We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Natalie Gallifent. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Natalie below.

Natalie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Seatsquare was born from a collection of small, everyday frustrations. I kept finding myself in situations where there was simply nowhere comfortable or clean to sit. Unsticking my thighs from plastic chairs, getting those awful textured imprints on the backs of my legs, burning myself on scorching hot seats in the summer, ruining white pants by sitting on surfaces I couldn’t even identify. It sounds minor, but it happened constantly and it was annoying every single time.

So I decided to build the product I wished already existed. That decision became Seatsquare.

My business partner, a friend of 20 years, and I began the design process at the end of 2018, then paused during the pandemic. The moment that truly made me go all in came in June 2023, after losing my friend Nicole to cancer. She was a former skating teammate and someone I had known most of my life. Her death punctuated something I had been quietly avoiding: your time here is limited, and you never know what the future holds. So if not now, when?

There was a shift for me internally. I realized I could keep living comfortably and ignore the idea, or I could take a real risk and actually do something about it.

And I chose to go for it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I didn’t set out to become a founder. I spent over 20 years riding the 9-5 hamster wheel until 2018, when my husband and I made the leap to move to the UK for fun and adventure. That move sparked something in me. I built a freelance social media marketing business and simultaneously began working on what started as a passion project: Seatsquare.

Seatsquare offers elevated comfort and refined style wherever you sit. Lightweight, portable, and thoughtfully handcrafted, it turns any surface, a patio chair, a park bench, a café seat, a stadium bleacher, into a comfortable and elevated experience. Each piece adds comfort, insulation, and a clean layer of protection from dirt, stains, and snags, so you can sit beautifully, wherever life takes you.

Our newest offering, Seatsquare Fundraising, feels like a beautifully aligned, full-circle moment in my founder journey. I’m a former competitive synchronized skater who trained and competed with black ice, a Toronto-based team, where we became 3x National Champions and won gold at the World Championships.

Here’s what I know about sport: it’s expensive. Ice times, equipment, costumes, travel. It’s a lot. I watched my parents carry that weight, asking friends and family for support in ways that didn’t always feel meaningful, or worth getting excited about.

This is why Seatsquare Fundraising feels so right. It features The Kushee, a luxurious, portable seat cushion built for hard bleachers, benches, and arena seats.

When a product solves a real problem, when it’s something people use at every single game, giving back to the team becomes effortless. It becomes something they’re proud to be part of.

Being able to tie my business back to sport, and supporting athletes and their families, feels so aligned. This kind of alignment is rare. And it means everything.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

When we first had the idea for Seatsquare, we knew nothing about manufacturing. We hired a design company to help bring the concept in our heads to life, and that’s where the signature feature of Seatsquare was born: the integrated hinge that allows it to fold easily and keep the “used” side tucked neatly in on itself.

Our first production run was manufactured overseas, which came with high MOQ’s. As a bootstrapped business, committing to 5,000 units right out of the gate was a big leap. We launched with a simple black design with a pink border in a buttery-soft nylon spandex. It was a great starting point, but we quickly realized our customers wanted more colour, more personality, more variety.

We couldn’t afford to continue producing overseas at those volumes, and finding a manufacturer willing to do smaller runs wasn’t easy. So we decided to figure it out ourselves. We literally taught ourselves how to sew!! There were many moments of frustration, and a few where the sewing machines almost went out the window, but we stuck with it.

We’ve since learned so much about fabrics, what works and what doesn’t, and have introduced new collections using suedes, velvets, and cozy materials. It also led us to develop The Kushee, a padded cushion designed for sports parents sitting on hard bleachers and arena seats. Today our products are handcrafted in small batches, using locally sourced fabrics, made right here in Canada.

Packaging has been a similar journey. We’ve gone through countless iterations, taking a DIY approach to stay flexible and keep costs manageable. One of our biggest lessons: packaging isn’t just an aesthetic choice, it’s a core part of your business model. Early designs would have doubled our shipping costs, and that reality check shaped how we think about every decision since.

If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that you don’t need to have it all figured out at the start. You learn by doing, by adapting, and by being willing to take a different path when the original one no longer fits.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the biggest things that has shaped my entrepreneurial thinking isn’t necessarily a specific book or resource. It’s the commitment to doing the inner work. Building a business forces you to face yourself in ways you don’t expect, and I’ve learned that working through your own challenges is what truly prepares you for what’s next.

That foundation for me, started as a competitive athlete. I was fortunate to have incredible coaches who not only pushed my skating to a high level, but introduced me to something even more powerful: visualization, mindset, and what it means to pursue a goal with intention. Later in my career, a manager who prioritized personal development had our team regularly diving into books like Getting Things Done, Good to Great, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. That sparked the beginning of my personal growth journey.

Mindset has been everything. Doing the inner work and getting more comfortable being uncomfortable has been game changing. Learning to get out of my own way, push past fear, and build resilience has been just as important as any business strategy.

As an introverted founder, I had to overcome a real fear of showing up, especially on camera. I’ve come to realize that storytelling and authenticity are what truly connect people.

Sharing both the wins and the lessons has not only helped grow Seatsquare, but has allowed me to build a genuine community and hopefully inspire others to go after their own ideas.

Our motto is FSO, because almost everything can be figured out if you’re willing to stay curious and keep going.

When you commit to that inner work, you show up differently. For your business, for your community, and for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seatsquare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seatsquare
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seatsquare
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegallifent
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20IASuKTzfCc1YxjnLNK1A
• Other: Seatsquare Fundraising: https://www.seatsquare.com/fundraising