Zelda Kinniburgh - CEO and Founder


Name: Zelda Gayle Kinniburgh

 

Title: CEO (Owner and Founder)

 

Where do you live: Brandon, Manitoba (and Ignace, Ontario in the summer)

 

Joined OST: Since it was just an idea in my head back in December of 2015!

 

Why did you create OST: I loved my products so much and I knew that I had to share it with more than just my circle of friends and acquaintances. I decided to turn my business into a direct sales company so that more people could enjoy the product and because I had experience with previous direct sales companies and I wanted to make it easier for the reps to make money. I really do have the reps’ best interest in mind when I make decisions every day!

 

Family: I have a wonderful and supportive family. I live with my amazing husband (my Vice President), Patrick Deschamps and our two daughters, Olivia and Victoria who are both jewerly lovers already at their young ages. I also have an adult son, Brady and now I have a brand new grandson named Sterling! (Update: Also a granddaughter named Lucy!)

 

Pets: No current pets. One day we will have a dog again!

 

Favorite product: I have two, Ring Around the Rosy Bracelet and Three Times as Beautiful. Can’t seem to live without them.

 

Previous Jobs: Video store owner, graphic designer, truck driver (yes I drove a semi-truck!)

 

How long at your job: Graphic design since 1996, truck driver since 2013. I have always been an entrepreneur of some sort. Even when I was a kid, my sister and I started our own “library” to rent books out to our siblings LOL

 

Hobbies (What do you do in your spare time): Spare time? Well once upon a time I used to play a lot of PC games, do a lot of crafts and I used to love painting and drawing. Nowadays I go fishing at our lake when I can. I like to go for walks at the lake.

 

Funniest/most memorable OST moment: SO MANY! One that sticks out in my mind was the day I was at a market and a young guy bought a ring for a random older lady who was standing at the table looking at rings at the same time. He bought a matching pair. This random act of kindness was so amazing to see! I gave him a deal, of course!

 

What drives your passion for OST: I love what I do. Thoroughly. I enjoy the challenges and the work. I don’t mind working every day when it’s something that I love SO much and it allows me and my husband to stay at home with our family.

 

Favorite Quote (Jewelry related?): There is no such thing as TOO MUCH jewelry!

 

Favorite Color: Purple

 

Goal for this year: To be happy and have everyone around me feel happiness as well.

 

What’s a typical day like for you: I wake up and squint at my phone to see what I will be facing when I sit down in front of my computer. Then nothing happens until coffee happens. Check emails, Facebook, take care of any issues before I begin the day’s tasks. I make my way through things that need to be done and check them off as they are completed. I plan ahead for tomorrow’s task and I am always planning for the month (or season) ahead. During the day I take time for my kids as they need things. After they are in bed I often use that time to get more detailed work done.

 

I never sit at the computer while we eat dinner. Phones and business is off during dinner. Even if it’s a fast meal, that is family time.

 

I do work all day long. But it’s a really good thing I love what I do and I take time when it’s needed.

 

What are your best skills that you bring to your OST job? I am ambitious, enthusiastic and I genuinely love people! I love going to markets still and networking and meeting new people every day. I can also whip up a mean graphic (everything in the business is done by yours truly)!

 

What would be your personal motto? Everything that happens to you has a “Stainless Steel Lining”. Sometimes it might be hard to see, but it’s always there. Which also ties into, “Everything happens for a reason.”