Pivoting at 40: Building a Profitable, Canadian-Made Apparel Brand from Scratch with Heather Bolt of Dotty

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.Timestamps00:00 – Welcome & guest intro (Heather Bolt, Dotty)01:14 – Dotty: Toronto manufacturing (Scarborough & North Toronto)02:22 – Canadian story & starting point05:46 – The nudge that changed everything07:20 – Early entrepreneur doubts; designing for real bodies09:09 – Loyal customers & product thoughtfulness12:31 – Showing up on camera; relatable founder15:39 – Word of mouth, One of a Kind Show, micro-influencers18:15 – Founder values, authenticity, buyer trust25:18 – “Remember who the F you are”27:18 – Midlife energy & the freedom of not people-pleasing31:39 – Seasons of business & motherhood34:36 – Presence over hustle; what matters at 80 Heather's Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dottyclothing/Website: https://www.dotty.ca/ Tickets for This Mother Means Business LIVE - Presented by CIBC Business Banking on April 1st, 2026 are available now! Get yours here: https://www.thismothermeansbusiness.com/tmmb-2026Join This Mother Means Business : www.thismothermeansbusiness.com Laura's Links:• Website • Laura's Instagram • LJSocial Instagram  • LinkedIn • Facebook • Pinterest • TikTok