Our Starter Company Plus program is funded by the Ontario Government and delivered by the Small Business Centre of Barrie, Simcoe County and Orillia. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs start, grow, or buy a business. Participants receive mentorship from experienced business professionals, valuable training and networking, and the opportunity to pitch for up to $5,000 in micro-grant funding.
The Small Business Centre team is excited to share the companies that completed the program this past June 2025.
Meet Brandy Mullen and Believe
Believe, founded by Brandy Mullen, offers guided journals, digital workshops, and personal development tools for growth-minded individuals seeking clarity, confidence, and direction. The flagship Believe Journal helps users align their daily actions with their most significant goals through a structured yet soulful approach to goal-setting and reflection.
What makes Believe unique is its blend of practicality and emotional depth, designed not just to inspire, but to guide meaningful progress. Drawing from Brandy’s 15+ years of experience as an award-winning educator and entrepreneur, Believe is rooted in her own journey of overcoming uncertainty through intentional planning and mindset work.
Fueled by her passion for helping others design lives they love, Brandy is now expanding Believe to include new journal editions, online courses, and partnerships with coaches and wellness leaders across North America.
Interview with Brandy
- What inspired you to start your business?
I was inspired to start Believe after years of teaching personal development and witnessing firsthand how many people struggled to stay focused, hopeful, and aligned with their goals, especially during life transitions. After building a successful career in education and entrepreneurship, I realized there was a need for a practical yet emotionally supportive tool that could help people bridge the gap between dreaming and doing. The Believe Journal was born out of my own experience of using structured reflection and goal-setting to overcome challenges and create a life with purpose. I wanted to share that framework with others in a way that was accessible, beautiful, and profoundly transformative.
- What services/products do you offer?
Believe offers a range of personal development tools designed to help individuals gain clarity, set meaningful goals, and take consistent action. The core product is the Believe Journal—a guided goal-setting journal that blends structured prompts with daily reflection. In addition to the journal, Believe offers digital downloads (such as planning templates and affirmation kits), online workshops, and self-paced courses focused on mindset, productivity, and financial empowerment. These offerings are designed to support users at every stage of their personal growth journey.
- What makes your business unique?
What makes Believe unique is its powerful combination of structure and soul. Unlike generic planners or surface-level self-help tools, Believe is designed to support both the emotional journey and the practical steps of goal achievement. It offers a deeply personal, user-friendly framework that helps individuals clarify what truly matters—and build a life around it. The brand is rooted in real-life experience, created by an award-winning educator and entrepreneur who has used these exact tools to navigate major life and career changes. Every product is intentionally designed to be inspiring, accessible, and grounded in purpose.
- How did you come up with your business name?
The name Believe came from a simple but powerful realization: that belief is the foundation of all meaningful change. I knew from my journey—and from working with students, clients, and entrepreneurs—that nothing moves forward without first believing it's possible. The word “Believe” captures the heart of the brand’s mission: to help people trust themselves, dream bigger, and take action with purpose. It’s more than just a name—it’s a call to action and a mindset that runs through every product, workshop, and experience the brand offers.
- What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself through your entrepreneurial journey so far?
One of the most surprising things I have learned about myself through my entrepreneurial journey is just how resilient and resourceful I genuinely am. While I have always been driven, building Believe revealed a deeper capacity to navigate uncertainty, take bold risks, and trust my intuition—even when the path wasn't clear. I discovered that creativity doesn’t just show up in big ideas, but in the quiet problem-solving moments, the late-night edits, and the courage to keep going when things feel overwhelming. Entrepreneurship has become not just a career path, but a mirror for my growth.
- If you could offer one piece of advice to others thinking of starting their own businesses, what would it be?
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone thinking of starting their own business, it would be this: start before you feel ready, and stay rooted in your “why.” Waiting for the perfect moment or perfect plan will only delay the growth that comes from action. You’ll figure things out as you go—and the clarity, confidence, and courage you’re looking for will come from the doing, not the planning. When challenges arise (and they will), it’s your purpose—not perfection—that will carry you through.
- What is a dream opportunity or collaboration you’d love to have come your way?
A dream opportunity would be to design and lead transformational workshops in inspiring, exotic locations, bringing together entrepreneurs and leaders for immersive professional development retreats. These experiences would combine goal-setting, mindset work, and wellness practices to help participants reconnect with their vision, recharge their energy, and return home with renewed clarity and purpose.
- What do you hope to achieve from the Starter Company Plus program?
Through the Starter Company Plus program, I hope to gain the strategic guidance, mentorship, and resources needed to scale Believe with confidence and clarity. My goals include expanding and refining my business model, expanding my product line, strengthening marketing efforts, and increasing both revenue and impact. Most importantly, I am looking to build a strong foundation that allows Believe to grow sustainably, reaching more people with tools that empower them to live with purpose and take meaningful action toward their goals.
Explore Believe Today
To learn more about Brandy and the Believe Journal, you can reach out via email at believejournal@gmail.com or head to their website believejournal.ca.
Follow Believe on social media to stay informed about their services.
Facebook Page: facebook.com/p/Believe-Journal-100089076488496
Instagram: instagram.com/3minutebelievejournal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandy-mullen-64143524
Pinterest: pinterest.com/believejournal/
***
Learn More About the Starter Company Plus Program
To learn more about the Starter Company Plus program, reach out to the Small Business Centre of Barrie, Simcoe County & Orillia today at smallbusiness@barrie.ca or 705-720-2445, or visit the program info page.