East-end businesswomen nominated for Canada’s top ‘mom entrepreneur’

Two businesses helmed by east-end mothers are in the running for the nation-wide SavvyMom.ca's Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a readers' choice contest designed to find Canada's best mom-slash-business guru.

Online clothing boutiques Daisy Blue – run by sisters and east-end residents Kelli Catana and Ronda MacKinnon – and Apples'n'Oranges – the brainchild of Orléans inhabitants Lara Wellman and Vicky Bisson – have been nominated for the honour. The winner – based on online voting at SavvyMom.ca – will be revealed in October, and receive a $17,000 prize meant to help boost and expand their business.

Catana and MacKinnon just celebrated the first anniversary of their online clothing store, which offers brand-name used children’s and maternity clothing, and are looking to further expand their growing enterprise, Catana explains. The SavvyMom.ca award allows for individual businesses to nominate themselves, she continues, though the nomination goes through a three-day review period with an advisory panel prior to being accepted. "We were thrilled," she says of SavvyMom.ca admitting their nomination. "(The website) has so much reach across Canada. It's a great opportunity."

The potential grand prize for the honour – $17,000 worth of money and business services, including $5,000 cash, a one-year business advisory mentorship with last year's winner, a kitchen package, a feature in Today's Parent magazine and other business-focused resources – would help the pair create a new sales and marketing plan for Daisy Blue, Catana explains.

The goal for Daisy Blue during the coming year is to offer an even wider array of products, she says, adding that the business recently added lines of special hair clips and leather baby booties from regional producers.

Even without a win, Catana continues, participating in the nomination process – and being profiled on SavvyMom.ca – has huge benefits. "People from across Canada can see who we are," she explains, suggesting that with soaring gas prices it's an opportune time for the e-business to gain extra exposure. "Small businesses don't have a lot of money for advertising, so it allows us to publicize the business without costing anything."

For Apples'n'Oranges, another east-end online retail outlet for kids and moms, winning the Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award would mean better promotions for the burgeoning business.

The money would go towards publicity and a PR campaign for Apples'n'Oranges, which was launched in August and sells unique clothing, shoes and accessories from Canadian-only brands, explains co-owner Lara Wellman. It would also help Wellman and her business partner, Vicky Bisson, retrieve more cross-country and local products to offer on their website, she adds. "We were really excited," Wellman says of having their Mom Entrepreneur nomination accepted by the advisory panel. "The prizes are something that would really help better our business. We really believe in shopping Canadian … (with the SavvyMom.ca award), a lot of people will visit the site and get to learn about Canadian companies."

With voting at SavvyMom.ca ramping up over the summer, Apples'n'Oranges will also be opening a retail location at Place d'Orléans Shopping Centre, Wellman continues. The store should be up and running by Aug. 15, she adds. "We weren't finding anything out there that was different or original," Wellman recounts of the decision to launch the business while both she and Bisson were on maternity leave. "Moms are starting businesses left, right and centre. Some of their business ideas are so unique and different … they're filling a real need."