We’re excited to introduce you to Shelley, the owner behind Totalitea, a Tea Boutique offering 200 premium loose leaf teas and blends, local pottery and tea-ware, based in Calgary, AB. We hope you enjoy getting to know her and her business a little more!
What’s the biggest problem your business solves for people?
- We provide a fantastic cup of tea, morning, noon or night. We’ve got something for everyone, not just for the enjoyment – but for the health benefits too. Tea really is amazing stuff. We also love to educate our customers, with teaching folks about the correct amount of tea, right temperature, steeping time – it’s got to be made perfect or it’s simply not good.
What’s your favourite thing about owning a small business?
- I love being my own boss. I’ve always been passionate about tea, so being able to have my own tea business has been a dream come true. I can provide the best products to my customers (and for myself), work on my own schedule, connect with other like-minded folks, provide jobs for my children, flex my creative juices with the graphic design element, and so many more reasons. It’s really just so much fun!
Aside from your business, what’s your biggest passion?
- Travel.
What does the perfect morning look like to you?
- Not getting up to an alarm, the sun is shining, I’ve got some great morning music on and I’m of course enjoying the perfect cup of tea. Bliss!
What’s one thing people might not know about you?
- I’ve made 5 sky-diving jumps, when I was younger and more adventuresome!
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
- I would travel back in time and spend more time with my father before he passed away from cancer. We had only 8 months with him after he was diagnosed. I would prioritize some things differently so that I could do this. He truly was an amazing man and always one of my best friends.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
- Lay on a beach in Barbados and swim in the ocean.
What would you sing at Karaoke night?
- “These Boots are made for Walking” – I don’t know why, it’s just fun!
What makes you laugh the most?
- Funny movies, really goofy ones.
We loved getting to know Shelley a little more and hope you did too! To check out her products, head to her website.