Press Release
Barbara Stegemann, celebrated entrepreneur, author, and speaker, will be in Fort Frances on Thursday, March 8.
Innovative, informative, and inspirational are only some of the adjectives used to describe Stegemann, CEO and founder of The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc.
She will be the keynote speaker at a dinner at 5:30 p.m. at La Place Rendez-Vous, which is being presented by the Northwest Business Centre to coincide with International Women’s Day.
From a humble beginning in rural Canada to entrepreneurial success internationally, Stegemann will share her business model that allowed her to transform her vision into reality without—in her words—losing herself in the process.
“I believe that we, as women, can achieve success in the business world and still have a rewarding personal and family life,” she remarked.
“Naturally, we need to work hard. But more than that, we need to work with conscience, without compromising our values and give something back, but we don’t need to do it alone,” she noted.
“When we work together, we share ideas, resources, and energy, and ultimately we inspire each other to more than we may have thought possible.”
Stegemann’s entrepreneurial vision comes from the heart. She created The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc., a company that sources organic oils from Afghanistan, Haiti, and other countries experiencing turmoil to encourage change and reverse issues of war and poverty.
She is the first woman from Atlantic Canada to get a venture capital deal in the history of the “Dragons’ Den,” (February, 2011), when she made the “Dragons” cry with her compelling pitch and message of the importance of doing trade with nations that are experiencing war or strife.
One cold call later, her fragrances were in The Bay stores across the country, and they will be available to purchase on March 8.
Stegemann also will have copies of her book, “The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen; a Woman’s Guide to Living and Leading in an Illogical World,” available for purchase (or as a gift with purchase to those who buy her fragrance).
A nominee for Chatelaine’s Women of the Year 2011 entrepreneur award, Stegemann recently received the “Women Innovators” award from the U.S. State Department.
She also has the distinction of being the first woman to be made an honourary colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 14 Wing Greenwood.
And her days in the “Dragons’ Den” are not yet over; Stegemann will be featured on its “Where are they now?” show tonight (Feb. 29) at 7 p.m. (CST).
Primary funding for this initiative to mark International Women’s Day, and celebrate the accomplishments of women entrepreneurs, is provided by the provincial Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.
The Northwest Business Centre is proud to also welcome the RBC Royal Bank as its commercial sponsor for Stegemann’s visit.
Ticket for the dinner cost $30 each, which are available at the RBC and Northwoods Gallery & Gifts in Fort Frances.
For more information, contact Diane Schwartz-Williams at the Northwest Business Centre by calling 1-807-467-4643 or via e-mail at diane@nwbiz.ca
