Meet Sylvie Coulange

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sylvie Coulange. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sylvie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I have always been passionate about cooking, sharing, giving. But it all seemed inaccessible at that time. As a stay-at-home mom of 2, I would cook some much everyday, healthy and easy meals that my family and friends would love. We were on a holiday with friends that year and one of my best friends was complimenting my lifestyle, how beautiful and delicious my food was and said “I want to be you, please write a book so that I can learn your ways”. I came home from the trip, bought a camera and taught myself how to use it and starting writing what became “Shine Vol.1”. It was a magical moment. I had found a way to share and help people. I took it very seriously and even though this book would be for family and friends, I secretly knew I would want more, I would want to share it with the world if I could. And so it became a full time job. I became a writer, photographer, graphic designer, sales representative and business owner overnight.
Today I take pride in not having looked back and for having stayed strong through moments of self-doubt. Fait Maison has now 3 cookbooks (one more in the works) and a growing product line under its roof.

Sylvie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

While I wanted to share with others what I’ve learned along the way (food, nutrition, recipes, how to organize yourself, in life and in the kitchen, etc) I needed to find balance in my life as my kids, my family is my priority. writing books was a way for me to touch so many people and communicate about “a lifestyle of healthy living and giving”. It’s an idea mostly, but put into action it can change the way people think, act and treat each other.. I wanted people to be lifted up while reading my books, wanting to embark in this journey with me.
Along with sharing recipes, it is also about trusting ourselves, having less doubts, feeling worthy and capable. I am self-taught and started my journey with no formal training, just a passion for cooking and giving. And my pure motivation is Love. Cooking can be really intimidating at first, I began creating recipes with the goal to show how simple cooking truly is; how meaningful, therapeutic and how truly gratifying it is to cook for your family and those around you.

Through feedback and requests, I realized that there was actually more I could offer. I could create my own product line (“Shine”) and make people’s life even easier, whole, and accessible for all under one roof. So many have asked about the cookware, or the kitchen towels, or the cool little items they see on the pages of our cookbooks, or the spice mix I make, etc. I decided to create and curate my own hand-crafted products and make it all accessible to others as well. I take pride in working with like-minded people.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I love to be independent and while I love to give, I have trouble receiving. I am not very good at asking either. Along with the vision and the creative side of it, this is probably the main reason why I wanted to learn it all and do it all on my own. It allowed me to start with a very small investment ($10,000) and scale the business. I have been growing the product line slowly, with the profits from the book sales. It has been working very well as it reduces my stress level and gets me excited to develop one product at a time. I am able to be attentive to every detail and make sure I create a product that my clients will love.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Showing love, care and gratitude to everyone is a priority in everything I do. I love to keep in touch with my clients and especially the ones that have been there, showing me support since the beginning. I try to get personal with clients making them feel like they belong to my company, family. I try to make myself available for book signings as it is a great way for me to meet people, get to know them and share stories. I also like to include a little gift with a purchase, a way to say “thank you”…

Contact Info:

Website: www.sylviecoulange.com
Instagram: @sylvie.coulange

Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.