About Me + Willow Oak
Hi! I wanted to introduce myself for anyone new to our page / blog! My name is Megan Hughes, I am a mama of two, CPA, constantly decluttering and redesigning home and the Founder of Willow Oak Business Consulting Ltd. I live just outside of Vancouver, BC with my husband, Evan and children, William and Kennedy.
I have an affinity for numbers and I love all things business related. From a young age, I loved numbers and always imagined myself in that business casual outfit, leading meetings and feeling that excitement when a big messy account is reconciled.
Although I used to imagine this in a corporate office setting, after having my son, my once love for the corporate 9-5 left me less inspired. I began seeking something new that would provide me with the lifestyle I desired. Welcome, Willow Oak!
When I’m not working, you can find me hanging out with my close family and friends. I’m a homebody at heart, and although I love spending time with those close to me, coming home after a social event is the best feeling in the World to me. I am the happiest waking up early to my husband, babies, fur kitty Gus and a warm cup of coffee (with some Silk creamer of course).
Over the past few years, I have been on a wild personal growth journey.
To start, I began a plant based lifestyle just over 3 years ago and have learned a lot about food, new recipes and the impact that plant based living has on the World. I am definitely not perfect, but I enjoy continuously learning and being better at conscious living
Next, I learned how to say “no” to things that didn’t bring me joy. I grew to understand what self care meant to me and learned that saying no to things like dinners or social events was okay.
Finally, I realized how much living a simple and decluttered life inspired me. I learned a lot about the art of living simple, minimizing “stuff”, and buying quality over quantity.
Behind Willow Oak
Now, how was Willow Oak born? As I mentioned above, after having our son, I found myself feeling less inspired in the corporate setting despite loving my work. I started to dream of what I wanted my life to look like 5, 10, 15 years down the line. What days would like, what vacation/trips would look like for our family. With the life I desired, I realized entrepreneurship was a strong contender on how to make that happen.
From my 8 years of corporate experience, both were in relatively small corporations (under 150 employees). I always had a passion for small businesses because I really enjoyed knowing everyone. Even though I was the “little” person on the corporate ladder, I still had interactions with the CEO, the VP’s, and the executives. Small enough that no matter where you were, a beginner or a leader, you all had communication and an impact somehow. I always knew I wanted to stay in the small business sector.
I have always had a creative side to me. I have a love for interior design and fashion. Although I am no expert, I was always drawn to the creative businesses as a way to release my creative side without it being my expertise. I could see that these small business owners could really benefit from curated packages to assist in achieving and exceeding their business and personal goals. I understand that in running a business of any sort, one wears many hats, and if there is one part of it that really sucks the soul out of you, so to speak, it’s the “business” side of things. Since I happen to love this part of it, I realized it was a great niche for me!
Welcome, Willow Oak Business Consulting!
The Name – Where did the name come from?
The name started out as Willow, which is a play on the name William, my son. William is the inspiration behind me taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Becoming a mother taught me that in order to be the best mother I could be, I needed to be the best version of myself. Through this new journey, I realized being a business owner was the right fit for me.
Preparing for this new venture, I looked to the Willow tree for inspiration. To me, it brings spirituality, balance, learning, growth and flexibility. As much as I loved the name, I felt it wasn’t complete. The Oak (tree) was added to the name to bring strength, resistance, power and knowledge.
The two balance and support each other by working together. Working as a team to bring individual strengths is the exact philosophy behind Willow Oak Business Consulting.
It also wasn’t a coincidence that we knew, if we were graced with a second baby, we wanted to name them Oakley Our son, who was born still on October 14, 2019 was named Oakley Tucker Hughes and his twin sister, Kennedy, holds his name, Oak as her middle name xx
Willow Oak launched January 14th, 2019 and it’s been the most amazing, hard, exciting journey! Follow us as we grow and learn in this journey of entrepreneurship xo