We recently connected with STEVIE KLICK and have shared our conversation below.

STEVIE, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you ever had an amazing boss? What did you learn from them? Maybe you can share a story that illustrates the kind of boss they were or maybe you can share your thoughts on what you think made them an awesome person to work for?

My first boss ever was fantastic! She was a friend of the family, that I have known her most of my life. She owned two shops from a popular franchise located in malls. I started working for her just before I turned 15 and I continued to worked for her for about 7 or 8 years. This job got me through high school, University, and the subsequent traveling years of my life. She always welcomed me home and would squeeze me into the schedule when I needed the extra money. She had what seemed to me at the time, high expectations for staff, and customer service but she exemplified hardworking positive qualities herself. She was great to work for/ with, and paid us well. She hired mainly women as ‘boys were too much trouble’ and the floor space was very tight. She cultivated a fun and enthusiastic environment for us which was motivating. Most of us ended up becoming good friends, some of us, lifelong friends. In fact, my first employee was a longtime friend whom I worked alongside me.
I would also like to give a special shoutout to my parents, who were both business owners. I didn’t know how much they taught me until I started my own business and found myself drawing upon them for advice and solutions. It’s has led me to reflect on my experiences growing up helping my parents in their businesses, and watching how they solve problems. I am really grateful for this fantastic foundation, it’s definitely helped define who I am and motivated me to grow as a leader and entrepreneur.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

What a contrast I am about to throw you guys here, just after I finish telling you about this wonderful small business upbringing I am going to tell you that I actually chased a more corporate career path for many years. Unsurprisingly, the neglected artist in me was left feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. When I finally hit burnout in 2017, marked by health complications, I was forced to stop. I didn’t realize it, but the time spent recovering was the first time I had stopped for years. In my spare time, I began collecting plant clippings from just about anywhere, and began trading them. I offer to take in other people’s neglected plants, and the next thing I knew, I had an exploding jungle in my house. I started getting creative with ceiling installations and DIY greenwalls. I obviously ran into a lot of issues with my DIY systems so after a few years of trial and error, I started learning about professional systems. One of the first things that I discovered was that there were not a lot of companies doing this type of stuff in Toronto. I was personally at the end of my rope financially and had absolutely nothing to lose at this point. I convinced a group of financiers to give me a microloan to buy some moss. I contacted my supplier to inquire about products and he was extremely welcoming and helpful. We shared the same goals of making the world greener as well as our love for art and the natural world.

In 2020 I started my business so we have been working and growing our little corner in the biophilic design industry. Biophilic design is the concept of creating human-centered spaces intended to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment. There are a variety of ways that one can experience the physiological, psychological, and even spiritual effects of biophilic design. We specialize in sustainable and maintenance-free plant installations. We create restful, welcoming spaces by using natural materials to bring the beauty and tranquillity of nature indoors. Ultimately, we hope that by rebuilding the bridges between the human and natural world, we can inspire people to invest in the environment as a way of investing in themselves and the future. We believe that the human relationship to nature is cyclical – as nature heals us, we are reminded to do our part to heal nature in return.

What sets us apart is our willingness to take on unique projects, and our unique artistic vision. We do more than just create green walls, we create a feeling or an experience. We problem-solve and look at the bigger picture in order to achieve the client’s goals. Choosing a biophilic designer is similar to choosing an artist you love to create something special for your home.

I think I am most proud of my dedication to pushing through the challenges of starting a business as a solo female business owner in a male-dominated industry during the pandemic. Being a business owner is hard enough, so the pandemic definitely made it much worse. You really have to love what you do and believe in yourself, your vision and hold your head high during the challenging times.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started my business on a microloan given to me by an investor’s group for people with disabilities. I had been granted disability after health complications, however, it was not enough to survive on, so I was falling further behind each month. When I was granted the very small microloan, it was basically enough to buy some moss and keep me from bankruptcy. Since the idea of moss walls had not yet hit Toronto in a big way, most people had never heard of this concept. I convinced the group of financiers by asking them to go home and try making it themselves. They didn’t realize how difficult it really was and granted me the loan. I basically started my business on a fracture line and somehow I have made it to where I am today. When everyone was in lockdown binge-watching shows, or jetting off to tropical places, I was studying and building my business, slowly, the hard way which is to bootstrap. I definitely spent a lot of time learning things I never wanted to know just to save money. Entrepreneurship certainly builds character when you force yourself to endure hardship, stress, and lack, in order to follow your dreams. Since I began my business in 2020, I had to constantly adapt in order to survive. I still need to constantly adapt in order to survive, but it’s different now, I am much calmer about the process and I’ve learnt to ride the wave. I guess these are the lessons that resiliency teaches you.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

We design and manufacture the preserved moss, plants, folia, and floral products on site,  however the living wall systems and preserved products are imported from mostly Europe. Since the concept and industry are still so new, my education has been very hands-on, and I continue to learn and grow with the industry as it evolves. My logical brain loves math and science but equally, I have a natural talent for the arts and creativity. So I’ve really taken the best of all my talents and combined them to use my talents to their best ability. It was actually our supplier who took the time to guide/ teach or assist me. We actually traveled to the US for an educational conference two days after the borders opened for flights and business trips only back in June 2021. Although we are technically competitors, we are also allies in the industry as we share a common goal of building a greener world and creating indoor environments that help people fall in love with nature.
This industry is evolving very fast, so it’s important to stay current with innovation, education, and emerging research. I think this is one of the things I like most about this industry, is the constant changes and improvements to outdated systems. I also love people’s warm welcome and openness towards supporting emerging technologies.

Contact Info:

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