As many know, Bracebridge is packed with the most beautiful nature, so much opportunity for adventure and the most delicious food and drink experiences. On top of that we have a thriving local business community filled with fantastic entrepreneurs, shop owners and creatives.

Kelsey Reidl of The Visionary Life Podcast interviewed many of these entrepreneurs on her Podcast — tune in to hear their stories and what they love about living and working in Bracebridge.

1. Darren Smith / Lake of Bays Brewery and Bracebridge Barrelhouse

What started as just an idea in his university apartment has become the Lake of Bays Brewery with an incredible variety of craft beer, as well as an operation with 3 locations: The Baysville Taproom, the Huntsville Brewhouse and Bracebridge Barrelhouse.

Kelsey and Darren spoke about the moment that the idea first hit to start the brewery and what exactly happened after to get to where he is today.

They also chatted about how he finds BALANCE as a busy founder of a company that now employs 50+ people, and so much more. Check out the episode with Darren Smith here.

2. Allison Holder / Floral Designs by Allison

Floral Designs by Allison is a wild and adventurous floral business for weddings, events & for everyday occasions.

Kelsey and Allison sat down and discussed why it’s so important as an entrepreneur to know your WORTH, find balance as a seasonal business owner and how adopting a community over competition mindset has changed her business for the better.

Find out why she’s so passionate about ensuring that kindness and care are sprinkled throughout her business and much more in this podcast episode with Allison Holder.

3. Miranda Britton / Jewelry by Miranda Britton and Britton Gallery

Kelsey sat down with Miranda Britton who is an artist and jeweler that crafts modern, minimalist pieces inspired by the natural world and made out of her Muskoka studio – one piece at a time.

She also operates the Britton Gallery, a shop Downtown Bracebridge that’s filled with fine art and jewelry.

Successfully going from personal hobbies to turning her creative passions into a business, Miranda shares with us in this episode of The Visionary Life Podcast, how she grappled with being an artist and creator while also needing to work on her business.

4. Daniel Collins / Brew Culture

Daniel Collins is the President and Founder of Brew Culture, who started the company back in 2014 because of his passion for craft beer and hops.

Today, Brew Culture works with beer ingredient suppliers from all over the world as their business continues to grow steadily.

It would be hard to believe that Daniel had another plan for his career but he did. Daniel and Kelsey discussed how he deviated from his original career path and pivoted to launching Brew Culture in the conversation here.

They spoke about growing a business in a small town, how Brew Culture found their first few customers and what they attribute their early success to. Daniel also shares the one piece of advice he would give to all start-up entrepreneurs.

5. Emma Grimstead / Maggie & Kaye

Kelsey sat down with Emma Grimstead who is the founder and owner of Maggie & Kaye - a Canadian online home boutique that sells beautiful quality products for your bed, bath and home expressions.

We chatted about Emma’s decision to take over the family business that was started by her grandmother and what some of her first steps were in bringing the business to life.

In addition to diving into all things Maggie & Kaye, Emma is also sharing about her other projects and passions. And what it’s like to ALSO be building a personal brand in addition to her online home goods shop.

Listen to the full episode to find out what Emma believes is the key to keeping her customers happy.

6. Morgan Rammo / Vita Fitness

Morgan is a young, vibrant and motivated entrepreneur that followed her love of fitness and now runs one of Muskoka's hottest studio, Vita Fitness – located in Downtown Bracebridge.

I chatted with Morgan on how she ended up moving to Bracebridge in the first place, her decision to open a fitness studio and how she did it with minimal risk.

Morgan also explains how she found her first few clients, what is working for her now to continue marketing and promoting to new people, and we dive into what a typical work week looks like for her today.

Find out more about her journey on this podcast episode.

Interested in hearing from more local entrepreneurs? Check out these 6 episodes from a previous season of the podcast series.

Let us know if you visit one of these local businesses over on social media, @visitthebridge!

6 Local Entrepreneurs to Visit or Be Inspired By