Calling All Entrepreneurs!

May 5th Startup Canada

Join us for Canada’s BIGGEST gathering of entrepreneurs, innovators & policy makers.

Couldn’t make it to that once-in-a-lifetime conference in Silicon Valley?

Startup Canada and Marissa McTasney owner of Moxie Trades have you covered. Get your business cards ready!

We’re inviting you to shake hands with Canada’s top entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, politicians, and government decision-makers at Startup Canada Day on the Hill. Instead of beefing up your Linkedin and attending countless networking events, we’re giving you the chance to meet with over 1,500 entrepreneurs and fellow business-visionaries in one shot.

You’ll walk away with cutting-edge insights from those working to build Canada into the innovation-nation of the future. It’s your opportunity to connect with leaders, receive invaluable mentorship advice, participate in policy hack-a-thons and pitch competitions, and connect with the who’s who of entrepreneurship and innovation during a Startup Soiree overlooking the iconic Parliament Hill.

The action happens at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa on May 5, 2016 from 9am – 7.30pm. Register today at www.startupday.ca using promo code STARTUPDAY25 to receive 25% off your tickets!

Why attend?

  • Connect with 1,500 entrepreneurs and leading anchor companies.
  • Gain valuable mentorship, inspiration and cutting-edge insights from Canada’s top entrepreneurs like Tony Lacavera, founder of Wind Mobile.
  • Contribute YOUR voice to the Government of Canada on creating the conditions for entrepreneurial success.
  • Pitch to win, get noticed and get plugged in.
  • Find a mentor to champion you and be mentor to pay it forward.

JOIN US!

#FEMCapital Campaign: Celebrating Women’s Entrepreneurship

Today is the day! Purchase our book, Feminine Capital ‘Unlocking the Power of Women Entrepreneurs’, through Amazon and receive a collection of FREE gifts that include:

  • 2 interactive webinars with authors Barbara Orser and Catherine Elliott.
  • 6 personalized tools to help you apply the principles of Feminine Capital to your business or organization.
  • Exclusive access to a Knowledge Exchange Library of training webinars, templates, eBooks, resources and articles.

By purchasing our book today you are also participating in the #FEMCapital Campaignwhich celebrates and harnesses the power of women entrepreneurs.

Ready to participate?

Purchase Feminine Capital

#FemCapital

We have collaborated with the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) and organizing partner Women’s Enterprise Centre of British Columbia (WEC) to launch the #FEMCapital Campaign. We are delighted that the book Feminine Capital was chosen as the lead educational resource!

#FemCapital

What Do You Need?

If only the words to Justin Bieber’s song started with What do you need? I had to listen to it several times this morning to make sure I heard it right but alas, the words are What do you mean?  But, I’m still a Belieber.
I have not communicated well with our e-blast program.  Here’s why!
The marketing gurus and business financiers of the world have advised me to sell the product. Product first! Women second! Well, NOT on my watch. So I have been lazy to communicate because selling YOU just isn’t my gig. They fail to realize that my business started because I was a tradeswoman who wanted to wear well fitting and cute work boots.
I love the oxymoron of life – showing strength in a tutu.  It has served me well and truly reflects how I feel on the inside.  How I feel is never a secret to anyone; sorry to those who have witnessed my passionate pleas to make a change. If it weren’t for the tutu and the pink, people might be scared.
I have been fortunate to work with a Federal Minister as part of a panel to help determine tools needed for women to be successful in business.  I toured a second time across Canada with StartUp Canada and met with thousands of entrepreneurs.
In business, I have had the shit kicked out of me.  For the love of moxie! A gift I have been blessed and honoured with.  If only I knew the gift it would be nine years ago.
Without our pink work boot, I would not have had a voice to make a change. I do not whisper for my voice will not be heard.  I can be controversial, passionate, (a good forgiving word to describe a tiraid) and stubborn.
Now… THIS is who we are and the vision behind the brand of 
Moxie Trades:
As neighbours, supporters gather to support my cause, we celebrate and shoot the 2016 catalogue in my hometown.  How gorgeous right?
Then, the idea came to inspire the next generation of women.  Thank you to my gorgeous daughter and her fearless and moxie friends. I will protect these spirits as my life depends on it.
These two photoshoots and the girls inspired the Got Moxie Challenge where we will create a program to inspire young women and donate bursaries and grants. Please join our movement #IGOTMOXIE
Now, we have quarterly contests at Moxie where we give $1000+ in cash and prizes away to a woman with Moxie.

Monthly, we give away Auction Packs to be used to raise funds for various causes we believe in.  We call it our Pink Pack! (Not many left for 2016.)

We also have our 2016 Moxie Trades Calendar.  Each month, we choose a charity or cause to promote.  The “cause” receives $250.00 toward their charity + they received 25 calendars to sell for additional fund-raising. Each charity also received a promo code to be used on our website.  With this promo code 10% of all sales (not profits but total sales) goes to the charity.  We have already donated $500+ in 2016.

Here’s a snapshot of January;
we showcased Moxie Calendar Girl,
Angela Tristram; an entrepreneur who started
Whistle Inc. – linking skilled trades employers with skilled trades employees.

 

After nine years in the business, we continue to receive requests like “Help me find a job in the trades” to “How do I clean my pink work boots” or “I want to hire a painter, do you know anyone?”
Our work boots pay for us to do the above which is WHY we are in business, but
How can we best serve you and what do you expect from 
Moxie Trades?

From a Moxie Trades Work Boot Brand Perspective, please tell me what you need:

  • a type of work boot?  (we are developing NOW for 2017)
  • have a specific feature or style you are looking for?
  • want us to re-instate the Tradeswoman Directory?   I created this directory so I could find other women in the trades to work with. (yes, I can still swing a hammer)?
  • BLOGS – want us to talk about Safety or DIY Projects?

Other than product info and deals, how can we best serve YOU?

From an Entrepreneurship point of view, what do you need:

  • resources?
  • contacts?
  • advice?  what specifics?
Please email me or reply to this blog.  I want to do good work, not a lot of work and don’t want to be busy to be busy.  I’d rather be useful.
Email me directly and share your thoughts!  marissa@moxietrades.com
I challenge you… if we are not contributing, what the hell are we doing?  Let’s get out there and make a difference.
Do one thing or everything you can think of. It’s progress either way.

 

It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Business!

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It’s not personal, it’s just business.
Really? I’m not buying it for one second.  Never have and never will.

I started Moxie Trades in 2006.  In 2008, I appeared on Dragons’ Den.  In 2009, I totally lost who I was.  I won retailers, lost retailers.  Won business partners, lost business partners.  Hired staff, fired staff.  Lost money and lost money. Obviously, I struggled and survived Moxie Trades as I’m still ticking away in my Moxie footwear world.

At the time, Trump’s opening line on the Apprentice was “it’s not personal, it’s just business.” Huh?

As an entrepreneur, if it’s not personal, what is it?  I have cried, thrown temper tantrums and been emotionally depleted. Financially… my personal finances took big hits as we re-mortgaged our home AGAIN.  I hired staff that were cheap and incompetent as I could not afford to hire the best.  I feared taking someone away from a stable job to join my shaky start-up.  As a result of an unskilled team, the 250 hours of staffing I paid for every week was a waste.  I would get up at 4am, go into the office or work from home, then off to meetings, have dinner with my family and back to the office until 1 or 2am to finish up the work that my team was not able to complete.  I tried to coach and created system after system to catch mistakes but I failed miserably. I could never understand how I could get it done and they couldn’t.  To this day, I feel like I was robbed of money and time.

Personally, my life was on the brink of complete deterioration.  I don’t know how we hung on; it must be love.

I gained an education; it’s been expensive but I have experience that I am grateful for.

I have traveled the world; China, Germany, France, England, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Bali, Singapore, Thailand, Hawaii and many other states in the USA.  I know Canada from coast to coast and love every city in our awesome country.  I worked with a Federal Minister in 2014 and enjoyed another tour across Canada this fall with StartUp Canada.

Today, I am in Sosua, Dominican Republic.  I get up early before my babies and my husband.  I wake up, hearing the ocean waves hitting our beach that is steps away.  I make my morning coffee and work away on the veranda.  This week is about planning and writing.

Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 9.16.32 AMIt couldn’t be more personal than this.  My business has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world, fail big, live wholeheartedly, meet the best people on the planet and work from the beach.  It’s pretty personal.  I believe that if it’s not personal, then you won’t be able to stick through it.  The privileges of entrepreneurship are gifted to those who have made it personal and stayed in the game long enough.

For the next 12 weeks, I will be sharing my insights and my recommendations to get you into a place of personal success. My tricks and tips for starting up and staying up, happy and peacefully.

 Hope you join me.

New Canadians are coming….

My note to the team of people who helped provide boots for the Syrian Refugees coming to Canada.
“I wanted to send everyone a note to say Thank-you.  You all dropped everything and prioritized these orders so that we get to say that we were a small part of something significant.
I was greeted into Tootsies stores by a team members that said, we got a note that “you could take whatever you wanted.”  A girl’s dream walking into a shoe store!
TTG, my distributor who keeps me in business, hustled to pick orders and pack ’em but I knew you would because you are totally awesome.
Neil Melnick expedited inventory lists and had people driving to ship orders within minutes so that we could complete the orders.  Neil also ran from store to store and called other suppliers so we had access to more inventory when and if we get that big order for the rest of the refugees that are coming home to Canada.
Late Wednesday, we received a note that we were short 22 pairs so back to TTG I went yesterday morning.  My daughter and her friend said they were coming with me, they are both 10.  What a great lesson on compassion and being Canadian that we were able to teach them.  And now, they will always remember “When the Syrians came and the 4am drive to deliver boots for them.”  Sara’s Mom also pointed out that two business women are working hard and together to make this happen.  So… The girls now have a business plan and want to give all their money to charity.  (I pointed out that money is good and we need to make profit first.)  However, all in all – amazing lessons learned by 2 inspired and tired kids.
Jody, thank you for calling me.  I am so blessed to know “the woman the government calls when 25,000 refugees are coming to Canada.”  Thank you
We all know, we are in business to make money but not many get to experience these magical moments.  These moments are not lost on me and are in fact, my driving force but you all probably knew that already.
Thank you everyone for staying with me and supporting me.  I totally get to enjoy the perks and privileges of being an entrepreneur and staying in the game long enough to enjoy the good stuff.
I am really grateful!!
Thank you and Happy Friday!”
Marissa

Marissa McTasney Featured In Footwear News Magazine

Footwear News interviews Marissa McTasney in their Oct. 2015 IssueMarissa McTasney has built a business on thinking pink. The founder and co-owner of women’s work boot maker Moxie Trades is on a mission to promote women in the skilled trades by providing them with the right safety gear. Girl Power: Women’s workboot brand Moxie Trades add a touch of pink to blue-collar jobs.
Read the entire Footwear News Magazine article about Marissa McTasney on page 22 Footwear News Oct. 2015 Issue

Continue reading

Expert Panel on Championing and Mentorship for Women Entrepreneurs

Marissa McTasney – chosen to participate on an Expert Panel to examine the role of championing and mentor as tools to support women entrepreneurs entering into, and succeeding in, business.

Expert Panel on Championing and Mentorship for Women EntrepreneursStatus of Women with Marissa McTasney

 

StartUp Canada Podcast with Marissa McTasney

Podcast with Startup Canada: “Dream big, think the impossible, love passionately, and give generously.” This is the mantra Marissa McTasney created for herself.September 29, 2015 Startup Canada Podcast – Finding Your Moxie with Marissa McTasney.

“Dream big, think the impossible, love passionately, and give generously.” This is the mantra Marissa McTasney created for herself. When McTasney started Moxie Trades, she didn’t have the skills, knowledge, experience or even a mentor. All she had was an opportunity. She dove in head-first, quickly landing a big contract with Home Depot and made a deal with Brett Wilson from Dragons’ Den. Now Moxie Trades is a successful handy-women apparel line that can be found in large retail stores across North America. How was McTasney able to transform an opportunity into a business? She created her own definition of success. In this edition of the Startup Canada Podcast with host Rivers Corbett, Marissa McTasney explains how she found her moxie, grew a company and became a champion for women in entrepreneurship and trades.