ATHABASCA — Béyonce said it best: Who run the world? Girls!
Although the famous musician and successful businesswoman’s description of feminine power in her 2011 hit song is more symbolic than literal in the political sphere — only 13 of 193 United Nations countries are currently lead by women — the number of women stepping into entrepreneurship is growing.
According to Alberta Women’s Entrepreneurs (AWE), 38 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses are woman-owned. And statistics show female entrepreneurs getting their start in the province outpaced their male counterparts; from 2010 to 2022, the number of women-owned operations grew by 27 per cent compared to five per cent for male-owned businesses.
Shera McConnell, an advanced practice footcare nurse in Athabasca, is one of those women who entered the entrepreneurial environs by establishing her private practice, Queen Bee Footcare in July of 2024.
McConnell recently opened up an Athabasca-based office, located on the second floor of Turnabout Avenue Place. She provides specialized footcare for a wide range of patients and ailments; from regular assessments for diabetic neuropathy and wound care to removal or painful callouses, corns, and warts, McConnell covers all concerns from heel to toe.
“We don’t take care of our feet. Most people, it’s like your back you just keep pushing through the pain, you don’t worry about it so much, you keep going,” said McConnell. “We need our feet for absolutely everything.”
She got into the niche after watching a family member suffer the most serious of side effects after dealing with what seemed like an innocuous issue.
“My grandmother was a Type 2 diabetic, she suffered with it all her adult life,” said McConnell. “I’m Cree, so in our culture, we are to be buried whole.”
Without regular assessments, an ingrown toenail turned into an infection for McConnell’s grandmother, and infection turned into necrosis.
“Because she refused an amputation due to her cultural beliefs, she actually ended up passing away from a simple ingrown toenail. That, for me, always stuck with me throughout my career,” she added.
After working for the Primary Care Network (PCN) for 11 years, McConnell was looking for a new challenge, and said it didn’t take her long to discover the gap in footcare services in the area — her client list as a footcare specialist at PCN broached 400, but she said the list of locals in need was much longer.
In order to expand the services to more people in Athabasca, Boyle and Slave Lake areas, McConnell decided to take a run at starting her own private practice business. And despite being a confident care provider, she ran into her fair share of challenges.
“Accounting and marketing were my biggest hurdles,” she said. “That’s something that’s not taught to you in nursing school.”
Although the thought of crossing her T’s and dotting her I’s felt out of her depth, McConnell relied on resources and support from a field-specific federation, the Business Clinic in Edmonton, and even the CRA.
“I did have a lot of guidance along the way and I feel very confident moving forward because I set such a solid foundation. I made sure I had my poop in a group to start with and now it’s a matter of mitigating all of the little nuances of growing a businesss.”
But of all the practical tips from her accountant on how to manage her books and medical practice management resources from the Business Clinic, she said the best and most memorable piece of advice was actually fairly simple.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect; just do it,” said McConnell. “Women as a rule, we are perfectionists, we want to make sure we have this plan and then we have a plan B and we have a plan C before we’ll even take the first step.
“In reality, once I jumped off the cliff, I realized I could swim.”
Like many other professional women, McConnell said she struggles with imposter syndrome, or self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. But according to nurse McConnell, the best treatment is a leap of faith.
“We are way stronger than we think we are,” she said. “This is definitely not the greatest challenge I’ve had in my life, it’s just not. I think most women can attest to that — raising kids is way harder than starting a business.”
