Grow My GRIT Blog

I realized this morning that I come from a family of entrepreneurs; I’m actually the fifth Schepmyer to start a business!  My Mom and my Dad (whom I call Big Daddy for future reference) started Schepmyer’s Craft Company almost 40 years ago. Anthony, my older brother, is the CEO at Vaughan Industrial Supply and Andrew, my younger brother, incorporated his Neurology practice a few years ago. We’ve all faced a unique set of obstacles along our journeys, but we’ve all called on our GRIT to realize our business dreams!  I recall watching Big Daddy and Mom, who is truly the mother-of-all crafters in my books, as they worked so hard to make their small company successful. My Mom does the manual labour of creating art from almost anything! Big Daddy helps with the bigger projects (e.g., driving Mom to shows, framing pictures when she used to make paper tole and helping set-up for … Read more

When it comes to making a list of literature that has helped me grow my GRIT recently, I think two fun names are “GRIT Lit” or “GRIT-erature”. I told you I LOVE playing with words!!! I usually use the first title because the second one is surprisingly hard to say. Here is a list of my top six books listed in alphabetical order because I really can’t rank them. It would be like comparing six different types of fruits (not just apples and oranges). I’ll feature each one in an upcoming Blog, but I really wanted to share the titles with you! Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth Level Up Your Life by Steve Kamb The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday You Are a Badass at Making Money: Mastering the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero There are … Read more

An important prequel to the origin story is the answer to the question, “How does haze define her GRIT?” So I thought it would be helpful for me to describe my own GRIT as an example and as a way for you to get to know more about me! I love to play with words, so I tried to find G, R, I and T words that reflect my default setting when things get tough for me. I want to acknowledge that everyone’s version of tough is different; I understand that the challenges people face will vary in complexity and intensity. I’d say that most of the obstacles and challenges I have faced so far are setbacks, detours or full-out roadblocks that I have chosen to navigate. Using the example of losing what I thought was the best job ever this past June, here’s how I define my GRIT. My G is for GRATITUDE because my … Read more

On June 17th, I was one of almost 300 staff at a Children’s Treatment Centre who received notice that our jobs were being eliminated in 12 weeks due to the Provincial government’s funding cuts. It was there in that moment, whether or not I recognized it, that I began to call on my GRIT.  Through many blessings that I will describe I was able to make it here today to share with you the launch of the Gritty Guru Company. The first of many blessings was my monthly dinner date with my good friend, Joyful Janis, scheduled for June 21st. Through our conversations, laughter and shared love of dreaming out loud,  the tiny seed of starting a business was planted.  The blessings continued and four days later, I was having tea with Amanda Garrett , a wonderful woman who creates my custom dresses. She was sharing with me a good read … Read more