SOAR – Part 3 – Virtues and Vision

Meet Barb Stegemann, a woman who beat the odds on poverty, stigma, and a hearing impairment to achieve global recognition as a businesswoman, philanthropist and visionary. This is Part 3 in our SOAR series profiling remarkable women.

By Alyson Queen

 

Virtues and Vision – June 2016

She rubs elbows with former presidents and fashion and beauty experts. She’s been named one of Canada’s most powerful women, and she’s even been appointed the first female Honorary Colonel at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia. Barb Stegemann, founder and CEO of the The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc., is flexing women’s buying power through a social enterprise.

It all started because, in 2006, a member of the Taliban drove an axe through the head of her best friend, Captain Trevor Greene, when he was serving in Afghanistan for the Canadian military.

The 7 Virtues

Her whole business model is about creating change through trade and economic empowerment. She buys legal oils from countries that have been ravaged by war or natural disaster. And she turns them into perfume. In Afghanistan, she buys orange blossom and rose – giving farmers an alternative to growing the illegal poppy crop for the Taliban opium trade.

“The way to build peace is to honour each other’s faith and dignity,” says Barb.

Her philosophy is about rebuilding, rather than destruction. She leverages the fact that women are responsible for 85% of the world’s consumer buying decisions, and taps into people who want to buy ethical products that help make the world just a little bit better by their purchase.

She’s quick to point out that the younger generation gets it. “I’m not alone anymore. It’s hard when you’re constantly pushing ideas that are before their time. Now we’re creating a movement.”

Her ideas make dragons cry, literally. She was the first woman from Atlantic Canada to successfully pitch and land a deal on CBC’s Dragon Den. When she partnered with venture capitalist and philanthropist W. Brett Wilson, things took off. Her book and fragrances, now five in total, are in 90 Bay stores across Canada.

There is plenty on the horizon too. She’s dabbling with lipstick, getting back to smaller, intimate book club gatherings for women, and is set to launch a celebrity fragrance featuring jasmine from India this fall.

Yet she always balances profits and business with her values, “Never ever compromise what you believe to be true.”

“All the resources you need are right in front of you”: Socrates

 Barb will be the first to tell pretty much anyone that, along with her husband Mike and children, she is loving the journey right now.

 “We’re blessed, we’re working hard. I dreamed this, I designed this, I am living this.”

But her early days weren’t easy for her or her family. They lived on welfare, and she had a hereditary hearing impairment. She was judged and made fun of.

She went to university despite the challenges and got her degree – and hasn’t stopped learning since.

“My life plan didn’t quite work out at first, so I thought what can I learn? I knew I wanted to travel, and I wasn’t ready to sit in a cubicle. So I poured coffee as a flight attendant for nine years.”

Barb figured out that often what we need to learn is right in front of us.

“I wasn’t just pouring coffee. I was a human being having a conversation about business with some of the most powerful people, in the air, and I learned some of the most valuable lessons on those flights.”

Deep Faith

It’s fair to say that Barb is a visionary, and she’s on a mission.

So what drives a woman like that?

“I have deep faith, a faith in humanity. There is something beautiful about the divine, the spirit of the soul.”

Some say God, others say Allah or Yahweh or Krishna or Jehovah. To Barb, it’s beyond the name and denomination; it’s about mind, body and soul working together, like Socrates taught.

“My whole life’s journey is to – daily – earn the right to be worthy of the divine soul I’ve been given, that we’ve all been given. I believe our gifts were not given to us to keep to ourselves. We must have the courage to share our gift with others.”

Advice at all ages

 One of Barb’s goals is to create ambassadors in our young girls, by encouraging them to buy better and smarter and think about the global village.

But she also wants them to be patient and accept that the road might be bumpy.

“For some reason society tells us that once you finish school, everything will be clear. I want girls to know that it’s ok to change your mind. It’s ok to not be sure. Have your dreams, protect them fiercely. But be patient with yourself, be kind to yourself.”

Oddly, sometimes the path takes you right where you want to be, even if you don’t realize it at the time. Just like pouring coffee as a flight attendant.

“Follow the smart people, observe what the wise do. You can learn and watch and ask good questions. Every question is a good question.”

Peace, Love and Respect

 Her advice has a personal tone to it. That’s why people listen closely.

At one point in the conversation, the woman who is packaging peace one bottle at a time, talks about the importance of love and respect – both of oneself and for others.

“I didn’t have parents who had a loving relationship. I didn’t have a reference point. I didn’t have a role model when it came to what being a loving partner looked like, so I didn’t know what to look for myself until much later in life.”

She wants to ensure that girls are not being disrespected. That means working together, as women, to help them build confidence and find their voices.

“Never compare yourself to anyone else. It takes daily practice, like building a muscle. If you practice becoming jealous or negative, then that’s what you will achieve.”

The story has just started

 With a non-stop speaking schedule, a book going into its 6^th edition and new products underway, you’d almost think Barb would be ready to step back and revel in her history-making success.

Unless you know Barb. Like her best friend Trevor, who recently took his first steps after what can only be called a miracle recovery, she’s just getting started.

Learn more about Barb’s journey to Make Perfume, Not War at www.the7virtues.com