Meet Norah Galea, RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Start-Up Finalist

Norah Galea is the Owner and Creator of Knock Thrice Inc., an independent brand and online storefront offering unique apparel, accessories, and other whimsical wares. What began as a pandemic pastime in hand embroidery blossomed into a full-time business during her final year at art school. Today, Knock Thrice features a diverse range of “wearable art,” including purses, cardigans, and mugs, each piece carefully designed by Norah and her small team. The company specializes in high quality, lovingly crafted garments in sizes for all folks in all bodies.

I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur when… I decided to make art my living. I wanted to live alongside my creative work, keeping my life full of colour and creation. I quickly realized that I had to create that space myself, outside traditional employment structures. It is hard work, but there was no alternative. 

Entrepreneurship is made for me because… rather than accepting problems I am faced with, I am immediately spurred to take them on headfirst. Knock Thrice is an expression of my own personality, dreams and desires, and I make the sort of clothing that I would want to wear. 

The impact I hope to make through my work is… inspiring and encouraging people to be, look, feel, and dress in a way that is authentic to them. To welcome beautiful things into their daily lives, to look at the mundane with a closer eye and see the beauty of the everyday. To appreciate the textures, the colours, the sights we might overlook when we become too busy or stressed.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned on my entrepreneurial journey is… to follow any whim and wander slowly down a curious path to see where it leaves you. Inspiration looks different for everyone, as does growth and success. Be on your own time, and take as much of it as you need. Your business — and subsequently your life — will reflect your priorities, so make them connection, authenticity, fun, creativity, and quality. 

My proudest accomplishment is… getting messages from artists telling me that my work inspires, comforts, or makes them feel seen. I am thankful to my fellow creators who shared their work and brought beauty to my life. I am now equally thankful to know those who let me know I’ve done the same.

The biggest risk I took that paid off was… pivoting rather quickly from an entirely hand-embroidered, one-of-a-kind business model, to an incorporated company, working with manufacturers and designers all over the world. I feared that my customers, followers, and even I would be disappointed and miss the magic of my hand embroidered items. But demand was outstripping my ability to supply, and so I decided to scale the company up. Thankfully, it’s allowed me to share my work globally, to work with incredible artists, to make amazing friends, and to dedicate the correct time to each project, rather than rushing to the next thing. 

My biggest setback has been… working alone. Managing everything from social media and website design, to content creation, concept design, product development, and even filing taxes, I was drowning. I had never dealt with any of this before, and it took a major toll on my mental health. Not to mention my physical health — as I embroidered nonstop, a wrist injury developed incredibly fast and I could no longer do my work.

I overcame it by… taking a real break, for the first time in two years. I rested physically, mentally, and had to decide whether to stop or change Knock Thrice. I decided to change my role and introduce manufactured products into my shop, gradually phasing out my hand-embroidered items. Thankfully, my followers and audience grew, with the newcomers excited about these new products. I feared this dramatic change at first, but now realize that the artist in me remains — she’s just made a little room for the entrepreneur.

The best advice I’ve received as an entrepreneur was… “Fake it till you make it.” Nobody is born knowing how to start a business. Nearly everybody has Googled their problem or phoned a friend to figure out some part of the system. Let the knowledge that there is no right answer comfort you rather than scare you.

I surprise people when I tell them… I studied film and media in art school. People believe that you require a business degree or a certificate to launch into the world of entrepreneurship. Business acumen, marketing, and statistics analysis are skills that can be learned. Thinking creatively, wandering from the well-trodden path into unexplored territory, trying and failing and trying again are traits which everyone has, but not everyone acts upon. Artists do this from day one, so the first failure doesn’t sting as badly. After all, it’s just a first draft.

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would use it to… play fiddle more and learn to make bread. Now that my wrists have recovered from ten hours of embroidery a day, I would use my extra time to develop my other hobbies, like music.

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… I collect decks of playing cards and have five or six pen pals. I like memorabilia, paper media, letters, and games.

The future excites me because… it’s so full of possibilities. I’ve given up trying to control it so stringently. After the pandemic, it has become clear that the much-touted “ten-year plan” is just that, a plan — and a plan can be scrapped and redesigned from scratch if need be. My plans for the future are more flexible and abstract, including taking oil painting classes, rereading my favourite books, knitting a blanket, and seeing Japan. As the creator, designer, and conceptualizer for my brand, it’s my artistic responsibility to keep my life interesting — I owe it to my company, and to myself.

Connect with Knock Thrice on Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).