Back in 2015, Brittney Megann was fresh out of hairdressing school, and establishing herself in the industry.
But then calamity struck. Megann was in a car collision at Yonge and Wellington streets that left her with serious back injuries.
“I do remember the doctor was like, ‘You're never going to be able to work a nine-to-five job again,’” Megann said.
The injuries required physiotherapy appointments several times a week, and left Megann with an uncertain future.
“I was just trying to learn how to be like mobile again, and in that time period, I was thinking to myself, ‘How am I going to pay my phone bill?’” she recalled.
With long hours on her feet as a hairdresser out of the question, Megann started searching around for other careers, at a time when “there wasn't really a lot of work-from-home options for jobs," she said.
She turned to social media, marketing herself, products, and other companies, eventually properly launching her own creative marketing agency Socials & Stilettos in 2019. The company handles a range of services, from brand development, to social media management and content creation. Megann also recently launched a podcast earlier this year.
The company is “very passionate about helping other women win,” according to Megann, 28, who works with clients across Canada and the U.S.
Having established herself in the online world, Megann has now put down roots in Aurora. Nearly a decade on from the accident that changed Megann’s life, she has opened an office for Socials & Stilettos on Wellington Street East. The team has expanded since its early days, with five women working for the company, including Nicole Tonol, who joined the company in 2020.
Tonol joined after coming off of maternity leave and looking for a career change. Without much marketing background, Megann welcomed Tonol onto the team.
Megann said she always had aspired to run her own business one day, but managing a team has been a transition.
“Being a business owner is one thing, but there's a really big shift that happens when now you're not only responsible for your own living, but now a team and these women and how they go home and live, too,” said Megann. “But it's always been something that I've kind of learned along the way and I'm probably still not the most experienced person, but we're still learning.”
At the office’s grand opening Feb. 26, Megann's mother, Darlene Doucette, was on hand to help, saying she was proud to have seen her daughter succeed.
“She's always been a very put her mind to it and go, sort of thing, and she's been very inspirational to a lot of women,” Doucette said.
Megann’s husband, Jake Bazio Topoulos, was also on hand providing video support for the grand opening. Bazio Topoulos likewise shared his pride, adding he was pleased to see Megann’s business move out of their home. He also runs an at-home business, a custom t-shirt designing business called The 6 Customs.
“I get to have a bigger workspace now. So that's a benefit for me,” he joked.
More information about Socials & Stilettos can be found online.