Aug 10, 2020
Wonderkind brings unique & tailored gifts right to your door. They represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in Canada businesses, support communities, empower female entrepreneurs & spread kindness. One gift at a time.
Now that’s some kind of wonderful. Or is it?
Is it possible that all of this good is complicating Wonderkind’s offering and making it harder for the consumer to buy? Are the founders, Tara Cochrane and Shawna Pereira’s burning desire to sustain woman enterprise, distracting them from building a sustainable business? I went to three experts to ask these questions and more, and all came back with exceptional advice, Arlene Dickinson, Dragon, Entrepreneur, Partner, and Mother who has mentored, guided, and invested in so many successful leaders and businesses. Jay Bhatti, co-Founder of Brand Project, one of the world’s leading thinkers and doers on how entrepreneurs can develop and scale their ideas, and Nazine Virjee, VP of RBC. She focuses her wealth of experience partly on new ventures.
A heartfelt story that beats with passion, emotion, and desire combined with insights and ideas that anyone can apply to make their dreams a reality.
Presented by RBC.
Books, Tara’s
best friends (01:45)
Moving around a lot as a kid in a single-parent household, taught
Tara resilience and that anything was possible. Books were her best
friends. Feeding her curiosity and imagination and by immersing
herself and learning other people stories, enabled her to better
understand and connect with people as well as opened up a different
way of thinking.
A chance
meeting leads to great things (04:31)
While getting back her roots of writing, Tara Cochrane, meets
Shawna Pereira at a fundraiser. They worked well together, shared
the same values and had a passion for small business. The
beginnings of a new partnership and a new business emerge with the
idea of taking the power of storytelling - the stories of local
businesses - and making it into a business platform.
Curiosity and
kindness come together (06:02)
Tara and Shawna combine the concept of personalization and the
sense of surprise to establish Wonderkind, delivering unique &
tailored gifts right to your door…curiosity and kindness coming
together. Showcasing businesses founded and cofounded by female
entrepreneurs, they represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in
Canada businesses, sharing kindness one gift at a time. But there
could be too much for customers to wonder about.
First-class
advice from our experts (11:47)
Naznine
Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC, doesn’t
start by looking at the numbers, rather she first wants to
understand the business model and the customer problem Tara is
solving. Additionally, Nazine, pints out that managing is very
important, and if there is one thing the COVID pandemic has taught
is how to manage risk. Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder
& Partner, Brand Project,
believes that Tara’s core product offering and purpose have to mesh
together very well in order to attract customers and talent.
Arlene
Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures
Capital, advises Tara to be clearer in her messaging on how
Wonderkind's process works - simplicity is key.
It’s a wrap -
Tony’s final thoughts (26:41)
It’s important that Tara chooses from the many options Wonderkind
offers and lock onto to what success looks like. Is it supporting
woman entrepreneurs, gifting or supporting charities? Clarity of
purpose and my you matter is going to be key.
Links and References
Tara Cochrane, Founder + Creative Director, Wonderkind
https://www.linkedin.com/in/taracochrane/
Website - https://wonderkind.ca
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wonderkindinc/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/wonderkind_inc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wonderkind.ca/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wonderkind_inc
Arlene Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures
Capital
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlenedickinson/
Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder & Partner, Brand Project
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybhatti/
Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/naznine-virjee-73695a7/
RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html
RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html
To get specialized support for your business, visit -
https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html
Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/
Follow Tony Chapman
Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca
Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ