Introducing: Valma Brenton – Owner of “Navigando para Mujeres” – International Entrepreneur

In my search for interesting people, I recently decided that I needed to focus on finding more women who have done interesting and unusual things. So I went and searched the internet and sure enough I found a website called http://www.sailingforwomen.com and I thought the owner would probably be a woman and she might have an interesting story to tell.

Bingo. Valma Brenton sure has a very interesting resume that includes international travel, business management in Chile and Tazmania, work as a private investigator, divemaster, aquaculture specialist, writer and photographer, to name just a few of her credentials.

The common thread running through all of these diverse experiences is that Valma is a woman who loves to take on challenges, has loved the ocean for as long as she can remember, and dedicates her time to empowering women, teaching them how to sail and being self-taught. . awareness skills to help them be vibrant, successful and confident so they can create their own miracles. Without further ado, here is Valma Brenton:

1. Tell us a little about your personal background and work experience.

I was born in Chester, England and immigrated to Canada with my parents when I was just 3 months old. We traveled from England to Quebec by boat. My mom told me that she is not surprised that I like to travel so much. She said that we traveled to and around Canada by boat, train, car, and many other methods from the East and West coasts before I was a year old. We eventually settled on Gibson’s Landing, which is on the Sunshine Coast near Vancouver, British Columbia. I grew up there.
When I was 16, my feet itched and I started traveling abroad. My father lived in Britain, so I headed there and then to Europe. I eventually finished school in between my travel adventures. Fashions and trends were about 4 years ahead of where I lived. I found it very exciting to see all the different trends, foods, cultures and people and therefore really got a taste for travel. I am like a sponge full of curiosity and I really enjoy learning new things.

My father is a private investigator and every time I traveled to Scotland to visit him, I worked with him in the field. We always have a lot of fun and have amazing adventures together. I still visit every few years and go on a PI adventure. We always end our day with a pint of beer and share the stories of the day. The experience I gained working with my father in his business helped me understand more about business, people and behavior. I was able to transfer this to many other areas of my life. My life is like a river flowing with magical adventure, freedom, curiosity, creativity and appreciation.

My years of curiosity and adventure have led me down a path of exciting career opportunities with a wide range of industry experience up to executive management levels, including research, project management, sales and marketing, operations, public relations, finance, start-up and business development. . I am enterprising and a resourceful person.

My strengths are in identifying and analyzing opportunities, formulating strategies and implementing an action plan. Well-developed analytical, planning, project management, innovative thinking and motivational skills have enabled me to achieve repeated success in a variety of business situations.

I have a varied business background with experience as a Private Investigator/Security Consultant and Business Administrator in both Canada and the UK. For twelve years, my career has spanned the aquaculture industry in Canada: British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and internationally in Tasmania, Curacao, Scotland and Chile at the start-up/business development and management, operations, sales and marketing and research. . Eleven years prior, I worked in the West Coast commercial fishing and charter boat industry off the coast of British Columbia as a Captain, Divemaster and Marine Engineer and in Sales and Marketing. I have a Master of Fisheries International Captain’s License IV, CSC 2 Small Craft Master Training, International Occupational Diving License, Canadian Boating Association Boating Instructor Certifications, and a Boaters License.

Over the years, I developed a passion for writing and photography and became a successful author and photojournalist specializing in fisheries and aquaculture related topics. I have published numerous research publications which appear in scientific journals and government scientific updates. Other reports and photographs have been published in magazines, newspapers, books and art galleries.

2. He has a wealth of business experience and started several companies, most recently a company called Future SEA which he is still involved with. Please tell us about your entrepreneurial endeavors and his philosophy.

The Future SEA Technologies Inc company was just an idea. I and two partners, one of them my husband, founded the company. What a whirlwind of excitement, growth, learning, travel and opportunity. At one point we had almost 40 employees and operations in Chile, Canada, Tasmania and Japan. I got a lot out of being on the frontier and at the forefront of new environmentally friendly technology for the aquaculture industry. Work with other people to solve their problems and add value to their lives and businesses. Not to mention being in the water and working with all varieties of freshwater and saltwater fish. I was trained as an animal behaviorist by Dr. Kees Groot, who passed on to people through PI work and training with my father in Britain.

I think that for me my business philosophy is to be clear about what I want, to have a dream and to dream BIG. I always think I can do it if I think I can. I visualize what I want to produce and then I begin to manifest and create it. I ask the Universe for what I want and then I make room for the magic to happen. I think it’s up to the Universe to provide me with the opportunities and connections along with the money. We raised more than 10 million investment capital in our business. That was an experience on its own.

I think this 13th century poet and mystic says it all “May the beauty we love be what we do” Rumi

3. You have also lived and conducted business in other cultures in places like Chile and Tazmania and are fully bilingual in Spanish. Tell us about these intercultural experiences.

I really loved traveling and working in these other areas. Especially working and traveling in Chile. This was very exciting for me because it was like being on the border. Everyone in Chile is an entrepreneur. Ideas are always flowing and its creative ways to make money. I like being able to come up with an idea, take some action, get feedback, and course-correct until it works out. In Chile we just did it. Here in Canada there was always a lot of paperwork and the job was always to convince someone of the idea first. I guess that’s what I loved about Chile…we just tried it on a small scale…tested it, tweaked it and then made it happen. I also know from my experience that no matter what language, religion, or belief system people had, we were basically all the same. We are the same type physically, we have the same survival needs… we all had different perspectives based on our cultural and other upbringing. I love to see things with other eyes.

I think I’ve been successful working in these other places because I’m adaptable, flexible, curious, and open to learning new things and in new ways. I am always curious about the people, the culture, the land and I always try to speak in their mother tongue. Even if it meant making a fool of himself. I gained respect for at least trying and eventually succeeding. I am always looking for new opportunities and look for the good in people. Treat them with respect and be open to seeing things their way. Having gratitude and being grateful for every moment and situation was also a great PLUS.

4. You bought HERIZEN (TM) Women’s Candle a couple of years ago. Tell us about the history of that business and why you decided to buy it.

HERIZEN(TM) was started by Trish Birdsell-Smith in the late 1980s. She was passionate about helping women become better sailors and educating them about the differences between the way men and women learn. After returning from Chile a few years ago, she was working on another big project here in Canada. One day I had a vision that I was supposed to teach. I wasn’t sure what exactly it meant and I asked the Universe to explain it to me. I received an answer that had to do with women and sailing.

One day I saw Trish…we had a chat and she mentioned that she was going abroad for a few years. I asked her what she would do with the business and she mentioned selling it or retiring it. My vision came to me suddenly and I said “What about me?” She was excited and she thought that I would be the best choice…she at the same time wondered how she would do with such a tight travel schedule. Well, one thing led to another and a few months later, on December 15, 2003, I was the new owner of the company. I have not regretted it and I am very happy to be able to add value to the lives of so many women. It is important to me to bring experience, passion, vision, creativity, transformational processes to help women gain confidence in sailing and help them transfer this to many other parts of their lives.