You’ve got to be a bit of a risk taker to launch your own business. And that wasn’t Lucy Sloan. “I was that person that had the strict budget. I had a savings for when I was gonna have a child….I had that perfect score at the banks. And so I had everything kind of in control. And I liked that.” Then eight years ago, a fall down the stairs upended her entire life. She had no choice but to give up that sense of control. “I think that actually played a big part in becoming an entrepreneur ... you kind of have to be okay, with things not going well, and being broke for a little bit.”

If you are thinking that Lucy knows how to turn lemons into lemonade, you’ve got that right. After that life-altering injury, she turned her farmyard near St. Malo, Manitoba into a one-of-a-kind animal-assisted therapy facility. At Lil Steps Wellness Farm Lucy and her staff work with children, youth and adults experiencing mental health challenges from anxiety, depression and ADHD. And their co-workers include a fainting goat, miniature horses and a pig named Wilbert.

Find out how Lucy built partnerships instead of competing for business, learned hard lessons in setting prices for services, diversified long before COVID called for pivoting, and where her business is headed next.

Here’s How It’s Done is brought to you by the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba, the go-to place for women looking to start or expand their businesses. It’s hosted and produced by Cate Friesen, The Story Source.

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Documentary about Lil Steps https://www.ami.ca/category/our-community/media/lil-steps