We Did the Legwork, Now Listen Up: Michelle Shemilt Shares Her Best Business Advice
As women, we’re given a lot of advice. We’re told to take our makeup off before bedtime, to never say “I love you” first, to admit when “he’s just not that into me,” to never wear white after Labor Day and a whole slew of other tidbits on almost any subject you can ever think of. With all of this information floating around our beautiful heads, how are we supposed to know which pieces of advice we should follow? Well, we can learn from the trial and error of other women of course! Michelle Shemilt is a woman who has done the legwork and she’s sharing the best business advice she’s ever gotten with us.
So who’s Michelle Shemilt? Well, besides being a beautiful, confident and charismatic alpha female, she’s the owner of her own business. She has bravely left her corporate job in search of her true passion. As a former model, Michelle has always had a passion for clothing and fashion design. Nudy Patooty started when Michelle was working her desk job at RBC. During the scorching summer months, she found herself avoiding wearing her favourite clothes because they were prone to causing embarrassing odor and unsightly perspiration stains. She felt that ruining her clothes due to perspiration or spending countless dollars getting them dry-cleaned was not an option. Therefore, instead of banishing her favorite clothes to the back of her closet, she created Nudy Patooty. Nudy Patooty is a line of undershirts that are expertly tailored to fit snuggly on the body. I know what you’re thinking. Why would I want to put on another layer to avoid perspiration? Well, these undershirts are made from 95% bamboo fabric which has natural antibacterial properties that prevent odor. Its porous nature regulates body temperature and the absorbent fabric wicks moisture away from your body to keep you and your clothes dry and comfortable.
So how did Michelle go from sitting behind a desk and worrying about the way that the scorching heat is ruining her favourite clothes, to quitting that job and following her dreams to solve that problem? Well first off, a large dose of bravery, and secondly, some good advice. We know good advice is hard to come by and that’s why we’ve let Michelle do the leg work for us and present it to us on a silver platter. She’s done the research and now it’s time for you to reap her rewards.
1. Get your product on the market so you can get customer feedback
Before we send something into the world, we want it to be perfect. When we create a product, especially our first, it becomes an extension of who we are and what we can do. If it becomes a failure, we may see ourselves as the same. We can tweak our product until the cows come home, but until you get your product into the market you’ll never get any customer feedback. By receiving customer feedback, you can get an objective opinion on what works and what doesn’t. True perfection will come from combining your vision with the opinions of others. Only then, will you get a truly comprehensive and fully functioning product.
2. Focus on building your team
Michelle highly stresses the importance of networking and building your team. You cannot build a business on your own. Even the most stubborn and determined woman will need help along the way. If you truly want to be successful, Michelle says that you need to assess your strengths and weaknesses and team up with people who can complement your skill set. Look, I know that we’re all capable and amazing women, but that doesn’t make us Superwoman! We do have weaknesses and if we find someone who can bring our business to the next level, then we should welcome them with open arms. Michelle is quick to praise those who have helped her along her path to success. Therefore, we should also look for others who can take us to that next level of excellence.
3. Attach yourself to your brand
Remember how I said that your product becomes a reflection of who you are and of what you can do? Well that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be wonderful! You can take your charismatic, gorgeous self and give your brand a face. Michelle says that you want people to see you when they think of the brand. They want to see you as a person, and not just as a corporate entity. You can let your personality shine! Instead of living your life confined by the rules of the corporate world, you should let yourself be a person, rather than a worker. When you attach yourself to your brand, you’re allowing yourself to stay true to the person that you are and you are giving the customer a person to relate to.
Besides giving us the best advice that she has ever gotten, Michelle shares some of her own advice with us. That’s right ladies, we’re offering you more bang for your buck.
Michelle adds that:
4. You will always have to ask for advice
Successful people are always very happy to share their knowledge, but you have to ask. They often won’t give out unsolicited advice because they don’t want to step on your toes. Lucky for you ladies, we’ve asked for you! Michelle’s message holds true in so many aspects. We need to ask for help, for advice and for clarity. Who cares if we ask a “dumb” question? In fact, past advice would say there’s no such thing as “dumb” questions. If we don’t ask, we’ll never know and we could send ourselves down the wrong path just because we were too afraid to get the answers we needed. Ask the questions, be brave and set yourself on the path of success.
5. Listen and absorb all of the advice you are given, but stay true to your instincts and your vision
We can give you a book with the best business advice in the world. You can model your entire career off of it, but that may not give you the best product that you could make because the key element that is missing here is your own advice. You know what you want, you know what feels right for you and above all, you should follow that. You may regret following someone else’s advice but you cannot hold it against yourself for doing what you thought was right at the time. You were born with that famous women’s intuition so you should use it!
Whether we’re following our own advice or the advice of others, there will always be countless opinions. Yours is the only one that matters. So take our advice, pair it with your intuition and go forth! And take our advice: you can do it!
If you want to learn more about Michelle, Nudy Patooty and when you can get your own, visit: nudypatooty.com
Taylor Brown
Taylor Brown is an Associate Editor at Goddess Connections for the Women Who Run It E-Mag. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Studies. She is a resident of Toronto and she has a passion for exploring topics on health and fitness, and enjoys writing stories about women’s issues. She also enjoys writing about business and how to build a career. When she is not working for Women Who Run It you can find her exploring Toronto, going for jogs, or simply enjoying life as a strong, empowered woman who runs it. Her goal is to share stories that help women of all walks of life take control of their lives and create balance with ease.