OV Boss Babes

Upon returning to the Ottawa Valley, Kristin Leitch made the decision to start her mobile makeup service, driven by her passion for the beauty industry and empowering women to feel confident and beautiful.

Kris' business flourished as she expanded her services to include permanent makeup, brow shaping, botox, and laser treatments. In 2018, she established HeLa Beauty in Downtown Pembroke, followed by a second location in Petawawa. Kris and her team of professionals in white coats are committed to delivering top-notch medical-grade services and educating clients about the importance of personal care, elevating their self-care routines to new heights.

In this episode....

🤍We learn of Kristin's first business, where she was initially was a successful mobile makeup artist, and how she came to becoming the CEO of Hela, the Ottawa Valley's first multi-serviced medical aesthetics, laser clinic and luxury spa

🤍 We break down aesthetic treatment stigma stereotypes and where this negative connotation came from... and if we believe that attitudes towards aesthetic treatments are changing

🤍 Kris shares how she and her team are advocating for women to prioritize self care and why it's an investment beyond your appearance

🤍 We dive into treatments such as Botox, micro needling, IV drips, and SO much more!

Krystin and Catherine Wood are a mother-daughter duo operating Mahogony Salon & Spa, offering two locations to serve and pamper their clients. Since opening the doors of their premier (Stittsville) location in June 2004, these babes and their team have been dedicated to exceptional guest service, attention to quality and taking their level of care and service to an entirely new level of luxury.

But a lot goes on behind the scenes when it comes to owning two luxury day spas - and Catherine and Krystin don't hold back as they reveal their secrets to achieving success in the wellness, beauty and self care industry!

In this episode, we discuss:

🤍 How these babes wound up in business together 20 years ago, and how they created professional boundaries, divided up responsibilities and what those first early years looked like

🤍How Catherine and Krystin expanded their salon and spa by building their second location in Carleton Place and why they built such an extravagant facility

🤍How their team are the driving force behind their business’ marketing, through both social media and exceptional customer service

🤍 Revealing strategies for running a thriving luxury salon and spa and what has worked for them for 20 years!

Perfected by a husband and wife duo, Samantha Armstrong and her spouse Tyler created an epic gourmet donut like no other.

After discovering a unique donut concept in Nashville, Tyler and Sam were inspired to create their own version. It was during COVID that Tyler brought the idea forward to Sam, and the couple decided to pursue it. Despite having no culinary experience, the couple dedicated months to perfecting their 140-layer donut before launching it on social media. Fast forward 4 years later, Holey Confections can now be found at 3 locations across Ottawa and the couple even struck a Dragon's Den deal in early 2024!

In this episode...

🍩 This former non-baker shares how intensive the process is to make these larger than life donuts, why they take 3 days to make and how they manage to stay remarkably fresh!

🍩 Following the success of their stores in Stittsville and Barrhaven, Sam shares what led them to opening their third location and how they manage and oversee all 3 stores

🍩 Sam shares where the Holey Confections’ slogan #DietStartsTomorrow came from and why their donut names are hilarious and relatable!

Kate Page is a dedicated powerhouse in the health and wellness industry, committed to enhancing individuals' well-being, offering top-quality supplements and expert guidance to help her customers reach their health goals.

Whether you're in search of clean vitamins, minerals, herbs, or sports nutrition products, Ottawa Valley Supplements is your trusted ally in holistic wellness, with professionals immersed in the nutrition biz, ready to help guide and educate you on various vitamin and mineral supplements.

In this episode....

🌱 Kate explains how her grandfather’s health diagnosis inspired her to delve into holistic health and learn more about people's well-being through nutritional supplements

🌱 Kate describes her approach of engaging with customers to understand their health history to help identify the supplements that align with their health requirements and objectives

🌱 Kate reveals industry secrets like cost comparison, product sourcing, inventory levels, and more!

👏🏼 Kate explains her initial introduction to Renfrew County CFDC and how crucial they were in providing significant financing for the essential purchases that helped launch her biz

After Denise Ray and her family had been approached by the former owners of U-Brew (before it became Cork Culture), letting them know they were nearing retirement, Denise, her former spouse and daughter were excited to get involved and take over this existing brew-on-premise business.

After speaking with retailers and suppliers, familiarizing themselves with the wine making process and sampling plenty of different wines, they rebranded U-Brew and became Cork Culture, eventually relocating to a new location and sharing their joy of winemaking with others across the Ottawa Valley!

In this episode....

🍷 Listeners learn about various wines, the extensive sampling involved, as well as the regulations and restrictions essential for entering the wine-making industry

🥂 We learn how the wine-making process works and the value of making your own wine (and why it's a better time than ever with LCBO’s being closed!)

😉🥂 Denise shares the secret ingredient to success in this business (and surprisingly, it isn't about the wine!)

Terri-Lee Cameron was another member at the Renfrew Curves fitness location, which helepd women meet their fitness goals with a 30-minute total body workout combining strength training, cardio, and stretching. But then the former owner approached her, asking if Terri-Lee wanted to take over the business and she quickly agreed, ready to pursue this incredible opportunity.

In addition to the struggles following the global pandemic and a franchise that was not worth continuing staying associated with, Terri-Lee decided to step away from being a Curves franchise owner and rebranded as an independent fitness studio, with a similar strength training concept.

In this episode....

👉🏼 We explore the experience of running a Curves franchise and delve into Terri-Lee's decision to rebrand and establish her own independent fitness studio

👉🏼We explore Terri-Lee's strategy in establishing new price points, structuring fitness classes, and effectively promoting TLC Fitness without a website or sharing the class schedule on social media

👉🏼 We learn how Enterprise Renfrew County supported Terri-Lee in confidently rebranding her business and why it played a crucial role in her success

Mélanie Pieschke was working for the MRC Pontiac when she decided to take a leave of absence for a year and started selling clothes at the Sears store counter, realizing that she loved it and never looked back.

She opened her fashion boutique, Jolie Folie, in Shawville because she was passionate about building economic development in her community and wanted to give people a reason to shop local instead of venturing to the big city.

In this episode.....

👗 Mélanie dives into how she went from working at her municipal job, to working behind the counter at Sears, to eventually opening her own boutique

🤳🏼 We hear what Mél's marketing and advertising platforms looked like when she first opened and how they've shifted with the growth of social media

👡 Mél shares which fashion trends have come and gone over the years, and what styles continue to be staples in your closet

💰 We talk about business support and shuch local organizations contributed to the success of Jolie Folie in its infancy years

After Lindsay Wickware was blindsided by her then-husband, discovering that he was leading a double life, going through a divorce shortly after her daughter was born, and went through a a serious concussion, she rediscovered her love of art.

Lindsay started painting again to pass the time while she recovered, both physically and mentally, and hasn't stopped since. Her abstract work combines her love of bold designs and cheerful colours - but within her artwork is a form of trauma healing, and this former creative designer had some heavy trauma that she had to overcome in order to paint over the invisible wounds to fully heal.

Through her artwork and sharing her personal story, Lindsay is helping others to discover their creative passions by allowing them the space to release, heal and forgive. 🙏🏼

In this episode....

🤍 We hear Lindsay’s devastating story of how her husband ended their marriage shortly after welcoming their daughter and how she rebuilt her life

🖼️ Listeners learn of how a profound accident led Lindsay to feeling whole again and coming around full circle to discovering her passion for art, and ultimately forming the Lindsay Joy Project

🎨 Lindsay shares the artistic moment that she incorporated her feelings of forgiveness and ultimately let go of the past in the form of a creative painting

🫶🏼 We hear how a painting workshop allowed students to release former traumatic feelings to come out through the brush, creating a sense of sisterhood and empowerment

It is entirely possible to plan a wedding without the help of a professional planner, BUT there are some things you need to remember, might not be aware of and also want to enjoy your day without having to worry about the little things

After being listed on Chatelaine’s 40 under 40 list, Julie McNamara knew it was time to take the plunge and expand her business model from a small wedding planning company to a vibrant social enterprise offering a diverse suite of events and public affairs services.

In this episode....

✨ Julie shares how she stumbled into the event and wedding industry, becoming Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley's sought-after wedding and event firm

👰‍♂️ We discuss wedding and event coordination, behind the scenes content creation, collaborating with other biz professionals, and so much more!

🤩 Julie shares how her event planning business model has evolved and why she no longer participates at her events (while still making money!)

👏🏼 We discuss Julie and Co's new area of focus in public affairs and politic public relations, and if Julie plans to focus more on this line of work, and move away from weddings and events

Scott's Shoes has quite the history past, with three generations of family ownership. The original store has been a well known fixture in downtown Renfrew since 1895 and the Scott family have been finding the perfect pair of shoes for every foot!

Fast forward to 2024, Nathan Scott and his wife Haley are the main proprietors of the store, upholding the longstanding Scott family legacy of managing the business and delivering top-notch footwear and exceptional customer service at their three stores in Renfrew, Pembroke, and Arnprior.

And there's no business like shoe business as we get into all things retail shoe therapy and let let the shoe drop, as we talk about:

👞 Some of the history surrounding the long time Scott's Shoes and how Nathan and Haley took over his family business

👠 Business expansion, with Scott's Shoes opening two consecutive locations and the secret to managing all 3 stores

👟 Strategies on how Scott's Shoes stores continue to thrive even with other big box stores and online competitors

🥾 Popular shoe trends, markup costs for profit, exceptional customer service and much more!