Annette Smith says she can ‘breathe easier’ now that she’s running her own business in Grimsby, Ont.Supplied
Annette Smith had been working in corporate roles for several years before a major health scare changed her career trajectory. Overwork, chronic stress and burnout were compromising her health, she says, and helped her understand the importance of self-care.
Today, Ms. Smith runs her Grimsby, Ont.-based business Lip Service Beauty, which offers ethically and naturally made products ranging from lip scrubs and glosses to bath and body care. It’s a move that has reduced her stress and helped her connect with a supportive community of homegrown brands in the Niagara area.
In this series, Reimagining Wealth, we explore the evolving definition of wealth in today’s world. Here, we talk to Ms. Smith about how her health issues transformed her approach to wellness, and how she has found joy and liberation as a solopreneur.
Tell me about your corporate career. What led you to prioritize your wellness?
I worked in visual merchandising and store design for seven and a half years. I loved that role, but I felt that the people I worked for kept hiring new people to be my boss, not giving me an opportunity to get promoted. For years, I felt like I was clawing and trying to work my way up. I joined another company where I was the visual merchandiser for all of Canada. The company had deep pockets, but the hours were insane and they didn’t necessarily treat their employees well.
That’s when I started to experience a lot of health issues. I had severe stomach ulcers, my hair was falling out and ultimately I had a grand mal seizure. It happened in public, in downtown Toronto, by myself. It was horrifying and was a real eye-opener for me. My partner was incredibly supportive and said, ‘Quit. Let’s find something else.’
That led me to my final corporate role at a company that was wellness-forward, and though I was surrounded by supportive people, I once again found myself working too much. I had started Lip Service on the side and ultimately decided that I really wanted to leave and pursue that on my own.
Did the vision for an ethical, clean and cruelty-free brand come from your own experiences?
For sure! Our tagline, ‘Ingredients matter,’ really stems from my own journey, because what I’ve learnt is that the ingredients of your life add up to how you feel about yourself and show up in the world. As I started to dive deeper into my own wellness journey, ingredients on packaging became really important to me.
How has community affected your wellness journey?
I’m part of a great small business maker community in Niagara. We have a thriving [network] because of the wineries and breweries and events, so there’s always a lot going on.
In 2022, I endured a fire when I was a part of an event at a winery. It was a two-day pop-up so we left our supplies overnight, and unfortunately they had a fire and I lost everything. That was a little rough, and we really held hands together through that. I felt the support from my community, like, ‘What can we do? Can we help you get supplies? Can we help you rebuild?’ Even now, with the tariff [situation in the U.S.], we’re seeing such an outpouring of support.
How do you feel like your personal wellness has improved since starting your business?
I acknowledge that I have some workaholism and maybe some boundary setting issues. I obviously make a lot less now than I ever did in corporate, and I don’t have benefits any more or RRSPs, but what I’ve gained is that I breathe easier. There are still stressors, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something comforting in knowing that I can control this and fix this.
When I feel myself taking on too much, I ask for help or hire someone. I have the tools at my disposal to take a break or a half-day [off]. Who says my weekend has to be on the weekend? It could be in the middle of the week. There’s a lot of power in that freedom.
