Small Business Owner Regina Sheung finds support, community, and silver linings
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Young Women in Business Toronto (YWiB) aims to provide our diverse community of young, self-identified women with genuine career advice, encouragement, and examples of local role models. That's why, for the next few months, we’ll be interviewing both career professionals and entrepreneurs our community can be inspired by and learn from.
Regina Sheung, Owner & Founder of Labour of Love
Hi Regina! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Labour of Love?
I wear many different hats. I am a shop owner, buyer and visual merchandiser all rolled into one! I meet and greet clients, provide information about our products, and connect them with our artists by sharing their stories. The store is my stage and sometimes my customer’s confessional space!
Labour of Love is not just a retail space, it’s a place for hosting events, collaborating with makers, and cross-promoting other local independent businesses. Through these events we are able to share our passions, inspire others, and strengthen our community.
What is your favourite thing about collaborating with local artists and small, independent businesses?
I think we can better relate to each other's challenges, and be more efficient as we are working in the same time zone. There’s more freedom in terms of making changes and customizations whenever necessary. We can focus our time on creativity instead of bureaucracy.
You opened Labour of Love in 2010. Looking back, is there anything you'd do differently?
Labour of Love was located across from our current location five years ago. It was a beautiful brown stone building with exposed bricks and soaring ceilings. I was completely distracted by the charm of the building and ignored my instincts when dealing with a shady landlord. In hindsight, I should have hired a lawyer instead of handling all aspects of the business myself. I learned not to make any decisions based purely on aesthetics.
Great insight! What advice would you give the version of yourself from a decade ago, when you were just starting out?
Don’t sweat the small things.
Short and to the point! Regina, what has the pandemic taught you about yourself as a business owner?
I can’t go back in time—I need to adapt, stay positive while finding the best ways of moving forward.
Crisis can also bring opportunities to rethink some of the rules and reclaim forgotten projects.
There are silver linings regarding this pandemic and beyond, we just need to see them. I am slowly changing our business model by focusing more on collaboration and sharing our resources to rebuild our community.
What advice would you have for self-identifying women entrepreneurs in terms of building resilience, especially during this time of uncertainty?
Don’t obsess about business growth. Bigger is not always better. There’s nothing wrong with finding the right fit and playing with that. The time spent managing the business can sometimes take away from innovation and creativity. Don’t lose sight of your dreams; have a clear vision and make it happen.
Don’t obsess about business growth. Bigger is not always better. There’s nothing wrong with finding the right fit and playing with that.
Do you think creative women entrepreneurs face unique challenges in entrepreneurship? If so, can you give us an example?
I don’t have any specific personal experiences to share regarding this. Over two decades ago, I presented my business plan to a bank and was approved for a line of credit without any issue. Throughout my career, I have met a lot of brilliant, creative self-starters and some of them have become mentors and close friends. We have so much to deal with both at home and at work and it’s so easy to lose sight of our dreams.
It is very important to have a support system to help us through challenging times and to celebrate our triumphs.
Are there any local artists' work that you're loving right now that our community should know about?
I am very into ceramic art right now. MiMoKo and Eikcam Ceramics are artists people should definitely check out!
What is the most important message you want our community to hear?
Discover your unique passion. Do what you love and make your own success. Keep moving!
Connect with Regina: Instagram Website
Shop owner Regina Sheung has been in the retail industry since the late 90’s. She started out on Yonge street with Propaganda, a funky clothing & jewellery shop for 12 years. Over the past decade she has built Labour of love into the Cabbagetown and Toronto staple it is today.