Meet Karine Parthenais | Founder & Creative Director of The Co. Lab Company.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karine Parthenais and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karine, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’m a gambler. And I believe that if you want to make big things happen, you need to take big chances. Sometimes that launching a crazy idea friend or family will never understand, and other times that’s investing money where others wouldn’t. No matter what risk looks like to someone, it’s always terrifying, but it’s necessary to achieve greatness.

I’ve risked it all many times. Over a decade of trial and error finally led me to where I am today. And while I’m happy with the current success of my business, I still have a lot of leaping left to do.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Co. Lab Coworking & Marketing Hub came to be when I worked independently as a Business & Brand Strategist.

I consulted with business owners and provided them with business & brand strategy plans, and often they didn’t know where or how to take action.

I started recommending creatives I trusted to get the job done, and eventually, we formed a group named The Co. Lab. Our lead photographer came up with the name to emphasize how we all collaborate to bring our client’s projects to life.

Soon enough, I dropped my consulting business and jumped full-time into agency life.

The premise was that all creatives would be independent contractors, and I’d hire them for assets to accomplish marketing projects for our clients. They would operate their business from the lab, and we would also open up our doors to other creatives to join us in a hotdesk coworking vibe.

Today, we operate a bit differently. Some of our collaborators are now employed full-time with the lab; others are crushing their own goals outside of our downtown hub.

It was a difficult lesson to learn that while working with collaborators offered a lot of flexibility, we had different long-term goals. Making decisions that suited our individual directions was important for growth.

My best advice would be that the team that got you to where you are today may not be the team that will get you where you’re going, and that’s okay. As long as we’re all staying true to our ambitions, we all win.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We have many lovely spots in our small rural city, but taking in the view of our Saint Lawrence River is always a good start. I know I take for granted that we have such a beautiful body of water nearby because it’s all I’ve ever known.

I think we’re also pretty lucky to have many small businesses in our downtown core. Vintage and gift shops. Cafes and homemade goodness. European cuisine and French Canadian favourites are just a few steps away from the river.

Plus, we’re just a short hour away from my personal favourite city, Montreal, Quebec and our nation’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario. We really have the luxury of being so close to it all.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Many people have supported me along the way (my husband, especially, that man is a saint!), but one person, in particular, stands out when I think about the kind of leader I am today.

Melissa Santa Maria was the Director of Customer Experience at the company where I worked in my early 20’s. While working for this print company, I learned many things about leadership, operations, and of course, client experience.

Melissa never took it easy on me (or anyone else for that matter) and was always direct in delivering good and constructive feedback. It’s a quality I admire more today as my team grows and I continue to hire staff.

Her ability to lead while giving me room to breathe and learn from my mistakes is what helped me fall forward in my years of entrepreneurship. And while I’m sure I was not always a top employee with my hasty decision-making and often lack of direction, she always gave me a chance to prove myself.

If I can bring a fraction of what she taught me to the table, I’m confident I will lead my team to great things.

Website: https://www.thecolabco.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecolabco.co/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karine-parthenais-48602244/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecolabco.co

Image Credits
Framed Photography, Jason McNamara