Entrepreneur: Lee Currie
Businesses: Creative Memories and Frozen Ropes
URL: www.creativememories.com/leecurrie - www.frozenropescanada.ca
Product: I am in the business of memory preservation. Creative Memories is the method I choose to use to teach the greatest number of people I can how to safely and creatively store and display their lives.

Not only do I carry the materials and tools to help you start - and FINISH - your album project, I teach busy people to take the time to organize their photos and ephemera (aka: stuff) and put it in a place that is not only organized, but meaningful. For generations your albums will be viewed and admired. Do you have to be creative? No, not really. Does it help? Of course, but … Is there a formula? Yes. My mission and that of Creative Memories is to Inspire, Preserve and Enhance your Memories and your life. CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE and the lives of those around you!

I have always been fascinated with the history of society and home life - isn't it wonderful to look through old books to see the curlicue handwriting, read the stories and see the pictures, imagine all of the well mannered behaviour and the fabulous hairstyles and clothes? Some day WE'LL be the objects of the same curiosity. By taking or holding a Creative Memories Get Together - less than two hours of your time - you and your friends can be assured that your photos and stories will be around for generations to come. What good are all of your great photos stuck in a box or on a memory card - or stories and memories stuck in your head or on a computer program? By making albums, your children, friends and family can see photos of themselves and other people in their lives; read stories about mum and dad, grandparents, friends, pets, neighbours, teachers, community leaders and sometimes be witness (or even part of) history-in-the-making!

Your albums are a celebration of your life and your accomplishments. Let me help you turn your boxes, envelopes and memory cards into keepsake albums to be treasured for generations.

Is album making expensive? Nothing worth doing is cheap. The largest collection of items I sell costs less than a round of golf at Glen Abbey. Oh, and your album lasts longer. My mid-range collection of products costs about the same as a decent pair of hockey skates. Oh, and your album lasts longer. My doesn’t-get-cheaper-than-this collection costs about the same as a kids’ winter coat and snowpants - used! Oh, and your album lasts longer.

Where can you find the time? Decide that this is something worth doing – something worth YOU doing for YOU! I offer classes – in my home, in your home, in another space – for you; for you and your closest friends; for you and everyone you’ve ever met. If you are organized – and I can get you organized – you can catch up on your entire album making projects if you can give me just four hours a month.

Easy? No! Worth it? Yes!

Please visit my website at www.creativememories.com/leecurrie to check out my schedule as well as view new items; get inspiration; and, learn about album making. You are welcome to give me a call at 289.259.1043 to set up a time that works for you and your friends to embark on the greatest pastime you’ve ever had a chance to experience.

A great gift to yourself, your family and your friends.

Best Piece of Advice: Be kind. Do not judge people based on your experience, they come with their own experiences. Until you live it, you don’t understand it. Enjoy the journey – yours and theirs.

Biggest Challenge of Working from Home: Challenge? It’s a blessing! The only thing that has changed is that my work clock is no longer from 9 to 5. And, my work clothes do not include panty hose! I might start at 5 in the morning, work until 7, start again at 10 and end at 3. It is the ultimate in flexible hours. Who knows, on a busy day, I can start again at 7 in the evening and work until bed time. With technology the way it is – and with client schedules the way they are – I’m able to accommodate just about everyone – kids included!

Biggest Challenge running a small business: Huge effort with occasional disappointment. The bad days are really bad and have you second-guessing every sacrifice you’ve ever made on behalf of your business. If you are passionate about what you do you’ll ride the wave and not pack it in. If you aren’t; then it wasn’t meant to be in the first place.

Business Pet Peeve: RSVP means RESPONSE PLEASE. Not, "oh, I'll say nothing just in case something better comes along". Nor does it mean "I'll answer no then show up anyway" or "I'll answer yes, it doesn't really matter". Your time is valuable. Your friends' time is valuable. My time is valuable. Respect it!

My story: After an 18-year career with Loblaw Companies (primarily in product development and category management), giving birth to four kids, moving from Calgary to Oakville, enduring and surviving (both of us) my husband’s bout with cancer, settling into our first and second home in the area and dealing with the near-drowning of my youngest child, I decided it was time to take stock of my life and celebrate the good things and live that life to the fullest – after all, it’s the only one I get and I don’t want to lose it no matter how much it changes from day to day and year to year.

I have a great life – a big life. I have a great big husband who is wholly appreciated (in small doses so he doesn’t become as full of himself as he should!). I have four fantastic energetic demanding and magnificent children. I have a large 100+ pound Bouvier des Flandres named Elvis who makes me laugh and cry almost simultaneously. I drive the largest truck I can find to transport husband, kids, friends, dog and stuff. I have 101 activities any given day which requires constant transportation of said stuff. I participate in those things which I consider to be important: I’m MOM to my daughter’s hockey team; I participate on our school council on behest of my eldest; I sponsor what might have been but wasn’t my son’s hockey team; I participate in my church wherever and whenever they need me; I participate on boards for my children’s activities; I find and provide training for my kids in the activities which interest them – at any given time those activities include: sailing, rugby, soccer, baseball, hockey, tennis, golf, swimming, guitar, chess, skating, dance, soccer, travel, reading, computers, basketball, art and more. I love providing training so much and baseball so much that my husband and I have decided to open a baseball training program – Frozen Ropes – here in Oakville!

But I digress.

I celebrate my life and the life of those around me by making keepsake albums to be treasured by my family and friends. I teach children and adults to make their own keepsake albums to share and give to those they cherish. I am a Creative Memories Consultant for life.

What is Frozen Ropes? Frozen Ropes is the most recognized name in Baseball and Softball Player Development in the United States. My husband Louis and I decided it was so good that we deserved one here in Oakville to teach children and young adults how to understand and play the game to their greatest potential. Our new 17,700 square foot baseball & softball training facility is conveniently located at 2009 Wyecroft Road, south of the QEW off of Third Line. Our indoor baseball and softball training facility has 7 hitting tunnels for lessons, classes and cage rentals; a four mound bullpen area for pitching instruction; complete exercise area to complement our “Diamond Strength” program; video and computer area for vision training, video analysis and showtime training skills; party room for your birthday crowd; and a complete pro shop with everything from apparel to equipment to Frozen Ropes training videos. We’re sure that baseball players and softball players alike will find something that appeals to them at our state-of-the-art facility! Check out www.frozenropescanada.ca and enter our contest!

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it