Pivoting at 40: Building a Profitable, Canadian-Made Apparel Brand from Scratch with Heather Bolt of Dotty
Description
In this episode, Laura chats with Canadian designer Heather Bolt, founder of Dotty, a Toronto-made clothing brand designing “real clothes for real bodies” for women in midlife. They cover local manufacturing, fit-first design (sleeves, tummy-friendly cuts, inclusive sizing), micro-influencer strategy, and the honest realities of motherhood and entrepreneurship. If you care about made-in-Canada fashion, body-confident style, and community-first brand building, this one’s for you.
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & guest intro (Heather Bolt, Dotty)
01:14 – Dotty: Toronto manufacturing (Scarborough & North Toronto)
02:22 – Canadian story & starting point
05:46 – The nudge that changed everything
07:20 – Early entrepreneur doubts; designing for real bodies
09:09 – Loyal customers & product thoughtfulness
12:31 – Showing up on camera; relatable founder
15:39 – Word of mouth, One of a Kind Show, micro-influencers
18:15 – Founder values, authenticity, buyer trust
25:18 – “Remember who the F you are”
27:18 – Midlife energy & the freedom of not people-pleasing
31:39 – Seasons of business & motherhood
34:36 – Presence over hustle; what matters at 80
Heather's Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dottyclothing/
Website: https://www.dotty.ca/
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