We’re in the Market for a New Home…

Posted in Loaded Bow: Following Our Story on September 13, 2009 by loadedbow

We’re moving!  Loaded Bow is creating for a new little corner on the interweb.  Or at least that’s the plan.  Pending the successful tackling of all tech issues… (remember how stressed I get about all computer issues?).

Thank you for your patience whilst we figure this all out.  What do you have to look forward to once we make the switch?  An interview with Jennifer of JK Models, the West Coast Agency challenging the industry’s status quo about diversity.  Cristina Corvello’s story of her social design project in Brazil.  And a very generous offer from SKN Holistic Rejuvenation Clinic’s Amanda!  Stay tuned…

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gen+zoe+loadedbow

Photo courtesy of Dysfunctor

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Painfully Fun – Loaded Bow Photoshoot

Posted in Bended Bow, Loaded Bow: Following Our Story with tags , , , , , , on August 13, 2009 by loadedbow

These are some pics taken of Gen and I at Chill Winston for our Loaded Bow photo shoot with the enticing and fabulous Amber of the innovative and fun Painfully Hip.  Painfully Hip is Amber’s blog about “Fashion-Forward Finds for the Weak of Wallet”.  She find thrift store goodies and re-vamps them, photographs hotties in them and writes about them!  Dreamy, non!!??

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Amber says:

“So we met up for a drink at the beautifully lit Chill Winston in Vancouver and played dress up. My friend, The Amazing Janos Sitar, shot some brilliant photography (including some blurry “styling action” shots – y’know, I move like a gazelle on speed) while we giggled a hell of a lot and rearranged the furniture in the bar. They are both precisely as fun, talented, charming, inspiring and adorable as they appear. We had a short, but glowing time. Roman candles, indeed.”

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Thanks Amber for the great times and to Janos for the beautiful pics.

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zoe+gen+loadedbow

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Join us on Twitter

Posted in Loaded Bow: Following Our Story with tags , , , on August 3, 2009 by loadedbow

Not following us yet on Twitter? We are @loadedbow.

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We are here.

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zoe+loadedbow

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Looking for Some Mad People

Posted in Loaded Bow: Following Our Story with tags , , , , , , on July 31, 2009 by zoepawlak

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”

-Jack Kerouac

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Madona and a Dolphin.  Lucky Dolphin.

Note: This photo has been used without Gen’s permission.  I strongly think she will find it very funny, but in my 20+ years of knowing her, i have been wrong once or twice.  Why not just ask her you say?  Because, want to use it and don’t want her to say ‘no’.

Sometimes I feel as though I am mad.  I read Jack and listened to a lot of Madona when I was a young adult.  Surrounding myself with their words made me feel alive.  They encouraged the ravenous hunger in me to be the best and practice and master my craft.

Now as a female entrepreneur, it is only when I surround myself with the like-minded that I can find peace in my mad quest for this life.  Life is shorter when you have kids and now watching two of them grow so quickly, it is as though there is a daily reminder of the passing of this life which makes me all the more anxious to get it all in. 

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Entrepreneur and Social Media Specialista Gwen Bell

One of my favorite ladies who packs loads of love into her life is Gwen Bell.  From dancing salsa to advocating for the companies and people she loves, she teaches and learns with a fervor and desire.  Using social media as her platform for a transformation of all interactions into good and effective change, Gwen is great example of a lady on line making her mark.  If life is for sharing, then social media is a great place to create and be in community.

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Dooce pregnant and exposing her skin ’sans Dolphin’.

Even if it’s getting a little jump start from White Hot Truth, I have recently responded to my own needs to be with the mad ones.  When I feel the urge to laugh, I have called upon that perfect person who makes me giggle.  Sometimes I just need to read a little Dooce laugh my head off or feel connected as a mother. I have recently created dates with my husband when I have needed connection and make appointments with my business coach Heather White when I need to find a new path for my business.  Putting yourself in contact via web, phone or in person with the people you need in a moment can save you from feeling alone as a female entrepreneur.  It can save you from feeling down and enriches the experience if the experience of life is to be shared.

ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED.  TRUST IN WHAT IS IN YOUR SOUL. GET TOGETHER WITH YOUR PEOPLE. 

I intentionally surround myself with the mad ones cuz the ’same-same’ got us into a mess and, let’s face it, being around the ’same-same’ just makes me feel awkward.

NOTE: (To my husband who is never socially awkward) BEING SOCIALLY AWKWARD IS A SIGN OF BEING A GENIUS.

Finding like-minded madness is good for the improvement of your mental space, the growth of your business and the development and realization of the truth that was in you since the beginning and is dying to live amongst like minded-mad ones.

“…and everybody goes “Awww!” 

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zoe+loadedbow

Photo Credits:  Gwen Bell, Dooce and Liberty Post

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Andrea Baxter Launches Bratface

Posted in Bended Bow with tags , , , , on July 6, 2009 by genennis

Bratface: [brat-feys] noun – a term of endearment used towards the people in your life that you love that just seem to drive you a little batty every now and then.

- Urban Dictionary

 Andrea Baxter

 

We first spoke with Andrea Baxter last year about the remarkable story of Smart Cookies, the first company that she co-founded.  Today, she’s back to talk about her latest business venture, Bratface Marketing.

Andrea knows the importance of investing in your story, brand and identity, and understands the exponential benefits of pulling a great team together to do so.  She is passionate about marketing as an outlet for her creativity and her ability to connect others.  Here, Andrea tells us about branching out on her own.

Bratface Marketing

 

Loaded Bow:   How did Bratface come to be?

Andrea Baxter:  Prior to Smart Cookies, I worked in marketing and I was painfully missing it.  It’s a real creative outlet for me.  Also, an important part of the Smart Cookies philosophy is about making more dough, so I thought what better way then to work in my area of expertise?  I still had contacts in the industry, and was doing projects here and there, so creating a marketing company just made sense.  I love working in a team, but it is also really exciting to be able to make decisions independently and one I can call all my own.

Inevitably, I’m asked about the name!  I wanted a name that would reflect my personality, my culture and my history.  Bratface is a term commonly used in Newfoundland where I was born.  It’s actually in the Newfoundland Dictionary (yes, we have our own dictionary)!  Bratface was one of the nicknames my father called me when I was being a bit cheeky.  That’s special to me because my father is not only my business mentor, but someone who I am very close with and have a great deal of respect for.  He was very successful by 28, but he was always very fair and very modest. Bratface was a good fit because it balanced being conservative, having fun and was true to my playful nature.  It adds just a touch of smartass as well! 

LB:  How will you market Bratface?

AB:  It has been a very organic process.  My contacts have been a really valuable source, and I have been able to benefit from word-of-mouth marketing.  I am so thankful that I kept my foot in the door, while staying under the radar!  Networking continues to be really important.  And of course, it’s important to implement social media marketing initiatives through blogging, Facebook and Twitter. For any small business getting off the ground, these are great outlets to use where you can get access to so many business people.

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I met SARAH McLACHLAN!

Posted in Events Attended, Loaded Bow: Following Our Story with tags , , , on June 4, 2009 by loadedbow

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I never thought I would really meet her.  I no longer listen to Sarah’s music, but for a LARGE part of my life, Sarah meant everything to me.  Sarah’s music was the way I learned that I had a voice.  I took my mom to her very first concert to Lilith Fair.  I sang “I Will Remember You” at both one of my best friend’s grads and at my aunt’s funeral.  Sarah’s has always been my only real icon of the youth I loved and hated and fought through.  She was often the woman I looked to to show me how to follow my dreams and use my words and voice to communicate what I am passionate about in this life.  She is the only person I have ever owned a poster of.

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I never thought it would really mean anything to me to meet her.  I had never considered it.  But that’s the way it is with the great times in life that take you by surprise and take your breath away.  I was literally panting (I’m sure she thought that was hot) while I met her, had cheese and wine breath and just kept saying “Thank you for your work.”  It strikes me odd that I would say “Thank you for your work.” But now as I am a mother and an artist and an entrepreneur, I really see how all this work I put in, transfers into many things for many people. My work turns into money for our family, inspiration to teens and other women, a way of learning life that is often so challenging for me, a way to form professional friendships and many other unknown forms of energy that move into the world and affect every person I encounter.  Sarah has no idea what her music meant to me, but I am so grateful to have met her last night.

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When you give, things come back to you again and again.  I gave a piece of art to Unite with Art which is a huge fundraiser for children living with AIDS. Last week, a client found me through their website and then I got to meet thier interior designer. I then  got to be at the gala, make a connection with a woman artist whom I greatly admire, and then meet Sarah McLachlan!  The Greatest Salesman in the World suggests that you give away half of your worldly possesions.  How much would we recieve if we were to give that much?  For now, give what you can, and one day, you too may meet Sarah McLachlan!

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zoe+loadedbow

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This was supposed to be about Word of Mouth Marketing… but ended up being about the ecological impact of your tampons

Posted in Bended Bow with tags , on June 3, 2009 by genennis

Having just celebrated our first birthday, we are feeling a bit reminiscent!  Over the next few days, expect to see some of our favourite posts from the past year… starting with tampons.

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Well, ladies, if you have been considering starting a blog, I have news that may tip the scale for you.  You can get free tampons.  Really, if that doesn’t convince you… 

This morning FedEx delivered a big box that held a tote bag filled with all sorts of goodies… and a crazy number of tampons. 

Shortly after we launched LOADED BOW Zoe and I received an email from a word of mouth marketing company out of Toronto.  After playing phone tag for a few weeks, we connected with one of the women working on the project.  We were asked if we would be interested in receiving a promotional package from o.b., and in return, we would need to talk about the products.  She made it very clear that whatever we had to say could be positive or negative. 

Considering that Zoe is pregnant, I got dibs on this particular ‘assignment’.

My initial reaction was that I really don’t have that much to say about tampons.  Then the WOM lady pointed out the difference in waste between a traditional tampon and an o.b. tampon.  That, I can talk about. 

A few minutes of online research reveals that the average woman will use approximately 10,000 tamponsover the course of her lifetime.  That is a whole lotta applicators being flushed down the toilet.  Literally.  Currently, o.b. is the only tampon in Canada and the US that doesn’t have an applicator.  That is something I can advocate for.  There are feminine hygiene products are are far more eco-friendly than o.b. tampons, like The Keeper, but for those of you who are a bit squeamish, applicator-free tampons just may be a good place to start.

I have been puttering around the o.b. site for the last few minutes and I just finished watching a little animation with an ant that is supposed to be analogous to an o.b. tampon.  The screen then reads: try carrying an elephant in your purse and you’ll know how it feels.  I have carried tampons in my purse for years and not once has it crossed my mind that it felt like lugging around a large mammal.  On occassion, I feel this way when I have crammed my laptop in with a bottle of wine, but never about tampons.  No need to be so melodramatic, o.b. people.  Focus on the difference in waste and the cute little carrying package (see below) that protect your tampons (because I have pulled tampons out of my purse – in public no less – that had fallen out of their wrapper, and that I could do without).

o.b. tampons
If you’d like to try these nifty little things you can get samples in Canada and the US.
 
gen+loadedbow

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Happy Birthday, Loaded Bow!

Posted in Bended Bow with tags , on June 2, 2009 by genennis

Loaded Bow recently celebrated its first birthday.  It is hard to believe that a year has gone by, but what a year it has been.

A wedding, a baby, paternity leave, travel, and meeting many new friends. 

And, of course, we can’t forget our crash course in blogging, learning along the way from the best.  We hammered out a name, had ourselves a photo shoot, stumbled upon a logo, and found ourselves a mentor.  Most importantly, we met incredible women doing incredible things. 

We have big plans up our sleeve for the next year, and are set to keep meeting these amazing ladies.  Thanks for all the help we’ve received thus far!

With Love,

gen+zoe+loaded bow

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3 Lady-run, Lady-begun, Vancouver Companies

Posted in Business Stories with tags , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2009 by loadedbow

Women in Vancouver are finding ways to make their own money by taking all the right steps.  Here are three Vancouver businesses I have found that have a special, specific niche.  Being niche requires a great idea, a little innovation and a lot of referrals.  Every client must be treated so well that they come to you and refer only you, so that you can beat out the competition that may take the majority of the pie.  Who needs the whole pie when you’ve got the best slice??!! To make it as a female entrepreneur, you must set yourself apart from the rest.  Here’s how these Vancouver ladies are doing just that!

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Kiva: Moms and Microfinance

Posted in Bended Bow with tags , , , on May 13, 2009 by genennis

This Mother’s Day, Kev and I forfeited flowers to buy our moms gift certificates to Kiva.  Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, allowing individuals to lend directly to entrepreneurs around the world. 

Choose your entrepreneur and donate what your able to their loan.  100% of your donation goes directly to the individual.  Over the next six months to one year, receive updates on the status of their business.  Once they have repaid the loan you are able to reinvest the money with other Kiva entrepreneurs.  Over 45,000 entrepreneurs have already paid off their loan.

Kiva allows you to circumvent organizations that often have costly overhead, and invest directly into communities.  The next time you need to give, consider spending your money here!

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