Dawn Windsor has received a nomination for one of the Women Business Owners of Manitoba’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
Always saying that her children are not only her reason for being, Dawn Windsor says they are also her reason for being in business to make money online.
Having recently moved from St. Vital to Transcona, the entrepreneur is amongst twenty three finalists for the Women Business Owners of Manitoba’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Windsor could hardly believe she had been nominated for the awards which recognise the outstanding contributions to business by Manitoba’s women.
“Of course, I’m very familiar with WBOM and when I saw that name on my call display I wondered why they would be calling me,” she says.
“I was floored when I found out I’d been nominated. It was a very humbling phone call and it felt so nice to be recognized at all for what I’ve done.”
It was because of her two young children Faith and Kenny that Windsor decided to begin her own business and make money online almost five years ago. Windsor finally accepted that she did not want to go back to work and leave her children as the maternity leave she had earned after Kenny’s birth was running out.
“It was terrible trying to find a way to stay at home but still have an income,” Windsor said, noting she was horrified by the number of obvious scams courting women in her position when she browsed online for ideas on how to earn extra money.
“Finally I saw an ad on Kijiji for a personal assistant that said about 90% of the work would be done at home. So I submitted a resume, and I got it.”
Her background in business administration helped Windsor to quickly parlay her job into her business as a way to earn extra money: Windsor Virtual Office Solutions and Web Creation.
Windsor’s business specialises in virtual administrative work, web training, web design and social media marketing. Due to her success, Windsor is now in the process of hiring her first employee whose job description will be almost identical to the one Windsor read and applied for five years prior.
“I love it,” Windsor says.
“I work with so many business owners and they’re just regular people. They’re in it to earn extra money, to support their families, to do what they love for a living - and the best part is I get to help them.”
Of all the various aspects of her business, Windsor most enjoys working with business owners in determining ways to save money while maintaining a strong online presence. She enjoys the challenge of balancing business with the responsibilities she shares with her husband Ken for raising their family.
“It’s hard to juggle and I said to my husband just a while ago it almost seemed easier when they were babies,” she said laughing.
“But the rewards are awesome. I get to be with my children, to be a part of their everyday lives. Now if I can just make it and keep everything going until they’re in school, mission accomplished.
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