TECDE is excited to have Olivia Villalta join us on Tuesday, September 29th from 5pm-7pm as an e-LLE panelist! Olivia is a Telfer graduate and the co-founder of Gift Better Co, premium gifts that give back!
To get a little insight into who our panelists are, we asked them a few questions to get a sense of how they are so successful and how they continue to Conquer Chaos. For Olivia, it is evident to see that she really values the giving back aspect of her work through working with various causes. She also seems to be highly driven by personal goals and growth, admirable traits worth emphasizing!
Can you share a little about your career path to date?
I graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Commerce, major in Intl Management. I worked for MAC Cosmetics in management during university, and was recruited by a staffing firm to be an Account Manager right after graduating. Recruitment / HR was never the path I expected to take, but the Account Manager role was actually focused more on all aspects of business, and I loved that it was transferable to entrepreneurship. After a year there, I was promoted to Operations Manager of Eastern and Central Canada, and managed over 20 Account Managers and Recruiters across Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. I truly believe that managing people is invaluable experience before starting a business. I really learned how to work with difficult situations, people, and client relationships as well as how to handle priorities and high stress.
What made you decide that you wanted to pursue a path with entrepreneurship?
For about a year, my co-founder and I would get together regularly and brainstorm business ideas. In October of last year, she had recently quit her job to pursue freelance marketing, and I reached a breaking point; I realized that the one thing that really excites me is building my own business, and I didn't want to live with the regret of not trying. We had recently been super frustrated while trying to send a gift to our friend in Los Angeles, and were tired of year after year looking through gift baskets of what looked like stale fruit and chocolate. It got us talking about corporate gifting Vanessa did as a Marketing Manager. They would give people the choice between receiving a gift, or making a donation to charity. While it was amazing that people were choosing to make the donation, it didn't give the company the opportunity to send a physical gift and leave a lasting impression on the business relationship. That's where Gift Better Co. was born. We combined corporate social responsibility, and corporate gifting, to allow companies to make a social impact while connecting with their clients and employees.
What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
The most rewarding aspect of what I do is giving back while we build our business. The bigger our business grows, the more we can give back to incredible causes that we partner with.
How do you stay motivated?
I'm someone that isn't motivated by money, but by personal goals & personal growth. I'm a competitive person by nature. In any retail job I had previously, I didn't compete with my peers' sales outputs, I competed with my own. I would always try to push myself to be better and do more. Working for yourself can be challenging some days to stay on track. I like to set achievable goals, but ones that I know I would be very proud to achieve. That way, it's close enough in reach that I don't give up, but big enough that I want to work hard every day to get myself there.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced on your entrepreneurial journey? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I've faced on my entrepreneurial journey to date was deciding to start. The day I quit a job that I never dreamt I would be in at the age of 26 years old, I was terrified. I knew that the years I spent "exploring business ideas" were never going to mean anything unless I jumped in head first. I needed the pressure of having Gift Better Co. be my one and only focus, but the fear of failure was always what held me back. I decided I needed to pursue what drives my passion, and tried to embody the motto of "if you can't beat fear, just do it scared".
What was one key thing you learned about your business through the pandemic?
I learned that it's truly the best time to start a business. Right now, the world is changing, and if you're a business that is small or agile enough to change quickly, and listen to what change is needed, you're in a very good position. We thought our business would be on hold. The week we planned to do our official launch of Gift Better Co. was the same week as the lockdown. We put our business on hold for a month, and tried to listen to what people needed. Listening, pivoting, and thinking differently is what allowed us to shift our business focus to something new, and I think in the long run will allow us to scale much bigger and faster than we would have otherwise.
What are three things that you attribute most to your success so far?
1) Curiosity: my co-founder and I are both curious people. When something is frustrating us, we're always thinking of a better way it could be done, and we both love learning. I think that's what lead us to working together, and what allows us to pivot quickly by always learning more about our customers and industry.
2) Passion: without passion, I truly believe it would be exhausting. Owning a business isn't "sexy". It's balancing strategy and vision, with doing everything else "less fun" on the ground to make the business work. Passion gives you the energy you need to get through the long days and hiccups along the way.
3) Support System: I don't believe that co-founders should be the only people credited for a business. The day I decided to quit my job, I expected to be met with hesitation about leaving a great paying career that I worked hard for. Instead, I was met with family and friends that reaffirmed that this was the decision I was meant to make, and that they would be there for me every step of the way. Before and after starting our business, we've had people in our lives that have mentored us and given us tools we need to do what we do. A support system made up of the people closest to me as well as mentors along the way have been absolutely critical.
We hope that you will join us at e-LLE to hear everything that Olivia and our other inspiring panelists have to say! Register here!