Editor's Note: Second life. It can represent a chance to do over. To reset and refocus your life. To shake off the past and give yourself an opportunity to change and grow. In our series, Second Life, we took a look at how those in the small business world, out of necessity or desire, reach beyond their comfort zones to re-create themselves and their world. These stories celebrate those who saw potential in being something else or creating something that wasn’t and were brave enough to take the plunge into the deep, dark waters of entrepreneurship.
Special to The Western Star
Indian religious leader Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The future depends on what you do today.”
Trina Burden of Corner Brook hopes that leading by example will instill in her children, and perhaps one day another generation, that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
Burden left behind a career of working for others about three years ago to starting her own businesses and to work for herself.
As president of Sleepy Cove Developments, she manages real estate development projects serving as project manager for the development of a 20-acre, 55-lot subdivision in Corner Brook. (www.discoveryridgenl.ca).
Burden’s father, Ted Burden, is the construction lead for the project.
She also is co-owner of Island Dental Laboratory.
Burden has a bachelor of science degree from Acadia University, a master of science degree from the University of Guelph and a master of business administration from York University. In addition, she has worked as a dietitian in this and other provinces.
“You have the science of nutrition, but you have to turn that into food, which is very creative,” Burden said. “You have to take something scientific and put it into something practical. And that’s why I was drawn to nutrition to begin with,” she added.
A move back home
Burden’s husband Ian Glashan is from Quebec. Once he discovered Corner Brook, Burden said, her husband knew it was where he wanted to live. (Glashan opened an electrical business in Corner Brook).
After making the move back to her home province, she worked in health care before moving on to the position of business resource manager for the City of Corner Brook. She then took a job as publisher and general manager of the Western Star.
When her position at the newspaper was declared redundant in 2013, Burden decided to use the management and leadership skills she’d gained over the past two decades (Burden is a past director with the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade) to start her own business – which she did in 2014.
“You have to use your financial skills. You have to use your people skills. You have to have employee relations. You have to negotiate,” she said.
A mother of two young children, Burden said owning her own business gives her the flexibility to work outside of normal office hours.
“Last year I was struggling with after school care. I couldn’t find the right match so I decided that I was going to cut my (daytime) hours. That doesn’t mean I don’t work at night or on weekends, but at least I had that option,” she said.
Burden is enthusiastic about the current project she’s developing that will include houses, condos and apartments. After living in Halifax, Toronto and downtown St. John’s, she said, the new project is an opportunity to bring something different to Corner Brook.
“It will be a unique neighbourhood for Corner Brook with lots of options for home ownership,” she said.
While the creativity and flexibility that comes with owning your own business is great, Burden said, being an entrepreneur doesn’t come without challenges.
“It’s not all (looking through) rose-coloured glasses, but I think people who go into business understand that.”
Because of the downturn in the economy, Burden said, the project hasn’t developed as quickly as she thought it would. But, that’s OK with her.
“I have been able to take my own pace and create what I want to create (various sized building lots) versus having to branch out really fast and sell a lot more lots to other people ... the idea of building something that’s unique ... bringing something new to the table, that outweighs the challenges,” she said.
And, as someone once said to her, she said, her grandchildren will be able to say, ‘My nan built this neighbourhood.’”
“If I’m going to work hard, I’m going to work hard for myself,” she said.
