Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Angela Pickering, founder, and CEO of Canadian Surrogacy Community, located in Exeter, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
A surrogacy & Egg Donation consulting service. We help project manage and support fertility journeys for people who cannot have children on their own.
Tell us about yourself
I’m a Mom of four beautiful children and a step-mom to two more kids. We are a blended family and enjoy a busy household full of love and laughter.
I write a blog called Musings of Organized Chaos and was a journalist and writer in the beginning of my career. Helping others was a passion, and I knew that after finishing my own family that I wanted to explore surrogacy. I’ve now completed three surrogacy pregnancies and have welcomed three beautiful baby boys to the world for same-sex couples.
After being a surrogate twice and seeing how beautiful relationships could unfold during the process, I wanted to be a bigger part of helping others experience what I had gone through. There were not very many agencies in Canada that offered help, and even fewer who did it well. So I wanted to create something unique and amazing for people struggling through one of the worst situations of their lives. I am motivated every day because of the miracles that can happen for parents-to-be.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We have had 35 babies born through our program in 6 years. Eight more babies are on their way this year! Potentially 17 more babies in the making soon! What could be a better motivator than that?
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It's difficult to support couples who desperately want to have a baby but struggle on their journey. I develop relationships with these beautiful people, and it doesn't always go smoothly, no matter how hard we try. There are so many factors we can't control infertility, and we always want the best outcome, but we don't always get a baby in the end. It's devastating to see them suffer when all I want to do is help them be parents. It is also difficult to balance those relationships and my emotions while still staying in business mode.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just do it! If you are inspired by an idea, don't ignore it. Maybe it won't work out, but if you never try, you'll never know.
- Grow a thick skin. In business, you will never please everyone all the time. Don't take it personally. Just leave everything on the table and do your best.
- Be unique. In business, you have to find a way to stand out against others that are similar. Make it bold. Make it beautiful. Make your product or service have a WOW factor.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Being your own boss has huge benefits, but there are also drawbacks to carrying all the responsibility of success or failure. Make sure you can absorb the good and deflect the bad.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://surrogacycommunity.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consultingCSC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadiansurrogacycommunity/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.