We caught up with Cory, Co-owner/Operator of enVie, for this week's installment of "7 Questions With..." He's managed to balance his work and personal life in a way that most of us only dream of. Find out his philosophy below!
1. How did you get started in business?
enVie was started with a former business partner four years ago after a professional hockey career brought me back to Halifax where I grew up. The city was lacking a unique vegan dining experience and we wanted to give people that option. I didn’t go to school for business or anything; I just learned as I go and still do that everyday. Life is the best education there is.
2. What is your morning routine?
My alarm goes off at 5am and usually I start my morning off with a few hours of exercise, usually cycling for 30 or 40km or a quick run with my two dogs.
3. Where is your favourite place in Halifax to sweat?
On my bike by myself on quiet roads far out of the city, or any class at RIO/ROGUE or SPINCO run by my friend Connie.
4. What's a goal you're working towards right now?
Right now, I am really trying to educate people on being able to live a very active and physically demanding lifestyle while running a business seven days a week for 14 or 15 hours a day. Your body is capable of some pretty crazy things and I like to throw as much at myself as I can. That always starts with fuelling it the right way and having a positive, fun attitude.
5. Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to have dinner with and why?
David Attenborough because Planet Earth is life.
6. When was the last time you failed spectacularly at something?
I guess I’m like anyone and try not to fail too spectacularly at certain things haha, so I keep my goals realistic, but I fail at stuff everyday. Everyone does. It’s realizing that it’s ok to fail at things and it’s completely normal but learning from that and getting better from it is what makes you succeed. It’s what drives me to wake up in the morning. You want to get more done, you want to be better than you were the day before. A failure is a positive lesson, and when you let it affect you negatively, that’s when you start to fail more often.
7. What makes you smile without fail?
Definitely my two dogs at home, and coming to work early every morning and seeing our amazing staff work so hard with smiles on their faces. I owe everything to the people we have at enVie. It’s the funnest group; they are all young and passionate, and they know they are making the world a better place. Knowing that they are happy, makes me happy.
Cory is living proof that success in your business doesn't have to come at the expense of your physical or mental health. He must be doing something right because he was brought on as a lululemon ambassador this year and he's always chipper. We should know–we share a kitchen! Did any of Cory's responses strike a chord with you? Let us know in the comments!
