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Our biggest sale of the year is coming. Click here to get notified when it's live.
Our biggest sale of the year is coming. Click here to get notified when it's live.
In honour of Women's History Month, we’re featuring women who inspire us. These entrepreneurs turned their passions into a successful business. We hope their stories inspire you to create businesses and lives that you love.
In our last post in the series, we’re turning the lens inward by featuring the founder of Encircled, Kristi Soomer. Encircled makes sweatshop-free, minimalist clothing from eco-friendly materials in Toronto, Canada.
“When I was on my yoga retreat that inspired the creation of the Cardi, one of the teachers was leading a meditation about what you really want to do and how you want to impact the world in your lifetime. It made me start to feel like I was destined to be part of the solution, and part of something bigger - that was probably the moment I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur.“
Kristi: The unpredictability of everything about running a small business - the constant ups and downs.
It gets easier as the years go by, but there is always a new challenge or opportunity waiting around the corner. Some of these are positive, and some are not. From a day to day basis, things shift massively, and when you’re small these impacts can be felt even more.
Being able to work through tough situations is a key skill that every entrepreneur needs.
"Find something you’re passionate about. Something with a bigger mission. Don’t worry if you have no experience in that area. You can figure it out. Follow your heart."
Kristi: I’m very inspired by other entrepreneurs, in particular, female founders and leaders. I know how hard it is to start and scale a business as a woman, so if anyone has figured that out, I’m game to see what they’re up to!
A few girl bosses that I follow for ideas and motivation are Gabrielle Bernstein, Lori Harder, Joanna Griffiths (Knixwear), Michele Romanow (Dragon’s Den), and Lorna Clarkson (founder of Lorna Jane).
I also follow many creatives, and bloggers, especially in the minimalist lifestyle and slow living space and I’m an obsessive podcast listener (primarily business focused and motivational).
Kristi: “Everything is figureoutable” - Marie Forleo
As an entrepreneur, especially a solo founder, you’ll run into situations where you have NO idea what to do. You don’t have the answer, you’ve never experienced something like this before, and you may feel like you have no idea where to go for help.
When this happens, I recite this quote. I tell myself I can find a way, and start trying to problem solve. Even the craziest situations have solutions, and the best thing you can do is to keep moving forward, reach out to your network, research, and try some things. Every problem has a solution, even if it’s not obvious or easy.
All photos are copyright Encircled. Contact us for permissions/rights to re-use or repost images.
Feed your soul - Join the Everyday Adventure Collective
A community for women who embrace life in every moment, at home or abroad. Request access here to our private facebook group.
We’re making the case for comfort without compromise - not compromising on style, ethics, versatility, sustainability or anything else you deem important.
We put together a list of some of the most commonly complained about clothing, as well as the more comfortable alternatives.
We’re a big fan of jumpsuits at Encircled. Did you know that women spend on average 17 minutes each morning trying to find an outfit to wear? Jumpsuits are an easy way to cut down on that time.
With the decision to wear a jumpsuit, 80% of your outfit is done. For the other 20% we’ve got you covered with these 7 styled looks!
Adulting is hard. So we’ve created a webinar series called The ABC’s of Adulting where we interview industry experts on all things adults are expected to just know. In this instalment, Kiki Athanas will teach you all about intuitive eating and share some tips on how to build a healthy relationship with food.
