Courtney Clarkson. Founder of BotanyCo. Eyewear. Social Entrepreneur

Courtney Clarkson reminds us that the secret to job happiness is passion. It was her passion for the environment that propelled her to start BotanyCo. Eyewear, a sustainable eyewear company based in Caledon, Ontario. Courtney and her company transform everything from bamboo to old skateboards to make the eco-friendly artisan products. Inspired by her family’s background in agriculture, her interest in sustainability grew. Combined with her skills in ‘craftiness’ she was able to find a way to do what she loves and make the world greener one pair of hand-made sunglasses at a time. 

How do you define meaningful work?
When it doesn’t even feel like work because you’re so passionate about it.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a meaningful career?
I was working in the hospitality and tourism industry and always doing the job of my managers and other co-workers. A lack of recognition for my efforts resulted in a lot of frustration. At that point I knew I didn’t want to do a traditional corporate job for the rest of my life. After some self-reflection, I decided to pursue a career environmental sustainability, in line with my passion and my family history in farming.

What inspired you to start your social enterprise?
I’ve always had a passion for making things out of wood and other mediums which is what led to the idea for wood framed eyewear. As I started to chisel out my business plan (pun intended) I discovered bamboo as a much more sustainable option for the eyewear which married very well with my environmental sensibility.

Describe how your past career experiences helped get you to where you are today?
I studied commerce at the University of Guelph which gave me a foundation in marketing, accounting and brand development, essentials for starting your own business. My past work experience also helped. I worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for 5 years which gave me exposure to working with different people and cultures as well as an array of different types of consumers.

What’s one thing you wish someone told you before you pursued a meaningful career?
Even in meaningful work, there will be challenging times.  A friend trying to pick me up when I was down once told me “you got to love haters court, it means you’re doing something right”.  I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my family and friends who encourage me to shoot for the stars and follow through with my crazy ideas.

What’s the one thing most people wouldn’t expect to hear about working in a meaningful job?
When you think about your job, you’ll smile. It’s easy to go to work when you love what you do. They’ll be days where you wish for more working hours because you can’t get done everything you want to get done, but if you keep checking off things on your list one at a time you’ll eventually come out on top.

What’s the most fulfilling part of your job?
That I can make a living while helping the environment.

What piece of advice would you give someone looking to get a meaningful job?
Don’t limit yourself. Get serious and figure out what you love to do, no matter what it is. Once you figure that out, you want to channel it in a job. There is a job for every passion in every field, it’s just finding it.

What qualities are important for a person to have if they want a meaningful job?
Passion is absolutely key, without it you won’t have meaningful work.

 If you could have one super hero power what would it be and why?
Flight would be my chosen super hero power. I’ve always wanted to be a pilot like my grandfather and father. Also, if I could fly, what a great way to get around and reduce emissions on the environment!