Saving a Canadian Wool Clothing Brand with Stephanie Gross

I built something amazing with amazing people.

It has.

It's bigger than me now and I have to make this massive.

I am so ready to sit in that big CEO seat.

I'm ready to go public speech and share the story.

I am ready to inspire people.

The great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years.

Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal.

And we couldn't agree more.

This is the Business Development Podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and broadcasting to the world.

You'll get expert business development advice, tips and experiences and you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs and business development reps. You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business.

Brought to you by Capital Business Development capitalbd ca.

Let's do it.

Welcome to the Business Development Podcast.

And now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.

Hello.

Welcome to episode 341 of the Business Development Podcast.

And today it is my absolute pleasure to welcome Stephanie Gross to the show.

Stephanie is the founder and CEO of Bumby Wool, a Canadian made sustainable apparel company built from the ground up with a sewing machine, relentless determination and a belief that clothing could be made differently.

For nearly two decades, Stephanie has led the growth of Bumby Wool from a kitchen table startup into an internationally recognized ethical manufacturing brand known for custom fit, sustainability, innovation and community driven craftsmanship.

Based in Red Deer, Alberta, Bumby Wool has become a powerful example of what modern Canadian manufacturing can look like when purpose, creativity and resilience collide.

Today, Stephanie is helping lead the conversation around sustainable manufacturing, supplier diversity, ethical production and woman led entrepreneurship across North America with certifications through WBENC and we connect international recognition as one of the top 50 scale up startups for 2026 in the Calgary region and nearly 20 years of hard earned entrepreneurial experience.

Behind her, Stephanie is proving that you do not need to compromise your values to build something extraordinary.

She is building more than a company, she is building a movement.

And Stephanie is just getting started.

Welcome to the show Stephanie.

It's great to finally have you here.

I'm so excited to be here.

Man, what an introduction.

I'm like yeah, that's all true.

I'm doing all those things.

So I'm, I'm like some of that I just posted last night.

So I'm impressed.

You're like on the ball Kelly.

It's fantastic.

I, I do have a slight advantage on this particular one.

Is like we've actually known each other for the better part of six, eight months at this point as well.

So, like, I've gotten to kind of watch your journey, and, boy, what a journey it's been.

And I'm actually super excited to really inspire some listeners today because your.

Your story is so inspirational.

Also, the listeners will never hear this, but I absolutely butchered your intro.

My.

My mushmouth was on full display.

Um, and that's the best thing about podcasting, is that I can fix all my little mistakes like they never happened.

But thank you for putting up with me on that one.

Of course.

No, it's totally fine.

It made me more comfortable.

I don't even think that you should be taking that out.

I own it, man.

I was like, okay, I can screw up, and you can edit it out if I have to.

So it's so.

It's so funny.

That's totally how you guys know that this show is not scripted, because I.

Reading scripts and reading introductions has always been a challenge, but I do like to write them because I think they're so powerful, and.

And I think they really do set up these shows for success, and they.

They allow people to kind of see what they've done.

I think so many of us, we forget all the incredible things we've done, all of the journey that is now typically behind us, but everyone who's been on the show is absolutely exceptional, and I love to write a great intro.

And like you said, you know, I mean, Stephanie, literally this week, this week, you already have great, incredible things.

That was yesterday.

No, it's really great to have you on the show.

And actually, I wanted to also congratulate you.

You were the very first guest from the textile industry we have ever had.

And so I'm very excited, Stephanie, to get into your journey today.

And an incredible journey that it's been, and an inspiring journey that it's been.

We're going to get into it later on in the show.

I don't want to touch it right now, but I want to talk about when we first met.

Briefly.

When we first met, you were in a really tough spot.

The tariffs were in full effect, and you were really scared about what the future of your business looked like.

And it went from that into literally a complete turnaround.

And I'm so excited because I think that's so inspiring for so many leaders to know that, you know, you can be 20 years into your business, be suffering through some of the hardest hardships you may have ever gone through in your organization, and six, eight months later, be skyrocketing to the moon again.

So I think it's important to inspire some people.

I'm excited to do that with you, Stephanie.

Specifically, before we get into that, who is Stephanie Gross?

How did you end up on this journey?

Oh, my gosh.

I was just born this way.

You know, I think just.

And I think that's part of the journey too.

Is.

Is like you were talking about in the beginning.

It's just witnessing yourself.

And instead of just thinking of the future, actually taking a pause and just thinking back of who are you as a human being?

What's your life?

Why are you doing what you're doing?

I've been making a bit of a joke of like, know your limit and stay within it.

Because I tend to live outside my limits and causing myself some problems.

But just owning your excellence and owning your space in this world.

Expanding it.

And it.

It just.

Yeah.

I At.

Some people live outside the box and some people live inside the box.

So I think that we.

If you can get as close to that box as you can.

Yeah.

You know, and then expand the box rather than trying to be outside of it.

Or wait.

Being too safe is just as bad as being too bold.

But.

Agreed.

Agreed completely.

The idea is if you are always playing it safe, you will never know what you're capable of.

Yes.

And if you're always playing it too wild, you're also gonna cause yourself some heartache.

That doesn't need to happen.

So I think there's that hap.

It's balance.

I'm all about balance, which I'm a Libra, so I tend to be.

My husband is polar opposite from me too, so he.

So we balance each other out in that relationship, which is fine.

1.

To answer your question, I'm bringing it back.

I have always been very driven to success, to win, to life is a game.

I've always felt like that.

And I remember when they had those little puff balls, you know, to put in a pencil.

77 Star Wars.

Anyway, so they.

There's.

They would have these little puff balls that you put on top of your pencil.

And it's like, okay, if you read so many books, you get a free one.

And I'm like, I'm gonna get moved in my class, like, always so driven.

And the girl guy cookies.

That was a big one for me.

I.

That one, I think just really altered my whole head because it was.

I didn't just do the thing.

I saw what happened and my mom saw what happened and she.

She still talks about it.

So I.

We were out.

We went out to, like, the rich neighborhood in town with the girl Guy cookies.

The boxes.

And like some of those girls were not very nice.

I was, I didn't have any friends in the girl guy crew.

And this one girl, like the leader, the mean girl leader, went up to this house and sold her entire case of cookies.

Oh, wow.

With and.

And she didn't sell them.

They just wanted them.

They were waiting for her.

So I was just, I was furious that I didn't go to the house.

I wasn't mad at her.

I wasn't jealous of her.

I was just like, oh, I could have done that.

Then I went upon and sold more.

Right.

It was just.

Sure.

And it's, it's about finding the right people to get the thing that you have.

You don't sell garlic cookies.

You walk around and offer them and then people take them and recognizing that whole sales thing as well.

And when I got home, I was frustrated because I didn't sell very many.

And my mom's like, don't worry about it.

You don't have to sell them all.

And I said, no, I'm gonna get rid of this tool and I will go door to door until they're all gone.

And I did, you know, I did without self pity.

It was just with focus and determination.

Determination.

Yeah.

And I just, I remember thinking about the whole process and I think that's just really shows who I am.

Give me a challenge, I'll figure it out.

It doesn't matter how hard it is.

I can learn from other people's successes.

I can learn from my mistakes and own them without feeling tragedy or pity.

I think it's really important.

And so that's led me through different things.

Like I.

Eyes closed, head first, can't loose.

Like I will just jump into things.

My husband and I, we've been together for 24 years.

Congratulations.

A year after we met.

He's from Costa Rica and I moved down there with him.

We hadn't even known each other a year.

I just knew that it was the right thing for me.

And we balance each other out and in such a great way.

And.

Yeah.

And I learned down there and I just.

That's just who I am.

So I worked in human resources.

I worked in safety.

I worked in the oil sands up in northern Alberta.

First on site at Horizon CNRL site.

Like we built the extraction plant.

Also, shout out to.

I used to work there where a bunch of Stephanie's stories are there now.

Thank you.

I didn't tell any secrets or anything.

We were watching Landman and I was like, oh, this safety is so bad.

In the show.

And they're H2s.

I'm like, I saw people like, anyway, and I was like, that's H2S.

I need to get out of there right away.

It sticks with you for life.

For life.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

So I worked in human resources.

I worked in safety.

I've worked in document control, all these.

I worked in a call center.

I worked in customer service in the restaurant industry.

So all these things before I had our kids were built me to know so many different aspects of running a business.

So.

And I think that just took all that.

Those pieces of knowledge.

And I worked in a startup, too, so all those things just brought me to.

To want to have my own business.

And I've just always been entrepreneurial.

I think it's something in our blood.

And it takes, like.

It's hard.

It is hard to be an entrepreneur.

It is hard to run a business.

And there's a really big difference between being a hired CEO and, you know, having the education and you follow those steps and being a grassroots bootstrap.

What the hell are you doing?

Entrepreneur?

That's building a business.

They're very different journeys and very different personalities, and there's nothing wrong with either.

They're just different.

And.

And then when I meet people like myself, I see that in you.

It's just.

Yeah, it's like magic.

That's where the magic is.

There's a lot of passion.

There's a lot of passion in, you know, grassroots entrepreneurship.

Right.

If you're truly building something from nothing, you damn well better be passionate about it, because it's going to be challenging, it's going to be hard, and it's going to qu.

You know, I mean, you're going to question yourself a lot of times on the path, but if you're in it for the right reasons, if you're in it to make a difference, to make an impact, to help people, that alone can be enough to keep you driven through the hard points.

Like, there's been.

There's been a lot of the times on this show where I've questioned, like, should I still be doing this?

You know, like, we're 300 plus episodes.

Like, you know, we've done a lot here.

But I love it.

I genuinely love it.

Stephanie.

I would continue to do this if I didn't get paid to do it.

I would.

I love it.

I enjoy doing this.

Wait, do I have you?

No, no, we're.

Wait a minute.

We are blessed to have incredible sponsors who do that for us and keep this show going.

I Was kidding.

But yes.

No.

You know what I mean, Right?

Like, it's one of those things where I did it for years before we ever took on some real money for this thing.

And I would continue to do it because it's valuable to me too.

I enjoy these conversations.

I enjoy meeting people, I enjoy talking entrepreneurship.

And it's kind of the same reason why the Catalyst Club is growing.

Right.

Like, we don't make a lot of money with Catalyst Club, but we're making impact with Catalyst Club and that adds value too, right?

Yep, Absolutely.

But I want to talk with you specifically about launching Bumby Wall.

Now, obviously, you're from Alberta.

You're based in Red Deer, Alberta, down the road from Edmonton.

Driven through Red Deer hundreds, if not thousands of times throughout my life and career.

Donuts, gas and going pee.

Right.

It is the best.

It is the best stopping point on the way to Calgary.

But yeah, you're right there.

Right in our backyard.

So Alberta based.

Worked in oil and gas just like me, you know.

Did.

Did you know a lot of range of oil and gas?

Actually, when I was kind of going through your.

Your past experience there and fun story, you know, some.

One of my first clients when I got into business development was JV drivers.

So I got a bit of a kick out of that that you'd spent some time there.

But I wanted to talk about that because, you know, it kind of sounds like you were in oil and gas.

You were probably doing pretty good during those times.

Like, those were financially up times, you know, heading into 2008 anyway.

But financially up times for the oil and gas industry in Alberta, what was the catalyst that made you decide that you were potentially going to pursue entrepreneurship?

What an interesting question.

Because you say it like I decided because I didn't.

It was just the natural flow of things for me.

I decided to have a kid.

Our.

My husband and I, we are very strategic planners.

And once we decide to do something, we execute.

Both of us are very much like that.

It's like we decided that the car seat didn't fit in the car that we had.

So we decided to get a new car and then we bought the car that.

Wow.

But I mean, it was a good deal.

So we just got it.

It was used and everything, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then we.

But then we live with those.

Like, my van is a 2201314 sienna.

I love that band.

My husband called it.

It's like when I say it's not too bad, it's like pretty bad.

And then if I say it's like not, not great.

Then it's like a.

Because of the slacks.

Like dumpster fire.

Dumpster on fire.

On wheels on fire.

So.

But regardless.

So we decided to have a kid and I really.

My husband's an engineer.

Shocking, right that this crazy person is married to a very calm engineer.

And I wanted.

We wanted to have kids.

And I am so I loved being.

I love being a mom.

I still am.

I loved raising my babies.

I wanted to be there.

I wanted to be a stay at home mom.

And I appreciate that all the women ahead of me laid the foundation in the platform for me to make that choice and to while I could also start a business, I could have a bank account, I can own property, all these things.

And I think that's something that's.

It's important to say to support all the, the women that do choose to be a stay at home mom or a stay at home dad or a parent or whatnot.

So that's what we decided together.

And my husband could afford to sustain the household on the single income tight.

Right.

So I wanted to financially contribute to the household as well.

I chose to do that.

That's what we decided.

That was our plan and we talked about it in advance that I would be the one in charge of the food and the cooking and the cleaning and the child raising and he would be in charge of the financials.

And at the same time I was going to try to bring in some other income that was.

Yeah.

So I started the business because that led to feed my goals because my goal was to be there for the kids.

So getting some other job outside of the house would take away from that goal.

Having a massive business, that was huge.

And this is something that when we met would also take me away from my goals because I didn't want a multi million dollar business because I and the big CEO stuff because it would take me away from my goal which is to be there for my kids.

The whole business right from the second it started was built around my kids.

Wow.

So.

And I think that some of the questions that you pre asked me about is like to think about, to share is it's built around that and I've recognized.

So before we met, actually, I guess it was after we met I took a pause and I looked back at everything that I've done in my life and I just feel like you're in a, in a river and there's your water.

See the water dragon you're talking about earlier?

I'm a very fluid person.

And yeah.

So I was Just like, I just feel like I'm in a river.

And when.

When I'm in the wrong river or doing the wrong things, it's fricking hard.

Yes.

And sometimes the river flow is telling me that I need to stop and figure out what I'm doing.

Am I going the wrong way?

Am I in the wrong path and.

Or is it the wrong river entirely?

So when I was doing the business, like, there were so many times, like, there's been some roughness.

Like, for instance, I was so tired.

I remember, you know, I'm raising my kids.

I'm at home, I'm alone.

I work way better in a team, I felt.

Yeah.

Only.

And that's when Becky came into my life.

And so we did some babysitting, sharing, and Because I didn't have time to go find friends like I do.

And I don't like to, like, sit around and have coffee.

Like, I'm such a doer, so sitting around lounging is not my thing.

And I'm 100 on, 100 off.

So if I'm resting, I want to be, like, by myself, watching Netflix or something.

Like, I'm like, don't interrupt my me time.

100%.

I'm pretty social, but I, like, also need to be able to leave.

Yes.

So I met Becky, and then she saw how frazzled I was, and she'll.

She started working for me.

She's like, I can come work for you.

I'm like, no, I'm not paying myself.

You're crazy.

But she's.

Anyway, she came in and she's been with me for 16 years.

She's my first hire.

She's still here.

She is a two.

She had a two and a four year old.

I had a two and a four year old.

And those four kids were in my house while we were working.

And we didn't have to pay for daycare.

We could work, we could pause.

She could be comfortable to look after the kids, go to the, the, you know, the, the school events.

And if kid was sick or whatever.

It was built around the kids.

And she knew it and I knew it.

And that's why she's still here.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

And.

Yeah, and.

And our customers knew that, which is why they want to buy from us, because they know what we're doing, because that's the mission, you know, and it aligns with the whole story.

So I've never paid for advertising.

I've never paid, like, the grassrootsness of the business.

My website has been a hot mess for 18 years.

I'm finally launching it this weekend, basically.

So when this podcast is live, my website should be banging.

That's going to be great.

It's almost there.

It's almost done.

So.

Yeah.

And I haven't ever wanted to.

It's all been name like the word of mouth advertising and I think because the people that have been buying from us has always been those first adopters.

So it's like, yeah, you know, the renegades in industry conversation there, didn't I?

That's a no.

Not at all.

I feel you went right into what you did.

But I think for me and for the listeners listening who understand you and your background, they're understanding that you came from a very oil and gas background.

Really.

Health and safety, trade.

You know what?

Actually I would.

No, because I only worked up there.

So we.

I.

So I'm actually a math and science nerd, so.

Interesting.

Yeah.

So in school that was like I got 97% of my calculus final.

I started my university.

Wow.

And then I ended up leaving and I did some like waitressing stuff.

Then I met my husband and then we moved down to Costa Rica.

Like this is all like very quick timeline.

Very quick.

Yeah.

And then I worked.

I worked at Rona for like a few months.

I worked at Safeway for a little bit because I was trying to find.

I worked at West Edmonton Mall at the.

The reservations, like taking calls to book into the hotel.

So I did like a bunch of different things.

I was just looking for as much money.

I was like so excited.

I got $9 an hour.

That was the highest page off.

Better than my $2 at Dairy Queen.

I also made.

I also made $9 an hour when I worked at West Edmonton Mall.

But I worked at Mr. Mike's.

Nice.

I think minimum wage was like $7 at that point or something.

So like to get some extra.

It was like the serving minimum wage at the time.

Well, don't forget, I'm like significantly older than you.

That was like 19.

No, that was in 2000.

Anyway, so.

And I grew up in Vancouver island.

So I'm from N originally and moved to Edmonton in the.

In 97.

So I grew up in.

It was very, you know, green recycling kind of environment that I grew up in.

And then Edmonton was, you know, and then we moved to Costa Rica, which is very.

About that sort of stuff as well.

About nature and organic and sustainable development.

Yeah, all that sort of stuff.

And I worked in a call center there and so answering calls for General Electric, actually.

And so we were booking appointments for.

For sales, for repairs, for Appliances in the United States.

So I met lots of Americans all over the country, talking different accents and different demographics.

Then I got into the human resources department there, recruiting people, like, calling them in Spanish and then interviewing them in English to see if their English is good enough.

Then I got into the training department, like, and all this was, like, two years.

Yeah.

And then we moved back to Canada, and my husband had a job in Fort Mac.

So we moved there in 2005.

And then I got.

I had no.

I had known.

I didn't know anything.

I thought that they were, like, drilling oil.

Okay.

I didn't understand anything.

Sure.

Yeah.

And then I got into document control.

Got 19 an hour.

I was like, whoa, living in a dream.

And then I got the office manager position that the.

My boss that hired me.

It was off of, like, a camp.

I don't even remember.

But he was just so busy that he didn't have time for the hiring process and interviews.

And he kept on, like, not showing up.

He's like, oh, I'll call you here.

And he wouldn't.

So I was, like, hounding him like a pit bull.

And I remember the guys I was working with, they were like, oh, you just lost that job.

You're, like, standing too desperate.

And he hired me without interviewing me because I was so pit bully.

Like, how do you go from that to, I'm going to manufacture clothing.

Okay, all right, all right, I'll answer your question.

So I gu.

Okay, so I have a. I wanted to have a business.

They worked in safety, blah, blah, blah.

Let's see how much of this you edit out.

I just fast forward me going like this for a little bit.

So why did I start the.

Why did I start the business that I started?

And again, it was about having.

I wanted to be there for my kids.

I also wanted.

I'm very lean with.

I hate throwing things out.

I hate wasted resources.

Like, I don't like to waste a second of my time.

So using cloth diapers for my son made sense to me.

So the business started with that.

I wanted to buy cloth diapers.

I couldn't find any.

Amazon was just starting.

They're mailing books, and Netflix was mailing DVDs.

It was like being in.

I think it was still called the Facebook.

Okay.

And, like, this is a while ago, Right.

And yes, we were only in Fort Mac for a few years, and we just moved to the country.

Like, we were in our.

In our 20s.

Like, yeah, I have our son at 30, and we were like, new.

Like, we had a couple of Suitcases and nothing when we got there.

So it just.

And we sold our house for as much as we paid for it.

Like, it's not like we made some big thing.

It just got us to launch, to.

To get into the country, basically before we moved to Red Deer.

So we moved there, had to work for a year, had the kid.

Had another kid.

Moved to Red Deer.

Yeah.

Celebration.

So I couldn't find the cloth diapers that I wanted.

I looked and I couldn't find them.

So I thought, okay, I'll just make them.

And then I made them and I was like, I kind of nailed that.

So maybe there's other people that would want them and can't find them.

So that seems like a really good business model.

And then I was trying to.

I made them locally, I was selling them locally.

And then there was nowhere to sell them.

So I collected some other people that were.

Had small businesses, went to Peter Pond Mall and I started a pop up shop thing for all the.

For all of our little stores in the mall.

And then I found this.

It was like Etsy for cloth diapers called Hyena Cart, which is a weird name.

And then I started selling on there.

And then I got a couple of customers and then they told their friends and then I made my own website and then they told their friends.

And then we went to Red Deer and then told their friends.

And then Becky hired, and then now I'm here.

So.

Wow.

Okay.

So it all started with your need for cloth diapers.

Wow.

Okay.

Yeah.

And had you had any sewing and manufacturing experience before then?

Like, was this just something you knew how to do or you had to figure it out?

I had to figure it out.

I had two weeks of grade eight sewing.

Okay.

Don't tell anybody I told you.

You were inspirational.

So.

But I didn't intend, like, when I started it, I didn't intend to sell them.

I was making it for myself.

They were.

I used all of the not good ones to start.

Right.

And then I discounted as a test market.

So really I did all those business things of, you know, before I brought it to market.

I got some testers and I checked the fit and I, you know, challenged all the methodology, the supply chain, you know, all that sort of stuff.

And then we pivoted into wool, which is like a different part of it.

So I started with the cloth diapers, which are using the polyurethane laminate poles with snaps and there's like a whole.

It makes it look like a regular disposable diaper.

Okay.

And people are like, oh, are you using like normal diapers?

And it's like the disposable diapers are not normal.

They've only been around since the 70s or 80s.

Oh, fun fact.

They were made for astronauts.

Did you know that?

Yeah.

And they were made for astronauts and then they were made for traveling for parents that were traveling so that they didn't have to wash their.

Right.

Yes, that is very true.

And then the first.

The first actual cloth diaper cover that was made from plastic was from a shower curtain.

Then she started her business with that with making the shower curtain rubber pants.

Anyway.

That's funny.

Yeah.

So.

But I was having some issues with rashes.

And then the.

It's a plastic cover, so.

And so the kids are having some rash issues.

And then the absorbent material on the inside was it when you wash it, like, you know when you're washing the mattress protector or like a bath mat and it just doesn't rinse properly and it's still water in there.

That's what happens with the cloth diapers too, with the rubber on the outside.

I found out about using wool as a diaper cover.

And then I just went down a rabbit hole of like, why does this work?

And how.

And I real.

And I found out that wool is the original smart fiber.

It's been used for centuries.

It's temperature regulating.

It's fire retardant.

It's neutralizes odors and urine so you can pee on it and it turns into water and salts and just evaporates heat and smell.

And you can reuse it without washing it.

So you don't need as many.

So for my lean, like everything, I don't need as many of them.

I don't have to do as much laundry.

My other diapering laundry is easier.

Like it was just like it was.

And even just using and wanting to use the cloth diapers was because I don't.

It's like, oh, it's gross.

And it's like, well, you're changing the diaper anyway.

Why does that make any difference?

And now I don't have to store the poopy shit diapers in my house.

And then also when it's winter, my.

I have like a November baby.

So hauling out diapers into the back alley pickup, remembering to get it out for garbage day, it's way harder than just putting a load in the washing machine.

You can never run out.

Right?

It's just.

It just made sense for me.

It was easier.

And then when I found out about the wool.

So Then we expanded the brand.

People would do, I like, to solve problems.

So we are making the diaper covers.

And then the clients are like, hey, could you make me some shorts?

And I'm like, yeah.

Oh, okay.

And it's like, well, could you just make them longer?

Could you make pants?

Yeah.

Oh, okay.

And I just.

Basically, we have over 10,000 products now between sizes.

Wow.

And shapes.

And, you know, like, if you count a pair of pants that has extra small, six months, up to 12 years.

Yeah, right, that's.

And then we have different styles.

We have caron pants and we have leggings and we have joggers.

We can add pockets.

You can.

Then we.

And then they're like, oh, I, I, my kids so comfortable.

Can you make some sweaters too?

Because then they can have a whole outfit.

And then the pants are diaper covers so they can pee in their pants.

Great.

Easier, right?

And then, and then they're like, oh, my kid looks so comfortable.

Can you make me a sweater?

It's like, yeah, okay.

So my whole business is like, yeah, okay.

So.

So now we have so many products.

We make pants, clothes, dresses, skirts, blazers, sweater for all ages, newborn to plus size.

Men, women.

You can have custom colors.

We do all the dyeing.

Our fabric is made, I have it procured.

Like, I actually have it commissioned from yarn and have it knit in.

In Montreal.

I have knitters in Montreal and all over the United States.

So that if somebody, Because I've had, I've had every challenge that I've had has led to a solution of some sort.

So I've diversified to my supply chain in case something happens.

You know, when I was in the United States, and then I'm like, when the president, the current president came in, I'm like, I don't know what's going to happen.

That made me feel vulnerable.

I need to find somebody in Canada so that if something happens, so I have control.

Right.

Yeah.

So all those things.

So now I've learned when a big problem happens, I'm allowed to have a pity party.

Absolutely.

I'm allowed to take a moment to go, this is freaking hard.

And then, and then I get out of it and I go find the solution, which is when I met you, I was having a complete and total nervous breakdown when I met you.

And I'm so.

And I, I am happy that we're getting here because I think you have had one of the largest transformations of anybody inside the Catalyst Club.

And I just want to, like, understand the whole journey because, you know, my goal with this always.

Stephanie, there's a lot of people like you who are working hard, who are trying to build something incredible, and who are running into roadblock after roadblock after roadblock.

And it can become very discouraging.

And you know me, I want to inspire entrepreneurship.

I want more people to take this leap and take control of their lives.

And so, wherever possible, I love to share big winning stories.

And so we have to talk about when we first met.

When we first met, you were in a hard place.

You were in a really tough place.

And we were talking and you're like, kelly, I just.

I need some support.

I need some place that's positive or some uplifting people that can kind of help us out.

And that was kind of your intro into Catalyst Club.

But, my gosh, did that thing turn around and, like, you disappeared for a little bit, and when you came back, you were like a whole new person.

So walk us through what was happening initially, that you were just feeling completely overwhelmed.

And then let's talk about what happened, and then let's lead it right up to the incredible things that are happening for you right now today.

Absolutely.

So we were running in the black financially.

Not lucrative.

But I could pay my staff, I could pay the rent before COVID hit.

And I've been basically running in the red since COVID And the reason is because they took the challenge as an opportunity to fix problems.

Because I thought, every year, okay, we're going to do this year.

We're going to get this advancement, we're going to use this technology.

Becky was still taking orders and, like, writing out the order on a card for us to do handwriting stuff.

And I thought, if this and all of our patterns are paper patterns, it was like university degree to take the order that came in from the client and make it into something.

It was arduous.

What pattern?

Where's it going to go?

What are the alterations?

I'm like, this is not scalable.

So let me take this opportunity to invest time and money and effort into processing.

So we digitized all of our patterns.

They're electronic now, so.

And it's on the cloud.

There's cross training.

It's happened.

I'm like, if somebody writing something on a piece of paper, I'm like, why are you doing that?

We digitize everything, track everything.

It needs to go into Google Drive.

So that if this business, if this building burns down, I still have business.

So.

And that was.

That was the goal.

So that took.

There's no profits coming in when you're doing that sort of Stuff, Right?

Yeah.

So.

But it kept my staff busy, and I figured out ways of figured it out.

I'm like, okay, I don't have money to do payroll next week.

So I, like, did some sales.

My website was down to four months.

Wow.

Four months.

Because I tried to upgrade the website and.

And the hosting.

I won't get into my trauma story, but the hosting, like, they screwed up.

So every day they're like, it just wait 72 hours, ma'.

Am.

Don't worry, ma'.

Am.

And I was like, don't tell me not to worry.

Like, this is my life.

Yeah, this is my life.

Man.

It was awful.

And then I look back at, and I, like, I sold, like, $100,000 or something like that during that time period.

Wow.

All from, like, getting on the phone, getting on Facebook.

We got some retailers.

I was.

I sold it through Facebook and.

Because the clients knew what we were doing, and it was just very.

And they.

They're witnessing the struggle, and they were here to help and champion.

Because I. I just was not whiny about it.

It's like, okay, here's the challenge.

This is what we're going to do about it.

And I think that was really inspiring for a lot of people.

And I knew where we were going and I knew what we were doing, and I knew I'd get through it because I've been through other things as well.

So.

So the losing was not an option.

Quitting was not an option because what I was doing, I was way too far into it anyway.

But it was just not an option.

I can't close the door.

I won't close the door.

I will not fire my staff.

I actually, like, took a moment to envision that happening and, like, what it would feel like to say, hey, guys, that was fun, but nice to meet you.

Goodbye.

And I'm like, that's.

I can't do it.

Like, I refuse to do it.

So what am I going to do about it?

Right.

So then I found solutions, whatever they were.

So that drives the passion, you know, And.

And then I was like, okay, we just got out of it.

I'm like, okay, I'm going to continue working on the website.

Every time I turned around, there's something wrong with the website.

And I just got.

I was sick.

So sick and tired of it.

The tariffs came in and, like, I just felt like I was climbing out of this pit.

Yeah.

And I feel like that was.

It was the terror.

It was right in the tariffs when me and you first met.

Yeah.

And I'm like, I can't continue doing this.

And I couldn't continue doing it.

I had a complete nervous breakdown.

My kid had gone off to university and so I met you and I started beating my brain.

I allowed myself to take a minute and witness all the things that I had done, all the growth that we had done, how, like how long we've been doing this, my clients and the, the, the retention of this client.

And it wasn't even.

It was because they love what we're doing.

You know what, they're celebrating our success and they're there for the failures.

And again, I envision the worst case scenario and I'm like, I can't accept that.

And then I just, I'm like, okay, this isn't working.

So it, what I'm doing is broken.

So rather than pushing through, I stopped, I paused and I realized that, yeah, my whole life has changed.

My kids, I'm not a stay at home mom anymore.

My kids don't need me anymore.

I, my, my son, I'm so proud.

He is doing nuclear engineering.

He got a point O gpa first year.

Wow.

He's moved to Ontario.

He's an apartment.

He's moved out there at 17.

He's cooking for himself.

He made homemade pierogies.

He's not a stress ball.

He is an independent whole human killing it at life.

And we built that foundation and our younger son is just doing so well.

He's going degree 12.

My kids are, I'm just so proud of them.

And I feel proud of us and all their kids that are in this business because.

And I feel like just the platform that, that the parents were able to provide for their kids because of the way that we built this business, played an integral role in that.

And that was the goal, right?

That was always the goal.

But now the goal has changed and I'm allowed.

I'm like, okay, I'm.

I want this business.

I built something amazing with amazing people.

It has to.

It's bigger than me now and I have to make this massive.

I am so ready to sit in that big CEO seat.

I'm ready to go public speak and share the story.

I am ready to inspire people.

I'm ready to go on.

How am I going to get this out?

I want to be on podcasts.

Like, I'm not shy.

I will walk up to a group of.

I want to be on stage.

I want.

Now I need it.

I'm like, I'm ready for this.

I don't need to be sitting here sewing anymore.

My team are great.

I Don't need to micromanage.

It's like I cast off 80% of my business and focusing on the 20% to 10 exit.

And I'm just so here for it.

So it just takes away.

It's like I.

It just takes away everything.

So right now I'm not focused on sales and focused on building the business.

And so it's taken a little bit longer than I wanted.

So it's very strategic.

About the Alberta women entrepreneurs, for instance.

So they are a leader in Alberta.

They're helpful.

So I wrote down a bunch of goals.

I'm like, okay, I want to be a paid keynote speaker.

I want to go and public be asked to join something to speak and be paid for it.

That's a goal.

I want to be invited to podcasts.

I asked to be in a bunch of podcasts.

You actually invited me.

So this is one of my goals today.

But we booked it several months ago, actually.

I wanted to.

What we're doing is so good.

There's got to be some funding from the government.

I need to find some of that.

I want to be.

Get accolades.

I want to have clout to share on social platforms, to say, hey, like, we're in it to win it.

We're worthy of awards and accolades and win them.

So we.

The Central Alberta Regional Innovation Network.

So I got invited to awe to speak.

And then they're like, and we can pay you.

And usually I would have been like, oh, you don't worry about it.

And now I'm like, yeah, damn straight.

I.

That's my goal.

I need to.

Yes, please.

You know, it wasn't about the money.

It was about the feeling.

Yeah, absolutely.

The moment you get paid, you are a paid speaker.

And I am forever now.

It happened.

Yeah.

And then I met people at that event.

So the Central Alberta Regional Innovation Network met me.

And then they invited me to be part of their cohort, to teach.

I'm like, can I take it?

And they're like, you're too big for that, but we want to bring you in.

And then they gave me a sponsorship to the Alberta Technology, like to have a membership.

And then the CEO, the president, Gail called me on the weekend and then she's like, you're doing so many cool things.

And I'm like, cool.

So now we're like besties.

And she gave me some months to give away and I'm volunteering for the Aztec Awards and I'm up for one of the Aztec Awards as well.

And she's like, that whole napkra is happening.

The president from emailed me yesterday and personally invited me to be her guest at the GED summit next week.

Like these things amazing.

Because I'm gonna show up, I'm gonna show up with enthusiasm and I'm going to make the room better for being there.

And I, I don't know the new president of awe, but I met the prior one, Marcella and she was exceptional.

And Marcella.

So the same thing happened.

So Barbara from Edmonton, she was reaching out and I'm just like, I'm posting stuff on LinkedIn and I'm like sharing what's happening.

I'm amplifying other people that are doing cool things and then networking.

I'm like, somebody will be talking to me and I'm like, you need to meet Kelly or you know, or Greg Frani or.

Let me connect you with Gail from Technology.

I'm building out this ecosystem at the trade accelerator program.

Shawna is amazing out of Calgary, like just building up this ecosystem.

And it's not because I want anything from anyone.

I want to make, I want to empower people to be more confident and comfortable in their life.

That's my why.

When I was sitting down reflecting on everything, it's like, why am I doing.

Why am I making kids clothes?

Because I wanted to.

I'm just like, you keep asking the why like a 2 year old until you get down to the root of your soul of why you exist on this planet and if it.

And once you know that, it makes everything so much easier.

So if it doesn't align with that celery test, if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Simon Sinek Celery test what's your why?

There's a lot of repetition in there and there may be some things you don't.

But listen to it and it helped.

I just find it so helpful.

Anyway, there, there are a lot of people though, Stephanie, that at that dark moment, like when I met you with everything going on, you're like, I don't.

I remember having that conversation with you and you saying like, I don't know how we do this.

Like I, I can't remember the exact number, but a significant amount of your revenue was coming from the US with those tariffs, it wasn't going to be profitable.

There are a lot of people who would have looked at that and just said, I worked hard, I did great.

I can't do this next part.

I'm just gonna go back to work.

But you didn't do that.

You completely turned it around.

And I wanna talk about that moment, the moment where you committed back to yourself and your business, because I think that's a powerful moment.

And I think for the people listening right now, there are people suffering through the exact same thing that you were suffering through.

Stephanie, what would you say to you in that moment today, right now, from everything you've done since that moment, this complete turnaround of your business, what would you say to the people who are suffering in the thick of the right now?

How would you help them to re see the value of what they've built?

That moment happened after I got off the call with you.

So I remember that day.

I had to get new tires on my car because, like, it was dangerous, and.

And winter was coming, and I'm like, my tires are bald.

I need to put new tires on them.

And I'm like, I don't have any money to put these tires my car.

And I'm busy.

Like, I'm so busy with busy work trying to survive that I can't even breathe.

I'm like, my.

I just felt so shattered, and I don't even remember who.

Oh, it was Capel from Nature Marie.

Amazing.

I love Capelle.

Yeah, he's so great.

But I hadn't met him either.

Like, I just saw him talking.

I saw him on.

On.

On LinkedIn, and, like, tell me.

I know you don't have time to talk to me.

Just give me something so I can know more about you.

So he gave me your podcast, then I saw you, and I'm like, I need to talk to you.

Like, he didn't really introduce me.

He was just, like, showing me his story.

So then.

And so I remember I called you.

I booked an appointment with you, and you're so gracious to take my appointment.

You didn't know who I was.

And I also had one with the head of the sponsorship community, and he's out of Nanaimo, which is where I'm from.

So I had these two appointments back to back while my tires are getting changed.

So I walked into the tire place, and I'm like, hey, is.

Oh, no.

I said, I'm just gonna, like, walk around on my phone.

I have, like, a couple calls.

And he's like, manager's not here.

You want to take the office?

So I sat in his.

This office in the tire place that I'd never been to before.

And I took these two calls back to back with the two of you.

And I was talking to.

Oh, my gosh, his name is, like, Bounce out of my.

Brent Brett.

Anyway, so I talked to him about stuff.

And he's like, what you're doing is so cool.

Fresh eyes.

I'm like, yeah, it is really cool.

Yeah, it's really hard.

Like, this is hard, but it's really.

It is cool.

Okay, cool.

And then.

And then I called you and like, you're so compassionate.

And I just felt I was causing you pain, Listening to my pain.

And I felt like you actually amplified what I was feeling.

Like you.

You're mirroring back to me.

And I'm like, this sucks.

Like, what I'm getting, the feedback I'm getting from you was painful.

And.

And usually, like, the feedback is like, more positive because that's usually, you know, what I'm getting.

And I like you.

You saw me at my rock bottom.

Like, I hit it with you.

And I felt.

I just.

I felt it.

So I got off the phone and my tires weren't done yet.

And I'm like, how am I going to pay for these things?

My life sucks.

This is too hard.

I can't continue doing this.

And then I just.

And I just closed my eyes and I just thought about it.

I'm like.

And I just had bore witness to everything.

And then I looked around and I just realized I was in the wrong river.

The river had dried up around me.

I was just.

I was at the end of that road and I looked around.

I'm like, there's another river.

Okay, let's go get some shit done.

And then I allowed myself in between, if you will, to look back and just be so appreciative of all of the good things that I have and all of the good things that I've done.

And I. I just felt this wash of pride come over me that my kids are great, that I'm still married, and 24 years we've been together, that we got married less than a year after we met.

That's phenomenal.

It is amazing.

And I don't hate him.

And he actually likes me.

Yeah, this.

These things are huge.

And yeah, my staff have been with me for so long.

My customers have been with me for so long.

We built something amazing.

We have kids that like, I had even just that week, somebody or month.

It was just before that their son had fallen into a fire at like a fire pit.

Camping.

Oh, wow.

Head to toe.

Their crocs burned onto their feet.

Their face got a little bit burnt.

Their whole body wearing.

My wool was fine because my wool is fire retardant.

I like, he could have died.

You know, like, there's so.

I have so many stories like that and it's like, this thing is bigger than me and I cannot and I will not give up.

And it's just not an option.

So I just, I'm like, I built some amazing systems.

What we're doing is cool.

I have an amazing brand.

Our products are great.

Like, why would I ever give that up?

Just because it's a little hard.

Okay.

It's really hard.

But I'm like, okay, well, so what am I going to do about it?

It's like, okay, well, I can't.

The selling to the United States is hard right now.

I don't know.

It's instable.

So what can I find that's stable?

I'm like, alberta doesn't even know I exist.

Okay, well, let's hit it.

So I booked, I booked the Our Best you show in Red Deer.

I went to the Butterdome in Edmonton.

I joined the Catalyst Club.

I talked to the trade accelerator program and Shawna and she's like, hey, if you come down to our events in Calgary now, we have funding that we can pay your mileage.

I'm like, hell yeah.

So I'm like, you're going to pay me to go to your stuff?

So I come in there with like bells on, talking to people and engaging with people and just showing up and sharing and then posting about it.

And then I learned.

I'm like, okay, I really like what you just did on LinkedIn there that you tagged everybody and took some pictures.

I'm going to start doing that.

And then I just started.

This snowball just started and I reached out to AWE and I started engage and I started to engage and then they asked me to do some stuff and then I posted about it.

And then I have my AWE mug.

Everywhere I went, I went anywhere I had that mug, I put it on the table, I took a picture, I tagged them on LinkedIn, like, yeah.

For months, you know, and, and now it just.

We're pitching like, we're just relaunching the website this week.

The money isn't here yet, but it will be because it's not about the money, it's about what we're doing.

And, and I think that's important for people to remember is that the money comes, but you have to put in the effort.

Yes.

In order for that to catch up.

Right.

And I want to just pause you there briefly because I want to talk about that path that you took.

You did something that's really, really important.

And I think more entrepreneurs need to do this, me included.

I talked about it a couple times on the show.

It was my birthday this year that I Woke up at 5 in the morning and I went downstairs and I grabbed a cup of coffee and I sat down on the couch and I just thought about all the amazing things in my life, all the things we'd accomplished, all the things we've done with the BDP and with Capital Business Development and my coaching programs and Catalyst Club.

And I was just truly proud of everything that I've been able to accomplish.

I've did that once in the entire year, and I think we need to get better at doing that because it's very easy to wish you were further down the path, to wish things were going better.

It's never.

You're never gonna feel down the path.

You're on, but you will never feel.

Exactly.

You will never feel like you've made it.

The secret is actually to look back at everything you've done.

And so you started there from rock bottom.

Instead of just being like, ugh, you took a moment and you said, but look at all the amazing things I've already done.

Look at all the good I've built, all the people I've helped, the impact I've managed to have in my community, in my world, with my kids, with my husband.

That is massive.

The second thing that you did was you recognized that what got you there wasn't going to get you to the next spot.

You had to change the river.

Things had to be different.

You had to take a different approach.

Because the things that had gotten you here, the clients that had gotten you here, the countries that had gotten you here, maybe in this next phase were not going to be as supportive or the direction you had to go.

And so you started looking at different paths, and then you started trying things.

What else can I try that I haven't tried before?

And I think all of those things together, Stephanie, have set you on this new path.

Absolutely.

And how I decided to do all those things is by feeding my brain.

I went on to Spotify, I listened to your pod, I listened to a bunch of them, and then I got involved.

And then I just.

Like when I was driving to Edmonton, in Calgary, I'm stuck on the road for an hour and a half in silence or listening to crappy music or listening to podcasts.

So I fed my brain good people that were feeding me the messaging that I needed to hear.

And I think that was really important as well.

And then that's where those ideas came from.

It's like, oh, like, there's times that I'm like, I had to like pull over on the side of the road because I had to like take a note and like just yeah, I think bearing witness and owning your weaknesses, Owning your strengths, amplifying the good and supporting the other.

Asking for help.

Asking for help and accepting it.

So like I am shameless for asking for free tickets to go to things and people know it and they'll show volunteerism.

It's like I can't afford to go to this thing.

Paro was doing this take flight tour across the country so there's like awe verdict women out of Ontario.

So but they're going nationwide, very similar.

So they ended up.

So somebody was like, they knew that I would show up so they messaged me Awe.

They're like, hey, would you mind?

They're looking for volunteers.

Will you go?

It was Friday at 5 o' clock and I had to be there 7 o' clock in the morning on Monday.

Oh wow.

And I'm like, yeah dude, I'll go.

It was like tickets expensive to go.

So I, so I went down and I showed up and then I realized I had to dress up like a flight attendant like in the morning.

I was like, oh man, I can't wear my bumblebee because I, I hate wearing a white shirt.

And, and then, yeah, and then I show, I'm like, I just mixed in and I, I went into the room but as though I got tickets just like to go in, you know.

Yeah.

And now one of the biggest things that's been helping me and I would like to talk about this too because if anybody's looking for some help, I am working very passionately with work integrated learning will.

So I just came up with my little catchphrase on that, which is if there's a will, there's a way.

There are so many students out there and learners that are looking for work experience and they can't get it.

There are people want to hire somebody with experience.

I've talked to businesses and they're like, oh, I tried that.

It was too much work.

I didn't get anything out of it.

The systems are better now and I've been using Brightpen and tagging them.

Like the president actually of Ripen commented on one of my posts recently and then they actually had a call.

They're like, you're a vip.

Like they're basically changing their platform and their business a bit because of me.

And like you're, they're like basically whatever I want I'm going to get from them because I have, I have like eight Capstones happening right now with Mark master's programs and they're doing projects on me today.

They're actually doing a presentation on their master's program.

Final year end project is on my company, the whole class.

Wow.

I have companies that are students that are writing my SOPs.

They are developing my entrance strategy into the United States B2B.

They're going to help me find any trade shows to go to distributors to go to what shops I should be selling to help me build up my marketing plan.

I have this other business venture that I want to start that I'm like, I have students helping me with building up the framework.

All these round to it that I never get to.

They're doing all the round to it and they're getting catching.

Yeah, it's a win win.

It's a win win.

I'm like, you know what, let's amplify what you're doing on LinkedIn.

I want your bio, I want your headshot.

I'm going to share it.

And then you're getting that work experience.

Like they're putting themselves as employees on my LinkedIn because they are.

They're working for me.

They're getting job interviews.

And so then from that I got an intern from RDP that came in for 50 hours to work in my shop for free.

Like this is awesome.

And now I have two interns that are here right now.

She's cleaning my shop right now, 175 hours.

Wow.

For free.

Cleaning my shop, organizing things, taking the SOPs that got half done from somebody else and finishing them.

I have five other.

I have engineering students that are like once getting.

He got into med school so he's going to help me get the certification plan down for the fire retardant.

I want to get into the selling to the military, rcmp, first responders, the medical side of things.

I've been wanting to do this for 10, 15 years, but I don't have time to go figure it all out now.

This med student's like, oh my gosh, I can do this.

And then I'm going to get capstone students to do the market research underneath him as he's am I.

This is brilliant.

And I just have to have a quick little meeting and the kids are inspired and it's good.

And actually I'm happy that you touched on this because I can hear people saying, well yeah, you're getting all of this help.

Couldn't they just go and get paid jobs?

The answer is no.

Yep.

The answer is no.

We, we, for instance, we Had a nanny who was working with us, she was eight, looking after job at last year, and she couldn't even get a job at McDonald's.

And I'm not saying that, like, I'm not saying that the way that the whole system is, is necessarily bad or wrong.

But I am going to say, and I talked with this, I talked about this before, where ultimately we need young people to get work experience.

In the old days, when I was a kid, when you were a kid, you, you, I mean, it wasn't hard to get a job as a first, as a kid.

You know, you could go work at Superstore, you go work at McDonald's, you go work at, you know, Jack's Driving and Spruce Grub, whatever.

Take your pick.

There's lots of places.

And now those jobs simply, for whatever reason, are just not as available as they once were.

Yep, it's totally true.

And I, but also.

Okay, so hear this.

The ones from riipen get paid.

Amazing.

These students, this is why I like riipen.

They have this future path.

So there's a couple of different.

The Level up program, which they get funding from the government.

This is one of the things that I want some government funding.

And so I've been getting it through partnering with nonprofits that support something else.

So.

And I love it.

So it's so symbiotic that not only am I going to support their.

To get job placements, they want a, a reference.

Happy to help.

Of course.

Yeah.

They get paid like $1400 to work for me for 50 hours.

I don't have to pay anything.

The government pays them.

They get work experience.

They're helping me build the website.

They're doing so many cool things for, for me.

So not all of them are getting paid, but some of them do.

And I just love that about it.

Well, and young people need the opportunity now more than ever.

They really do.

They need that help and that support.

So that's really cool.

Children are future.

100%.

100%.

All right, Stephanie, walk us through.

What is bumby wool?

Who are your ideal clients and what are some of the partnerships you might be looking for?

Because we have a lot of listers from around the world listening right now.

So our customers are merino wool or wool enthusiasts that already know all about wool.

They are people that have challenges like Reynolds, als, sensory issues, temperature regulation issues, extreme sports enthusiasts that hikers, bikers, runners, any of those sorts of things that maybe don't know about wool, but once they learn about it, will realize that it is an amazing product.

The best men's suits for years have been made out of wool because it is temperature regulating.

It doesn't hold odors.

It actually neutralizes odors as well as urine fire retardant.

It's used for first responders in the military, socks, you name it.

It also is good for welders and people that are working with electricity because it doesn't conduct.

And we're working on getting the certification.

It also is naturally SPF 50 protective.

It's just okay.

It's amazing is what it is.

So it's people that do that, really everybody, once they learn about it, be like, yeah, this is really cool.

So that's our main client.

The current client base are people that are most of our clients.

The gateway product is cloth diaper covers.

So we are the largest wool diaper manufacturer on the face of the planet, which I'm very proud of.

Wow.

And so we're looking for clients that want to try cloth diapering and or are as well.

And we have clients are hiking the Patagonia or going on cruise ships.

We also make winter gear, so those going to Alaska.

And then you get off the boat and you realize that it's really cold.

So we are focused on B2B as well as B2C.

So you can order directly from us.

And we have a multitude of products.

And then we're also looking for a lot of the B2B connections.

So that would be distribution or directly to the shops themselves.

And the shops we're looking for, those boutique shops, the specialized shops that know their clients.

We're mostly hitting the United States market.

I figured out the tariff stuff.

Okay.

We are certified because we manufacture and our fabrics are made in the United States and Canada.

There are no tariffs on a product.

And I know how to actually get it past the border with all the rules and regulations, which took me some time, but I know how to do that now.

Okay.

So we also have great shipping channels.

So I'm looking for clients or businesses in North America.

Shipping outside of North America is too hard.

And because we do have that great Kuzma connection with our brothers and sisters to the south, that's.

That's what we're looking for.

And one of the things that you asked me earlier, and I think it's an important thing, we are manufacturing in Alberta, So how can I afford to do that?

And why am I not shipping that overseas?

So the tariffs really hammer that home of we're duty free.

That's really cool.

When you're getting things made Overseas.

First off, I love a good buffet.

I want what I want.

And our customer base are people that want like we will custom measure stuff for you.

We can make.

If you have one leg longer than the other and you want to add an inch onto the pant, we can do that.

Like we, you know, and accessibility for people with ports or you know, all those sorts of things, that's a big part of what we do as well.

It's really hard to compete with that.

So.

And so we're scaled manufacturing but piece by piece so we can actually pump out quite a few garments well made and all of them being different because of our processes that it built over the past few years.

It's really hard to jump into this market and compete with that.

The overseas they could try but they're not going to be able to do it easily because I'm a crazy, crazy cat.

And we built something amazing that's really hard to duplicate and scale.

And then also if you're buying things from overseas, you have freight, there's literally pirates can steal your stuff, you can have damage to the product, you have extra fees.

Things can get stuck at port or the port could be blocked.

You know, there's, these things can happen and then there's.

You don't know what you're going to get.

You can have products that are not made properly and then you have to deal with that.

It comes with a whole other bag of problems.

Yeah.

And I have all control and because I built it lean right from the beginning, we don't scale up those problems months.

Right.

So and I have a good supply chain.

Yes, their stuff is more expensive, but it's not astronomically more expensive that you would think because these things come.

But you know, and then the big box stores, they need margins like the staff, the building, the electricity, like that scales up some of those problems too.

So going with the more lean business model right across the whole thing, like you go to Costco, like you'd be getting 1 or 2% margin.

So if anything happens, the shipping, like I just got a bill for shipping like an extra 5, $600 from all my small packages in February.

Like if your margins are tight, you're, you're not.

Yeah.

You're not prepared.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

And yeah, so it's, it's.

I have a lot more control which control comes with its own bag of problems.

It's all know your bag of problems.

I think it's a big thing and I've always wanted to, I didn't want it to be massive while I was raising my kids.

Now I do want to grow it and I built something that is really hard for the other guys to compete with.

I'm offering a product that is unique, it's special, it's, you know who's making it and there's enough people out there to that will want to buy from that sort of situation that we can make this into a really big business.

I can hire really great people to work on the team and just amplify the whole thing.

So is it the wisest, best business model?

But it's what I'm doing and I'm not doing it a different way.

You know what, I think it's pretty incredible that you are doing, you know, ethically sourced Canadian made product right here in Alberta.

I'm 100% for it.

I would to me, I want to see more of that.

Thank you for what you're doing to all of our worldwide listeners.

If you're looking for great Canadian made clothing, check out bumby wool.

It's www.bumby b u m b y wool w o o l.com and give Stephanie a little bit of love.

She's, she's working hard, she's building a great product right here and you know, she's looking for partners.

So if this is something, if you hop on there and you see something that looks interesting to you, reach out to Stephanie.

She's looking for all sorts of distribution partners and I'm sure she would entertain any conversation.

Stephanie, this has been incredible.

Thank you for a great conversation, an inspiring conversation and I wish you the continued best of luck with everything that comes next for you.

Right back at you.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for the time today and can't wait to hear our podcast together.

Until next time.

You've been listening to the Business Development podcast and we'll catch you on the flip side.

This has been the Business Development Podcast with Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly has 15 years in sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry and founded his own business development firm in 2020.

His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development.

The show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your business development specialists.

For more we invite you to the website at www.capitalbd.ca.

See you next time on the Business Development Podcast.