Small Business

Subscribe on Apple PodcastsSpotify

Emily Mills, Founder, How She Hustles gives us an empowering moment of self-reflection by teaching us how to make space for ourselves as entrepreneurs by staying true to your values. She shares her take on “the power of the pause” and how to build a legacy that you can be proud of.  

Next, we bring in Laura Nezri Chetrit, Founder and Creative Director of Maison Tess., to hear about her journey in building her proudly Canadian brand. Laura provides insight on effective marketing tactics and strategy,  and why brand Canada is so important. 

Meet our guests

Emily Mills, CEO & Founder, How She Hustles

After an exciting two-decade career in media and marketing, Emily Mills took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship with her company How She Hustles, a Toronto-based network that connects diverse women through special events and digital content. With a small but mighty freelance team, Emily leads this online community with a reach of 18,000 diverse women and she is passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices.

For 10 years, How She Hustles has produced sold-out women’s events from panels to pop-up shops, attracting Olympians to CEOs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, How She Hustles produced the 2nd Startup & Slay digital series featuring Canada's diverse women and non-binary entrepreneurs with sponsors CIBC, Rogers Sports & Media and Shopify. She also won Best Virtual Event of the Year by Canada’s #1 website for Black Canadians. Previously, Emily created HERstory in Black, a multimedia series with CBC featuring 150 inspiring black women that earned national press coverage, audience acclaim and the national President’s Award.

Laura Nezri, Founder & Creative Director, Maison Tess

Laura Nezri Chetrit is the Founder & Creative Director of Maison Tess.; an online Canadian luxury home linen brand, offering premium-quality and sustainable bedding that brings your home to life. With a background in fashion and real estate, Laura launched Maison Tess. in 2017– who, when decorating her dream family home, realized there was a gap in the market when it came to finding bedding that was both practical and stylish. As Laura explains, “We aim to help people dress their homes the same way they do their wardrobe. With fashion, people dress to show an authentic expression of who they are and that is exactly the feeling we want to bring into your home.” Laura named Maison Tess. after her family; T for Thomas, her husband, E for her son Elie, and double S for her daughter Sasha.