Saving a Canadian Wool Clothing Brand with Stephanie Gross

Episode 341 of The Business Development Podcast features an incredibly honest and inspiring conversation with Stephanie Gross, Founder & CEO of Bumby Wool, a Canadian wool clothing brand built from the ground up through resilience, creativity, and relentless determination. Stephanie shares her journey from working in oil and gas and raising a family to launching a sustainable manufacturing company that has grown from homemade cloth diapers into a recognized Canadian apparel brand focused on ethical production, innovation, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

This episode dives deep into the realities of entrepreneurship, including burnout, tariffs, financial pressure, leadership, reinvention, and the emotional weight of nearly losing everything. Stephanie opens up about hitting a breaking point, rebuilding her mindset, rediscovering her purpose, and ultimately turning the business around by embracing community, visibility, partnerships, and a renewed vision for the future. It is a powerful conversation about resilience, Canadian manufacturing, and what happens when entrepreneurs refuse to quit.

Follow Stephanie Gross and Bumby Wool

Stephanie Gross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-gross-bumbywool/

Bumby Wool: www.bumbywool.com

Key Takeaways:

1. Entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. Stephanie’s journey moved through oil and gas, customer service, HR, safety, and motherhood before eventually becoming Bumby Wool.
2. Sometimes the best businesses start by solving your own problem. Bumby Wool began because Stephanie simply could not find the cloth diapers she wanted for her son.
3. Grassroots entrepreneurs succeed through resilience, not perfection. Stephanie built the business without major advertising, polished systems, or outside investment for most of its existence.
4. Your “why” matters more than growth for growth’s sake. For years, Stephanie intentionally structured the business around raising her children and supporting her family life.
5. Big setbacks can become turning points. COVID, website failures, and tariffs pushed the business to its breaking point, but those moments forced Stephanie to rethink and rebuild the company.
6. Entrepreneurs need to stop occasionally and recognize how far they’ve already come. One of Stephanie’s biggest breakthroughs came when she paused and reflected on the impact she had already created.
7. What gets you to one level may not get you to the next. Stephanie realized she had to change direction, build new systems, expand her network, and become more visible to move the company forward.
8. Relationships and community matter deeply in entrepreneurship. From The Catalyst Club to Alberta Women Entrepreneurs and Trade Accelerator programs, Stephanie’s turnaround accelerated once she leaned into community and collaboration.
9. Young people need opportunities and mentorship. Stephanie now works closely with students, interns, and work-integrated learning programs to create real-world opportunities while also helping grow her company.
10. Quitting is sometimes easier than continuing, but purpose changes everything. Stephanie repeatedly emphasizes that Bumby Wool became bigger than herself, and that realization gave her the strength to keep going during the hardest moments.

🎸 Sponsor Shoutouts: Thank You Colin Harms & Jamie Crozier for your steadfast support of The Business Development Podcast! 🫶

The Business Development Podcast is proudly supported by Hypervac Technologies, Hyperfab, Thunder Bay Hydraulics Inc, and Atlas Elite Lifts. 🎸⭐

🔹 Hypervac Technologies: North America’s leader in vacuum truck manufacturing, building high performance hydrovac and industrial vacuum trucks designed for the toughest field conditions. www.hypervac.com

🔹 Hyperfab: The custom fabrication division of Hypervac, delivering engineered solutions and specialized builds tailored to demanding industrial applications. www.hyperfab.ca

🔹 Thunder Bay Hydraulics Inc: A trusted provider of hydraulic cylinder repair and manufacturing, supporting industries like mining, forestry, and construction with reliable, high quality service. www.thunderbayhydraulics.com

🔹 Atlas Elite Lifts: A premium supplier of automotive lift systems, focused on performance, safety, and long term reliability for shops and garages. www.atlaselitelifts.com

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Mentioned in this episode:

Hypervac - Revolution Vacuums