found that boxing really helps me to disconnect. So I do that a lot!

I love the community of small business owners in Edmonton.

We are all very supportive of each other. I try to attend lots of markets or special events and support local businesses. I try to also shop local as much as I can. I met a lot of amazing inspiring women in Edmonton. The way they conduct their business helps me being a better business person. I am always looking for inspiration from other businesses. So I would say I am just looking for that. And it’s a big thing for me. I don’t think we can have a business and not be inspired. We need inspiration every day… inspiration to keep going, to get better, to evolve, to improve our products, our services. Without inspiration, we are not going anywhere.

So, cheers to being inspired by other YEGBOSSBABES!

Emilie Iggiotti

MAD LOVE MONDAY | MYX Beauty

Introducing to you a brand new beauty salon that just opened up this month called MYX Beauty. The owners Hair By Shakera and Hair By Lauren Kyle are over the moon excited about this new venture they are creating for Hairstylists in YEG.

Hello Ladies! My name is Lauren I am one of the owners of MYX Beauty. I’ve been doing hair for over 7 years. I started out in the Hair Industry at a very young age and got my red seal at the age of 19. I use to work at many high end salons around Edmonton but I learnt quickly that working for another company wasn't my passion. Two years ago I opened up my first one chair salon that was located in a beauty house just off Whyte Ave. Shortly after opening my salon I reconnected with Shakera. We use to work with eachother at a past salon. Shakera and I always got along. Anytime Shakera was doing the extension install and I was doing the colour our clients would tell us we are the “dream team” haha it sounds so silly but it was true! We understood eachother like we were sisters growing up together for years! It always felt so natural. This moment on I knew Shakera and I would be the perfect match to create a successful business. This is when we started MYX Beauty.

Shakera & Lauren

What is your professional goal for your business?

Our goal for MYX Beauty is to create a atmosphere for all stylists to own their own business. We help all our staff understand what it takes to own a business for example how much money you need to save for taxes & GST, What cashing out system / booking system you should use, how to advertise your business and the quickest most effective way to build a successful clientele. Most salons don’t want their staff to own their own business as their goal is for them to stay working under their salon. BUT MYX Beauty is a one of a kind salon. We consider our salon a support group for all independent stylists to have guidance for a successful future! We still have room for more stylist to join in the future so if you’re thinking about making that jump into owning your own business Keep MYX Beauty in your mind!

What Platform do you find most success from?

I feel like every company is different depending on their clientele they are trying to attract. Personally I found more success from Instagram but Shakera found more success from Facebook. I have a younger clientele as I specialize in Long Hair Balayage. Shakera has a older clientele because she specializes in Hair Replacement & Extensions. For some reason that’s just how social media is going these days!

Did you ever have times where you wanted to give up? How did you overcome that feeling?

Shakera and I had lots of moments where we felt that way. What’s amazing about having a business partner is the support. One day I’ll feel so overwhelmed that I just want to quit but then Shakera will bring me back up and give me that confidence that all this work will pay off one day... which eventually it did! If you’re stuck in that moment where you want to give up and don’t have the support like I did from my amazing business partner then that’s when you turn to a community like YEG BOSS BABES. Everyone on this page will give you that motivation to keep going! We are all here to help!

Interested in being featured? email us at yegbossbabes@gmail.com