"Last July, I started a business called If The Shoe Fits. If The Shoe Fits was originally a business where I sold women's shoes out of my home. I quickly realized that I wasn’t reaching my customers the way I had anticipated. I live outside the city and my customers were saying that I was too far. I wasn't giving up there. I brainstormed ways to reach my customers and came up with the idea of having a shoe party. At my first shoe party I sold 14 pairs of shoes in one hour. Ever since that party, I hardly sell out of my home, I am a shoe store on wheels and women love it! As a shoe party business, I go into women's homes, offices and special events. I show up with shoes, and women can try them on and purchase that same day.

I have worked at an organization that helps pre-aspiring and aspiring entrepreneurs fulfill their business goals. At the young age of 16, I started my very first business. I come from a family that is very entrepreneurial; my parents own a bed and breakfast.

I started the business for a few reasons:

It is in me to be entrepreneurial. I wanted to do something for myself and I wanted to help out women with their addiction, for shoes. I started the business by myself part time here in Halifax. I was getting requests to do shoe parties in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and even out West. I got thinking...there's got to be a way to reach these targets without me physically being there. Then, the light bulb moment happened. I thought why not have sales reps for these areas? It wasn’t rocket science. With a lot of research, chats with Revenue Canada and my support system, I had an agreement drafted and started to advertise for these positions. The response I received was overwhelming. I had calls from places I didn't know existed. I now have reps in Moncton, Saint John, Halifax, Dartmouth and even Grande Prairie, Alberta. My goal is to have a rep in each of the Canadian provinces by the end of next year.

It just goes to show that no idea is a silly idea and for it to work and for your business to grow, you have to think outside the box and be willing to take risks. Being an entrepreneur is a lot of hard work, however, if this is something you love to do, you do what it takes to make it work.

If you would like to book a shoe party or become a sales rep for your area, please visit www.iftheshoefits.ca, or email shoes AT iftheshoefits DOT ca.

Happy shoe shopping ladies!"

Shelley Penton
If the Shoe Fits
www.iftheshoefits.ca