From Leggings to Leadership: How I Built TPM by Saying Yes to What Was Next

If you had told me in 2015 that I’d be running a national association management, event, and marketing company with a team of 10, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Back then, it all started with a pair of leggings and a glass of wine.

The Idea That Wasn’t Supposed to Be a Business

I was invited to a SweetLegs party and instantly fell in love with the bright, fun designs. I wore them to my kids’ school, and all the moms loved them. I thought I could sell these and make some extra money to help pay for my kids’ activities. My friend Laura felt the same, so we applied to become reps, but there was no room in our area at that time.

So we did what a lot of entrepreneurs do. We figured it out ourselves.

We each put in $500 to source pre-designed leggings and see if we could sell them.

That “let’s just try this” moment turned into something much bigger. We opened She’s Got Leggz in May of 2015. The name came from Laura’s husband’s favourite band, ZZ Top. I went to work on a logo, and the rest is history.

By 2017, we were designing our own products and manufacturing in China. By 2018, we had expanded into tops, sweaters, and accessories. What we built wasn’t just a product; it was a community.

Women didn’t just buy from us. They believed in us. In our dynamic. In the opportunity to earn extra income on their own terms.

And we showed up for them.

The Scrappy, Messy, Magical Middle

In the early days, we worked out of Laura’s basement, packing orders and figuring things out as we went. There were so many moments I wish we had captured on camera. It would have been a reality show.

One of my favourites was a sourcing trip to New York City in mid-January. It rained the entire time, sometimes sideways, but we laughed through all of it.

Then came the bigger milestones.

Moving into our warehouse on Grahams Lane.
Onboarding our first consultant, Angela.
Hosting our first consultant conference in year two.
Having our kids come to Career Day.
Receiving our first pair of leggings we designed.
Watching this idea turn into something real.

That conference was the moment I thought, we’ve made it.

But more than anything, what I remember most is the friendship. Building something alongside Laura, having our families involved, it was a really special time.

The Exit I Didn’t See Coming

In 2019, things shifted.

We brought on a third partner, and from the start, it wasn’t the right fit. We didn’t share the same vision, and it created constant tension.

In 2020, I was handed papers. She wanted to buy my shares. I was in shock and felt like the world beneath me fell away. It took me to a dark place.

At that point, the business wasn’t performing the way it had before. Financially, it wasn’t sustainable. Personally, I was exhausted. My mental and physical health needed a break. With the support of my husband, kids, family, and a few close friends, I walked away.

Walking away was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made.

But I did it.

And what I learned in that season has stayed with me.

You find out who truly has your back and who your real friends are.
You are stronger than you think. There were times I didn’t want to push through.
And sometimes, the ending you didn’t choose is exactly what you needed.

Starting Over When You’re Not Sure You Want To

After the sale, I launched a social media and training business under my own name, with the support of Kayli, a previous SGL sales rep and administrator.

I went back to what I knew. I understood direct sales, and I knew how to market it because I had lived it.

I worked with companies like Norwex and Stella & Dot, helping teams grow their online presence and results.

But if I’m honest, starting over was hard.

Going solo felt uncertain. It still does sometimes. There’s always that voice asking, what if this doesn’t work?

But I kept going. 

The Yes That Changed Everything

In April 2020, right at the start of the pandemic, a board member from a nonprofit I had worked with previously reached out.

They asked if I’d consider helping them again.

I said yes immediately.

Partly because I knew I could do it.
Partly because I needed income.
And partly because something about it just felt right.

At the time, I thought it would be temporary, maybe a year, before going back to focusing fully on marketing.

But that’s not what happened.

I fell back in love with association management, with events, and with building something bigger than just marketing.

Then in 2021, I attended a CCI NLF event and was asked if I’d be interested in working with other CCI chapters.

That was the moment.

This isn’t just a project. This is the path.

Building TPM

What started as one client turned into many.

Over the past six years, I’ve grown the business into Theresa Place Media Inc. (TPM), a company that now supports organizations across Canada with association management, event execution, and marketing.

Today, we’re a team of 10.

And I won’t sugarcoat it. Growth isn’t easy.

Hiring the right people is hard.
Managing a team while still serving clients is hard.
Making sure you can sustain payroll while scaling is hard.
Working with clients is hard.
Managing different personalities is hard.

But it’s also incredibly rewarding.

What makes TPM different is simple.

We don’t just work for our clients. We partner with them.

We build real relationships. We care. We bring energy and professionalism, and we know what we’re doing.

One of the projects I’m most proud of is the Condo Conference, growing it from under 2,000 attendees to over 3,000 in just two years, while increasing revenue to over half a million dollars.

That didn’t happen by accident. It happened through trust, collaboration, and a lot of hard work.

None of this has been built alone.

Behind TPM is a team of incredible people who care deeply about the work we do and the clients we serve. They bring ideas, energy, and commitment every single day, and I’m so proud of what we’ve built together. I truly couldn’t have done this without them.

What I Know Now

Looking back, I can see something I couldn’t see at the time.

This is where I was meant to be.

Not the first business.
Not the plan I thought I had.
But this.

I’ve learned that you can do hard things, not everything has to be perfect, and building a business is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you’ll ever do.

If You’re in It Right Now

Whether you’re building, starting over, or pivoting, I get it.

Here’s what I’d tell you.

To women in business, stay true to yourself. Believe in what you’re building. Work hard, but don’t forget to take care of yourself. And above all, build relationships, not just a business.

For second-time entrepreneurs, if it didn’t work the first time, try again. Learn from it. Refocus. Failure isn’t the end; it’s part of the process.

To anyone pivoting, sometimes the thing you’re temporarily saying yes to becomes the thing you were meant to do all along.

If there’s one thread through all of this, it’s this.

I didn’t set out to build TPM. I just kept saying yes to what was next…

And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Theresa

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