Taking care of business
Posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2018
You could say the shoe fit for Chelsea Jones at Algonquin College.
Chelsea Jones remembers being surprised during the very first class of her Business Administration – Marketing program at Algonquin College back in 2003. The professor told the Introduction to Finance class that there were only two types of businesses in the world: those that sold products and those that sold services.
Surely not, thought Jones, considering the millions of diverse business models in the world. However, as she thought more about those companies, she realized her professor was right. It all comes down to product-based businesses and service-based businesses.
“Now I’ve run both types, so it’s really come full circle and shown me,” says Jones.
Jones chose the Business Administration program as she always knew she’d run a business one day and wanted to learn about how it all comes together. Since graduating at Algonquin College and working in marketing, PR and investor relations, she now runs a Chicago-based communications company, Ciel Communications, and is mixing professional style with high comfort at her innovative shoe company, Chelsea Jones Shoes.
The idea of developing chic women’s shoes with the comfort of athletic footwear was something Jones had toyed with for several years before making the jump to really work on it. The idea became clear while wearing heels to the office every day, getting home with throbbing feet, and seeing her running shoes at the front door. She thought, why can’t we mix those components to create something better for women?
Having researched and developed the ideas on paper, she wasn’t quite sure where to go next and happened upon a shoe-industry trade show in Portland, Oregon. Armed with drawings and a business plan, she was able to clearly outline the specifics of the product – who it was for and how it would be sold. “Algonquin taught me how to position the idea on paper to look like a real business that would go forward.”
The connections she made there really put her on the path towards getting the shoes made, which led her to the shoe-making region of Brazil where components suppliers and factories were able to bring the product to life.
“I remember receiving the very first box of prototypes. They were being shipped all the way from Brazil to Vancouver. And I remember waiting for the elevator, jumping up and down like it was Christmas (thinking): ‘I can’t wait to see how they turned out!’”
The original high-heeled pumps called Skigh (for sky-high) are designed to look taller than they actually feel. “Skigh is the essence of what our brand is — the look of a high heel, the feel of a running shoe — with a running-shoe sole, flexibility and movement in the toes, a balanced stability heel and cushioning throughout. Giving a flexible free feeling to the women wearing them.”
There have been lots of ups and downs along the way, Jones recalls – mostly logistical issues related to production and delivery. She credits her education at Algonquin with helping her over the hurdles, finding a better way and continuing on.
The most important skill she developed during her three-year diploma was thinking on her feet, Jones says.
“We were given new projects and case studies all the time, including giving lots of presentations and fielding questions, greatly improving our public speaking and quick-thinking abilities,” Jones recalls. “In business, there’s always new things coming up and many details to handle at once, whether you’re at the factory, a sales presentation or managing shipping logistics. You need practice in that (skill) to get good at it.”
Jones advises new business admin grads to concentrate on having fun. “You’re going to feel stressed at times and so many things won’t go as planned. But if you keep a positive outlook – looking for the fun in it and everything that has gone right – it’ll feel more worthwhile and result in more positive and creative outcomes.”
And Jones knows that enjoyment in business can be ‘Skigh High’.
“Going from an idea on paper — literally you sketch a shoe — to developing samples, testing and having it produced — to witnessing a woman walking down the street wearing the shoes,” says Jones. “There’s no better feeling in business than that.”