Scaling an e-commerce brand past its early momentum takes more than speed, it takes infrastructure that can hold steady as the business grows. For Bushbalm, working out of Ottawa, the real challenge has been keeping a distributed team connected to home base. With half the team remote, leadership invests directly in closing that distance: every remote employee flies to Ottawa twice a year for multi-day gatherings, while Toronto staff have opportunities to meet at a co-working space and enjoy outings like baseball games. For the co-founders, this isn’t optional, it’s core to how the company runs.
Inside the Ottawa headquarters, the day-to-day leans on simple rituals like Bagel Days, casual social hours rather than over-engineered corporate programs. Recognition happens in the open: promotions are shared company-wide and celebrated at weekly town halls, and peer recognition moves through public channels rather than staying buried in personnel files. Personal milestones get the same visibility. Birthdays and work anniversaries spark company-wide messages, weddings are marked with registry gifts, and new parents receive flowers and gifts at home – all within a workplace that welcomes employees’ pets.
Operationally, the team tracks output without leaning on mandatory overtime, and employees are encouraged to fully disconnect on vacation. That same philosophy extends to a full shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s, with staff paid in full. Illness and personal leave are kept in separate banks, so an unexpected life event never eats into vacation time. Feedback flows to senior leadership through an annual review cycle that shapes policy and training, and career growth leans heavily on internal mentorship, giving employees direct exposure to logistics, marketing, and retail.
The business is currently navigating a period of significant local expansion, with the leadership group actively deploying capital to scale its Ottawa-based workforce and opening new positions to handle its growing retail footprint. Yet even as the company scales, it maintains a strong local focus by product donations that roll out to charitable groups across the city. Ultimately, the startup that began as a niche idea has transformed into a permanent fixture on the local corporate map, a reality reflected every day as the Baseline Road office continues to fill with new hires.
Best Practices to Emulate: Ottawa business owners managing distributed teams should look closely at the value of fully funded, bi-annual summits to close the distance remote work creates. Rather than relying on digital check-ins alone, Bushbalm flies every remote employee to headquarters twice a year for several days of alignment and connection. It turns digital colleagues into real workplace peers and closes the communication gaps that slow remote teams down. Dedicated co-working passes and local outings keep satellite staff just as connected — a clear investment that pays off in retention.
Company Profile
Name: Bushbalm Skincare
Address: 2934 Baseline Road, Suite 302, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 1B2
Website: www.bushbalm.com
Executive Leadership: Tim Burns – COO/Cofounder and David Gaylord – CEO/Cofounder
Industry: Beauty & Personal Care
Employees in Ottawa: 51
Vacation allowance for new employees: 15 days
Number of Stat Holidays: 11
Other Days: 10 personal days
Medical Benefits Absorbed: 80%
Dental Benefits Absorbed: 80%
Vision Benefits Absorbed: 80%
Remote Work: 50%
Parental Leave: Maternity & paternity leave top-up program offered
Workplace Fitness: Fitness program reimbursement through the Life Style Spending Account. Our Ottawa office also features an on-site gym, available at no cost to all employees who work from the office.
Professional Development: Internal mentoring and funded professional development opportunities.
