Between hospital shifts, planning classes and raising kids, the co-CEOs of Crane Prenatal never seem to stop.

Best friends-turned-co-CEOs Tori Smith, Bachelor of Science in Nursing ’16, and Maddi Lakey, Bachelor of Science in Nursing ’18, know the non-stop rhythm of their life is not for everyone, but there’s no way they’d rather be. Smith’s and Lakey’s passion for helping people led them to create Crane Prenatal: a company that equips women with knowledge so they feel empowered, calm and supported as they prepare for birth.

“It’s so rewarding teaching people about birth because it’s beautiful and I’m so passionate about it,” says Smith. “I find that many moms or parents aren’t getting prenatal classes because they don't think they need it. But they don't know what they don't know until they take the course.”

Crane Prenatal offers classes that cover childbirth, recovery and newborn education, as well as both prenatal and postpartum Pilates. The classes cover topics like the stages of labour, partner roles, birth plan options, and postpartum and recovery. Additionally, Crane Prenatal can connect parents with consultants for breastfeeding and speech-language pathology, and psychologist workshops.

“That’s what makes Crane unique,” says Lakey, “We're trying to provide different opportunities for new moms to not only meet and get education, but also do something that makes them feel good.”

The spark for the business came after Smith had her own baby; she found that she missed the community that came from prenatal classes. She then pitched the idea of starting prenatal and postpartum classes that incorporate fitness into education to Lakey. Smith found that her nursing degree and practical experience was beneficial to becoming a business owner. Once Lakey was on board, Crane Prenatal was born.

Starting a business is no small feat, especially with full lives. Both Lakey and Smith are full-time nurses and sometimes work with Crane happens late into the evenings – the only uninterrupted time they both have available. But these time management skills are credited to their time at MacEwan when they were pursuing their degrees while playing volleyball.

But they’re grateful for the connections that have contributed to the creation and success of their company, especially the connections that start in unusual ways, like meeting an Edmontonian physiotherapist on a volunteer trip to Ecuador who became one of their partnerships and they themselves met because of a book.

“Tori was selling me a nursing textbook,” says Lakey of their first meeting in a parking lot outside MacEwan. “We both were each other’s bridesmaids, and now we’re business partners. The relationship blossomed, and there's no one I would rather do this with.”

They have a few pieces of advice for other budding MacEwan entrepreneurs: never underestimate the power of connections and community, find your niche and have some trust.

Lakey says that it’s never the perfect time to start a business: “It’s risky, it's scary and it's time consuming.” But that doesn’t make the process any less rewarding, she adds. “Trust yourself and trust each other.”

She does the marketing for Crane, which wasn’t part of her formal education, but being willing to learn something new has been rewarding, she says. And when she hits a hurdle, she isn’t afraid to ask for help.

“Find something that you are passionate about,” says Smith, “I always liked caring for people and taking care of people around me, but I had no idea how far it would take me.”