How Marie-Amélie Guilbault, with the help of her daughter, built JolieRide

When Marie-Amélie Guilbault started JolieRide in 2015, she already had a full-time job and was a single parent. At the time, her knowledge of fabrics, textiles and even sewing was limited. But she knew that the cycling world needed more clothes for women riders. Guilbault was motivated to create a new company that would fill the gap in the industry.

Her goal? To create practical, well-made kit for women that not only felt good, but looked good. “If you told me then that I would be my own boss, I would never have believed you,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if owning my own business was for me. But I dedicated all the time I could. After work, weekends, it was all for my new business.”

Creating a brand with longevity

Guilbault faced many ups and downs throughout the growth of JolieRide. “There were many tough moments early on. But even knowing what I know now, I would do it all over again,” Guilbault explains. “The lows are very low…but the highs are the best. Once you have a few good moments, you want to keep persevering and getting more and more good moments.”
Of course, with every success would come more challenges. “Year after year, the amount of retailers would increase–which is great for revenue, but it also means I have to produce double the amount of clothing.”

The evolution of JolieRide

At first, JolieRide was purely an online venture. Guilbault was hoping to streamline things by keeping the business mostly virtual. But that setup would soon change. She started to hear from her clients. They wrote to Guilbault asking to try the clothing.

“They want to touch it, try it on, all that. So I started developing relationships, by myself, even though I still had a full-time job,” she says. Guilbault would use whatever spare time she could to meet with buyers. After work. On lunch break. She found the time.

Since she had her own company, Guilbault was the boss, the intern, the sales rep and head of marketing. “That was the biggest challenge, in those days, because I didn’t have any sales reps. I would be nervous calling people, worried they’d hang up,” she says. But she kept at it. Now, of course, she has her own sales reps to do that work for her, so she can think of the big picture and keep growing the business.

Mother and daughter building with the company

Guilbault has one daughter, who is now in high school. She’s seen the company, and her mom, grow. “I think that what I’m most proud of is that she has seen me grow and do this because she was there right at the beginning,” Guilbault says of her daughter. “She was six years old. And I would do everything myself. So we would work together. It was a special time. She was so glad to help me put the clothing in the envelopes and then put on the stamps. She was very helpful back then, and she still has many opinions about the clothing, which helps. She is much cooler than me!”

Clothing for active women

JolieRide is designed for active women who ride on road or mountain bikes for either training or racing. There’s a wide variety of jerseys, bibs, outer gear and base layers that will not only feel great, but look great. The latest collection is available now on JolieRide.com

This story is presented by JolieRide