Will pink work boots get through a hardening American border?

Top Business Women in Canada - SpeakerTen years ago, Marissa McTasney sold her first pair of pink work boots – the trademark product of her company Moxie Trades Ltd. – to a U.S. customer through her online store.

But she waited another five years to fully launch into the U.S. market to make sure she had the knowledge base, market strategy and inventory in place to tackle this new and potentially lucrative market.

Since then Ms. McTasney’s U.S. base has grown to 30 per cent of her $2-million-a-year sales, including a recent partnership with industrial safety product supplier Illinois-based W.W. Grainger Inc.

America first

But with U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist “America first” talk, which includes discussions of increased domestic manufacturing and heavy taxes on competing imports, Canadian business owners such as Ms. McTasney are feeling concerned about what lies ahead.

Many, however, have no option but to look at the much bigger market south of us.

“For me, it’s quite significant and I’ve been looking to grow the U.S. business so that I’m not so vulnerable here in Canada,” she says. “There are not a lot of large retailers in Canada, so I wanted to diversify.”

Read the entire article on The Globe And Mail 

Marissa In The News – National Canadian Women’s March In Washington

Marissa McTasney in the News:

Huffington Post Canada Huffington Post 
The National CBC Television The Toronto Star
CTV News Article Yahoo News
Metro News Toronto  IPolitics
Morning Star Financial News CBC The National
 CTV News Broadcast MSN News
Global News Rogers TV Durham
CBC Ontario Today What’s Next After The March
 CTV The Social  CTV Your Morning
 Newswire  Canadian Insider
 TV Durham – After The March

Check out this #StartupDay lineup sneak peek…

More speakers added daily! Startup Canada Day on the Hill

The Hon. Bill Morneau Minister of Finance

The Hon. Bill Morneau Minister of Finance

Keynote Speaker Business

Marissa McTasney Founder & CEO, MoxieTrades

The Hon. Bardish Chagger

The Hon. Bardish Chagger
Minister of Small Business & Tourism

Speaker entrepreneurs

Jonathon Ortmans President of Global Entrepreneurship Week and advisor to U.S. President Obama

His Excellency Rafael Barak Israeli Ambassador to Canada

His Excellency Rafael Barak Israeli Ambassador to Canada

Allen Lau Co-Founder of Wattpad

Allen Lau
Co-Founder of Wattpad

Remembering You Are A Coach, Not A Player

Coaching Pod Cast

Download the latest Startup Canada Podcast!

In the eyes of Boris Wertz, founder of Version One Ventures, being a successful venture capitalist means, “remembering you are a coach, not a player.” Hear more from Wertz in the latest Startup Canada Podcast, brought to you by .CAQuickbooks OnlineSteadfastbeta, and TruShield. New episodes go live every Tuesday at 10am ET!

Starup Canada Youth

Startup Canada partners with the Startup Youth movement 

Jenny Hua, the creator of an app that connects parents to babysitters, won a pitch competition organized by Startup Youth during a March Break Bootcamp for high-school aged entrepreneurs in Ottawa. Click here to see what these talented young innovators got up to!

Startup Canada Award

Canada Business features success stories of 2015 Startup Canada Award Winners

Read these inspiring success stories of women entrepreneurs, featured on the Canada Business Network! From a health startup to a clothing empire, these women entrepreneurs have grown socially-conscience and innovative business worth celebrating.

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.

The Privilege is Yours…

How to become a good team leader. LeadershipThe privilege is yours…leadership

There are leadership blogs and posts – Top # of Traits of a Successful Leader and Leaders do these # of things every day.  In researching this blog, I even found this one: Top 100 Leadership and Influence Blogs. (seriously?)  The ego reads these and goes… OK, I’m good – yep, got that one… OK, yep, I’m in the 5am club; OK yep, I’m a good listener,  OK yep, I’m brave… Ego says, booya – I am a leader.  

Hold up chief, not so fast! Continue reading