If you've been following along the SOAK Bath Co business journey for a while, you may or may not know, it has been on my business bucket list for the SOAK Bath Co brand to work with Jillian Harris and her team. Jillian is a renowned Canadian celebrity influencer that loves to highlight women-owned, eco-conscious, Canadian made brands.
In April, I had the honour of bringing SOAK Bath Co to Toronto to be a part of Academy In The City’s Pop Up Market. To say this was a pinch me moment would be an understatement!
Hosted by The Atelier Collective and Jillian Harris, this highly curated business and lifestyle event was designed to connect and inspire ambitious women in business. This incredible event featured some absolute power house entrepreneurs and influencers across Canada who showed up with an incredible energy to uplift and inspire everyone at the event. This beautiful event was hosted in the iconic ballroom at The Fairmont Royal York. This stunning space boasts crystal chandeliers and delicately arched windows making it the most exquisite space to host this highly anticipated event. This would be an elaborate event complete with a beautifully curated Pop Up Market and the ultimate swag bags for attendees to take home after the conference. This was the time to take my shot!
Applications opened up for the Pop Up Market and I put all the good vibes I could find into the application process. We got in! We were one of 7 Canadian brands selected for Academy in the City's Pop Up Market, SOAK Bath Co was chosen amongst hundreds of applications.
As a vendor, it was a whirlwind trip that consisted of months of planning to ensure every detail was carefully thought through. After arriving in Toronto and confirming that my booth and supplies arrived, we got to work setting everything up for the pop up market. While the stress of a traveling market can be overwhelming at times, it was the moments of connecting with so many amazing women that made the whole thing worthwhile. To get to share my labour of love and incredible product line, SOAK Bath Co, with such an inspiring group of women and connect with them face to face will be a moment that I will never forget. Not only did we get to connect with Jillian herself, we got to showcase our product line next to iconic Canadian brands like Smash + Tess and Poppy and Peonies! Check out our feature on Jillian Harris's blog which you can read here jillianharris.com
If you follow Jillian on Instagram or have been part of her community, you'll know she doesn't leave any detail untouched! The conference closed out with the ultimate swag bag of goodies for each of the attendees to take home. SOAK Bath Co had the opportunity to create and design a custom soap bar for the Academy in the City event! Featuring our bestselling Rosé All Day Soap Bar, this beautiful sweet, fruity scent filled the rooms of the Fairmont Royal York. It was named the scent of Academy in the City! We created a custom soap bar label on our signature seed paper labels to commemorate this incredible event and share our handmade soaps with this community. You can find our soap bar and all the incredible Canadian brands that were part of the swag bags on Jillian's blog: Swag Bag reveal.
Being a part of Academy In The City’s Pop Up Market was more than just a chance to showcase my products; it was an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who shared my drive and determination. Throughout the day, I had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible women who were not only chasing their dreams but empowering others to do the same.
One of the highlights of the event was getting to hear from highly knowledgeable entrepreneurs. From mastering social media to scaling a business, the insights shared were invaluable and left me feeling inspired and motivated to take my own business to the next level.
So here's to The Atelier Collective, Jillian Harris, and all the amazing women who came together to make this event possible. Thank you for creating a space where women can come together to support, inspire, and learn from one another. And as I settle back into the day to day tasks that encompass running a business, I am reminded that success doesn’t happen overnight. The real magic happens by surrounding yourself with the right people and in your devotion to consistently showing up and moving the needle forward, bit by bit.