Maria Locker, CEO and Founder of The Mompreneur® highlights 2016 Award Nominees
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In the News
LAMBTON COLLEGE: Local entrepreneur and Cube client selected as a national finalist for the 2016 Mompreneur Momentum Award
SARNIA, February 10, 2016 – A local entrepreneur and one of Lambton College’s first Cube clients was recently named as a finalist for the 2016 Mompreneur Momentum Award.
Laura Batista, owner of Handmade For You Love Lu, was recently named as one of 20 finalist for the national award by her peers and the business community. The winner will be chosen by an expert panel of judges based on a select set of criteria including track record of success, product innovation of business idea, growth potential and scalability, revenue, inspiration to others and impact on the community.
Launched in 2011, Batista’s line of handmade crocheted winter accessories initially began as a fundraiser to assist her on a mission trip to Cuba. Today, her unique scarf pattern, featuring her trademark coconut button, has grown to include five independent employees, who work from their own homes to crochet a variety of stylish designs. As part of her business model, and the fact that she was once a single mother, Batista’s focus is on hiring women in similar situations, in hopes of providing them with both income and empowerment.
Also staying true to her original inspiration, Batista continues to donate 15 per cent of all sales proceeds to mission projects in Cuba. In fact, on one of her mission trips to Cuba, Batista met her husband, Manuel who has since joined her in Canada, and together they work to contribute to new projects in Cuba each year. Some of these projects include bringing musical instruments to a small church, gifts for children in orphanages, baby supplies for a group of new mothers, rebuilding a home destroyed in hurricane Sandy and constructing a brick home on a small farm for a very special family.
“I am so honoured and excited to be a finalist for this prestigious national award,” says Batista. “I have big dreams for how to expand and grow my business in order to provide jobs for more local mothers and give back to those in need. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.”
In addition to being one of the first clients to work The Cube, Lambton College’s on-campus entrepreneurial hub, Batista was also a client of the Sarnia Lambton Business Development Corporation and formerly taught Web Development at the College.
“We’re thrilled to hear that a young entrepreneur like Laura has been nominated for such a prestigious award,” says Jon Milos, Director, Entrepreneurship, Lambton College. “By accessing community resources like The Cube and Sarnia Lambton Business Development Corporation, not only was Laura able to increase productivity and sales for her business, but she was also able to create five local jobs. I think her success speaks volumes to the services provided by programs like The Cube and the newly established Startup Sarnia-Lambton.”
The awards ceremony, presented by Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc. and ParentsCanada Magazine takes place at the Sheraton Airport Hotel & Conference Centre in Toronto on Saturday, March 5.
For more information on Laura Batista and Handmade For You Love Lu products, go to handmadeforyoulovelu.com.
For more information on Startup Sarnia-Lambton, please contact Anja Christensen at anja.christensen@lambtoncollege.ca or by phoning 519-542-7751 ext. 3007.
For media inquiries or more information:
Jami Kloet
Corporate Communications Coordinator
Lambton College
Telephone: 519-542-7751 ext. 3337
Mobile: 519-328-2081
Email: jami.kloet@lambtoncollege.ca
See original article here: http://lambtoncollege.ca/custom/Pages/News/Article.aspx?id=2147511974#.VrzZoA_4M2o.facebook
In the News
SARNIA OBSERVER: Work-at-home moms in Sarnia in the running for national business awards
By Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer
Photo: Adaleah Lacey Photography
A pair of Sarnia businesses are in the running for the 2016 Mompreneurs Awards.
Laura Batista, owner of Handmade For You Love Lu, and Candice Bell, owner of Bitty Boots, are finalists for this year’s awards given by the Mompreneur Showcase Group and ParentsCanada Magazine.
Batista is a finalist for a Momentum Award, and Bell is a finalist in the Startup category, for the awards set to be announced in Toronto in early March.
The two Sarnia home businesses are among 20 finalists in four categories, with the winners to be selected by expert panel of judges, based on a set of criteria that includes innovation, commitment to community, sales growth and leadership.
Female entrepreneurs were nominated, or registered, with the contest online where voters helped determine the finalists.
Winners set to be announced at a Mompreneurs conference March 4 and 5 will be eligible for a total of more than $30,000 in cash and business services.
Batista started her home business, Homemade For You Love Lu, in 2011.
It began with a scarf Batista designed and sold to raise money for a mission trip she was taking to Cuba.
“I really didn’t have any intention to start a business,” she said.
But, Batista said she posted a photo on Facebook, and it grew from there.
Since 2014, she has hired five independent crocheters to help with production.
“It has grown quite a bit since the beginning,” Batista said.
“I’m so excited to be nominated, because it’s a national, prestigious award, something that I never thought I’d be up for.”
The business gives 15 per cent of proceeds from sales to mission projects in Cuba. Batista met her husband, Manuel, who now lives with her in Canada, on one of her trips there.
The mission projects to Cuba have include bringing musical instruments to a small church, gifts for children in orphanages, baby supplies for new mothers, rebuilding part of a home destroyed in Hurricane Sandy, and building a brick home on a small farm for a family.
Batista sells her handmade crocheted winter accessories at craft and trade sales, as well as on a website that has attracted a large number of customers in Western Canada.
Batista said winning the award would help her expand her business, and hire more women as independent crocheters.
“In the beginning, the focus was on missions to Cuba,” she said.
“Now, it’s more focused on providing jobs for these local mothers.”
Batista said she also heard about the awards on social media, from other mothers with home businesses.
“There’s a huge trend now to purchase online, and to purchase from work-at-home moms,” she said.
“You kind of have to search for it on social media, but once you find a few, it’s just a big network.”
See original article here: http://www.theobserver.ca/2016/01/25/work-at-home-moms-in-sarnia-in-the-running-for-national-business-awards
In the News
SARNIA JOURNAL: City “mompreneur” juggles kids, homegrown business
Published February, 3 2016 – The Sarnia Journal, By: Tara Jeffrey
PHOTO: Laura Batista, pictured here in her Sarnia home, is a finalist for the 2016 Mompreneur Momentum Award, for her homegrown business, Handmade for You Love Lu.
Four years ago, Laura Batista couldn’t have imagined that learning to crochet would change her life.
“I didn’t plan on having a business at all,” said the 31-year-old Sarnia mom and entrepreneur. “I was preparing for a missions trip to Cuba and needed to raise some money. I had recently learned to crochet so I started making scarves and selling them.”
At the time, she was a 27-year-old single mother working at Lambton College.
She began posting photos of her handmade creations to Facebook, and things took off from there.
“The orders just kept coming in,” she said. “I made double the amount I needed, so I was able to take a friend with me.”
A second mission trip followed, where she met her husband Manuel.
Batista’s new hobby quickly grew into a homegrown business, known as Handmade for You Love Lu.
Custom scarves, hats, headbands and children’s hats have been flying off the shelves from a small workspace at her Sarnia home, and she’s a popular venue at local trade shows and online. Fifteen percent of proceeds from all sales go to mission projects in Cuba, where Batista has partnered with “Friends to Cuba,” a humanitarian group providing needs for an orphanage, medical clinic, churches and a farm there.
Last year, after developing tendinitis — on top of raising two children — Batista was able to hire five local women who work as independent crocheters, so she could focus on the administrative side of things.
“It’s hard,” admitted Batista, who is expecting her third child in March. “Sometimes I just wait until the kids are in bed, then I start sewing on buttons and organizing shipping labels.”
Thanks to her online popularity, about half her merchandise is sold to customers in western Canada.
“It gets a bit insane at Christmas time with orders pouring in,” she said. “I don’t get much sleep. But I enjoy it — this is my passion.”
Most recently, Batista was nominated for the 2016 Mompreneur Momentum Award, presented by Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc. and ParentsCanada, recognizing Canadian women and their achievements in business, particularly in the service-based or non-profit category.
She’s one of five finalists, whose businesses will be judged on criteria like product innovation, growth potential and scalability, revenue, inspiration to others, and community impact.
“I’m pretty excited — I didn’t expect this at all,” said Batista, who will attend the National Mompreneurs Conference in March, two weeks before her due date, to find out the winners, eligible for some $30,000 in cash and business services.
Whether or not she wins, Batista looks forward to expanding her business, and continuing to give back.
“I would love to reach out to groups like the Interval Home or aboriginal women, to offer crocheting courses and hire more women,” she said, recalling her trying days as a single mother struggling to get by. “Just to give back to those people in situations I’ve been in.”
For more information on Handmade for You Love Lu, visit www.handmadeforyoulovelu.com or on Facebook www.facebook.com/handmadeforyoulovelu
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See original article here: http://thesarniajournal.ca/city-mompreneur-juggles-kids-homegrown-business/
In the News
PRESS RELEASE: Local Mompreneur Finalist Announcement
Entrepreneur Laura Batista selected as a finalist for the 2016 Mompreneur® Momentum Award
Sarnia’s Own Laura Batista of “Handmade For You Love Lu” is proud to announce that she has been named a finalist for the 2016 Mompreneur® Momentum Award. The winner will be announced at The 2016 National Mompreneurs® Conference on Saturday, March 5th, 2016.
For Immediate Release:
JANUARY 2016 – SARNIA, ONTARIO – The Top 20 finalists have been selected for the fourth instalment of
The Mompreneur® Awards brought to you by Mompreneur Showcase Group Inc. and ParentsCanada
Magazine. Every year this award gets bigger and recognition gets more renowned as the achievements and
contributions of women and their businesses in Canada grows. This year two new awards were added to
include women across all areas of business.
Local Mompreneur Laura Batista of “Handmade For You Love Lu” has been named a finalist by her peers and
the business community. The task of determining who will win one of the four Awards being presented at this
year’s 2016 National Mompreneurs® Conference will now be left up to an expert panel of judges. The winner
will be chosen based on a select set of criteria for each award including track record of success; product
innovation of business idea; growth potential and scalability; revenue; inspiration to others; and impact on the
community.
“Handmade For You Love Lu” is a small handmade business of crocheted winter accessories that provides jobs
to 5 local mothers, and gives back a percentage of sales to missions work in Cuba. Conceived in 2011 by Laura
Batista.
Living in Southwestern Ontario with very cold winters, and not content with the typical unstylish winter
accessories, Laura set out to design an original pattern for a unique scarf attached with coconut buttons to keep
herself warm. Initially Laura sold the scarves to fund her first mission’s trip to Cuba. She needed to raise a
certain amount of money to attend the trip, so she posted a photo of herself online wearing her newly designed
scarf. From there, Handmade For You Love Lu was born. In 2014 Laura realized that she needed some help to
keep up with the high demand for her products. She now has 5 local “independent crocheters” working with her
to make the winter accessories by hand. When Laura started her business she was a single mother. As her
business grows, she desires to reach out to hire woman in tough situations, to provide an income and
empowerment for them.
15% of proceeds from sales go to mission projects in CUBA. On one of her missions’ trips to Cuba, Laura met
her husband Manuel, who now lives here with her in Canada. Together their family continues to contribute to a
new set of projects in Cuba each year, to help better life for those in need. Some of the projects they have led
include: bringing musical instruments to a small church, gifts for children in orphanages, baby supplies for a
group of new mothers, a rebuild of part of a home destroyed in hurricane Sandy and a completely new build of
a brick home on a small farm for a very special family.
“I am so honoured and excited to be a finalist for this prestigious national award! I have big dreams for how to
expand and grow my business in order to provide jobs for more local mothers and give back to those in need. I
can’t wait to see where this journey takes me”. – Laura Batista
The 2016 Mompreneur® Awards presented by TruShield Insurance will be handed out at The 2016
National Mompreneurs® Conference taking place over 2 days during International Women’s Day Weekend,
Friday, March 4th, and Saturday March 5th 2016. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Airport Hotel &
Conference Centre – 801 Dixon Rd, Toronto, ON.
To interview Laura Batista about being a finalist or to provide commentary on being a Mompreneur and
business leader Please contact:
LAURA BATISTA
handmadeforyoulovelu@gmail.com
For more information on the Conference & Awards, to obtain a Media Pass or to speak to CEO Maria Locker
please contact:
Rania Walker, PR & Media Relations
Phone: 416-258-8953
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About Mompreneur® Showcase Group Inc.
Mompreneur® Showcase Group Inc. (www.TheMompreneur.com) is the trusted national network that supports,
educates, and empowers moms in business across Canada. With close to 20 satellite locations in Canada
supporting over 17,000 women entrepreneurs, the company also includes Mompreneur® Magazine and
Mompreneurs® Momentum Enterprise of Canada (non-profit) under its umbrella of properties.
About ParentsCanada
ParentsCanada Magazine is one of Canada’s leading resources for parents of newborns to teens. Its focus is
on providing parents the tools they need to make positive choices for their families. www.parentscanada.com
About TruShield Insurance
The TruShield Insurance solution was specifically created to provide Canadian small businesses with the
insurance coverage they need. TruShield Insurance is the small business division of Federated Insurance
Company of Canada, a leading specialized insurance provider. A 100% Canadian owned company, Federated
Insurance has been part of the Fairfax family of companies since 1990. Learn more about TruShield Insurance