In an interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Roseline Kapongo and Tamar Lemma, co-founders of The Flourish Agency, shared their journey and the motivation behind their focus on empowering women-led businesses in fashion, beauty, and skincare. Both drawn to entrepreneurship from a young age—Roseline from a desire to innovate in fashion and Tamar through her creative interests—they founded The Flourish Agency to champion and support women entrepreneurs facing unique challenges in these competitive sectors. Their agency not only aims to enhance brand presence through sophisticated digital marketing and storytelling but also fosters a nurturing community that promotes growth, support, and inspiration among women entrepreneurs. With plans to launch significant events and create spaces for women to connect and thrive, Roseline and Tamar are passionate about cultivating a strong community that empowers women to excel and innovate in their respective fields.
Roseline Kapongo
Born to refugee parents, Roseline Kapongo’s journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Canada as a child instilled in her a deep appreciation for resilience and entrepreneurship. Inspired by her parents’ determination to build a new life, Roseline embarked on a path of success, fueled by her passion for startups and marketing. Over a decade in the industry, she rose through the ranks, navigating the challenges of being a BIPOC woman in corporate settings. It was through these experiences that she discovered her calling in women’s entrepreneurship, leading her to co-found The Flourish Agency. Here, Roseline empowers women-led businesses to thrive in the competitive market through strategic branding and digital marketing. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, diving into captivating books, and embracing the thrill of travel and adventure.

Tamar Lemma
Born and raised in Manitoba in an Ethiopian household, Tamar Lemma grew up thoroughly enjoying social media, listening to stories, and developing connections from those moments. Both of her parents were entrepreneurs in their own ways before coming to Canada; perhaps you can say it was passed on! Fast forward, as a business graduate and an 8-year content creator, her journey into digital marketing came from the love of bringing strategy and creativity together. A key aspect of digital marketing is that it involves content creation, and the best kind usually involves a story. It is undeniable that storytelling allows for a connection to be made with those who engage. Marketing brings the tactic along with the space to be imaginative, and that is what makes it fun! Of course, understanding your market is important to know how you will position your brand, but the room to create experiences strategically is key to standing out. It is satisfying to see brand owners meet with us and take practical steps to improve their branding. Not to be cliché but, Tamar and Rose enjoy witnessing brands flourish! One thing about Tamar is that she is a social media enthusiast and has been loving it since 2012!
Roseline and Tamar, could you share what initially sparked your interest in entrepreneurship, and what led you to specifically champion women-led businesses in the fashion apparel, skincare, and beauty sectors?
Roseline: I’ve always had an interest in business, even as a child I dreamt of starting my own clothing line. Entrepreneurship did not fully materialize for me until last year when I saw an opportunity to join my love for marketing with fashion apparel, beauty and skincare. There is so much competition in this niche and Canada usually falls behind when it comes to growth in these areas. And since I’ve experienced similar challenges as a woman in business, we thought that would be a great place to start.
Tamar: Since childhood, I have always believed my creativity would be highly infused within my career. That career being, working for myself. For years, I loved the fun of style, beauty and aesthetics, and the overall impact it has on individuals. It’s amazing how it brings the best out of people and I love seeing it happen especially when it comes to business. Entrepreneurship can feel lonely and lack guidance which I and Rose totally understand. What makes us excited about Flourish is that we know that there is room to shine especially for women-led businesses in Canada.
The Flourish Agency focuses on cultivating community among women entrepreneurs. What is the importance of this community and how your agency foster these Connections?
Roseline: Before the inception of Flourish, we knew we wanted to create a community for women in both the entrepreneurial and creative spaces. That’s what actually led to The Flourish Agency. Sometimes, business owners just need to gain inspiration and guidance from their peers who understand and have gone through similar challenges. The importance of community to us is that our audience (being women), feel inspired and supported on their journey. We plan to foster this environment through local events that will serve as opportunities to network, connect, and learn from one another. But also for these CEOs and bosses to let their hair down, their guard down, hang with like-minded people and be poured into for a change!
Tamar: Exactly, we felt that there was a need to have the space for women to gather and there is a strength that comes from unity and community. It can get SO TOUGH and we both know how it feels. We wanted to see something like this happen in Canada and it really is about time! We are so excited to cultivate community, connections and networking spaces where everyone can grow and flourish.
You both have a strong background in digital marketing and storytelling. How do you integrate these skills to enhance your client’s; branding and market presence?
In what ways does The Flourish Agency tailor its strategies to meet the unique needs of women entrepreneurs and creatives in Canada? Are there specific challenges in this market that you aim to address?
Roseline: Both of us come from corporate marketing backgrounds, where we’ve gained experience working on teams handling large budgets and executing massive campaigns. Bringing this mindset to an agency that caters to small to medium-sized businesses, we’ve found that our transferable skills only enhance our client’s ability to think bigger and better in terms of their growth. My experience in startups taught me that you gotta take ‘moonshots’ to achieve true innovation and if you want to create something that will truly make your brand stand out. We encourage our clients to think big when it comes to their brand and what they can achieve, even without a million-dollar budget. It’s possible to experience exponential growth, which is why we take the time to understand our clients’ goals and objectives, to make sure we deliver the best results for their business and help put their brand on the map.
Tamar: Every entrepreneur has a vision they want to accomplish. We want to meet them where they’re at and help bring their vision to life by studying their market, be their sidekick and seize opportunities that they may be missing out on. It boils down to providing insights that add value and helping them position themselves in the market. We start with a personalized consultation, understanding goals and objectives before tailoring a unique strategy. We provide comprehensive market research and trend analysis tailored to the Canadian market landscape, enabling our clients to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition. When it comes to challenges, we have met clients who have PTSD from negative experiences with past agencies. We desire to build trust with our audience through authenticity and proven results.
Looking ahead, what are some of the upcoming initiatives or projects at The Flourish What agency that are you most excited about, and how do these reflect the evolution of your mission to support women entrepreneurs?
Roseline: We’re very excited to launch the events aspect of our business. We already have great ideas about how we can help these women feel seen and supported and the top voices we can bring in to speak on creativity and entrepreneurship. We’re aiming for these events to become the biggest women’s entrepreneurship and creative summit in North America. Haha, we’re taking our own advice in ‘thinking big’ and taking moonshots!
Tamar: The empowerment and confidence that will flow from our future gatherings is central to our mission for women-led businesses! As we empower beauty and retail brand owners, we hold dear the values of support and interconnectedness in every interaction we have. Whether they are a client, a member of the community, partners, etc., we truly believe there is room for everyone to flourish.