Alberta is home to many business leaders who inspire admiration for their intelligence, hard work, and ingenuity. Below are some of the local women who have reached entrepreneurial heights in the province, featured on calgary1.one.
Lynn Dargis
Lynn was born and raised on a farm in northeastern Alberta. Her parents were strong advocates for agriculture, and they instilled a strong work ethic in Lynn and her four sisters.
As a farmer herself, Lynn decided to create a platform that would help her quickly assess grain prices in Alberta, giving her more time for her three children and husband. She developed the concept and business plan for her agricultural app, Farmbucks, and entered the Pitch for the Purse competition, which provides winners with financial assistance, mentorship, and investors to help launch their business.
In 2020, Lynn won the competition, earning $25,000. This allowed her to develop and launch the app, which provides farmers with easy access to grain price information and fosters relationships between buyers and sellers.
Kylie Woods
Kylie founded the nonprofit organization Chic Geek in Calgary, aimed at encouraging and supporting women in their technological and entrepreneurial pursuits. Chic Geek was created to promote gender diversity in the tech sector.
Arlene Dickinson
Arlene Dickinson is a South African and Canadian businesswoman, investor, author, and television personality. In 2016, she founded District Venture Capital in Calgary, a venture capital fund that invests in innovative companies in the food and beverage, health, and wellness sectors.
Dickinson became an investor on Dragons’ Den, a reality TV show based on a Japanese series, which gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to wealthy investors in exchange for equity in their companies. She joined the show in its second season in 2007 and left in the ninth season in 2015. She returned in season twelve in 2017. The show depicted her as a self-made multimillionaire, which reflects the reality of her success. Arlene has received numerous awards as one of Canada’s top women entrepreneurs and immigrants, as well as one of the most influential women in the country.
Natasha Spoks
After realizing the shortcomings of the traditional travel agency industry, Natasha created FarCloser Travel, a travel platform in Calgary that offers unique trips to less-explored and advertised destinations.
Mandy Balak
Mandy is an award-winning entrepreneur and a certified business coach with the International Coach Federation. She decided to share her experience with other women by founding Ace Collective in Calgary, a community that helps female entrepreneurs develop their brands and companies, build networks with other women, and increase their influence on the world. Ace Collective has hosted many events and conferences across Canada, created numerous online courses, and podcasts featuring inspiring entrepreneurs.
Bobbi Reset
Bobbi worked in Calgary’s oil and gas industry as an executive assistant but realized that the amount of work she was doing was far less than a typical workday. After some research, she discovered that the average administrative worker was only engaged in meaningful tasks for less than three hours a day, with the rest of the time spent on minor tasks that required little effort. This led her to believe she was on the verge of being laid off.
In 2014, before she was fired, Reset quickly began developing the idea of organizing administrative assistants to work from home, helping workers and companies maximize their time and money.
In 2016, she launched Virtual Gurus, a center that uses its technology to connect organizations with highly qualified Canadian and American virtual assistants. Bobbi created Virtual Gurus with only $300 of her own savings, and within the first month, the company secured 90 clients.
Amy Rondo
Amy has always been a fashion enthusiast, spending hours in her grandmother’s closet looking for interesting outfits. However, when the need arose to buy plus-size clothing, Amy’s love for fashion started to fade. After becoming frustrated with the lack of high-quality plus-size clothing available in Calgary and across the country, Rondo founded The Curvy Shop in 2018, a boutique specializing in plus-sized apparel.
On March 8, 2019, The Curvy Shop won the Financial Build Her Business competition, securing $5,000 for startup costs. The boutique not only became a successful business but also a safe and inclusive space for women of all shapes and sizes, helping many women accept their bodies.
Emily Slaineff
Emily Slaineff, a coach, preventive medical advocate, and holistic wellness supporter, founded the Crush Camp wellness club in Calgary in 2017. The club includes large gyms, personal training studios, crossfit halls, open training camps, and studios for boxing, barre, yoga, Pilates, and more.
Mallory Becker and Jillian Palmer
Psychologist Mallory and physiotherapist Jillian teamed up to create the Pine Integrated Health Center in Edmonton, offering psychological and physiotherapy services to men, women, children, and adults. They focused on providing support to women during the perinatal period.
Shona Madsen
Shona is an artist, writer, teacher, and small business mentor. She created Madsen Avenue in Edmonton to help small businesses find their place in the market by providing all the necessary planning tools.
She also became the CEO of Encore: CEO Academy, an online program that helps small business owners refresh their marketing and business strategies.
Nicole Rice
In 2011, Nicole founded the Sweet Jolie clothing boutique in Edmonton, which is community-oriented. It’s not just a place to buy clothes, but also a space dedicated to helping women, expanding their rights and opportunities through various campaigns. For example, the boutique raised funds for the Canadian Alopecia Foundation, YWCA GirlSpace program, and Edmonton Dream Centre.
Michelle Andrishak
Michelle is a business graduate with dual specializations in accounting and marketing, a certified management consultant, and business coach. With a 25-year career and entrepreneurial journey, Michelle became the CFO at a financial institution and developed a successful home business in the fields of import, retail sales, property management, and communications consulting.
With her extensive knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship, Michelle founded WOW! International Women in Business and Leadership Inc. in Rocky Mountain House. This online community is dedicated to personal and professional development for women focused on achieving success and excellence in their businesses and leadership.
WOW! empowers women in business, boosts their productivity and profitability, and helps them enjoy their entrepreneurial journey.