Chartered Professional Accountant Jessica Somers, founder and owner of Gastown's Cordova Street Consulting Incorporated, used to work in large accounting firms in Vancouver. Crunching numbers among the corporate suits for the past 10 to 15 years began to be less fulfilling, especially during the last few years.
Feeling her work and lifestyle were not aligned, she branched out on her own and established Cordova Street Consulting, which opened in July 2016. "I now work with people more like myself," reveals Jessica. "Entrepreneurs, artists and people who have social responsibility integrated into their business plan. I'm now in a place where I'm really passionate about the work that I do."
Jessica used to go to Nelson the Seagull, a café at Cordova and Carrall Streets, to strategize her startup. "It's sort of where my business was born," says Jessica. "I think Gastown is a really special neighbourhood, the birthplace of business in Vancouver. There's a lot of change and new ideas in business and a lot of that is happening in this neighbourhood; it feels good to be a part of that," she beams.