I would not say that I started out to be an entre- preneur. When I graduated high school, I went on to get my bachelor’s degree in Nursing and worked as a nurse for ten years (minus two mater- nity leaves). As a nurse I worked primarily in Car- diology and CV surgery with a short stent in ER and critical care. Nursing was my career however, I’ve always loved home improvements, renos and Interior design. So, after purchasing a few homes with my husband and seeing how well he was doing with building his real estate team and business, when the opportunity came for me to join him, I ran with it. What made you want to become an entre- preneur and start your own online clothing business and transition that to a brick and mortar retail location. How and why did you select this clothing industry rather than some- thing else related to real estate? MS: In 2015 I started thinking about the idea of owning my own clothing boutique shortly after moving back home to Newfoundland (we lived in Alberta for 3 years). At the time, my husband was in oil and gas. There was no real estate at that point (that came the following year after leaving his oil and gas job and starting in real estate, but that’s another great story lol).
the “rich women” never for the everyday regular women. So, it started from there. Our vision is to offer the best and most inclusive shopping experience, to have an intimate boutique experi- ence while still being able to cater to the regular everyday women, who are all rich in my eyes.
Did you have a mentor? If so, who was it and what was the most important lesson they taught you? MS: I would say that I did not have an official mentor. In saying that, I’ve reached out and had coffee dates with many local business women to get advice. Recently, I have hired a coach, which is still in the beginning phases so I’m hoping that will only evaluate our overall vision and mission. What was the inspiration behind Bombshell by Michelle brand? MS: My inspiration has always been about more than just great clothes. We’ve always tried to offer high quality items at a reasonable price point. It has never been about high-end expensive brands. I felt the existing local boutiques really catered to
Bombshell Boutique (sometimes better known as Bombshell by Michelle) started later that year. The business was strictly online until this past November. The main reason I started the boutique, honestly was because I felt there was a lack of great customer service here locally in the ladies’ retail industry. As a young, very confident woman, when I would walk into any of the local boutiques, I felt unwelcomed, like I didn’t meet the standards of what it took to shop there. So here we are. I started it to have a great wardrobe but more of a safe place for the “average woman to shop and look and feel beautiful.” Online was less than ideal. I was storing inventory at my home, doing local pick-ups and deliveries etc. Let’s just say, that behind the scenes it was a mess most days. The transition occurred a couple months into COVID-19 outbreak. My online sales were pretty good during COVID-19, but with the major shipping delays and my new, full time role in real estate I realized in order to keep things going we needed to make a change. That change happened to be opening a location and going all in, hiring a team to help me. “ The business was strictly online until this past November.”
“ My inspiration has always been about more than just great clothes.”
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FEBRUARY 2021 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2021
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