It’s been exactly two years since Chelsea Stewart realized her entrepreneurial dream and opened House of Hearing in Esterhazy. Having spent most of her career as an audiologist in the public health sector, Stewart didn’t initially plan to open her own clinic.
“I loved my job and was passionate about helping people assess, diagnose and treat hearing problems in a medical setting,” she explained. “When my husband was transferred, it created challenges for our family. As a mother of three young children and my husband worked shifts, a long commute was not an option.”
Starting his own business gave Stewart the freedom to do what he loved and spend time with his family. Armed with the idea and expertise to start an audiology service, Stewart was faced with the question, “How?”
“I had no business experience whatsoever,” Stewart said, “and I had no idea where to start or how to get started.”
That’s where the Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan came in. WESK had the answers Stewart was looking for, plus the support of its 800 members.
“It was risky in the sense that there really wasn’t a lot of information in terms of, ‘Is this feasible?’, ‘Is there an opportunity to run a business like this in rural Saskatchewan?'” Stewart said, “So WESK played a really big role, working with me over a few months to finalize a business plan. Then I was able to do research and reach out to people in local organizations to determine if there was a need for services and create a business plan around the care-focused model that I wanted.”
“This is also one of the main focuses of the WESK organization – providing advice, capital, training and networking resources to help women start and grow their businesses in Saskatchewan,” Stewart continues, “There are several barriers to women accessing capital to start their own businesses, and one of the things WESK does is provide funding opportunities to get these businesses up and running.”
Stewart was in the spotlight when WESK recently held its annual gala in Saskatoon on May 15 to celebrate Saskatchewan women’s success stories. The gala is an opportunity for WESK to present entrepreneurship awards in five categories. Stewart won the Innovation award, utilizing strategies she learned through her time at WESK.
“Being in a room with so many really inspiring women in the business world and seeing all the great things that women have accomplished in Saskatchewan and in the business world, it was a really humbling experience to be recognised in a room full of inspiring and successful women,” Stewart said of the celebration.
What sets her business apart is that she embraces a small-town feel and provides a space where people feel welcome.
“It all started with the location I chose for my business,” she said. “I renovated a small house on Main Street in Esterházy into a ‘hearing house’ because I wanted patients receiving hearing services to feel at home and comfortable.”
Building trust and creating “word of mouth” buzz has been a big part of Stewart’s success, which equates to providing professional service with small town values.
“Of course, hearing aid technology is important, but education, support, counseling, accuracy of the hearing assessment, and hearing aid fitting and programming contribute greatly to patient success,” Stewart points out. “Nearly all hearing clinics carry similar products, but people choose House of Hearing because it’s accessible or because they want to work with me. They’ve seen it firsthand, heard it from friends, or gotten the sense from my marketing materials that House of Hearing is focused on providing high-quality, honest hearing care.”
Stewart’s care-focused and sales-focused model seemed to be a winning strategy.
“I simplified the hearing care experience and designed a service delivery based on building positive relationships with patients and their families,” she explained. “This included making time for appointments, providing clear instructions and education, listening to patients’ needs and working with them to create appropriate treatment plans, recommendations and long-term support. I innovated a business that addressed the specific needs of my community and differentiated itself from others offering similar services and products.”
Stewart reflected on the celebration and the spirit of WESK, emphasizing how important relationship building is in the entrepreneurial world.
“It’s really important to network, to make connections, to celebrate and learn from each other. And I especially congratulate the women who attended the gala. We’re not just celebrating the finalists and the winners, we’re celebrating the progress of women entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan. How is that impacting the global economy as a whole? We have more women in the workforce. There’s a lot of exciting things to celebrate.”
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The World-Spectator
