Becoming an entrepreneur by starting your own business can let you earn money while indulging your passions. Elina Viola told the Calgary Herald that a youth spent on the figure skating circuit indirectly let to her becoming her own boss. "I would sew to entertain myself when I was on the road," she told the Calgary Herald. "Then I took a pattern-making course just for fun." Ms Viola went on to enroll at design school and then found her own company, Viola Designs, which specialized in making active wear and outfits for figure skaters and fitness models. Since then, the business has grown and Ms Viola has taken on a number of other creative briefs, including the design and production of movie costumes, bridal wear, children's clothing, home interiors and upholstery for the sets of puppet shows. "[I] see a garment more like an art form than just a piece of clothing," she said. According to the Department of Labor, clothing and fashion design is a popular area for entrepreneurs, as 24 per cent of the 20,000 people working in the profession in 2006 were self-employed.  |