Meet three women who have
embarked on careers in the
entrepreneurship industry. This
program profiles Lisa Nadeau, a
maple syrup producer whose
company started as a side business
to her dairy farm; Christine
Zacharko, an optician who runs a
mobile optical dispensary; and
Jessica Dawe, a pest control
producer who breeds and sells crop-friendly insects.
Remarks from co-workers and supervisors provide additional layers to the
descriptions of each job. View a preview video clip and read below for
descriptions of each segment, or scroll to the bottom to order!
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The next time you have pancakes, check to
see if you are using genuine maple syrup.
Maple syrup entrepreneur Lisa Nadeau
could taste test that for you with her eyes
closed.
Lisa and her husband live on a dairy farm
that also produces maple syrup. Lisa
wanted to do something creative to enhance the character of the farm and
started the Sugar House. Now, she makes all sorts of maple syrup products and
exports them to the United States and Europe. She also runs her farm as a
tourist spot for families with a sweet tooth.
After seven years at her business Lisa is starting
to see a profit from her work. She doesn’t know
how many hours she works and can only say that
it is a lot. She does manage two weeks off in the
winter and in the summer though. In the future
she would like to do her Ph.D. in medicine or
maybe open a similar farm elsewhere. Whatever
she does, she will always look for a challenge.
“It’s a different way to live when you’re in agriculture. You need a good sense
of organization.” Lisa says it takes passion to have your own business. It’s
challenging, creative and very fulfilling. She really enjoys it.
Lisa has about 2,700 maple syrup taps on the go all over her farm. She still
manages to find time to relax though. Lisa takes time out to sing in a choir and
is an avid reader of classic novels.
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Optician Christine Zacharko is always on
the go with her mobile optical dispensary
“Glasses to Go.” She’s drives around in a
mini-van, helping seniors, disabled people
and whoever can’t or won’t travel to the
optician. She provides all the services a
regular optician does except she goes to
her customers.
Christine’s future goals are to pass her business on to her children. “Glasses to
Go” is her dream and she wants to keep it alive as long as she can. Christine is
also considering setting up a chain of businesses in other locations.
"You have to be very self-motivated. I didn’t realize
how difficult it was to run my own business. You
constantly have to be out there getting business."
While entrepreneurship is a great idea for women,
Christine knows that it’s important to take time off
away from the business as well. You can burn out
and lose focus. Time off helps you to be positive,
energetic and more productive.
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Biological Pest Control entrepreneur Jessica
Dawe has more crawly creatures in her
back yard production center than you’d
ever want to see. But she raises “good”
bugs. Jessica supplies an
ever-expanding
market of organic farmers and other
growers with bugs that attack crop pests.
They are a natural alternative to
pesticides. The business is a good fit for Jessica’s nature-loving approach to life,
and it’s why they call her the “bug lady.”
Biological pest control producers can make a very
good living. Jessica is still working hard at establishing her company, but she is certain to be
making money soon. Her future goals include
succeeding at her business and sharing what she
knows. Eventually, Jessica would like to establish
some kind of scholarship fund for women who
want to get involved in agriculture.
The bugs Jessica starts with lay eggs. She gathers the eggs, feeds and cares for
the bugs as they grow, then packages them up live for sale and release. “I love
my insects. I love watching the way they interact with each other and in the
crops.”
Jessica’s business keeps her very busy. She works about eight to ten hours a
day, seven days a week. Jessica doesn’t mind the long hours because she gets
to stay close to home. And for Jessica, home is where the heart is.
Click the image to the left
for a preview video clip!
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Developed in 2006 in Canada, the Career Options for Women series is an
outstanding resource for schools wanting to attract women and girls to Science,
Technology and Trades!
Please Note: These videos are an excellent depiction of women in these jobs
and are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are
similar to the numbers in the United States. As there is a no-return policy on
these publications, please make sure to look at the preview video clip for the
DVD(s) you are ordering.
Pricing - Career Options for Women: Emerging Technologies DVDs
