The journey to getting to your dream is just as fulfilling as achieving it. That’s what Diana learned from her experience on The Dream Team, a series by IG Wealth Management, where experts like IG’s own Alana Riley worked to increase the financial confidence of Canadian entrepreneurs.
An Indigenous artist herself, Diana is the founder of Colouring it Forward – an Indigenous social enterprise that collaborates with artists and elders in the community to produce authentic books, cards and journals.
When she first met with The Dream Team, Diana had the idea of creating a business, independent of Colouring it Forward, where Indigenous artists could sell their work directly to the public through a website. What she didn’t realize at the time was that her dream was about to take a little detour and she credits this new path to the experts she met on the show.
Before filming, Diana was ready to launch an entirely new business in addition to the one she was already running. That would mean double the accounting, double the planning, and of course, double the time. But an enlightening experience with members of The Dream Team helped Diana realize she had to free herself up in order to lead the strategic development of the business. That’s when things began to change. Already having a successful online platform where she was collaborating with artists meant Diana could fulfill her dream of helping others sell their artwork under the umbrella of Colouring it Forward. This would allow her to control shipping costs and inventory, with only one business to manage.
From there, the next steps to achieving her dreams became clear. Since filming, she’s reached out to Alana for financial guidance, hired additional support for her growing business, is planning on redesigning her site to accommodate her new model and is even on her way to publishing her very own book.
Diana describes her time on the show and the journey since then as emotional and exciting. Not only did the experts and mentors support her during filming, but they continue to play an important role as she moves forward. Having been awarded a major financial social enterprise award, Diana immediately reached out to Alana, along with host Alyssa Davies and mentor Manjit Minhas, for advice on how to best invest those dollars.
Although her dream has changed a bit since her appearance on the show, Diana’s focus and excitement for it have only gotten stronger. Who knows where her journey will take her next?
Haven’t watched Diana’s episode? The Dream Team, a series by IG Wealth Management, is available on CBC Gem.
