Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Aucoin.
Hi Karen , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life rarely unfolds the way you expect it to. Looking back, I can see how every chapter, even the painful ones, was preparing me for the next.
Losing my mom changed me forever. There are still moments when I wish I could pick up the phone and tell her about everything that’s happened. I wonder what she’d think if she could see all of this. I hope she’d be proud. Her strength, her love, and the way she cared for people are still part of everything I do today.
Then I became a mother myself, and that changed everything again. My children didn’t make me dream smaller. They made me dream bigger. I wanted them to grow up watching someone who wasn’t afraid to build something meaningful, who showed up with integrity, who loved people well, and who believed that impossible things could become possible through hard work and faith.
Studio 131 was the beginning of that dream. It started as one venue, but it became so much more. As our couples trusted us with one of the biggest days of their lives, they started asking us to do more. They wanted flowers. They wanted design. They wanted someone who cared as much about their wedding as they did.
That’s how JoBelle was born. The name itself is my heart. It’s a combination of my two greatest blessings, Joseph and Isabelle. Every time someone says the name, they’re saying the reason I keep pushing forward. JoBelle isn’t just a business. It’s a reminder of why I started.
Today, we’re taking our biggest leap yet with Bay Vista Ballroom, and for the first time, JoBelle will have a home of its own just four doors down. A dedicated floral and design studio where creativity can flourish every single day. Sometimes I walk through the building and have to remind myself this is real. Not because I think I earned it alone, but because I know how many moments there were when it all felt impossible.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped believing that success was about growing a business. It’s really about growing people. We have the privilege of celebrating marriages, supporting local charities and fundraisers, investing in our community, creating opportunities for our team, and helping people feel seen during some of the most important moments of their lives. That’s the legacy I want to leave.
And when I look back over this journey, I can finally see what I couldn’t always see in the middle of it. God was there through every closed door, every setback, every unexpected opportunity, and every blessing. There were so many moments I didn’t know what the next step looked like, but somehow the path always appeared. Not always on my timeline, but always at the right time.
If someone reading this is standing at the edge of a dream that feels too big, I hope our story reminds them that you don’t have to have all the answers before you begin. Sometimes all you need is the courage to take the first step, to trust the process, and to keep moving forward even when you can’t yet see the whole picture. Looking back, those first small steps became a life I never could have imagined.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think my favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is that it forces you to grow. You have to learn, and you have to learn fast. Every time you take a bigger leap, hit a new revenue level, hire more people, or take on a bigger space, you realize just how much you don’t know. It’s humbling. You almost feel like you’re starting over every single time.
I’ve made plenty of expensive mistakes, but I don’t regret them because every one of them taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way. Looking back, those lessons were an investment in who I was becoming as a leader.
I think that’s why I love business so much. It’s one of the greatest personal development journeys you can take. It constantly stretches you, challenges your thinking, and forces you to become someone capable of carrying the next level.
And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I was ever wired to work for someone else. Ever since I was little, I had this entrepreneurial spirit. I wanted to create, build, and do things differently. I may not have known exactly what that looked like back then, but looking back, I can see it was always part of who I was.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I absolutely love what I do. Designing doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s the place where I lose track of time. My team jokes that I disappear into my own little world, and honestly, they’re right.
I think my background in professional ballet shaped the way I design more than anything else. When I walk into a space, I don’t just see flowers and tables. I see movement. I see balance. I see emotion. Designing a wedding feels a lot like choreographing a performance. Every element has a purpose and every detail should work together to tell one beautiful story.
It all starts by listening. I want to know who my couples are, how they met, what they love, and how they want their guests to feel. Then I take their ideas, their inspiration photos, and sometimes even the things they can’t quite put into words, and transform them into something that feels completely and uniquely theirs.
What I’m most proud of isn’t a particular centerpiece or floral installation. It’s the moment a bride walks into the room, stops in her tracks, and gets emotional because it feels exactly how she imagined it… or even better than she imagined it. That’s why I do this.
I never want people to walk into one of our weddings and think, “That’s beautiful.” I want them to feel something. I want them to feel joy. Wonder. Peace. Love. Long after the flowers are gone, I want them to remember how the space made them feel.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I think “luck” is a word people use when they only see the result, not the years of work behind it.
People see a new venue, a growing company, or an exciting opportunity and say, “You’re so lucky.” What they don’t see are the early mornings before the sun comes up, when my two little ones are still asleep and I’m already answering emails, making calls, solving problems, dreaming about what’s next, and praying over the businesses and the people they serve. They don’t see the late nights, the sacrifices, the failures, the expensive mistakes, or the moments when I had no idea how I was going to make it work.
This isn’t luck. It’s a lifestyle.
I genuinely love building. I love creating. I love solving bigger and bigger problems because every challenge stretches me into the leader I need to become. I believe that’s part of my calling. God didn’t promise an easy path, but He has been faithful every step of the way. My responsibility is to work hard, stay humble, lead with integrity, keep learning, and trust Him with the outcome.
Everything I do is bigger than me. I want to create opportunities for my team. I want to serve couples well. I want to give back to our community and support organizations that are making a difference. I want my children to grow up watching what faith, perseverance, and hard work can build. I want the freedom to say yes to experiences, to travel, to be present with my family, and to rest when it’s time to rest, knowing we’ve built something that can thrive without me doing everything myself.
If you looked at my childhood or some of the obstacles I’ve faced, “lucky” probably isn’t the word you’d choose. But I’ve learned that your past doesn’t determine your future. Your choices do. Show up every day. Stay teachable. Do the right thing, even when it’s the hard thing. Keep your faith. Keep going. Over time, people might call you lucky too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Studio131orangelake.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jobelle_design
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoBelleDesign
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/studio131
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jobelledesignanddecor
- Other: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gC3LXVxhPCa1do9A6
