If you read my previous blog on being an employed entrepreneur you’ll know that I spent time researching and planning my business before I launched.
As with any project or initiative you lead, it’s important to set measurable milestones you want to achieve, and of equal importance, values you want to stay true to. These values will not only align to the service or product you are launching but also provide a backbone of truths you will lean in to when deciding what decisions to make, what direction to take as a company, and how to present yourself as a leader.
When I started planning my deodorant business, I knew immediately there were THREE core values I was going to stay true to:
1️⃣ Canadian made
2️⃣ Giving Back
3️⃣ Being Planet Positive
I’ll speak to Giving Back and Being Planet Positive later; today (and quite fitting I think) I really want to explore why it was important to me, 2 years ago when I started researching, to remain Canadian made.
As a first generation child born to 2 immigrant parents (1 from Pakistan, 1 from Trinidad) I learned early on about what it meant to be “Canada proud”. I vividly remember my Dad when I was young (grade 4 or 5 maybe) getting excited because he had a client give him hockey tickets (my Dad was a semi-pro cricket player in Pakistan and did not grow up on the ice!). I remember asking my Dad why he was so excited, and his response being “this is what we do here, and I’m so happy I get to be a part of the tradition of Saturday night hockey!” Little did we know we would never see our city team win a chip, but we won’t go there now…. Too painful lol.
My parents came to Canada and were educated here, and met here in Toronto at a mutual friend’s dinner. Canada provided them with opportunities they may not have had otherwise. They both worked hard in their respective fields to give us (myself and my 2 siblings) whatever they could.
Fast forward to 2 years ago, and during the all important planning and researching phase of my company I recall speaking to various skin care companies who were able to produce a deodorant formula I was happy with. I narrowed down my search to 3 companies, 2 in the United States and 1 here in Canada. The Canadian company was slightly more expensive than the 2 American, even with the exchange.
I chose Canadian. Because I am Canada proud, and because I remembered one of my values, my North Star, was to be Canadian made. As a small business owner, while my Cost of Goods Sold would be slightly higher I knew in the long term my decision would prove to be invaluable.
And here we are today. The shift to buy Canadian made has never been stronger, and I am so proud to say our deodorant is made right here in Canada (our packaging is made in China, but the actual deodorant is made in Ontario 😊) Thank you for supporting Canadian, and for supporting my business.
