Community Series: Jenna Labiak

Name: Jenna Labiak 

@jenna.labs @thesilklabs 

Bio: Founder/ Creator/ Mom of The Silk Labs; a hair-care brand with products made ethically in Toronto using 100% Silk.  I am a marketing girl who transitioned her skills into entrepreneurship early on in her career.  A fellow small business lover/advocate that uses the hashtag #smallbizwithjen to celebrate and bring awareness to her favourite products.  

We know that as a business owner, you wear many hats. If you could give yourself a fun & unique job title, what would it be? Haircare & Skincare Enthusiast. 

Where are you a local (city/cities)? I was born & raised in Windsor, Ontario but moved to Toronto for university, the city has been stuck with me ever since!  

What are your 3 favourite spots in that city and what makes them unique? 

Food- Bar Poet.  Growing up in Windsor made me a pizza snob (Windsor pizza is notoriously the best) & having one of the owners being from Windsor makes Bar Poet one of my top picks to go to.  The ambience of the restaurant is so special, from the exposed brick, to the lots of greenery and fairy lights everywhere you look.  

Drinks- I am more of a cocktail girl so I love Cold Tea in Kensington Market.

Entertainment/Art/Culture- This year it did not happen but I love the annual Jazz Festival in Toronto. The location in the heart of Yorkville is super fun and it is nice to walk around the streets with the music playing in the background.  

What does your self-care routine look like? 

Morning- My morning self-care consists of making myself a nice latte and sitting on my balcony. While I am soaking up some morning sun and waiting for my body to wake up as I collect my thoughts a bit.  I take a look at my daily To-Do list and see what tasks are a priority for the day and what I should put on the backburner.  Once I’ve woken up and I’m alert, I start working on replying to emails; I find emails are a great transition into the workday.   

Evening- I always struggle with convincing myself to stop working, since most of my work is done at home,  I never fully turn off.  Some ways I like to transition into night-time is by tidying up my workspace and making it a home again.  I achieve this while lighting some candles, slipping into some pjs, applying a mask (pssst… Moon Dust Exfoliating Mask by Sarisha) and preparing a balanced dinner.  

What has been one of the most challenging aspects of starting and growing your business? 

Learning when to let go and develop a team.  Once you reach a certain point in your business, it’s just not efficient to do everything yourself.  This can be new and scary because for the most part in a new business you have to be so hands on before reaching the point of hiring a team. You get really comfortable with doing everything yourself and having total control. However you really can’t grow if you don't delegate some work to someone else. 

What is one of the most rewarding things about being a business owner? 

Seeing how excited people get about our goods.  

What are you loving right now? 

Latest purchase- My new ergonomic office chair 

Song- What You Won’t Do for Love- Bobby Caldwell 

Book- I haven’t read in so long my attention span is ruined from TikTok :) 

Podcast- I love 2 minutes with Seth Godin, he gives valuable business and marketing advice on specific topics within 2 minutes, super quick and easy to digest!

What are you most grateful for today? 

I am grateful for my boyfriend today and everyday. Specifically today because I couldn’t find my tags for The Silk Labs Beauty Sleep Eye masks and he found them hidden under my bed?  

What is your favourite SARISHA product? 

You can’t go wrong- Green Goddess Glow Oil.  Whenever my skin needs a pick me up that is a go to.