Emily Salsbury-Deveaux

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[00:00] SPEAKER_02: This podcast is brought to you by Shaw Business.
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[00:32] SPEAKER_00: It's Edmonton's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:54] SPEAKER_02: Hello, this is Mario Tonoguzi coming to you today
[00:57] SPEAKER_02: with Edmonton's podcast, a member of Canada's podcast network,
[01:02] SPEAKER_02: where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen
[01:05] SPEAKER_02: here in the city of Edmonton, Alberta.
[01:08] SPEAKER_02: Emily Salisbury-Devo is an entrepreneur and a retailer.
[01:13] SPEAKER_02: She first opened her fashion store, Emmy Devo,
[01:16] SPEAKER_02: as a pop-up location in the West Edmonton Mall in February, 2018.
[01:22] SPEAKER_02: The store opened a permanent location in the fall of 2018
[01:25] SPEAKER_02: on Calgary Trail.
[01:27] SPEAKER_02: She is former executive director of the School of Retailing
[01:30] SPEAKER_02: at the University of Alberta.
[01:33] SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the show, Emily, and thanks for taking the time today
[01:36] SPEAKER_02: to be here for our listeners.
[01:39] SPEAKER_02: Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from,
[01:42] SPEAKER_02: and what your business is all about.
[01:44] SPEAKER_01: I was born and raised here in Edmonton on the south side.
[01:49] SPEAKER_01: I went to one of our biggest high schools called Heria Lee
[01:52] SPEAKER_01: and lived fairly close to one of our shop and centers
[01:56] SPEAKER_01: called Southgate Center.
[01:58] SPEAKER_01: And I am a retail and real estate consultant or strategist.
[02:03] SPEAKER_01: I never really confirmed that title since it was a South title.
[02:07] SPEAKER_01: And I started my company at 16.
[02:10] SPEAKER_01: So that's a little bit about, you know,
[02:13] SPEAKER_01: this year is actually celebrating my 20th year
[02:15] SPEAKER_01: being in business working for myself.
[02:17] SPEAKER_01: And it has been a roller coaster,
[02:20] SPEAKER_01: but one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
[02:24] SPEAKER_02: Did you need financing start your company
[02:26] SPEAKER_02: and how has business been for you?
[02:29] SPEAKER_01: So I didn't need financing.
[02:32] SPEAKER_01: My situation is a little bit unique to what other entrepreneurs
[02:36] SPEAKER_01: sort of face.
[02:38] SPEAKER_01: Because I had my consulting practice,
[02:40] SPEAKER_01: I was able to provide a shareholder loan to my clothing brand
[02:45] SPEAKER_01: to start my clothing brand.
[02:46] SPEAKER_01: So from one corporation to the other
[02:49] SPEAKER_01: is what I did to ultimately launch.
[02:52] SPEAKER_01: I gave Emmy DeVoe at first about $40,000
[02:56] SPEAKER_01: and then I added in about another 20
[02:58] SPEAKER_01: to kind of cap off to get us to this point.
[03:02] SPEAKER_01: And business has been very strong.
[03:05] SPEAKER_01: You know, when we launched, it was during my last few months
[03:10] SPEAKER_01: at the University of Alberta.
[03:12] SPEAKER_01: And it's an incredibly scary time to be a retailer.
[03:15] SPEAKER_01: Nobody can debate that.
[03:17] SPEAKER_01: We have so many retailers that are announcing their closure.
[03:21] SPEAKER_01: And I knew I wanted to have a clothing brand
[03:24] SPEAKER_01: by the time I was 35,
[03:25] SPEAKER_01: regardless of the industry conditions,
[03:28] SPEAKER_01: because I felt that what I was gonna do
[03:30] SPEAKER_01: was going to fill a niche that,
[03:33] SPEAKER_01: believe it or not, hadn't filled in women's fashion.
[03:37] SPEAKER_01: And I think I was right.
[03:39] SPEAKER_01: We launched a three month pop up at Wes Emton Mall
[03:42] SPEAKER_01: to kind of gauge the interest of the overall quality
[03:46] SPEAKER_01: of our clothing and the style.
[03:47] SPEAKER_01: And it's just been growing very fast since then.
[03:51] SPEAKER_02: What does your long term vision
[03:54] SPEAKER_02: and what your company looked like in the future?
[03:56] SPEAKER_02: Do you have plans for expansion?
[03:58] SPEAKER_01: So I have big plans for expansion.
[04:01] SPEAKER_01: I'm definitely, you know, somebody,
[04:03] SPEAKER_01: I was just in Vancouver and someone told me
[04:05] SPEAKER_01: that I'm quite aggressive.
[04:07] SPEAKER_01: I would say I am quite aggressive.
[04:09] SPEAKER_01: I think you have to be in retail.
[04:10] SPEAKER_01: You have to have a very clear vision.
[04:13] SPEAKER_01: There's not a ton of time to sit around
[04:16] SPEAKER_01: and strategize and think about, you know,
[04:18] SPEAKER_01: well, what if this happens?
[04:19] SPEAKER_01: What if this happens?
[04:20] SPEAKER_01: You have to, at this point, to survive,
[04:23] SPEAKER_01: you have to innovate.
[04:24] SPEAKER_01: And so I had met with a couple of venture capitalists,
[04:29] SPEAKER_01: some here, some Calgary,
[04:31] SPEAKER_01: and just realized that that wasn't the right move
[04:35] SPEAKER_01: for my business as we deal in very particular fabrics.
[04:39] SPEAKER_01: We are more of a technical business
[04:41] SPEAKER_01: when it comes to our fabric and our values
[04:45] SPEAKER_01: are very much driven into the structure of our company.
[04:49] SPEAKER_01: And I didn't feel that those values
[04:51] SPEAKER_01: would necessarily align with, you know,
[04:55] SPEAKER_01: a venture capitalists or a private equity firm
[04:57] SPEAKER_01: that has very driven goals of profitability and, you know,
[05:02] SPEAKER_01: so that's not really the angle I wanted to go.
[05:05] SPEAKER_01: So I am actually hosting for investment sessions this week
[05:10] SPEAKER_01: for 61 of our customers.
[05:12] SPEAKER_01: So I have this idea to sell 25% of our company
[05:15] SPEAKER_01: to our very own customers.
[05:18] SPEAKER_01: And so the uptake on that was beyond
[05:21] SPEAKER_01: what I could have ever imagined.
[05:23] SPEAKER_01: And we have people from Canada,
[05:25] SPEAKER_01: from Toronto Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, you know,
[05:28] SPEAKER_01: for million lack of a fish to Texas, New Jersey, Arizona,
[05:34] SPEAKER_01: that are all interested in owning a piece of this company
[05:36] SPEAKER_01: that is only 11 months old.
[05:39] SPEAKER_01: So we've got big plans, but ultimately,
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: this year we hope to have three to five pop-ups,
[05:45] SPEAKER_01: temporary pop-ups across Canada,
[05:47] SPEAKER_01: where we can drive people to be comfortable with our quality
[05:51] SPEAKER_01: and feeling our product,
[05:52] SPEAKER_01: but then drive them to the digital website.
[05:54] SPEAKER_01: So we really do want to be a digital company
[05:56] SPEAKER_01: that people can really trust.
[05:58] SPEAKER_02: What are the biggest benefits for you being an entrepreneur
[06:01] SPEAKER_02: in Edmonton?
[06:02] SPEAKER_02: What are some of the good points about having a business here?
[06:05] SPEAKER_02: Even some of the top things are challenges for our listeners
[06:09] SPEAKER_02: so that they can keep an eye out for them.
[06:12] SPEAKER_01: I would say short-term logistically,
[06:15] SPEAKER_01: Edmonton is the place to be.
[06:17] SPEAKER_01: So we bring in everything via DHL error currently.
[06:21] SPEAKER_01: That's not a long-term vision.
[06:22] SPEAKER_01: Long-term vision, you're going to have to look at
[06:25] SPEAKER_01: bringing things in via vote.
[06:28] SPEAKER_01: And I would say real estate as well,
[06:30] SPEAKER_01: as well, a good auction here.
[06:32] SPEAKER_01: You know, our prices for real estate,
[06:34] SPEAKER_01: market conditions mean that you have a lot of room for negotiation.
[06:38] SPEAKER_01: I think Edmonton has an incredible entrepreneur ecosystem.
[06:44] SPEAKER_01: You know, there's a ton of entrepreneurship here.
[06:47] SPEAKER_01: There's a ton of focus on entrepreneurship,
[06:49] SPEAKER_01: which can be really good and really hard
[06:53] SPEAKER_01: when there's no real focus on retail entrepreneurship.
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: So I think I can't being the expert or consultant
[07:03] SPEAKER_01: that I am in Edmonton, you know, it's a very small pond
[07:06] SPEAKER_01: and I'm a very big fish in the Canadian consulting pond
[07:10] SPEAKER_01: when it comes to retail real estate.
[07:13] SPEAKER_01: And so I do feel that it's partly my responsibility
[07:16] SPEAKER_01: to be that ecosystem for retailers.
[07:19] SPEAKER_01: So for startups that are in retail,
[07:22] SPEAKER_01: I have a lot of knowledge.
[07:23] SPEAKER_01: So when I look at the ultimate resource pool
[07:27] SPEAKER_01: for entrepreneurs in Edmonton and the lack of retail,
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: I think it's more that it is my responsibility
[07:32] SPEAKER_01: to bring that retail focus to the city.
[07:36] SPEAKER_02: Now we do some of our best work outside the office.
[07:39] SPEAKER_02: Is there a place in Edmonton close to where you either live or work
[07:43] SPEAKER_02: where you like to go recharge or get inspired
[07:46] SPEAKER_02: or just simply think about your business?
[07:50] SPEAKER_01: Not really.
[07:51] SPEAKER_01: So I typically like to build my work spaces
[07:55] SPEAKER_01: to optimize my productivity.
[07:57] SPEAKER_01: It's a very narcissistic way to build my ecosystem.
[08:01] SPEAKER_01: So I have an entire building on Calgary Trail
[08:05] SPEAKER_01: where I have my store.
[08:07] SPEAKER_01: I also have a signage company.
[08:10] SPEAKER_01: I have a logistics company as well as three other startup
[08:13] SPEAKER_01: companies and it serves as a studio.
[08:17] SPEAKER_01: It serves as my office space.
[08:18] SPEAKER_01: And it's the place that I like to be the most
[08:20] SPEAKER_01: because it's mine.
[08:21] SPEAKER_01: I can bring my dogs.
[08:22] SPEAKER_01: I really make my own hours and I can be here
[08:25] SPEAKER_01: when or when I don't want to be.
[08:27] SPEAKER_01: I don't like to be in noisy places.
[08:29] SPEAKER_01: I don't like coffee shops.
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: I don't like, you know, I don't like the unknown.
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: So I don't like the idea of going to a coffee shop
[08:36] SPEAKER_01: and they're not being a place where uncomfortable.
[08:38] SPEAKER_01: I have very big issues with space planning
[08:42] SPEAKER_01: and I don't like places that are built inefficiently.
[08:46] SPEAKER_01: I have a lot of issues with that.
[08:48] SPEAKER_01: So I don't like going out in public.
[08:50] SPEAKER_01: That's the most perfect.
[08:51] SPEAKER_02: Here's a hypothetical question for you.
[08:53] SPEAKER_02: Imagine if you were to start all over again
[08:56] SPEAKER_02: and you just move to Edmonton.
[08:58] SPEAKER_02: But this time you don't know anyone
[09:00] SPEAKER_02: knowing what you know now, what would you do
[09:03] SPEAKER_02: and how would you do it to start all over again
[09:05] SPEAKER_02: as an entrepreneur?
[09:07] SPEAKER_01: Well, I think in my case,
[09:09] SPEAKER_01: it hasn't necessarily been my network
[09:12] SPEAKER_01: that has made this business successful.
[09:14] SPEAKER_01: It's my technical understanding.
[09:16] SPEAKER_01: Of course, there's power in having your technical abilities
[09:20] SPEAKER_01: merge with your network.
[09:22] SPEAKER_01: But, you know, with my work with the University of Alberta,
[09:25] SPEAKER_01: my network really became nationwide.
[09:28] SPEAKER_01: And so I think if you're moving to a new place
[09:31] SPEAKER_01: and you're starting to try to figure out
[09:33] SPEAKER_01: how to be an entrepreneur in a new ecosystem,
[09:35] SPEAKER_01: it really comes down to social media
[09:37] SPEAKER_01: and starting to connect with businesses
[09:39] SPEAKER_01: or ecosystems that have done a really good job.
[09:43] SPEAKER_01: Sometimes when you're in a smaller city,
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: those ecosystems can be very limiting though
[09:47] SPEAKER_01: because there's a lot of people
[09:49] SPEAKER_01: that run in the same circles.
[09:51] SPEAKER_01: But I think you have to start by having
[09:55] SPEAKER_01: a clear, clear vision
[09:57] SPEAKER_01: because people will buy in and campaign
[10:00] SPEAKER_01: for your vision for you.
[10:02] SPEAKER_01: But you have to know what you want.
[10:03] SPEAKER_01: You have to feel it's right to identify it.
[10:05] SPEAKER_02: What does the first hour of your day look like
[10:07] SPEAKER_02: when you get up in the morning?
[10:09] SPEAKER_02: Do you have a specific routine
[10:10] SPEAKER_02: or a ritual to get you motivated to start the day?
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: I don't set an alarm very rarely do I ever set an alarm.
[10:20] SPEAKER_01: I have dogs that are on very specific routines.
[10:23] SPEAKER_01: And so my dog typically wakes up between six and seven 30
[10:27] SPEAKER_01: whenever he has to go to the washroom.
[10:29] SPEAKER_01: And that's when I wake up.
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: We have a coffee pot that is, you know, it costs 20 bucks
[10:34] SPEAKER_01: and it's set on an alarm.
[10:37] SPEAKER_01: So when I wake up, the coffee's always made
[10:39] SPEAKER_01: and there's something, when the coffee's already there
[10:43] SPEAKER_01: and ready for you to drink,
[10:45] SPEAKER_01: it makes getting up a lot easier.
[10:47] SPEAKER_01: And then I don't set any expectations of myself
[10:50] SPEAKER_01: for the first two hours of my day.
[10:53] SPEAKER_01: So if I wake up at six 30, I don't set the expectation
[10:56] SPEAKER_01: but like I have to be out of the house
[10:57] SPEAKER_01: and have a meeting at eight 15.
[10:59] SPEAKER_01: I think you have to give yourself time
[11:01] SPEAKER_01: to be the champion that you need to be for the day.
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: And every day that's gonna be different.
[11:07] SPEAKER_01: You can expect to feel the same every morning.
[11:10] SPEAKER_01: So you shouldn't expect to do the same thing.
[11:12] SPEAKER_02: I remember.
[11:13] SPEAKER_02: Do you think entrepreneurs have to be weird or unique
[11:16] SPEAKER_02: but in a positive way or just wired differently?
[11:21] SPEAKER_01: I've always said that I feel entrepreneurs
[11:23] SPEAKER_01: are very much wired differently.
[11:26] SPEAKER_01: You know, I spoke to a gentleman this morning
[11:28] SPEAKER_01: who picked me back to my office from Enterprise
[11:32] SPEAKER_01: and he's a young fellow and he just said,
[11:34] SPEAKER_01: I wanna be an entrepreneur.
[11:35] SPEAKER_01: Well, a real entrepreneur is gonna tell you
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: that you don't always wanna ask for that
[11:40] SPEAKER_01: because it is in some ways considered a punishment.
[11:43] SPEAKER_01: People who are wired this way,
[11:45] SPEAKER_01: it's not something that you can turn off
[11:47] SPEAKER_01: and it's not something that goes away.
[11:50] SPEAKER_01: And I've had to deal with that my whole life
[11:52] SPEAKER_01: being different and my brain being wired differently
[11:55] SPEAKER_01: and I think about things differently
[11:56] SPEAKER_01: and I hyper-analysed.
[11:59] SPEAKER_01: So I think I'm definitely weird.
[12:01] SPEAKER_01: I'm definitely unique
[12:02] SPEAKER_01: and I'm definitely wired differently.
[12:04] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like all of the above.
[12:06] Speaker UNKNOWN: Okay.
[12:06] SPEAKER_02: What books are you reading right now or listening to and why?
[12:10] SPEAKER_02: And do you have any books you can recommend
[12:12] SPEAKER_02: to entrepreneurs to help them in their journey?
[12:15] SPEAKER_01: So I don't read books.
[12:18] SPEAKER_01: I don't listen to books.
[12:21] SPEAKER_01: It's something that I just have never had enough time,
[12:26] SPEAKER_01: I guess, or allocated time.
[12:28] SPEAKER_01: And I also don't like advice.
[12:32] SPEAKER_01: I rely a lot on my brain to tell me what to do.
[12:35] SPEAKER_01: But I recently listened to Chip Wilson,
[12:40] SPEAKER_01: who is the founder of Lou Lemmon.
[12:42] SPEAKER_01: His book is called Little Black Streccupense.
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: And it absolutely changed my entire outlook on this business.
[12:49] SPEAKER_01: It changed my daily perspective of my own business.
[12:54] SPEAKER_01: And it was the most valuable investment
[12:56] SPEAKER_01: I could have made in being a clothing brand owner.
[13:00] SPEAKER_01: And I'm so glad I did it because I feel,
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: it's kind of like what you fall in love.
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: And I would say that I'm a low-key Chip Wilson stalker
[13:07] SPEAKER_01: after reading his book.
[13:09] SPEAKER_01: So I've been trying to get in contact
[13:11] SPEAKER_01: because I have a few very specific questions
[13:13] SPEAKER_01: for that man about our business.
[13:16] SPEAKER_01: But I told him that I was going to write a sequel
[13:18] SPEAKER_01: to his book called The Little Black Streccupense.
[13:20] SPEAKER_01: So we'll see if I can get that time.
[13:24] SPEAKER_02: Are there any online or offline tools
[13:26] SPEAKER_02: that you use on a daily basis?
[13:29] SPEAKER_01: So I am a massive tech junkie.
[13:33] SPEAKER_01: I like any tech program, any app that makes my life faster,
[13:39] SPEAKER_01: makes me more productive.
[13:41] SPEAKER_01: I would say on a daily basis, we use G Suite a lot.
[13:45] SPEAKER_01: We use Google Drive.
[13:47] SPEAKER_01: I hate to tell you that I have five different G Suite accounts.
[13:51] SPEAKER_01: I have five different brands or companies that I work with
[13:55] SPEAKER_01: that are mine.
[13:57] SPEAKER_01: I love, there's an app out there called Wanderlust, WU and DER.
[14:03] SPEAKER_01: And I use that with my husband.
[14:05] SPEAKER_01: I use it with my team members.
[14:06] SPEAKER_01: And it's a way for me.
[14:09] SPEAKER_01: I said the second a thought comes into my head,
[14:11] SPEAKER_01: I have to get that down and allocated.
[14:14] SPEAKER_01: So this morning I had this intense need
[14:17] SPEAKER_01: to rearrange our entire office because it popped into my head.
[14:21] SPEAKER_01: Okay, if we do it this way, it's going to be way more efficient.
[14:24] SPEAKER_01: And it is, like we're in the process of cleaning it.
[14:26] SPEAKER_01: There's a huge mess behind me right now.
[14:28] SPEAKER_01: But I think it's those types of tools.
[14:31] SPEAKER_01: Like we use a program called Pick Monkey
[14:33] SPEAKER_01: that is a shortcut of Adobe Photoshop.
[14:36] SPEAKER_01: So for the time it takes somebody two hours to make a postcard,
[14:40] SPEAKER_01: I can get it done in four minutes.
[14:42] SPEAKER_01: So really quick books, all these different tools.
[14:46] SPEAKER_01: How do we get faster?
[14:48] SPEAKER_01: And how do we make our days super, super productive?
[14:51] SPEAKER_02: How do you balance work and how do you relax
[14:54] SPEAKER_02: and not think about work?
[14:56] SPEAKER_02: Are there any activities, favorite activities
[14:58] SPEAKER_02: you'd like to do in Edmonton?
[15:01] SPEAKER_01: I was outside of my job.
[15:04] SPEAKER_01: I'm not a very social person.
[15:07] SPEAKER_01: I think that comes with the being wired differently.
[15:10] SPEAKER_01: But I do have a ton of interest outside of retail.
[15:15] SPEAKER_01: So when I am spending my time learning or learning about things
[15:21] SPEAKER_01: or experimenting or whatever it might be,
[15:23] SPEAKER_01: I have so many subjects that I'm interested in.
[15:26] SPEAKER_01: So retail doesn't consume my life.
[15:28] SPEAKER_01: I have a lot of different things that I focus on.
[15:32] SPEAKER_01: I'm not a foodie and I'm cheap as hell.
[15:34] SPEAKER_01: So I do not buy coffee and coffee shops.
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: I don't buy food and restaurants
[15:39] SPEAKER_01: unless it's a convenient location
[15:41] SPEAKER_01: and I know the space and I'm comfortable.
[15:43] SPEAKER_01: I don't spend money on expensive exercise classes.
[15:48] SPEAKER_01: I just feel that if you want to be an entrepreneur,
[15:51] SPEAKER_01: you have to tighten those strings
[15:53] SPEAKER_01: and you have to live a very living a life
[15:57] SPEAKER_01: that doesn't cost a lot of money,
[15:59] SPEAKER_01: gives you the ultimate freedom of time and space.
[16:03] SPEAKER_01: So I don't have car payments, a low mortgage.
[16:07] SPEAKER_01: My husband and I make sure that we live a very attainable life
[16:10] SPEAKER_01: so that if I needed to quit and go work at Starbucks
[16:13] SPEAKER_01: that I could do that.
[16:15] SPEAKER_01: But I think you really have to be very careful
[16:17] SPEAKER_01: about how you spend your money if you want
[16:20] SPEAKER_01: to live the certain life that you're trying to live.
[16:23] SPEAKER_02: If you weren't doing what you do now,
[16:26] SPEAKER_02: is there a profession that you'd like to do?
[16:30] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's about 12 of them.
[16:32] SPEAKER_01: I'll list a few.
[16:33] SPEAKER_01: So I'd love to pursue a career in renewable energy
[16:36] SPEAKER_01: which is actually my plan after the age of 45.
[16:40] SPEAKER_01: I'd like to, I've always wanted to be a meteorologist
[16:42] SPEAKER_01: that traveled around and dealt with extreme weather
[16:47] SPEAKER_01: and I've always wanted to be an architect.
[16:48] SPEAKER_01: So I think for me, I only get one life.
[16:51] SPEAKER_01: So I will in some way be involved
[16:54] SPEAKER_01: in each one of those in the span of my lifetime.
[16:58] SPEAKER_01: As long as I don't get hit by a truck, you know?
[17:00] SPEAKER_02: In business, is there a favorite word or quote
[17:03] SPEAKER_02: or sentence that you like to use?
[17:06] SPEAKER_01: My favorite sentence is Google it.
[17:08] SPEAKER_01: And I use that often when I was at the university,
[17:12] SPEAKER_01: I had a rule that you weren't allowed to ask me a question
[17:15] SPEAKER_01: if Google could give you the answer.
[17:17] SPEAKER_01: So it was nice because it really mitigated
[17:19] SPEAKER_01: a lot of wasteful time because Google can answer
[17:22] SPEAKER_01: any question that you have.
[17:23] SPEAKER_01: So I have to ask me how to do something
[17:26] SPEAKER_01: or I should have to teach you how to do it.
[17:29] SPEAKER_01: You need to get into the mindset
[17:30] SPEAKER_01: that you can learn from anything that you put your mind to.
[17:33] SPEAKER_02: Now is there a least favorite word or sentence
[17:36] SPEAKER_02: that you don't like to hear?
[17:38] SPEAKER_01: I really don't like narcissism.
[17:42] SPEAKER_01: So I don't like when people constantly
[17:45] SPEAKER_01: are using the word Mimi, Mimi or I, I, I.
[17:49] SPEAKER_01: So this is going on in my life
[17:52] SPEAKER_01: and I have this or I don't have this or, you know,
[17:56] SPEAKER_01: there's we have a very personal centric,
[17:58] SPEAKER_01: like a very self-centric environment right now.
[18:02] SPEAKER_01: And I think it's a, it can be quite toxic.
[18:05] SPEAKER_01: So I don't love people who tend to spend a ton of time
[18:08] SPEAKER_01: talking about, you know, themselves.
[18:11] SPEAKER_02: If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself,
[18:15] SPEAKER_02: what would they be in line?
[18:18] SPEAKER_01: Innovative for sure.
[18:19] SPEAKER_01: I constantly want to be an innovator
[18:22] SPEAKER_01: so that I, other people can pull from what I'm doing
[18:26] SPEAKER_01: and strategic.
[18:27] SPEAKER_01: I think that's the word that most people would apply
[18:30] SPEAKER_01: to what I do and very strategic.
[18:32] SPEAKER_01: If I had a third, it would be ambitious for sure.
[18:35] SPEAKER_02: Is there anything that keeps you up at night?
[18:37] SPEAKER_01: Nothing keeps me up.
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: Sleep, I consider sleep part of my to-do list.
[18:42] SPEAKER_01: And I think if you change your thinking
[18:44] SPEAKER_01: and look at sleep as entrepreneurship recovery time,
[18:49] SPEAKER_01: then you don't sacrifice it.
[18:51] SPEAKER_01: I sleep seven to eight hours a day.
[18:53] SPEAKER_01: The only time I'm really up late
[18:54] SPEAKER_01: is if I'm designing since I work with companies overseas.
[18:59] SPEAKER_02: Okay, is there a top three list of things
[19:02] SPEAKER_02: that you would have on your bucket list
[19:05] SPEAKER_02: or an inspired life list?
[19:08] SPEAKER_01: So always, I have again, probably about a hundred.
[19:13] SPEAKER_01: The first one would be Chase tornadoes.
[19:16] SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't have done it already,
[19:17] SPEAKER_01: but it hasn't been a very high activity tornado season
[19:22] SPEAKER_01: down in what they call tornado alley
[19:24] SPEAKER_01: in kind of the Oklahoma area.
[19:27] SPEAKER_01: So I keep in contact with some people in Oklahoma.
[19:30] SPEAKER_01: And the second they tell me which year I should come down
[19:33] SPEAKER_01: to Chase tornadoes, I'll be the first person there.
[19:36] SPEAKER_01: My second goal is to spend the last part of my life
[19:41] SPEAKER_01: with a lot of different animals.
[19:43] SPEAKER_01: So I am very passionate
[19:45] SPEAKER_01: and I've always wanted to own a cow
[19:47] SPEAKER_01: and some goats and stuff like that.
[19:50] SPEAKER_01: So I know that doesn't seem like something
[19:51] SPEAKER_01: that a fashion designer is interested in,
[19:54] SPEAKER_01: but that's what I'm interested in.
[19:56] SPEAKER_01: And the third one is that I plan to retire owning
[20:01] SPEAKER_01: and estate property slash retreat
[20:03] SPEAKER_01: where I spend all my time learning how to grow food,
[20:07] SPEAKER_01: make wine, and people can come and learn about
[20:10] SPEAKER_01: kind of organic living and kind of escape reality
[20:14] SPEAKER_01: for a little bit.
[20:15] SPEAKER_01: That's the best way.
[20:17] SPEAKER_02: Do you have any advice that you may have received
[20:21] SPEAKER_02: over the years that you can pass on to entrepreneurs?
[20:25] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I have a lot of advice.
[20:27] SPEAKER_01: I think one thing I'm not great at is accepting advice
[20:30] SPEAKER_01: and I believe it's because my brain is wired differently
[20:35] SPEAKER_01: and is kind of planned everything out already.
[20:39] SPEAKER_01: And so when somebody's giving me advice,
[20:41] SPEAKER_01: they really have to come from experience.
[20:44] SPEAKER_01: So if Chip Wilson wanted to give me advice,
[20:47] SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna take it all day long
[20:48] SPEAKER_01: because he's in the same exact positioning that I am.
[20:52] SPEAKER_01: But I tend to check down advice a lot
[20:55] SPEAKER_01: as I find that people don't understand the business.
[20:58] SPEAKER_01: So that's something that I haven't received
[21:01] SPEAKER_01: any good advice, but my best advice to give is that
[21:05] SPEAKER_01: you have to actually like the work.
[21:08] SPEAKER_01: Like the narrative of being an entrepreneur
[21:11] SPEAKER_01: or a CEO or a president or executive,
[21:13] SPEAKER_01: whatever you're gonna call yourself is great,
[21:16] SPEAKER_01: but at the end of the day, you have to actually want to wake up
[21:20] SPEAKER_01: and do the actual work.
[21:22] SPEAKER_01: You have to want to unpack the car that you pack
[21:24] SPEAKER_01: or drive to Vancouver or do the paperwork
[21:28] SPEAKER_01: and each part of the business has to have equal attention.
[21:31] SPEAKER_01: So as an entrepreneur, you don't just get to say,
[21:34] SPEAKER_01: I don't like paperwork.
[21:35] SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter.
[21:36] SPEAKER_01: You better learn to like paperwork
[21:38] SPEAKER_01: or develop a system for yourself
[21:41] SPEAKER_01: where you're doing paperwork, but you're watching Netflix.
[21:43] SPEAKER_01: Like you have to come up with systems
[21:46] SPEAKER_01: because you don't just get to not participate
[21:48] SPEAKER_01: in a piece of the business because you don't like it.
[21:51] SPEAKER_02: Now I have a different question for you here.
[21:54] SPEAKER_02: There's a small tropical island just off of Fiji
[21:57] SPEAKER_02: that only has one phone booth there with no internet.
[22:01] SPEAKER_02: We're gonna drop you off there
[22:02] SPEAKER_02: and you won't have a computer, smartphone tablet,
[22:05] SPEAKER_02: whatever, you can use a phone booth located there
[22:08] SPEAKER_02: anytime to call the boat and we'll come pick you up.
[22:12] SPEAKER_02: How long would you last before you made that call
[22:14] SPEAKER_02: and what would you do while you were there?
[22:18] SPEAKER_01: So this is the strategic side of me.
[22:21] SPEAKER_01: I have a number of questions.
[22:23] SPEAKER_01: Do I have the basic necessities and might buy myself
[22:25] SPEAKER_01: and do I have shelter?
[22:27] SPEAKER_01: Those are my questions because I can't give you an answer
[22:30] SPEAKER_01: without those, so let's say that I do.
[22:32] SPEAKER_02: Okay.
[22:33] SPEAKER_01: Like if I had, let's just say I have the basic necessities.
[22:36] SPEAKER_01: So I have water and I have to last me however long
[22:40] SPEAKER_01: and might buy myself, if I'm by myself,
[22:43] SPEAKER_01: but I have the basic necessities, then I'd be okay.
[22:47] SPEAKER_01: I would say for about a month.
[22:48] SPEAKER_01: If I have shelter necessities and I'm not by myself,
[22:52] SPEAKER_01: I'm not coming home.
[22:54] SPEAKER_01: Like if I'm on an island in Fiji, I'm not coming home.
[22:59] SPEAKER_01: Like this is full of love to talk to you
[23:01] SPEAKER_01: and at least I can have intelligent conversation.
[23:04] SPEAKER_01: As long as I have necessities and intelligent conversation,
[23:07] SPEAKER_01: I can eliminate technology
[23:10] SPEAKER_01: because I would eliminate everything else.
[23:12] SPEAKER_01: I'm going to speak to you while I'm with you.
[23:15] SPEAKER_02: Emily, tell me how our listeners can get a hold of you
[23:18] SPEAKER_02: and is there anything you would like to add
[23:20] SPEAKER_02: before you leave us today?
[23:23] SPEAKER_01: The best way to get a hold of me is to Instagram.
[23:25] SPEAKER_01: So you can look at at Emmy DeVo.
[23:28] SPEAKER_01: You can always Instagram or send us a message there
[23:31] SPEAKER_01: and our email is there and everything.
[23:33] SPEAKER_01: Or you can check out my personal account,
[23:35] SPEAKER_01: which is at who is underscore Emmy.
[23:38] SPEAKER_01: And it's a little bit more about kind of who is the person
[23:40] SPEAKER_01: behind the brand.
[23:41] SPEAKER_01: And I think any last thing I could say to everybody is,
[23:46] SPEAKER_01: really enjoy life.
[23:47] SPEAKER_01: It's such a cool thing.
[23:49] SPEAKER_01: And when you start to look at it as kind of your experiment
[23:55] SPEAKER_01: or your one shot, I just think that you really need
[23:59] SPEAKER_01: to think about things that you can do
[24:01] SPEAKER_01: to really take advantage of all of the cool stuff
[24:03] SPEAKER_01: that we can do on this planet.
[24:05] SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Emily, for being our guest on Edmonton's podcast.
[24:09] SPEAKER_02: I've learned a lot about you, your business,
[24:11] SPEAKER_02: and I'm sure our listeners have as well.
[24:13] SPEAKER_02: We'll see you next time.
[24:15] SPEAKER_02: Hey there, thanks for taking the time today
[24:18] SPEAKER_02: to listen to Edmonton's podcast on Canada's podcast network.
[24:23] SPEAKER_02: We hope you enjoyed the show today.
[24:25] SPEAKER_02: Make sure you sign up for our newsletters
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[24:38] SPEAKER_02: You can also check out what other entrepreneurs
[24:40] SPEAKER_02: are doing across the country.
[24:42] SPEAKER_02: See you next time.