Founder Feature: Not Your Average Girl Friday

Some businesses start with a big idea. Arianne Young's started with a quiet realization: the thing she'd always been told wasn't a "real" skill was, in fact, the thing people needed most.

Arianne is the founder of Not Your Average Girl Friday, an executive concierge and consulting practice built on nearly two decades of keeping brilliant, busy people organized, on time, and occasionally out of their own way. Now she's adding a new chapter with Ink + Occasion — a collection of digital greeting cards designed specifically for the admin professionals who hold everything together and rarely get the credit for it.

We sat down with Arianne to talk about building a business around intangible talent, the cross-border hustle of being a Canadian entrepreneur with a U.S. client base, and why she's done waiting to be seen.

Who are you, and what do you do?

I'm Arianne Young, founder of Not Your Average Girl Friday. I've spent 20 years being the reason things run smoothly without anyone needing to ask how.

Executive concierge by trade, fixer by nature. Ink + Occasion is my next chapter: digital cards for the people who keep everything together and rarely get named out loud.

What's it like building a business in Canada?

I'm based in Canada, but all my clients are in the U.S., so I've always existed in a bit of a cross-border rhythm. There's a quiet thoughtfulness in Canada that I really appreciate. We're not always loud about appreciation, but we feel it. And Ink + Occasion lives right in that space.

The whole collection is built on the idea that the details are the point.

Tell us about Ink + Occasion. What is it, exactly?

It's a collection of digital cards for admin professionals, but they aren't vague or generic. We dial into the specifics. They say: I know exactly what you did and how much easier you made my life because of it.

That's the whole point. Not a blanket "thanks for everything!" but something that actually names the work.

You've been a service provider for years. Why launch a product now?

My career is built on work that only gets noticed when it's missing. When something's wrong or late or dropped. That always felt backwards to me.

My goal was to create something that acknowledges the work while it's happening. Not after the fact. Not when it's too late.

Ink + Occasion came directly from that gap.

What's something you believed about entrepreneurship that turned out to be completely wrong?

I come from a family of creatively and academically gifted people. I told myself I wasn't included in those gifts — that I didn't have a tangible, nameable talent.

Meanwhile, I was holding entire operations together behind the scenes. I just didn't see that as a skill because it came so naturally.

It turns out my talent lives in the intangibles. The things that can't be taught or pointed to on a résumé. And while I was running entire lives behind the scenes, I didn't realize that the thing that came most naturally to me was the thing other people needed most.

If people rely on you every day, that's a business, beloveds.

High and low of the year so far?

Low: Submitting my taxes. I will NOT elaborate.

High: Realizing I can build whatever I want and actually starting to. Ink + Occasion is just the beginning.

Any Canadian brands or entrepreneurs you're loving right now?

So many. Here's my current list:

Wayside Comics & Cocktails: A nostalgic, elevated cocktail bar that also sells comics, manga, and collectibles. Whatever Omar makes you behind the bar, just trust him. You're getting something you didn't know you needed.

Get Fit with Lili: An incredible personal trainer who actually understands your body. She'll push you past your limits in a way that feels supportive, not punishing.

Hanes Hummus: I met Yohannes at the One of a Kind Show and I've never forgotten him or his hummus. It's not a snack, it's a 360° experience.

Aunt Beth's: Cookies by Beth Havers, infused with whisky and pure joy. The most delicious cookies you will ever have. Full stop.

Toronto Blue Jays: Yes, they're a major league team. But the brand stays strong in this house. If the blue bird is on it, I'm spending the dollars. No matter what.

Last question: what do you want people to walk away feeling after discovering Ink + Occasion?

I'm waiting for the moment someone buys a card and realizes, mid-download, that they should have sent this years ago. That feeling? That's exactly what I'm building toward.

Find Arianne at nyagirlfriday.com and follow along as Ink + Occasion launches. Keep an eye on this one.