In Part 3 of a series on female entrepreneurs in the Toronto fashion industry, photographer Belinda Barrocks talks about balancing her business, Kamshuka, with raising a family, being a role model to her children, and following her passion.

Laura: Why did you decide to go into business for yourself?

Belinda: When I was pregnant with my first son Matthias. I couldn't bear to put him into the daycare system as I built a business. I wanted to be with my children, to be involved in raising them.

L: What have been your challenges?

B: I now have two beautiful children and along this journey there have been some challenges: juggling the children's activities, school, and homework while building a business was one of them. Finding the balance between spending time with my children and balancing paperwork (is another).

L: What have been the rewards?

B: Seeing my children interact with their peers and in school makes me really proud that I was able to invest in their first years on this Earth.

L: What do you love about being an entrepreneur?

B: I love the freedom to make decisions and to possess the ability to change peoples' lives with my art. I love the fact that I can wake up, enjoy the mornings, and still have time to have a productive day.

L: Any drawbacks?

B: I do all my own paperwork and balancing. I am an all-around person, handling all my invoicing, receipts, deliveries, and sometimes my own calls.

L: Would you have a more conventional job if it weren't for family considerations?

B: No, I always wanted to be a business owner, to be creative as my call, and to be able to call the shots, literally!

L: What advice would you give other women on this path?

B: Follow the dreams you have: see it, do it, and conquer it. There is nothing you cannot do when you are determined. Your children will see your drive and someday, if not already, strive to be like you are. I find it truly rewarding to hear my son say that someday he wants to travel the world like me and explore new places. To open up their little minds to the world of possibilities is more than enough for me to get excited about.

L: Would you say entrepreneurship is especially beneficial to mothers?

B: Yes, for sure. Everything takes time and hard work. But it's worth it in the end to see the look on your children's faces every day, in and out of their growing up.

Women tend to do especially well in small business due in large part to the absence of a glass ceiling. CIBC and the Globe and Mail have both published articles citing studies showing that the number of women-owned business has more than doubled since the early 90s and continues to grow.

Today, in Part Two of a series on Toronto fashion entrepreneurs, we hear from Megan Turvolgyi, owner and designer of MagZ-BagZ, a lifestyle bag company producing locally-made, boldly-coloured handbags which are both fashionable and functional. A self-described "one-woman operation", Megan chats about the ups and downs of giving birth to and growing her own brand.

"I couldn't get what I needed or wanted in the corporate world anymore. I have two children and the commuting and only three weeks' holiday a year were killing me, physically and emotionally. I knew if things were going to change I would have to make them change. So I did."

Laura: Describe the challenges you have faced as a new business owner:

Megan: "Getting everything I want and need in Canada at a price people will pay. People sometimes give lip service to Made in Canada but when they see the price difference they have a hard time putting their money where their mouth is. I've found that MagZ-BagZ does best in unique, chic boutiques and Shows where you find that discerning customer. Finding where I fit in has been a big challenge. I think we're finally there."

"Another challenge is building a brand. It takes about five years to get known well enough for those repeat orders and for word of mouth to spread. I find when we put MagZ-BagZ in shows and are out there visually marketing, sales pick up but the cost of being in shows and promoting doesn't always pay for itself right away. It takes time when you are in need of cash flow today, waiting for the aftershock can be difficult.

L: What have been the rewards?

M: Being home with my kids more, no more commuting, being my own boss, being creative, having my biz in home, the people I have met, the enormous learning I have done since starting, the bags (I have several now), creating something from scratch, being my own boss, running the show, not asking permission, taking time off when I want, being self-directed."

L: Any drawbacks?

"If you like a steady income and fear the unknown, stay away!"

M: Cashflow, cashflow, cashflow--uncertain and speculative in nature. If you like a steady income and fear the unknown, stay away!

L: Would you be doing a more conventional job if you had no family considerations?

M: Perhaps I wouldn't have felt so desperate to give my own biz a go if I hadn't had a family. I always wanted my own biz but the kids gave me that extra push to get started. I couldn't see a way out of the 7 am to 6 pm hell I was in without starting my own business. I work way more now but at times that works for me and my kids.

L: What advice would you give other women on this path?

M: Go for it!!! Have a plan though. If you start a service-oriented business, then you should be able to draw income immediately. If you are creating a new product, however, have a financial plan to weather the early years when income is low and expenses are high.

You need to be highly-motivated, organized, and self-motivated. Don't expect anything to happen if you don't put in the hours in an effective way.

L: Would you say entrepreneurship is especially beneficial to mothers?

M: Yes, absolutely. You have the time you need when you need it. I find, however, that I get less sleep now as I sometimes work after the kids go to bed. BUT I do drop off and pick up (at school) and am here for all the important stuff. Plus the kids aren't getting home at 6 pm with me in a frenzy to get supper started. We are a much more calm household now.

Coco Chanel is one of my heroes because she epitomizes what fashion means to me. She liberated women with her designs, freeing them from constricting corsets and fussy embellishments, allowing for freedom of movement and practicality. She gave women permission to dress for themselves rather than for men and she knew that covering body parts like breasts and thighs was sexier than exposing them because it left something to the imagination: 

“A woman is closest to being naked when she is well dressed,”

 Her style appeared effortless compared to traditional Victorian style of dress; however, her vision was nothing less than revolutionary. I finally saw the French film about her early life, Coco Avant Chanel, while most others were watching the Oscars. I felt a little rebellious watching the woman who championed simple elegance on a night where elsewhere they were celebrating a more excessive kind of glamour. I have to confess that after the film ended I did tune in just in time to see Sandra Bullock, resplendent in pink lips and Old Hollywood hair (love the soft waves), win Best Actress, and to witness the first woman in history (Kathryn Bigelow) win Best Director! What a fine achievement especially with International Women’s Day following.

 “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

 To me, Coco Chanel must be credited with helping women contribute to their world in a meaningful way. The film makes a point of showing the way Chanel’s design sense came out of a desire to help women get on with things, to be more than decorations, to be able to move freely, wear pants so they didn’t have to ride a horse sidesaddle, eat a big meal and not feel the pain of a tightly-strung corset. There is a scene in which she is buying fabric to make a dress and the mill owner insists she must use a corset otherwise “the dress will just hang”. Chanel, however, believed the woman should wear the dress and not the other way around.

“Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress.”