SIBLING ENTREPRENEURS LOVE AND LEAN ON EACH OTHER

As part of our continuing series on young entrepreneurs, we take a look at Dolce Vita Accessories and The Rocky Mountain Soap Company.

Call it a case of Big Brother Knows Best. It was over dinner at his home in Canmore, Alberta, that Cameron Baty suggested younger sister Melonie get into the retail game. For three years, Melonie, in partnership with her mother Donna, had been running Canadian Girl Accessories, selling high-end merchandise to businesses across Manitoba; their decision to expand into Saskatchewan and Alberta had brought them across the country and to Cameron’s table.

Melonie says she turned to her mother, who agreed that Winnipeg had a viable market for women’s accessory retailers. And so from that mealtime conversation sprang Melonie’s present business – Dolce Vita Accessories.

“Cameron saw the potential,” Melonie says, and despite a lengthy business background, she professes that so much of what she knows has been learned from her older brother. “He is my mentor,” she says. “I consult him before any major decisions and lean on him for support.” And Cameron has proven that he knows what he’s talking about: he and wife Karina are the husband-and-wife team behind The Rocky Mountain Soap Company, which now boasts eight retail stores in Western Canada, including one just a few stores down from Dolce Vita, in Polo Park.

Their entrepreneurial spirit, the siblings say, was inherited in part from their father, Doug, a Winnipeg fireman who always maintained some sort of side enterprise. And long before they were business partners, Melonie remembers their mother counseling both siblings not to fear taking risks. Indeed, entrepreneurial drive runs in the family, with many relatives also owning businesses. Whether it’s in their genes or has been absorbed through osmosis, Melonie and Cameron have certainly distinguished themselves as entrepreneurs. And they continue to learn, and to benefit, from each other.

Previously, says Melonie, Winnipeg’s high-end women’s accessories market was lacking a retailer within a high traffic mall. Immediately she determined that Polo Park should be her location; however, she was duly informed that there was up to a two-year waiting list. Then, in late November 2007, Melonie got a call from Cameron, who had met with the mall’s management and mentioned his sister’s business plan.

This initiated a fast-track negotiation to bring Dolce Vita into the shopping centre. Orginally, a Boes outlet was to occupy the space where Dolce Vita currently resides, but a different location was ultimately chosen, leaving Melonie with prime corner frontage. However, this left the mall management with an empty space where Dolce Vita was originally to be situated – so Melonie mentioned, “Well, my brother has this company….”

The journey that led Cameron to the soap business began in 1999, when he and Karina bought a small soap-making workshop and retail boutique in Canmore. One of their first major business decisions would be a definitive one: a complete discontinuation of chemical-based products, and a switch to 100 per cent natural ingredients and essential oils.

What followed was a slow evolution and expansion of product, and an expansion of the wholesale side of the business; today, the company has 800 accounts across Canada. And the retail end is likewise exploding: “It took us seven years to get to four stores, and this year alone that number has doubled,” Cameron says, adding that he always recognized the potential of the business, but never expected things to get this big. This past year has consequently seen an increase in production; in fact, the company’s 7,000-square-foot production workshop in Canmore may have to be further enlarged.

One resource Cameron now draws upon is the same little sister whose retail career he helped jumpstart. Although Melonie insists that Cameron is the real financial expert, the younger sibling he still calls “kiddo” has her own business smarts – particularly regarding marketing. Indeed, Cameron says he actively seeks her advice on these and related issues, such as store design and layout. Melonie also acts as Cameron’s eyes and ears, keeping her Canmore-based brother apprised of local market developments and advertising opportunities.

The siblings also join forces for promotional purposes: both stores had grand openings the same night, and brother and sister plug for one another at every opportunity. Even now they’re talking about future joint efforts, with Melonie dreaming up event-oriented promotions Cameron says he’d never think of. It’s a relationship built on mutual cooperation – and mutual trust.

Yet despite their complementary talents, there’s no doubt sister and brother differ in their business approach. Cameron recalls then-future mayor Sam Katz’s address to his graduating class at Red River College: “Never risk more than you are willing to lose.” Consequently, his is a cautious approach. Although he had personally wanted to “bring a business home” to Winnipeg, it was his market research indicating both a demand for natural alternatives and little in the way of competition that tipped the scale.

By contrast, Melonie is more of a self-described “act-then-think-about-it” kind of entrepreneur. In the end, it wasn’t just Melonie’s more accomplished brother’s encouragement that convinced her to open the business – it was a strong gut feeling. “I am a firm believer that you have to risk big to win big,” Melonie says, adding that the Winnipeg retail market is notoriously tough, with conservative consumers being considerably more bargain-conscious. If she could operate a successful business here, she reasoned, she could do so anywhere.

Still, her more daring approach is still anchored by sound business sense. Opening the store was a risk, yes, “but it was a measured risk.” After all, Melonie had her Canadian Girl experience to draw on, and had secured not only a loan from the Women’s Enterprise Centre, but the support of several shareholders. She has also been careful, she says, not to get carried away by her own enthusiasm. Although close to meeting her projected sales figures after just four months, she says it’s still too soon to say that they have been successful. “What I can say is that we are learning a lot and that we can only get better at what we do.”

So what’s next? Cameron sees room for further expansion: while Rocky Mountain presently sells beyond Canadian borders online, there are still as of yet unexplored global opportunities. And “kiddo”? She plans to follow big brother’s lead and open locations across the country. Still her brother’s influence may yet result in some surprises; after all, one of her most cherished memories is of a card Cameron gave her for her high school graduation, which read: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”