From Grief to Groundbreaking: How One Manitoba Entrepreneur Turned Loss Into Innovation
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
By Kristine Derksen, Director of Marketing & Communications, North Forge™️
When most people think about innovation, they picture software companies, artificial
intelligence, robotics, or advanced manufacturing. Those industries are certainly important drivers of Manitoba’s innovation economy, but they represent only part of the story.
Some of the most meaningful innovations do not begin in a laboratory or behind a computer screen. They begin in deeply human moments. Moments of loss, healing, connection, and the desire to help others through experiences we have lived ourselves.
That is exactly what happened with Kerri Parnell, founder of Manitoba-based Cremation Tattoos.
Parnell’s business was born from grief, but it has grown into something much larger. It is a way for people to honour loved ones while finding comfort, connection, and healing in the process. A lifelong artist with a passion for human well-being and interconnectedness, she discovered that some of the earliest recorded tattoos were created using wood ash. Shortly after giving herself her first tattoo, her grandmother passed away. While navigating her own loss, she began experimenting with a method to safely incorporate cremation ashes into tattoo ink, creating a memorial tattoo that allowed her to carry a physical connection to her grandmother with her forever. What began as a personal act of remembrance evolved into a mission to help others navigate grief in a way that feels meaningful to them.
Today, Cremation Tattoos is much more than a tattoo studio. While the company has developed a patent-pending six-step sterilization and refinement process that safely incorporates cremated remains into tattoo ink, what stands out most is the environment Kerri has intentionally created around the experience. Clients are welcomed into a private space where there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Some bring family members or close friends. Some share stories and memories throughout the session. Others choose silence. Music that reminds them of their loved one fills the room. Before the process begins, clients are invited to say their loved one’s full name out loud, creating a powerful moment of acknowledgement and remembrance that sets the tone for everything that follows. For many, the tattoo becomes more than body art. It becomes part of their healing journey.
What makes Kerri’s business so remarkable is that it addresses a need that existed far beyond the technical process itself. Families were not simply looking for a safe way to incorporate cremation ashes into a tattoo. They were looking for a compassionate experience that respected their loss, honoured their loved one, and gave them permission to grieve however they needed to. Kerri recognized that gap and built a business that balances science and safety with empathy and human connection. In doing so, she has created something that is genuinely making a difference in people’s lives.
Stories like Kerri’s are important because they challenge a common misconception about
innovation. Too often, people assume that entrepreneurship programs and business support are reserved for technology companies, software developers, or advanced manufacturers. At North Forge, we know that is simply not true.
Innovation is not defined by industry. It is defined by the ability to identify a problem and create a better solution.
Whether that solution takes the form of a software platform, a manufacturing process, a
health-care innovation, or a completely new approach to supporting families through grief, every entrepreneurial journey begins the same way. Someone recognizes that something could be done better and decides to do something about it.
That is why North Forge works with founders from a wide range of industries. Through our
Founders Program and Ascent Program, entrepreneurs gain access to experienced
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, expert mentorship, market validation support, business strategy development, and guidance on everything from operational planning to growth and investor readiness. Our role is not to decide what innovation should look like. Our role is to help founders validate their ideas, build sustainable businesses, and create a path toward long-term success.
For Cremation Tattoos, that support is helping refine operational frameworks, map out national growth strategies, and prepare for future intellectual property protection opportunities through programs such as ElevateIP. As the company works toward expanding its vision through a national network of certified artists, North Forge is helping build the foundation required to scale while preserving the trust, consistency, compassion, and quality that have become central to its success.
What I find most inspiring about entrepreneurs like Kerri is that their innovations are often rooted in deeply personal experiences. They do not set out to build a company. They set out to solve a problem that matters. In the process, they create something that improves lives, fills a gap in the market, and sometimes establishes an entirely new category.
Manitoba is full of people with ideas like these. Some are developing products. Others are
creating services. Many are solving challenges they have experienced firsthand. Yet too often, those ideas never move beyond the concept stage because the founder assumes they need a technical background, a software prototype, or a manufacturing facility before they can seek support.
Kerri Parnell did not set out to build a company. She set out to find a way to stay connected to someone she loved. In doing so, she created something that is helping families across Canada honour memories, process grief, and find healing in their own way.
That is what innovation looks like.
If you have identified a problem and believe there is a better way to solve it, North Forge can
help. From validating your idea and understanding your market to building a business model
and preparing for growth, our team is here to help entrepreneurs transform promising ideas into thriving companies.
Innovation comes in many forms. If you have an idea worth exploring, reach out to North Forge today. The next great Manitoba success story could be yours.
