With the growth of the internet and more small businesses around the world becoming accessible to broader audiences, there is no better time to take those entrepreneurial dreams to the next level. Finding your ideal clients or sharing your art with more than just your friends and family has never been easier, proven by all the amazing and innovative creators we’ve seen a rise in the last decade.
With that being said, we wanted to give praise to a few noteworthy female entrepreneurs, specifically from Ontario, Canada. These women have all proven to be tenacious and imaginative when it comes to the products and services they’ve grown into lucrative businesses. While each operates in its own niche, the one thing they all have in common is their drive and creative eye for what consumers within their communities want. These inspiring women have shown the importance of varying perspectives and experiences in the business world and deserve some recognition as they continue to share their work.
Luna Yu, CEO of Genecis Bioindustries Inc.
Luna Yu is a graduate from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Science. Her startup, Genecis, helps to reduce waste by converting food products into biodegradable plastics. She also has half a decade’s experience in sales and continues to transform her industry and the planet one day at a time.
Alexandra Gater, Home Designer and founder of YouTube channel, Alexandra Gater
Alexandra uses her Toronto-based YouTube channel to give city-dwellers the homes they dream of no matter their size or condition. She collaborates with a small team to create unique designs and furnishings so that her audience can live in a space that works best for them. With over 300,000 YouTube subscribers she has created an online community that shares a passion for creativity and home décor.
Catherine Addai, Founder and CEO of Kaela Kay
Catherine Addai, a Toronto seamstress and mother of 3, founded her clothing brand as a way to create well-fitting and well-made styles for her female customers. Her Ghanaian roots are evident in the beautiful prints she uses in her designs, mingled with North American silhouettes, ideal for anyone looking to change up their wardrobe. She also practices inclusivity with her sizing, offering up to a US 22. With her business, she has been able to employ other seamstresses and helped give them creative entrepreneurial lifestyles as well.
Amanda Lee, Artist and Digital Content Creator at AmandaRachLee
Based out of Toronto, Amanda Lee is a successful YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers. She also creates unique and high-quality stationery, perfect for mindfulness practices and creativity. Having started her YouTube career at 14, Amanda proves that success doesn’t depend on your age or the kind of entrepreneurial vision you have. It’s just about getting started and following a business path that is right for you.
Hiawatha Osawamick, Executive chef and owner of Hiawatha’s Catering
Hiawatha Osawamick has spent over 15 years in the food industry and now provides specialized catering to select cities in Ontario. Her gradual success, having worked up from waitress to CEO, illustrates that any aspiring businesswoman can make her dreams work with time, patience, and vision.
Susanne Langmuir, CCO and Founder of BITE Beauty
With a keen eye for design, Susanne has built up a beauty business that is now known worldwide. Bite Beauty’s natural and vegan lipstick line (among other products) shows the results of a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. She has also recently launched a beauty supply laboratory in Toronto, making it clear that she likes to be part of the entire process when it comes to the products she puts out into the world.
Kalynn Crump, Founder of ReBLOOM
With work that’s been featured in The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, etc., there’s no denying that Kalynn Crump has made an enormous impact in her industry. Her business works to provide flowers to charities across Canada while also ensuring to reduce waste in the process. She strives to put a smile on her customers’ faces while still being mindful of the environment.
Debbie Fung, Co-founder and COO of Yoga Tree
Debbie Fung’s decade-old business aims to cultivate community and value. Yoga Tree is a place for people to connect through physical and mental wellness, creating a sense of peace and unity among her community. Her story is one of following your dreams after working a dissatisfying job and she continues to be an inspiration to any entrepreneurial women looking to pivot in their careers toward something more aligned with their values.
Dakota and Jesse Brant, Founders of Sapling & Flint
These Six Nations sisters have created a community of jewelry lovers based on their culture and upbringing. They create pieces that “share the story of Turtle Island” and that are made by hand. Their business works toward providing a positive reflection of their culture for Indigenous youth and what is possible when heart and passion are put toward a creative project.
Abby Sharp, Registered Dietitian and Founder of Abbey’s Kitchen Inc.
Abby Sharp is an Ontario-based online creator who specializes in nutritional information for the everyday person. She strives to shine a positive light on keeping your body nourished and works to dispel diet culture myths that can affect your mental and physical health. With over 300,000 YouTube subscribers, as well as a host of recipe books and nutrition courses, it’s evident that Abbey loves food and to share that love with others through her very niche business.
Each of the female entrepreneurs in this list has illustrated how important it is to uplift women in business as a way for others to recognize their own potential. They have shown that anyone, no matter their background or interests, can achieve anything they put their mind to and build a sustainable career out of something they love to do. Without them and all the women who came before them, there’s no doubt our communities would be missing the ingenuity that they bring to the table.