The Founders Assembly: Janis Galloway on Entrepreneurship

Every community needs a storyteller, collaborator and all-around cheerleader. The Edmonton fashion community has Janis Galloway of Dress Me Dearly. When we partnered up with BLOOM for The Founders Assembly, we couldn't think of a better person to be the face of our campaign than Janis. She represents everything I admire in entrepreneurs – motivated, kind, collaborative, genuine, smart and gritty in a get-shit-done kind of way.

For Janis, it’s always been about elevating the community – the designers, retailers, photographers, brands, bloggers, journalists – that shape the Edmonton fashion community (read an inspired post about Janis' personal journey here). In the fashion industry, where so many people are searching for personal fame, Janis works to tell the stories of others. Her love of emerging designers, new brands and retail concepts makes Janis one of the most connected persons in Alberta’s fashion scene. Janis is smart, creative and fun – the perfect ambassador of any city. I’m so happy she chooses to call Edmonton home.

And from the beginning, Janis has provided support for Poppy Barley. Our company is better because Janis has graciously shared her business smarts and marketing mind with us. If you ever need assistance building a brand, just call Janis (sounds like her tagline, right?!).

In this video, I interview Janis on entrepreneurship and the Edmonton fashion community in preparation for The Founders Assembly on Saturday--a one-day workshop for Edmonton's female entrepreneurs for vision building, radical goal setting, and yoga led by bliss-crafters Jacki Carr and Mary Beth LaRue.

While we've already selected seven applicants (from more than 50 submissions!) joining the other 25 female entrepreneurs we called upon to join us, there are still lots of opportunities to get involved in BLOOM (like Friday night's opening gala at the Muttart!). Go here to find out more.

Photographed beautifully by Aaron Pedersen, Janis is wearing the Blue Jean Baby Classic Ankle Bootie by Poppy Barley