Founders Coffee: Amanda Buhse – The Why Behind the Buy

The Speaker
Amanda Buhse is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and the creative force behind Coal and Canary. With just $40 and a bold vision, she built a multimillion-dollar brand featured by Forbes, The Globe and Mail, Good Morning America, Elle Magazine, and at the GRAMMYs, Oscars, and Emmys. She is the Chair of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and was named the 2024 winner of the Female Led Award at the Women of Inspiration Awards in New York City. Amanda has also been recognized as Female Entrepreneur of the Year (WBOM), winner of the Contribution to the Community Award, and is a two-time recipient of the Spirit of Winnipeg Award. A passionate advocate for women in business, she has represented Canada as a G20 YEA delegate and serves on several boards supporting small business. She’s a sought-after speaker known for her talks on creativity, leadership, and living boldly. When she’s not traveling, she loves painting, singing, and spending time at Brereton Lake.

The Talk

What if the secret to finding your customer had nothing to do with your product? Twelve years ago, Amanda Buhse started Coal and Canary with $40 worth of candle supplies and a kitchen table. What followed was a growth story most founders dream about – 500 retail locations across North America, $3 million in sales, wholesale accounts in Sephora and Hudson’s Bay, and candles in the Grammy and Oscar swag bags just three months after launch. But the real story isn’t the growth. It’s what happened when everything fell apart at once. When her business partner left, her Instagram account was hacked and held for ransom, and COVID eliminated 80% of her revenue overnight – all within months of each other – Amanda didn’t just survive. She got creative, pivoted and grew online revenue by 525% that same year. In this talk, Amanda shares the three lessons that have guided every stage of Coal and Canary’s journey: how to find where your customers already are and show up authentically, how to reach further than feels reasonable earlier than feels logical, and why confusing your channel for your customer is one of the most dangerous mistakes a growing business can make. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of who your customer really is, how to build a direct line to them that no algorithm can take away, and what it actually means to grow a business on your own terms. This is a talk for founders who are already in it, and want to make sure they’re building something that lasts.