Christina (Storey) St Clair is an Elite Mompreneur Member based out of London, Ontario and has been a Mompreneur Member since 2014. Her company STOREY’S specializes in appraisals and auctions. We are proud to share her Success Story!
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
It’s in my blood. I’m fourth generation in the auction and appraisal business in our family, and working for yourself was just something that was ingrained in me from a very young age. When I ventured off to university and tried jobs there and elsewhere, I never truly felt challenged or fulfilled. Running my own business gives me that fulfillment and joy that I need to stay motivated in my career and within our industry.
What’s the best part about owning your own business?
I LOVE the flexibility! While I work beyond just our regular business hours, I am free to schedule my appointments and meetings when it best suits me, my work and my family. I work with my partner and my sister; between the three of us we’re able to work side-by-side to run our business and raise the kids in a non-traditional but successfully harmonious way that just works for us!
My husband is from Melbourne, Australia, which means we have a lot of family and friends that live so very far away. Owning our own business allows us to take the time when we need it to go for extended visits, so we can keep healthy connections and relationships for our own well-being and that of our kids.
Another perk is the self-development; I am able to fund and schedule time for my passion of continued education, leadership and growth and development!
Last but not least, I love knowing that we are contributing to a healthy community through employment, taxes, and giving back to the community where we can, all the while doing so by providing our customers and clients with reputable and professional services and products – it’s a WIN-WIN!
Can you describe a typical day?
A typical day for me starts at 6:00am with some light exercise outdoors while listening to an audio book on my phone (I love finance and leadership books). Then it’s the standard chaos of getting 5 of us out the door by 8:00am – daycare drop-off and then the office. What happens in the office is always an unknown! That’s what makes it fun, you just have to be prepared for anything! It could mean 8 hours of tedious research and report composition for an appraisal; it might mean putting on a dirty pair of jeans and setting up an auction in a warehouse here, there or somewhere; it could be time spent paying bills, doing payroll and reviewing our current finances; or it could be a day out networking or meeting potential clients. Either way each day will involve a lot of coffee and a lot of brain power! On a typical day we lock up around 5:30pm, then it’s off to get the kids, make/have dinner, and the bath and bedtime routine we’re all too familiar with. Then I usually have an hour of cleaning/tidying, some journaling and finally a glass of wine and a bit of downtime with my hubby before bed at 11:00pm.
Who do you count on for help? Do you have a network of family that answer the call?
What I have found is that the people I have met networking have ironically become a great network of people I can call for help! Whether I have clients who find themselves in messy situations and I need advice from a lawyer or bailiff on how I can best legally assist them, or my garage door breaks down and I need to call someone for help in the middle of Canadian Tire because I don’t know which garage door opener is the best to buy, I have found that this group of people have connected me to a lifeline of knowledge, and a wealth of resources that have helped me overcome a number of hurdles with a trusted hand to hold.
Have you ever had to sacrifice something at home for work? Or vice versa?
Absolutely. Sacrifice is the name of the game! There have been many long work weeks (some 100 hours or more), I have missed out on maternity leaves and benefits; there have been many early mornings and late nights where I have missed my morning and bedtime snuggles with my kids; there has been guilt from putting my work before my family, friends and even my health when I’ve had to plug along; and there has been a lower standard of living, earning less than my counterparts do in fancy corporate jobs. But overall, the intrinsic rewards have conquered all that’s been lost! And of course taking holidays means that the business suffers, but as long as you prepare in advance and have the right things in place you can make it work. It’s a balance of weighing what’s important to you today, what’s important in getting you to your long term goals, and walking the fine line that will ultimately get you there in a happy, healthy vessel with lots of memorable experiences along the way.
What do you do on a day off? Do you even know what a day off is?
Days off from work don’t mean days off from life – and life is BUSY! So days off are usually spent cleaning up, running errands, taking the kids to sports and activities, etc. But no matter what there is always time for a coffee and a walk through Springbank with my girlfriends on Sunday morning, and there is always time for Family Date nights. It’s the short breaks from life that keep the fire fuelled, and I’m blessed to have a wonderful family and amazing friends to keep that fire going!
Are you active in your community? What does supporting local mean to you?
I love giving back! Since I’m still a young mom, free time and money aren’t necessarily always on my side. But what I do love doing is supporting local fundraisers and charities with their events by donating our services to assist or run their silent and live auction components. We have the knowledge and resources, so why not share! It’s a great way to give back and get involved with numerous organizations helping a variety of causes in our community. We also love nothing more than to support our customers and clients by purchasing their products and services whenever we can. I believe that the more we help each other out, and the more we put into our community the more we will get out of it not only personally, but in our businesses as well.
Name another entrepreneur who inspires you.
Kevin O’Leary – AKA Mr. Wonderful!
What does the future look like for you and your business?
The future looks pretty awesome! My goal is to simply offer the best products and services within our industry and to build a brand and company that is known for its integrity, for its positive customer experience, and as an active community partner.
Any tips for moms thinking of starting a business?
As the saying goes, ‘JUST DO IT’! The way I see it, I can have faith in someone else’s ability to run a business and provide me with a paycheque – or I can have faith in myself and my abilities to earn a living. After watching the economy crash in 2008, after having spent over a decade working with companies during bankruptcies and insolvencies and knowing the stress my friends have endured every time their corporations ‘restructure’, I have put my faith in me. If you believe you can do it, just do it, and you will!