Entrepreneur: Cheris Samuels - Murdoch


developing fitness, wellness, and lifestyle guides for individuals and groups through other organizations, Cheris decided she could start offering these services on her own and Cherry Rock Lifestyle was born. Cheris found a gap in the fitness, yoga, and wellness market, and through research and experience, discovered the need for, as she calls it, a “movement advocate.” Cherry Rock Lifestyle helps people gain their independence, take back their self worth and improve relationships which she found lacking in other fitness regimes which focus more on strength, weight loss challenges, and image. Cheris offers offsite group accessible wellness and fitness classes, yoga for everyBODY and in-home personal rehabilitation and maintenance services, something not offered in abundance in this sector. Technology: With a bachelors in Kinesiology and masters in Adult Education, Cheris uses her vast education, learning and skills background to tailor programs best suited to groups and individuals. She researches and stays up to date on the latest technologies to personalize and grow any programs she develops with her clients as well. Most recently, Cherry Rock Lifestyle has taken a virtual approach to helping clients by offering classes online through Zoom, and meeting with clients online to help them


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dea: Cherry Rock Lifestyle, A Lifestyle Approach to Wellness. The need: After working and


achieve any wellness goals they may have. The development of an app in the future will help clients with meal planning, mindfulness, healthier food options and movement logging, exercise image library and a new way to communicate with Cherry Rock Lifestyle. Validation: Validation for the idea of


Cherry Rock Lifestyle came from years of experience in the industry and relationship building with current and potential clients. Focusing more on helping with chronic conditions, pain care plans, mobility, and overall health thus creating accessible fitness/wellness has led to a client base that was being ignored or overlooked in general by the fitness/wellness community. Partnership: Cheris used a sponsorship to help her take some courses offered at Tecconnect, a Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation run by Economic Development Lethbridge. She was a participant in the Chinook Entrepreneur Challenge and used that experience to help her build her business plan and then execute the delivery of her idea. A graduate of Entrepreneurship 101 and 102 programs offered at Tecconnect, Cheris has used that learning to help with the financing, branding, and marketing of her idea to help offer her clients a one-of- a-kind wellness program and experience. Initially the idea was to name the business Cherry Rock Lifestyle Adventures, but through talking it out with a business advisor and realizing that Adventures truly


wasn’t essential to the name, the word was dropped to give a better representation of the initial idea. Cheris will also be able to continue working on her business with help from the Women in STEM programming based out of Tecconnect. Marketing: Introducing Cherry Rock Lifestyle to as many people as possible has taken hard work over the years. Her business has evolved in many ways to keep up with the digital world we now live in. Trade shows are a great opportunity to showcase all the programs and offerings for individuals, plus it gives Cheris the opportunity to meet face to face with people, learn their stories and struggles, and provides an opportunity for her to help. Using a website and a strong social media presence, she has taken these face to face opportunities, which are now harder due to COVID, online. Cheris truly is the heartbeat of the entrepreneurial spirit here in Southern Alberta! She is proof that ideas can happen anywhere, and with hard work and experience, you can make them successful.


www.cherryrocklifestyle.ca @cherisbree


@cherryrocklifestyle #cherryrocklifestyle


14 • Lethbridge ENTREPRENEURS


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