Written by Noah Cote, Communications Manager, The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
The morning before her first board meeting as Incoming Chair, Coal and Canary Founder Amanda Buhse faced a difficult decision.
“Do I wear the black suit, or the pink suit?”
One said, ‘take me seriously.’ The other said ‘this is who I am.’
If you’ve been to a Chamber event, you might recognize Buhse’s standout suits. But you might not know her 2-button pastel panache is one part personality, one part promise to live boldly after learning life’s too short to play it safe.
After graduating from RRC Polytech’s Graphic Design Program, Amanda went to work in advertising with agencies like DesignType and Picante Advertising.
“This was the first time working somewhere female-led, which was really unique at the time in a male-dominated industry, competing against all these male-owned, male-run companies.”
It was at Picante where she would spark her first mentor-mentee relationship with Owner/Operator, Laura Hawkins.
“Laura had this tenacity in her, this crazy drive. She would do whatever it takes to make sure the rent got paid and we got paid.
It was never her as the boss and us as the staff. We were all on the same bus, driving toward the same goals, and I just loved it.
She opened my eyes to what life can be, in a fabulous way. She proved to me a woman can go out there and accomplish incredible projects, secure amazing clients, and run a successful business.
She really shaped who I am today.”
Amanda continued her ascension through the annals of agency advertising and in-house design, eventually earning the title of Art Director at international fashion companies, where she led large teams under tight timelines and intense pressure – all the while curating her creativity, performing under pressure, and learning leadership lessons.
“I built a foundation for a future of entrepreneurship I didn’t know I was going to have.”
But for every climber comes a summit. A born–and–raised Winnipegger, Amanda began to get the creeping feeling she may have hit the limits of her hometown.
“I had some friends who moved away, and I was almost… jealous? I thought oh man, look at them with their fancy jobs in their big cities.”
She started applying for jobs in Toronto, Vancouver, and New York, where she saw hustle, bustle, and bigger opportunities.
“I was a very planned person. I had always known where I wanted to be in three weeks, three months, three years.
I was always trying to be in control of my life and feel like I was the one putting the pieces together.”
But before she could land her first interview, Amanda was blindsided. A medical emergency forced her to rush to the hospital.
Doctors told her she needed major surgery, but even if the procedure went as planned, her outlook was not good.
“They said I would likely not survive the evening. And, my husband should get our affairs in order – which is wild to hear when you’re in your late 20s.”
She proceeded with the surgery. And the next day, she woke up with a mixture of relief and excitement, but also grief and confusion.
“You’re asking yourself, what now?’”
She was lost. And for the first time in Amanda’s life, she stopped planning.
Which is when a friend called her out of the blue and said, ‘Hey, do you want to hang out and try making candles?’
It would be a simple pastime. She would pour some wax into jars, maybe even sell a couple to family and friends, then call it a day.
“But then I created a logo.
Then a homepage. Then a whole website. People always tell you ‘Fake it until you make it,’ so I wanted to test that.
We each put in $40 cash. That’s all we had.”
In 2014, with a website, some jars and wax, and $80, Amanda lit the fuse on Coal and Canary: luxury, small–batch hand-poured soy blend candles for the hip and modern professional.
Her 10-year-goal was to see a Coal and Canary candle in the official JUNO Awards gift bags. Just three months after pouring her first candle, she found herself googling how to submit your product for the JUNO team to consider, and stumbled upon the page for Academy Awards and GRAMMYs gifts submissions instead.
“I’ve always had this weird fascination with glitz and glamour. So, I thought, why not?“
I just sent them an email, and I said here’s our website, here’s our product, what’s the process to even be considered, not expecting a reply.”
Two weeks later, she received an email back saying her candles were a perfect fit for this year’s Grammy and Academy Awards gift bags as the official home decor product.
“It was the most surreal feeling in the entire world – it felt like everything and anything I wanted to do was possible. It really showed me the power of branding, marketing, social media, and having a professional image – because again, we were still faking it till we make it.”
Up until this point, Amanda had produced an average of 50 candles each month.
But to fill the Oscars’ order, she would need to pour 270 sets of three candles in less than two weeks – while still holding down her full-time job.
She began burning her own candle at both ends.
Ten days before the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 3,160 kilometers away, Amanda was frantically calling in every friend and favour she had. A small group of dedicated Winnipeggers got to work, and in an Exchange District office smaller than most one-bedroom apartments, they rushed to fill the order.
“We were so exhausted, at one point I looked at my then-business partner and said, ‘we might die.’
Amanda says the only reason she didn’t was thanks to the help she found in her community.
“We had our printer working around the clock, we had family and friends and people I didn’t even know volunteering, pouring candles and packing boxes. But this is one of the lessons I learned early on about how incredible Winnipeg is to build a business.
Winnipeggers love seeing other Winnipeggers succeed.
We’ve always been viewed as the underdog, and it gives us this collective energy that binds us together. If one of us wins, we all win.”
And win they did.
Once they hit the hands and graced Instagram grids of celebrities, scents such as ‘Swag Bag and Jet Lag,’ and ‘Fake Lashes and Camera Flashes,’ made headlines in Forbes Magazine and mentions on Good Morning America.
Suddenly, everyone in North America wanted a Coal and Canary candle.
“That was my first experience with entrepreneurship in Winnipeg, and it made me fall in love with the city even more but also gave me this need to make my city proud.
I became determined to prove you didn’t need to move to Toronto or Vancouver to ‘make it’ – you can build the life you dream of right here in Manitoba.”
Amanda set out to build on her success. But first, like any bourgeoning business owner, she needed healthcare for her employees.
That’s when she first heard of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. She signed up and soon saw the opportunities stretched further than our country’s number one small-business benefits plan.
“If you’re an entrepreneur, you know how lonely it is. So, when someone from The Chamber called me, they were so lovely and helpful, telling me about all the different things The Chamber does to support us.
She attended her first Chamber event shortly after.
“I completely fell in love with it right then and there. It was so special and essential to know there’s a community that exists to help me not just as an entrepreneur, but also as a person. I immediately started making friends and finding fellow entrepreneurs that I could lean on or ask questions.
Taking time to step outside of your business to work on your business, not for it, was really eye-opening. I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I started doing it.”
Eleven years ago, Amanda started her business like many Chamber members, in her living room, in an attempt to step out of the status quo and bet on herself. To make her her dream come true and her city proud. She succeeded, and in her success, found a desire to return the favour by uplifting the community that held her up all those years ago.
She fell in love with The Chamber and began investing her time and money in our community. Eventually, The Chamber approached her to join the Board, an opportunity she gladly embraced.
And on October 9, 2025, she will lead our community as the 131st Chair of the Board of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
Now 40 and in her second decade of entrepreneurship, Amanda reflects on how far she’s come from that hospital bed where doctors told her she wouldn’t survive the night.
“It’s humbling, it’s exhilarating, it’s all the most amazing feelings. If you had told me when I started here that ten years down the road, I’m going to be up there talking at the podium, I never would have believed you.
I’m excited to connect with our members in a deeper way than ever before. I want to listen to their stories, understand their challenges and celebrate their wins – we have such an amazing, diverse group of entrepreneurs and leaders.”
When asked what her number one goal was during her tenure as Chair, she said this year is all about breaking the status quo.
“My goal is to create an environment where Winnipeg’s young people feel heard, supported, and equipped to turn their ideas into thriving businesses without having to leave home.
That means amplifying their voices, connecting them with mentors, and making sure they have access to the resources they need to build the future they want right here in Winnipeg.
For The Chamber, it’s about welcoming younger members and showing them, they can be themselves, share ideas, and grow together.
At its heart, it’s about building a community where every person feels like they‘re in the right place.”
So, there she was on the morning of her first Chamber board meeting, standing at the edge of her bed, looking down at two two suits, one business black, one hot pink, while imposter syndrome raged through her body.
“A little voice in my head whispered, you’re not a serious enough businessperson to do this.
You need to wear the black suit.
You need to fit in.
I picked up the black suit when my husband looked at me, and I’ll never forget this, he said, ‘Amanda, stop right now. The reason they asked you to be on the board is because you’re different.
You put that black suit down, put on the pink suit, and walk out proud.’
And I did.”
Now as The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, Amanda Buhse is ready to show the next generation of Winnipeg entrepreneurs they belong at the head of the table. That with $80 and a dream, they can bring something to our business community no one else can. That their uniqueness is their power.
That when you’re faced with the choice, always remember Amanda’s advice.
“Wear the pink suit.”
