Chelsey Daley is slowly adjusting to being a role model for other young female entrepreneurs.

I have you know, young girls or young kids looking up to me and thinking like okay, if she can do it so young, what should I start? To inspire others is amazing.

However, Chelsey didn’t find her first attempts at starting a business so inspirational. She struggled to be taken seriously when approaching banks for financing, who saw her youth as a liability not a benefit. Her lack of a business background also wasn’t helping her cause.

Luckily Chelsey stumbled upon Ignite Fredericton, where she could get business advice and build her skills without being judged. Surrounded by like-minded people, Chelsey realized the key to becoming a successful business owner was to focus on her own personal expertise.

And there’s nothing Chelsey knows better than natural and organic products. Allergic to food colouring since childhood, all-natural products were Chelsey’s only option growing up. These specialized products were often hard to find, and confusing ingredient labels at the grocery store only brought anxiety. Chelsey’s family was ecstatic when a new store featuring only all-natural products opened in her hometown of Moncton in 2004. That store, Sequoia Natural and Organic, proved viable enough to eventually operate three retail locations in the Moncton area.

With her entrepreneurial mindset expanded by Ignite Fredericton, opening an independent location of Sequoia seemed like an opportunity that was tailor-made for her. Reinvigorated with a business idea she was passionate about, Chelsey set out to bring Sequoia’s mix of all-natural, organic, and cruelty-free groceries, supplements, beauty products, and more to Fredericton. Ignite Fredericton helped with her business plan, and even with understanding a whole new language of business terms.

…I had, I don’t know, I kind of called it an entrepreneurial fire. I wanted to work for myself. I wanted to be my own business person, with no background. Ignite Fredericton and the Impact program provided the confidence to move forward. They really made me feel like this is something that I could do. If I had a question, even just on a word, like what does this mean, (they) didn’t make me feel inferior for not knowing what that meant.

Receiving approval for an Impact loan added a further boost to Chelsey’s confidence. Impact financing provided her business with a safety net, offering reassurance that if anything went wrong she would be able to solve it on her own.

Chelsey also took steps to solidify her credibility as a business woman.

…I got people to take me seriously by educating myself and going into board rooms or banks or even just to family members with confidence and presenting myself in a way that made it look like I knew what I was doing. It was kind of a “fake it ’till you make it” thing. You know, I woke up each morning and I said, “You’re a business woman, you can do this.” Whether I truly believed it or not, other people started to believe it and then I started to believe it myself. So I really just, I told myself I could do it, and then I educated myself.

Her hard work paid off in May 2017 with the opening of Sequoia Natural and Organic Fredericton. Chelsey has built a retail location, customer base, and knowledgeable team to be proud of.  In return, she has a community that is grateful to have Sequoia’s products and services. Chelsey’s entrepreneurial fire has led to more than she could have ever thought possible.

Sequoia feels like home to me. I have the best job in the world, in my opinion. I love coming through the doors, I love all my staff. It’s amazing. We worked hard on it. When I got here, the floors were uneven and cement. There was no paint on the walls. To watch it transform, it really was my first child.

Do you live in Fredericton and have a business idea you want to take to the next level?
Apply for Impact online or get in touch with Ignite Fredericton today.