career OUTLOOK

JOBS, MONEY, TRENDS

Doin it for herself

Advice from a female entrepreneur
By Laura Allgrove
Outlook Editor
outlook@theweal.com

Hey, theres that welder chick.

Theresa Siochowicz, a 35-yearold graduate from SAITs welding apprenticeship program, is
used to hearing this statement.
But shes not just another chick;
shes an entrepreneur with attitude.
Moving up with experience the hard way, Siochowicz
began as a labourer at a coppersmith business, then moved
up to grinding and eventually
welding. The companys owner
then signed her up for a threeyear welding apprenticeship.
I considered it like a BA in
the trades, said Siochowicz.
I was the only women in my
classes too, so I felt a bit of a
pull in representation for my
sex that I didnt want to quit.
She earned her Alberta Journeyman Certificate and her Red
Seal by 2002. For a few months
after graduating she worked on
a pipeline before giving birth to
a baby boy.
In a 2000 Statistics Canada
survey, most men said, their
main reason for choosing selfemployment was independence,
freedom and the opportunity to
be their own boss. Women said
they went into business largely
because of work/family balance
and flexible hours. These are
the same reasons Siochowicz
who now lives in Victoria,
BC, started her own welding
shop; she wanted to both raise
a child and run a business.
With help from a self-employment program at the Womens Enterprise Centre of British
Columbia, a federal government
course called the SE program
(self-employment) and after becoming Employment Insurance
(EI) eligible, Siochowicz was on
her way.
To decide whether her business idea was viable, she even
sat down with the SE programs
board and three members of the
community who had reviewed
her business plan. Siochowicz
faced four hours of questions.
One board member was particularly hard on her, she said.
Finally, he asked if she was as
good as another well-known
welder. Fed up with questions
Siochowicz said, Hell yeah. His
reply: All right. I just wanted to

see some attitude. Siochowicz

received $18,000 in the first
year for her welding shop.
Used to being called Welder
Chic, she used it as her business
name, and has since formed an
identity around it.
Within the first few months
Siochowicz secured her first customer. She already had a welder
and some tools, but needed a
new welding machine. With a
bank loan, she bought the machine and secured the contract.
Siochowicz also joined the
Womens Enterprise Centre
(WEC), which offers loans,
skills development, guidance,
resources, and networking to
women entrepreneurs. She obtained a WEC loan, which she
used to pay off the bank loan.
After five years, Siochowicz
is still growing her business.
I have three hats I am always
wearing, she said. Networking, which includes all my own
PR marketing and advertising,
administration and bookkeeping, and I am my labour.
Being a woman and being
unique offers an advantage.
I have branded myself and
my quality work, ask anybody.
Im picky and still find that I
like the quality control to be at
my standards.
But shes not satisfied with
just welding. She also teaches
her trade. Over the last 18months, Siochowicz has opened
her shop to teach other women.
I find a lot of gratification and
inspiration from teaching that I
never knew I had in me.
Siochowicz advises new entrepreneurs to ignore naysayers.
People mean well, but theyre
speaking from their own experience and fears, she said. Dont
have any space for the word
no. If I had any advice to give
future entrepreneurs on their
goal to start their own business,
Ive said it before, just do it.

Resources
Womens Enterprise Initiative
Loan Program
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs
The Canada Business Service
Centres
Western Economic Diversification Canada
The Business Development
Bank of Canada
Aboriginal Business Canada

A womans touch
Veronique Jenkins, 29, got her first
tattoo when she was 12-years-old.
But it wasnt early exposure to the
art, rather her natural ability that led
her to open her Calgary tattooing
business, Scarlet Ink.
Currently attending ACAD, Jenkins
used her school scholarship and an
art grant to start her business. Since
opening in October 2008, Jenkins
said shes been busy since day
one. Her appointment book is full
until January 2010.
A womens point of view is good
in the tattoo world, said Jenkins.
People seem to appreciate it. Her
shop isnt a hard-core shop but a
boutique tattoo shop, making it less
intimidating than others in the city.
Its private, so it is more personal,
said Jenkins. This is what makes me
different.
Customer service is the best advertising. Word of mouth goes a long
way, said Jenkins.
And like any business you have to
commit to it, she said.

Living a De Vine
dream
Building a small business has always been a dream of mine, said
Michelle Muldowney, 28. But first
she felt she needed proper training
to feel confident enough.
Muldowney graduated from
SAITs Digital Graphics Communications in April 2009. In the same
month, she opened Violet De Vine
Design Inc. named for her greatgrandmother, Violet Doucette, who
passed away in 2005.
She was a strong woman who
also had an incredibly creative side
to her.
Muldowneys one-woman design
company specializes in communication materials, publication layout
and illustration, invitations and
greeting cards, website design,

tracy stewart Photo

Tattoo artist Veronique Jenkinss body of work is online at scarletink.ca.

In August, she attended the Alberta
Bound Tattoo and Arts Festival and
won two awards. But its not the
awards that are important. Tattoo

photo editing and restoration.

She started out targeting
independent retailers and people
working vintage and retro merchandise, but wound up working
with a variety of clients.
Ive worked with brides, retailers, songwriters, hairstylists and
have projects in the works with a
textbook author and realtor, said
Muldowney.
She loves the little perks of owning her own business: avoiding
rush-hour traffic, working in my
lulus, cranking music at my desk.
When it comes to marketing
Violet De Vine she relies on wordof-mouth. Michelle has found this
effective so far. Happy clients have
meant referrals.
When it comes to start-up,
Muldowney recommends talking
to people who have done it suc-

Women behind the

lens
As a collector of pin-up art for
many years Jennifer Sutton, 37,
wanted to capitalize on current
retro appeal and recreate the look
through modern photography.
Sutton attended SAITs New Media
Production and Design program
from 2007 to 2009. She is now the
designer, director, editor and coowner of Pop Rocket Studios.
One day Sutton got to talking
with classmate Raeleen Badham,
26, and the concept behind Pop
Rocket a pin-up photography
studio was born. From then on,
my dreams began to take on a life

justina contenti photo

View Jennifer Sutton and Rae Badhams shots at poprocketstudios.ca.

artists get to know each other during the festival, she said. We get
inspired by each other.
By Laura Allgrove

justina contenti photo

DGC grad Michelle Muldowneys

portfolio is at violetdevine.com.

cessfully. As she makes her way

through her first year in business,
she says these contacts have been
a valuable resource.
by Laura Alllgrove
of their own, and everything began
to make sense, Badham said.
Badham graduated from SAITs
Journalism Arts Program in 2006
majoring in photojournalism. But
in 2007, she returned to school to
attend the New Media Production
and Design program.
Sutton said they wind up spending more time than they would
like on the not so fun stuff like
accounting, whereas in a regular
job someone else would handle all
that, Sutton said.
But she said its worth it when
you experience the excitement of
complete creative freedom.
by Laura Alllgrove

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