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Take 5 with Kelsey Ramsden

Nicole Laidler • Aug 20, 2019

Originally published June 19, 2017

This week started with a smashed cell phone, which put me behind the eight ball work wise. But I decided to honour my commitment to attend a breakfast meeting with Mompreneurs London on Thursday – and it was well worth the effort.

This month’s speaker was Canadian businesswoman Kelsey Ramsden.

This mother of three was named Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneur by Profit and Chatelaine magazines in 2012 & 2013. She has founded and run everything from a construction company to a monthly play subscription service, holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, and is an in-demand business coach and speaker. And that’s the extreme Coles Notes version of her resumé.

See why I went?

Instead of simply presenting a prepared talk, Kelsey took questions from the audience. She answered with a refreshing mix of candor, humour and no BS honesty.

My journalism ears pricked up. Instead of taking conventional notes, I began to jot down newsworthy quotes.

In no particular order, here are my top five takeaways from Kelsey Ramsden:

On the biggest lesson learned as a business woman:

“Check your ego”

On developing a marketing strategy:

“Move the closest people closer to the line.”

On selecting an online marketing platform:

“Human interaction converts best.”

On launching a speaking career:

“Learning how to speak is a different skill set from having something to say.”

On time management:

“To find time, steal it from somewhere else. The world will not end if your laundry does not get done.”