Cathy Nesbitt worked for 20 years as a secretary, the last 10
with Kelly Temporary. She graduated in 2000 from York University
with a BA in psychology after 15 years of night school. She came
home from work one day and saw an ad in The Era Banner that read
“Are you a woman? Do you have a business idea?” She
turned to her husband and said, “I’m quitting my job,
taking this course and starting a worm business”.
Q: What is the name of your business, contact information and
type of product or service offered?
A: We provide everything required for successful vermicomposting
(worms, worm bins, collection container, worm compost and resources).
Education is a key component for our business so we also conduct
inspirational workshops and demonstrations. Over 75,000 people
have seen our presentation.
Q: What is the driving force behind your business?
A: The current global crisis has been a catalyst for our business.
Worms are going to play an ever-increasing role in waste management,
soil production and therefore food security. The solution to the
garbage crisis is several solutions, one of which is vermicomposting.
Q: What challenges did you face in getting your business up and
running?
A: Vermicomposting is done indoors. This unfamiliar concept was
one of the main challenges in getting the business going. Fear
of worms mine initially, then other peoples was an obstacle that
also needed to be overcome.
Q: Finish this sentence: I maintain a work/life balance by...
A: ...singing and dancing daily, walks in the forest and making
sure to take time for myself.
In celebration of Ontario Entrepreneur Week, which
runs June 2 to 13, we (Vaughan Citizen) put out a call to find
our community’s most unconventional entrepreneurs. Here
is the first of several entrepreneurs who fit that bill that we’ll
feature over the coming weeks, leading up to our first Metroland
Speaker Series that features Dragons’ Den star Arlene Dickinson.
Back to Articles
