Cheryl Best, Foot Care Nurse

Nursing foot care

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"I'm a Licensed Practical Nurse, but during the course of time I kept hurting myself, so I went and I did the Nursing Foot Care Course. That's when I decided to start my own business as a foot care nurse.

"I do nursing foot care, which takes care of the corns, the calluses, the toenails, do some diabetic teaching. I teach people how to take care of their feet too, help them with follow-ups to their doctors and make recommendations."

Workplace images

English only

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"In Trinidad you do Spanish and French and Latin. At a certain level you can drop one language, so we dropped French, which is something I should have taken for coming to Canada."

Communication important

Communication skills are very important in my work. I need to be able to talk with my clients because I do a lot of client teaching. Many of my patients have diabetes, so I have to teach them how to care for their feet and talk about medication with them.

Most of my work is face-to-face. I don't do much work on the phone. I have had maybe three clients where I've had to do some teaching on the phone about their foot care.

Work in English

Most of my clients are English speaking. I have a few who speak French and few Native people, but they also speak English.

Whenever I have someone who doesn't speak English, they will have a family there to translate for them.

Small talk and listening

A lot the time I make small talk with my clients while I'm working, asking about their lives. The war veterans like to talk about their war days.

One man recently told me about his trip to Vimy Ridge, where the Queen shook his hand. He was very excited to talk all about it. He told me, "There was even a chair with my name on it, and I sat beside the Prime Minister's wife!"

Reading and writing

I have to do a lot of writing in my job. I do all the charting and billing. I do all the paperwork for the clients and then they just sign for it.

It's our responsibility to keep up with new developments in our work. We do a lot of reading and go to conferences for that.

Wanted independence

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"I felt that I was young enough still to start my own business and well enough to work, instead of going on disability.

"I'm a dialysis patient, I'm diabetic, and starting the foot care business gave me an opportunity to be independent. This way I don't have to lift anybody.

"I love people and I can still continue working with people and be independent at the same time."

Interview at SEED

A friend told me about SEED and the help they give for starting business. She and I wanted to go into business together. But my friend wanted to go into a different type of business - taking care of the elderly with an elder daycare - and I wanted to do foot care.

When I had an interview with one of the SEED counsellors, she realized that my idea and my friend's idea were not working together. She told me, "You could just change your business plan and go after your own business".

Programs helped

I did the course* at SEED where they had teachers come in on different nights. They also had business owners that SEED had helped before come in and help us with our business plan.

I also took a course at the YMCA for small business owners.

* Note: Cheryl took the Build a Business Program (BAB), a business management training program offered at SEED. The program is 24 sessions long. For more information, see SEED Winnipeg in USEFUL LINKS.

For information about the YMCA's Self-Employment Program, see Other Business Support in USEFUL LINKS.

Created business plan

SEED really gave me the knowledge and the encouragement to go along and start my own business.

Their business management training program is great. They really guide you a lot. They ask you to plan what you really want to do with your business and then they guide you and help you to foresee some problems you might have and how to solve them.

They helped me with my business plan and helped me with the process of applying for loans. They also offered one-on-one counselling.

Marketing for clients

The most challenging part for me was getting the clients. I had to work a lot at advertising and telling others, delivering flyers and handing out business cards.

The initial expense of printing up the business cards, getting the logo put on my car and getting the business licence was about a thousand dollars.

It's important to tell everyone that you meet what you do and exchange cards and brochures. It really helps with your business because when you tell someone they tell someone else and so on.

Profits after a year

Since my startup, things have gone really well. When I started my business I lived on my line of credit for one year, and the following year I paid off my line of credit and just lived on the business. This work has been really good.

I've been able to pay off my car and other things too.

Built good client base

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"I started off with just about two or three clients. Sometimes maybe I only had two or three clients in a whole week.

"And now I do anywhere from five to eight clients a day, and sometimes during the odd day when I will do 12 or 13 clients. I really don't like to go over more than eight clients a day.

"I try to pace myself so that I'm not overworking and overexerting myself."

Half hour sessions

When I do the first session with a client, it will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. In that session I need to assess the foot and do the care. The next time we meet to maintain the care and it will only take about half an hour or so.

Follow-up from SEED

After I started up, someone from SEED phoned me every so often to check to see how I was doing, and find out if I was still in business and if I needed any help.

My answer was always, "Yes I'm still in business and no I don't need any help, I'm doing really well."

On-going costs

There are some continuous costs in my business.

I use sterilizing solutions for my equipment and I'm always adding equipment. At this time there is a big piece of equipment that I would really like to purchase but I haven't because I can't afford it yet.

It's a sterilizer, something the size that a dentist will use. It would cost me about $2,500 to $3,000.

Mother ran own business

I grew up in a family where people were always very business-like. My mom ran her own confectionery business, and of course we helped with that. She made a lot of candies to sell and she would do crafts to sell too.

She would always be very busy doing things, so maybe that's where the idea came from way back in my head to start my own business.

Worked hard to prove herself

The only thing that I've found very challenging in the Canadian workplace is that I felt like I had to work extra hard to prove myself. When others were hanging around I felt that I had to be busy all the time.

I thought that Canadians can get away with certain things but the immigrants had to work harder to prove themselves. That's why we always encourage our kids that if they have to do something, they should do it well and do their best.

Ethical advice for business

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"I feel that if you want to be a professional you need to do the best that you can do, be the best that you can be and be quite ethical with your work.

"You have to be honest. People sometimes will say, "You don't need to give me a receipt. You don't have to claim it." But how could you be in business and not make any money?

"You've got to show that you are making some income and you have a successful business. You can't have a successful business if you never pay your taxes."

Comparing countries

I haven't lived in Trinidad since 1972, but whenever I go and visit I don't see any difference in technology between there and in Canada.

There is quite a bit of difference in the cost of living in Trinidad. There you get a water bill once a year, and your hydro bill is so cheap. You don't have to worry about heating bills. Gasoline is also very cheap in Trinidad.

Volunteering outside work

I do a lot of volunteering outside of work. Our church has a program, called the Coronary Health Improvement Program and I'm one of the program staff.

We go to different parts of the city twice a year, in the fall and the spring. The program runs for a month. People come in with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and we help them change their lifestyle.

I also volunteer at other things at church a lot and also attend different functions hosted by West Indian groups in the community.

Loves the seasons

All the different seasons are great, because we don't experience different seasons back home, we only have the rainy season and the dry season. And the fact that you can grow so much here in just three months in the summer is just amazing.

Shocked by winter

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"When I moved here, I thought it was just too cold to go out in the winter, and I thought you did everything in the summer.

"I was just so shocked to find out that you had to go to school during the winter months, because in Trinidad you're so laid back if it rained too hard, you stayed home.

"And another thing is the sun was shining when it's so cold, how could that be?

"I dress very warm and once I'm indoors, I'm in indoors. I've learned a secret for keeping warm: long johns. That's what I do now."

Family all over the world

My mom passed away in '92. I came from a family of 13 kids so I have brothers and sisters all over the world. I have a sister in BC, two sisters here, a brother in Edmonton, a brother in New York and one in Martinique.

The rest of my family is in Trinidad.

Busy balanced life

In my spare time, I visit on the phone a lot with my friends. I like to watch TV and also go to church. I go out bowling and we go to Steinbach Days whenever they are on.

I balance my life quite well because my kids are older, except that I have a little grandson now and sometimes it's very hard to get away in the morning. So I leave home a little later now in the morning. I schedule my first appointment for around ten o'clock and I'm usually home around four.

Misses casual social life

In Trinidad when we grew up it was so open. If you had to go anywhere you didn't even have to leave your kids with a babysitter, you just asked the neighbour next door to listen out for them. But here everything is closed up, you hardly ever see your neighbour.

I miss dropping in on people all the time. In Trinidad, we'd just drop in, we were always welcome. If people were having supper, they would lay another plate out for you. Here you have to phone and ask before you visit. It's different that way.

Continue until retirement

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"When I got very, very sick I had cut down on some of my hours. But now that I'm feeling better, I've increased my hours of work again.

"I intend to stay in this business for quite a long time, because it suits me fine. It pays the bills really well and I can continue to serve people in the nursing field.

"That's my goal: just stay with it. I'm 52 now so I plan to maybe work until I'm 60."

Stay in Manitoba

I've been all over this place and I just love Manitoba. First of all, hardly any big disasters happen in Manitoba. And while it's very cold in the winter, it's very nice in the summer. And Manitoba is very friendly.

It is just small enough and large enough. You don't have to go on highways to get from one point to the other. I'm just six minutes away from the airport; life is great here.

Always taking courses

In nursing every year they offer refresher courses, and I usually attend those. It's quite costly though. Sometimes it can cost up to $350, but it's good to have it because I'm dealing with diabetics all the time.

It's good to know what I'm doing when I'm dealing with the elderly and the sick in the community.

Professional ties help

I belong to the Certified Foot Care Nurses Interest Group, and also to the College of the Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba.

I'm involved with them because my field is ruled and governed by these bodies. It keeps you in check. To maintain your licence, you have to attend some of the informational sessions and do the ongoing education.

Good prospects

My business is doing very well. I work as much as I want or as little as I want. I take what time off I want, but I try to maintain my clients so that I'm not gone too much. I maintain a good rapport with my clients.

I have no plans to expand or hire other people. I've learned its better to work alone. You can have a partner who signs on the dotted line one day and the next day they're sick, you've got to pay them all this time when they're not contributing anything.

SEED Winnipeg

SEED Winnipeg is a non-profit agency that works to combat poverty and assists in the renewal of Winnipeg's inner city. SEED offers business management training and individual consulting, access to micro-enterprise loans, asset building programs, and more. SEED Winnipeg has three main programs:

Build a Business (BAB)
Business management training, help with writing a business plan, access to business financing, and support after business start. Clients in SEED's Youth BAB can receive a living allowance and can participate in SEED's Saving Circle program.

Community and Worker Ownership Program (CWOP)
Assistance to groups of people/organizations who are interested in starting or expanding a cooperative, community-owned business or social enterprise. Services include business idea generation, group assessments, help in developing a governance structure, help with writing a business plan, access to business financing, and business management/professional development workshops and support after business start.

Asset Building Programs
Help low-income participants to save for productive assets or household necessities.  Program supports include money management training, one-to-one financial counseling, and matched savings credits that are added to the funds that participants save on their own.

The SEED Winnipeg website also has a list of useful links for:
Small business
Savings programs
Community Economic Development

C/M Business Service Center

The Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre (CMBSC) is a partnership between the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba. It co-ordinates support for small business in Manitoba, delivering services from 38 federal sources, 13 provincial departments and five private sector partners.

Here are just a few examples of what they offer:

Live Seminars

(Online) Interactive Business Planner
Users can prepare a three-year business plan for a new or existing business, using a question and answer format.

Online Small Business Workshop
Tutorial exploring the concepts for setting up a small business.

Other Business Support

Business Start-Up

YMCA Self-Employment Program
This program helps unemployed Canadians eligible for Employment Insurance Benefits to start and successfully operate their own businesses. Funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, it provides income support and business skills development services.
This program is also delivered in Winnipeg by Meyers Norris Penny as the "Self-Employment Program". 

Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba
The Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba (WECM) is a non-profit supported primarily by Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD). The goal of the WECM is to provide support from business start-up to sustainability by offering services in three key areas: training, advice and loans for business start-up and growth. The WEC works in partnership with a variety of corporate and community partners such as banks, credit unions, and chambers of commerce to promote entrepreneurship as an option to women throughout Manitoba.

Business Start Program
This is a loan guarantee program with a free three-day Business Planning Workshop. Loans to new owner-managed businesses are guaranteed by the Manitoba Government.

Ongoing Support for Business

BizCoach Manitoba
BizCoach Manitoba Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides business mentoring services to small businesses. Entrepreneurs can seek guidance from experienced business owners on the many facets of business such as:
• Start-up, Growth and Expansion
• Access to Capital
• Sales and Marketing
• Networking and Succession Planning
• Financial and Human Resource Management

Manitoba Marketing Network Inc.
The Manitoba Marketing Network is a private/public partnership between members of Manitoba's business community and the Department of Industry, Trade and Mines. Its purpose is to provide free, practical marketing advice to small business owner/operators.

Developing Your Skills

Business Education and Training

These programs are available in addition to the programs listed in the previous sections:

Red River College
Business Administration

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon
Business Administration

University College of the North
Business Administration

Communication Skills

Learn English
Funded by Manitoba Labour and immigration

Essential Skills

Essential Skills are the skills needed for work, learning and life. They help you learn other skills and adapt to change.

The most important Essential Skills for Small Business Owner-Operators are:
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Job task planning and organizing
• Significant Use of Memory
• Finding Information
• Working With Others

For more information, see the Essential Skills website

Business Associations

Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is the leading organization representing business in our community.

Manitoba Home Business Advisory Council
The Manitoba Home Business Advisory Council, formed in September 2003, was established as "a voice" for home business owners in Manitoba. It provides education, awareness, advocacy and networking opportunities for home business owners.