ONSIDE Impact

ONSIDE’s Start Now Incubator is making real impact in the lives and businesses of entrepreneurs across Canada.

Leitha Haysom (Resolves Composites), Heather Stewart (Knitten While Sittin), Amna Burki (Stories Matter), and Antony Josephine Snowfy share their experiences with the Start Now Incubator!

ONSIDE Women Entrepreneurs Spotlight

Gabrieli (Gabi) Campanaro, founder of The Pop Yard in Windsor, Ontario, grew her confidence and leadership through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator programs, gaining clarity and tools to build a community-driven market and events initiative that creates inclusive spaces for women-led and newcomer small businesses.

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Kathleen Cerrer, founder of Soft Minimal Wellness in Vancouver, BC, gained clarity, confidence, and structure through ONSIDE’s Start Now Incubator, helping her turn an idea into a market-ready wellness brand. Today, Soft Minimal Wellness offers simple, intentional tools that support women in navigating overwhelm, building mindful routines, and feeling less alone through community-driven wellness.

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Dalene, CEO of Networking Naturally in Halifax, NS, grew her confidence and sharpened her strategic approach through multiple ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator programs. Applying practical tools from workshops on pricing and offer-structuring, she strengthened her referral-based business and saw immediate results. Today, Networking Naturally helps entrepreneurs and professionals build meaningful, trust-based connections.

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Chrystal Toop, founder of Blackbird Medicines in Pembroke, Ontario, gained clarity, planning skills, and accountability through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator’s Mashup Lab program. With this support, she strengthened her goals and momentum, enabling strategic growth and meaningful community connections. Today, Blackbird Medicines promotes healing justice through trauma-informed care, public speaking, educational tools, and workshops that empower individuals and communities navigating grief, loss, and lived experience.

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Stacy Kairu, founder of BIPOC Women’s Society in Vancouver, BC, strengthened her leadership and expanded her network through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator programs. By applying strategies from mentorship, workshops, and advisory support, she clarified her organizational direction and built practical skills in strategy and sustainability. Today, BIPOC Women’s Society provides inclusive, community-centered spaces where BIPOC women connect, learn, and lead, creating meaningful impact in their personal and professional lives.

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Anne Laurie, founder and president of TriCoast Education in Hanwell, New Brunswick, gained leadership confidence, pricing clarity, and stronger business foundations through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator programs. With practical tools and personalized support, she refined her service offerings and learned to clearly communicate the value of her work. Today, TriCoast Education supports speech-language pathologists and resource teachers with early language assessment tools, professional development, and literacy-focused children’s books that help students build strong communication skills.

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Alethia Cadore, founder of Mindsilike Consulting & Community Practice INC in Toronto, Ontario, strengthened her leadership confidence, clarified her business model, and built sustainable systems through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator programs and supports. With access to networking, mentorship, and practical growth tools, she refined her messaging and expanded her reach to better serve underserved communities. Today, Mindsilike provides culturally responsive therapy, wellness programs, and leadership development initiatives that support youth, families, and helping professionals in building resilience, emotional well-being, and community connection.

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Margaret Osakwe, founder of Ada Hairitage Braids and Beauty Supply Store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, expanded her network and increased her business visibility through ONSIDE: Start Now Incubator vendor market opportunities. By showcasing her products and services alongside other women entrepreneurs, she gained valuable exposure, built meaningful connections, and learned insights she continues to apply to her growing business. Today, Ada Hairitage operates as a one-stop destination for hair care, braiding, beauty treatments, and specialty products sourced locally and internationally, serving the diverse needs of its community.

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  • Laurissa and Lauren are brilliant, experienced facilitators that can read the room and pace the learning so you get the maximum benefit. Very approachable and responsive! Thank you ONSIDE for allowing access to such wise leaders.

    —Amna Burki, Manitoba, Completed Future State Focus and Developing Leadership Skills

  • Laurissa and Lauren were absolutely fantastic and approachable. For the first meeting, I felt vulnerable enough to share my experiences in relation to leadership and they offered validation, follow-up questions, and insights. They also provided great resources we can continuously use as our business grows.

    —Anne Laurie, New Brunswick, Completed Developing Leadership Skills

  • I found the build your brand story workshop super helpful in reflecting on my journey leading up to building a business and clarifying my brand story to be able to attract my dream clients. It was in interesting to use AI to prompt questions that helped me clarify my vision for my business moving forward! Definitely recommend :)

    —Kristy, Nova Scotia, Completed Spice Up Your Brand Story and WordPress Fundamentals

  • It was great to end the program with a peer session where we were encouraged to connect and share similarities in not only business but in values.

    —Anne, New Brunswick, Completed Wordpress Fundamentals

  • The "Irresistible Offers" program was so helpful to me in my first year of business — it has transformed my thinking around my service offers. I can't wait to launch some new offerings in the next few weeks thanks to this framework and the expert guidance! Thank you ONSIDE for providing this invaluable training at no cost.

    —Emily Sollows, Nova Scotia, Completed Irresistible Service Offers

  • We are incredibly grateful to ONSIDE for their support during these early stages of our startup. Their generosity in providing us access to the Profitual platform was a game-changer for our team. With the tools and resources available through the platform, we were able to refine our financial projections and gain the confidence we needed to present them to potential investors.

    —Pascale Michaud, New Brunswick, Getting Started With Your Financials

  • The third session I learned a lot about budgeting and how credit works. I also learn a lot about discipline and how to prepare for the future.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed the Success Mindset

  • The facilitator was well versed in the topics and created a welcoming environment for everyone in the group.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed the Success Mindset

  • It was a great opportunity to network and meeting likeminded women in business.

    —Nova Scotia Participant, Attended a Virtual Business Show and Tell

  • I had no idea how to incorporate my personal stories into my business materials. I had been stuck on this for years and it had been mentioned to me many times as a gap in my marketing. As a result of this program I successfully told my story live at an in-person event for small business week. I now have the tools and information I need!

    —Ontario Participant, completed Spice Up Your Brand Story

  • I was able to really focus on who I wanted to serve, how and why. Which helped me write my business plan.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed Dare to be Different: Finding Your Place in a Crowded Market

  • I met interesting and inspiring female entrepreneurs. Learned about new services in the province.

    —Nova Scotia Participant, Attended a Virtual Business Show and Tell, and Pitch in a Flash

  • The educational programs have supported broadening my understanding of financial management needs and governance requirements to position the organization for success.

    —Ontario Participant, Attended Leveraging Non-Dilutive Funding for Growth

  • Ruth is a really great instructor, so patient and kind and willing to help.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed Wordpress Fundamentals

  • The personalized attention was very helpful

    —Nova Scotia Participant, Completed Wordpress Fundamentals

  • Just overall very impressed and thankful for the support. Websites can feel like a whole other language and I walked away feeling like I had a massively better grasp on how to work my business website and what goals I have for future website development.

    —Nova Scotia Participant, Completed Wordpress Fundamentals

  • The facilitators at what made these programs so special for me. The materials really helped me to understand and get clear, but the kindness and energy of the facilitators was so genuine and sincere.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed Irresistible Service Offers and Spice Up Your Brand Story

  • The program has helped me hone in on my brand stories and opened my eyes to the power of AI in supporting the development of stories.

    —Ontario Participant, Completed Spice Up Your Brand Story