“As an entrepreneur, you are bound to run into barriers. It’s how you manage them that will make you stronger.”
In partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation’s 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Initiative, Startup Canada is celebrating and spotlighting leading Canadian Women Entrepreneurs. Startup Canada was pleased to sit down with Nita Tandon, Founder & CEO of Dalcini Stainless to learn about their journey and the impact of their work.
Nita Tandon has been an outspoken advocate on sustainability, health, toxic chemicals, microplastics, DIY home, and wellness alternatives. She won the Mompreneur Startup Award in 2016 and has been featured on CTV, CHCH, BT, Rogers, Turner Radio, Newstalk1010, Parents Canada, Ecoparent, CFRA, The Balancing Act Podcast, and many other publications.
With a lifelong interest in sustainable health, a University degree in Applied Health Sciences, a 20+ year career in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry—along with her new role of motherhood—Nita Tandon is acutely aware of the bio-accumulative impact of toxic chemicals from plastics on growing bodies. What started as a personal search for better food containers for her own home became a mission to educate families on the threats of microplastics and hormone-disrupting chemicals.
SC: In one sentence, what does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
NT: Being an entrepreneur means creating innovative solutions to existing problems and having the drive to see them through to implementation.
SC: Tell us about your entrepreneurial venture and what role it plays and has played in your life.
NT: Dalcini Stainless is a company dedicated to creating healthy, sustainable housewares. For years I craved healthier living—which for me meant fewer chemicals, less clutter, and less wasteful living. Since the launch of Dalcini Stainless in 2015, I finally have that life. Safe. Simple. Sustainable.
SC: What motivated or propelled you to become an entrepreneur?
NT: In 2009, I was working in the pharmaceutical industry paying close attention to the accumulating scientific studies in medical journals surrounding BPA (bisphenol A). Later that year, Health Canada issued a ban on BPA in the manufacturing of baby bottles. The market was soon flooded with BPA-free products that consumers felt were safe alternatives—but in reality, it was a substitution of one chemical for another—which numerous studies have shown is no safer.
Then in 2010, I had my daughter. That’s my ‘why’. I wanted healthy, easy-to-use, easy-to-clean containers that were also easy on the environment. When I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I decided to create it. That’s when Dalcini Stainless was born.
SC: What are you most proud of related to your venture?
NT: I am most proud of seeing my vision for Dalcini come to fruition, despite all the obstacles along the way.
SC: What inspires you to keep going?
NT: I am inspired to keep going knowing that the more Dalcini products being used, means fewer single-use products, hormone-disrupting chemicals leaching into our water, and less waste being sent to landfills to sit for 800 years.
A less toxic planet is what inspires me to keep going.
SC: What’s the next mountain you’re climbing and what’s still left undone?
NT: Dalcini Stainless recently moved to a larger warehouse and office space in Ottawa. Our next mountain is to scale the business effectively, including moving into new international markets.
SC: What has been your biggest learning along the way?
NT: My biggest learning is that anything is possible—so dream bigger!
SC: Have you identified or confronted any systemic barriers through your journey? How do you persevere through them?
NT: Yes, I have experienced sexism, racism—ageism too. When it happens, it stops you in your tracks in disbelief. It’s certainly made me angry in the moment, but I don’t hold on to it. In some ways, it makes me stronger as I strive to tear down the barriers and prove them wrong.
I honestly believe that if it wasn’t ageism, sexism or racism, it would be something else. As an entrepreneur, you are bound to run into barriers. It’s how you manage them that will make you stronger.
SC: What advice do you have for those just beginning to embark on their entrepreneurial journey?
NT: Becoming an entrepreneur can seem daunting. My advice would be to know the problem you are trying to solve. Equally important is to understand your demographic audience, and where they spend time digitally and physically, and their headspace; how they think.
SC: Where can people go to learn more about your journey and organization?
NT: Our website.
SC: What’s your big vision for Canada and the World over the next 20 years?
NT: My vision for Canada is to see diverse leadership, from diverse businesses, exporting to diverse markets! There is so much talent within our borders, it would be amazing to harness that talent and use it to propel businesses to foreign markets.
SC: What do you think today’s entrepreneurs should be focused on for a better, brighter future?
NT: Today’s entrepreneurs are so incredibly inspiring. I would suggest they continue to think of the traditional “features & benefits” of their products and services, but also remain focused on sustainability.
Look at the entire supply chain and how every decision impacts the world. How it’s made—including the people that made it—how it’s packaged, how it is transported to stores, the impact on consumers, and how it is eventually disposed of. Sustainability should be a key focus of any company starting today.
Feeling inspired? Join the Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurs Network to gain access to resources, community events, and more!