Jenna Hutchinson + Ashley Kosowan, on teamwork, well-being and leadership

“You need to have a team, nobody does it alone,” says host Manjit Minhas in the tenth episode of A Wealth of Women’s Stories. When it comes to witnessing the power of teamwork, look no further than twin-sisters Jenna Hutchinson and Ashley Kosowan, the owners of Jenna Rae Cakes. They’ve spent the last eight years building their company and their brand together. They have three bakery locations in Winnipeg, have written a best-selling cookbook, and have been featured on the Food Network, NBC, CTV, Globe & Mail, and Martha Stewart’s Weddings magazine. The duo also are judges on the Food Network show, Wall of Bakers.

“I can't imagine doing it solo. That would be really tough,” says Jenna Rae Hutchinson.

“I feel like we've always had each other to build off of so that's been very, very lucky,” says Ashley Kosowan. “So basically, you have to have a twin sister to start a business, that you can rely on. No, I don't think that's necessary. But it's been very, very helpful for us.”

Topics they cover include:

• 0:00: Jenna + Ashley’s Story: “I'm gonna try this just for fun and see what happens.”
• 14:40: Challenges faced by women entrepreneurs: “It's really, really hard to be taken seriously as entrepreneurs who own a bakery.”
• 28:20: Building a brand online: “I think people appreciate a less curated feed.”
• 46:14: Strength in family: “I feel like we attract family.”
• 52:40: Life is a balancing act: “I want them to see their mom working hard and going to work every day.”
• 58:40: Growing the business: “We’re too small to be big, but we’re too big to be small.”

Presented by IG Wealth Management

Learn more at ig.ca/women

The views, information and opinions expressed are those of the featured guests, and not necessarily those of IG Wealth Management