Sara Jonsdottir and Eliza Trendiak didn’t click right away when they first connected as stepsisters to be. “We met at a family gathering, and I wasn’t thrilled about it,” laughs Sara. “We were both pretty angsty about our parents remarrying. It wasn’t until a few years later we lived in the same Main Street neighbourhood in Vancouver that we started actually connecting as adults.”
At that time Eliza was in the hair styling industry, as a stylist, and a salon owner running four locations around Vancouver. Sara was a fashion student at Kwantlen working towards her Bachelor of Design, Fashion and Technology. “Eliza was the business owner running multiple salons and I really looked up to her. I knew I could make good underwear, but I didn’t have a clue about business,” explains Sara.
“I went to Sara’s graduation fashion show and her final project was period underwear. It was just so cool to see because everyone else was doing artsy, trending styles and here Sara was with underwear and bras that she had to fight really hard to be allowed to show,” explains Eliza. “You could just tell from day one there was something to the brand she was creating while waitressing and making underwear in her living room.”
Sara’s expertise in technical fabrics combined with her personal experience with heavy periods led her to design a line of high-quality, sustainable period care underwear, an industry that is growing quickly. When Sara launched Revol Cares, a period care company offering high-absorbency, reusable underwear, in 2019, Eliza was a huge supporter and customer. She was a beta tester, receiving her first pair of Revol Cares period underwear in a Ziploc bag, long before the packaging design was complete.
In 2021 Eliza showed her continued support becoming an investor in the company. Around the same time, she sold her salons and embarked on a new entrepreneurial adventure with Lavoh, a reusable makeup removing facecloth that uses only water. During the design and development process for Lavoh, Sara’s expertise in consumer-packaged goods was incredibly valuable. “It was kind of like roles reversed,” shares Sara. “Eliza had been the experienced entrepreneur supporting me getting Revol going and now I was able to step in and support her from a product development and packaging side.”
Both sisters have supported one another at trade shows, markets and cheerleading when the other was facing uncertainty. “I’ve gone through some low times in my business and also during postpartum and Sara has been there to literally scrape me up off the floor and see things in me that I couldn’t see in myself,” says Eliza. “We’re connected on so many levels, from family and similar backgrounds to connecting on this level of small business ownership and entrepreneurship. I also appreciate her brutal honesty. You need that when you’re starting a new business!”
Being pregnant at the same time, both with entrepreneur husbands, made those bonds even stronger. The two laugh at the “cousin camp” childcare sharing arrangement they’ve created. Between them they now have three kids who get lots of quality playtime.
When Lavoh launched in 2024, Eliza did so out of a corner of Revol Cares’ warehouse. The two brands are currently under one roof, sharing resources, expertise and even prepping together for huge pitches.
“We recently auditioned together for Dragon’s Den which was an incredible opportunity,” explains Eliza. “Sara was in the number four spot, I was in the number five spot, and they had multiple auditions going at the same time. So we were physically in the same room, pitching at the same time which gave me such a sense of calm and confidence knowing we were there together.” The sisters don’t yet know if either has been accepted to Dragon’s Den but both feel like they’ve already reaped some benefits by sharing the audition experience and going through the pitch preparation together.
“I feel like many people that gain a sibling later in life through a blended family just see each other at family dinners or holidays because they haven’t grown up together,” continues Eliza. “For me, what’s really special is that Sara and Mayo [Sara’s husband] and Rob [Eliza’s husband] and I see each other almost every week. We do dinner or some kind of hangout and it ends up being a think tank. What are the problems we’re going through that week? What are the wins we’ve had? What are the ways we can grow and who needs support this week? It’s an incredible dynamic that we’re so lucky to have and the kids are blessed to be part of.”
“Not only do we get to be siblings and entrepreneurs but having that shared experience of trying to grow a business and be a parent is so gratifying,” adds Sara. “Being an entrepreneur is not easy, but then being an entrepreneur with kids is even wilder. Together, we do whatever we can to ease the load and make it work. It’s just another beautiful aspect of our blended family.” —Jenn Wint
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August 18th, 2025 at 7:33 pm
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