Marla Fehr-Sinclair is a wife, mother, finalist for the Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award, cancer-survivor, jewelry-maker, store-owner, and now the Morden and District Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneur of the Year.

"I actually don't know why I was nominated, " said Fehr-Sinclair. "I think whoever nominated me has seen the journey that I've been on, and recognizing the hard work that has gone into making a successful business."

In 2009, Fehr-Sinclair was diagnosed with cancer and spent several months in the hospital receiving treatment. When she was released, cancer-free, she decided to change careers and pursued jewelry-making. Her small craft business started to get popular; she was shipping more and more of her creations to online customers.

"Our growth in the last three and a half years has been really incredible," said Fehr-Sinclair.

In 2013, Marni Luhu opened in its current location on Stephen St. in Morden. Fehr-Sinclair hopes she can provide what Morden was missing: a shop for women to find unique gifts and hand-made jewelry.

Earlier this year, Fehr-Sinclair was also nominated for a Women Entrepreneur of the Year award. She finished in the top ten out of all nominees in the province, over 240 women.

"Because we're outside the perimeter of Winnipeg, you sometimes feel disconnected," Fehr-Sinclair said.

At gala earlier in October, She said many of the women who delivered speeches shared a similar story: being told they would never succeed, but turning out to be hard-workers who proved their critics wrong.