Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs

In today’s episode, the full sorority of Serenity Sisters connect to discuss what happens when things go wrong at work, or as we put it “Sh*t Hits the Fan”. Who can help you when you’ve not encountered a specific problem before? What can be put in place to deal with a crisis situation such as Covid, supply chain issues and more? Sometimes a business hits a barrier, but is it always bad? Can there be a silver lining? Remember, entrepreneurship is a roller coaster and every business needs to learn how to take the hits as well as the pats on the back!  Take a listen and know that you aren’t alone. The journey of entreprenurship is just that, a journey, but knowing where to turn and what to do things don’t go your way is important and could provide you with some Serenity Now.   Website: https://serenitynowforentrepreneurs.com/2022/04/22/when-sht-hits-the-fan/      

In today’s episode, Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs speak about the most pressing topic when it comes to to business – MONEY. Whether we are talking about start up funds, expansion funds, sales or expenses, money is always on an entrepreneurs mind. This podcast focuses on funding for businesses and shares expertise that many listeners seek including conversation about the following:   Businesses start up funds Funding for capital expenditures or equipment How are Grants used and why are they important? What is Grants SRED What type of grants are available for startups? Loans for Business   Listen is as we discuss our personal experiences as well as best practices from an accounting standpoint. Take a listen as we ‘Show you the Money”!

In this episode of Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs, we chat about something that many companies have considered doing, but aren’t doing….firing a client. This can be a tough topic but we believe its something every company should discuss – especially service providers. When do you consider taking this step? Is there a point in time you know this could be a challenging client to work with? Are you seeing red flags? We discuss our personal experiences as entrepreneurs and what systems our companies have in place. Peggy discusses this being an annual ritual that involves the team. Rita discusses what red flags look like for her company. Candace discusses alignment and on going evaluation of clients. It’s not a subjective exercise, by any means. We also discuss what happens when a decision has been made. How do you fire a client? There are a lot of entrepreneurs out there that may feel stuck or don’t know how to move on from certain clients in their roster. Take a listen and learn how some business veterans have done it so that it can give you insight and perhaps some serenity now!

In this episode,  Serenity Sisters Rita Kim and Candace Nanke speak to Tess Menges  of  Procurement Assistance Canada now referred to as PAC and previously known as the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) . PAC helps businesses understand how the government buys goods and services, and how a business in Canada can navigate the process to find opportunities. The government buys everything from toilet paper to software so there are opportunities for companies that sell both products and services.   In this podcast, Tess introduces us to  Lee Brighton and Cydney Mar. We loved hearing the journey that each of these amazing entrepreneurs went through to win bids with the Government of Canada!   Tess explains some specific steps both Lee and Cydney took that helped them to win bids. Lee and Cyndey also explain their success stories and what their experience was like navigating through bids, opportunities and to finally winning a bid.   We hope this episode helps fellow entrepreneurs in becoming more familiar with the process of bidding, the resources available to help you through this and finally winning your own bids!   Please listen and also share this episode with fellow entrepreneurs as well.

In this episode of Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs, Serenity Sisters Rita Kim and Candace Nancke chat with Charlotte Ferreaux of Community Futures BC.   We discuss the mandate for this organization and how to they help business owners? Charlotte explains how Community Futures differ from other lending institutions? As lots of businesses recovering from the pandemic, Rita and Candace share their insights about the importance of resources like Community Futures.   We hope you enjoyed this episode where the Serenity Sisters chats Charlotte of Community Futures who discusses the programs available to entrepreneurs in rural areas in BC. As she mentions, there’s a lot of support available for business owners in large cities, but the economic development of rural businesses is also critical to the growth of the province.   If you are a rural business owner, or perhaps you know someone who could benefit from this podcast, we would love it for you to share it with your community as it could give an entrepreneur out there, some Serenity Now.

This episode is perfect for those wanting to explore entrepreneurship and those who are entrepreneurs already! Lots of laughs in this episode as we chat about what it means to us to be entrepreneurs, the perks, the challenges and the journey. Could you as a business owner go back and get a ‘job’? Hear what the Serenity Sisters say about that!    What we find out is that the journey to becoming an entrepreneur and life as an entrepreneur is unique for everyone BUT you are not alone. So join us  - and listen to what part of our journey resonates with you!  Visit our website to valuable resources and to listen to other podcasts.

This podcast featuring Tess Menges, Manager of  Procurement Assistance Canada (previously Office of Small and Medium Enterprises) offers a master class in bidding for government contracts.  Tess leads the Serenity Sisters panel through  this master class (typically an online workshop)  where we were able to complete a short exercise which mirrors the basic competitive procurement process format used by the Federal Government to award contracts. The Serenity Sisters were split into teams and played the role of departmental officials with a requirement to purchase 25 dogs. In this class, three fictitious companies submitted bids to provide those dogs. Our task was to recommend one for contract award.   Join us in the mock exercise to better understand the process of applying for government bids. In utilizing a real life case study and acting as the evaluators, we were able to gain a greater understanding of the daunting federal procurement evaluation process. Along with gaining a true understanding of the process, the entire system is simplified as we learn some tips along the way to maximize your chances of success.   To read more about the podcast in details and view the supporting documents, please click on the here.  

This podcast features a question from an entrepreneur about how to manage partnerships in business.  This is an excellent question and our group had a lot to say about partnerships  including some advice on: What should you look for in a partner. Questions you should you ask before you enter a partnership. How to manage partnerships. What happens when a partner wants to exit or you want them to exit. If you are interested in hearing about navigating through identifying a potential partner, to setting up for success, avoiding pitfalls, managing partners and even creating an exit strategy from the start,  please tune in!

Join us as Serenity Sister Peggy Aulenback checks in with Katie and Claire of Friendly Composting.   Katie and Claire were the first entrepreneurs we had on the podcast.   These talented young ladies are the owners and founders of Friendly Composting, a weekly compost pick up and local product delivery located in beautiful, Kamloops BC!   They started their new company at the beginning of the initial COVID-19 shut down and when we first spoke to them, they had a lot of questions for all of us concerning financing, structure, growth, marketing, insurance, purchasing and more.   Peggy was excited to get an update from these passionate, intelligent, and driven entrepreneurs - and the whole team is delighted to share this podcast with all of you.   Enjoy and remember if you want to be featured on our podcast, simply fill out the form on own website!  

This is part 2 of “Getting Down to Business”. We continue the conversation with Tyler McLoughin, the owner of Vancouver Island-based printing shop, Better Print Victoria. We ended our last podcast with one heck of a loaded question from Tyler. To summarize, Tyler was interested in some of the advice our panellists were offering in terms of removing services that were not as profitable as others. Tyler’s concern was that many of his larger clients used his company because his print shop offered every item they wanted. He questioned whether removing some services would cause him to lose almost half his business from these larger clients. Our part 1 podcast ended on quite a loaded question and we all jumped in and had a lot to say! In this episode, we remind listeners of the part 1 episode with a highlights reel and then we dive into Part 2! We have a very spirited conversation about choosing the right clients, the merits of having all services to retain all clients and a certain cash flow as well as other options for Tyler to consider! We all offer some practical advice and share our own stories of how we can relate with our own experiences. Listen in and see if you can also relate to where Tyler is at in growing his business!

Normally none of our panelists use profanity in our podcast but when our panelist, Peggy Aulenback brought up an essay she had read in the Harvard Business Review entitled “The No Asshole Rule” – we were all quite intrigued. The essay was written by a Stanford professor, Robert I Sutton. The topic of the essay was so popular that it was followed by a book entitled: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t. The theme of the essay and book are that bullying behavior in the workplace worsens morale and productivity. A rule is suggested to screen out the toxic staff—the no asshole rule. The author insists upon use of the word asshole since other words such as bully or jerk “do not convey the same degree of awfulness”. In terms of using the word in the book’s title, he said “There’s an emotional reaction to a dirty title. You have a choice between being offensive and being ignored. Tune in while our panelists discuss the paper, admit to what kind of asshole we may have been in the past, discuss assholes in the workplace and how to deal with clients that have displayed this behavior. This episode has a lot of honest, reflection, laughter and more! Enjoy and please share!   View resource links on our website: https://serenitynowforentrepreneurs.com/2021/04/09/harvard-business-review-no-asshole-rule/

This podcast is aptly named as our panel speaks to the owner of a Vancouver Island-based printing shop, Better Print Victoria. Tyler McLoughlin, owner of Better Print Victoria, discusses his business’ growth over the last eight years, and the challenges associated with expanding his workforce in order to accommodate the demand for his full-service printing company.    In this episode, our panel of seasoned professionals weigh the costs and benefits associated with bringing on additional hires, and being aware of when to take that next step in your business’ growth cycle. We debate the merits of hiring a junior over senior role, and relay the importance of streamlining the training process.    We also dive deeper into how to access grants and leverage ‘good’ debt to expand your workforce, and thus, your production capabilities in order to meeting growing demand.    Lastly, we broach the topic of when to ‘fire’ clients, how to choose the right clients, and how to focus your greatest efforts on where the money lies.    The Serenity Now team was excited to help Tyler dive deep into these topics, analyze the various revenue streams that make up his business model, and provide him with insights and resources that could guide Better Print Victoria’s expansion in the near future!   We invite you to take a listen!  

Every entrepreneur between the ages of 18-39 needs to listen to this podcast! Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs is so excited to interview Andrea Welling, Regional Director of Futurpreneur, BC.   In this podcast we wanted to share more information about this valuable resource. Their mandate is to empower youth entrepreneurs in Canada by lending funds, support, coaching, mentorship as well as access to online learning, business plan writing and much more!   If you have an idea you want to launch,or if you have just launched or you are looking to take your business to the next level, please contact the amazing team at Futurpreneur to learn about which program and resources you may be able to access.   We were all excited to learn about Futurpreneur offering collateral-free loans at better interest rates than most banks. They are able to finance up to $20,000 per business and in partnership with BDC, could even provide an additional $40,000 to start up businesses.   As entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand the cash flow challenges of starting a new business and acquiring start up funds and staying open funds! The magic of this particular program is the fact that entrepreneurs are matched with a mentor at the time that funds are dispensed. Money and Mentorship – this is really setting up entrepreneurs for success!   It was great to have Andrea join us in this episode. You could tell how her past experience as a business owner fuelled her passion to help others. Please tune in and for more information about Futurpreneur and their programs, please visit www.Futurpreneur.ca.   Visit our website for resource links, blogs and other podcasts!

In this podcast we are so excited to introduce an incredible resource by Community Futures Fraser Fort George. Community Futures’ started an exciting new initiative last year called LEAP for Women in Business. LEAP is an acronym for Leadership & Entrepreneur Accelerator Program    This program was designed to encourage women to grow and achieve in their career and business through targeted workshops and network opportunities. The idea is to take a leap forward whether you have just an idea for business, whether you are ready to start a business or if you want to take your business to the next level!   Join us as we speak to Mary Mytting and Susan Stearns of Community Futures as they share their passion for their community, the Leap program and the impact they are creating locally and beyond.   We loved hearing about our fellow entrepreneurs up north and we think you will too! To learn more, please visit our website!

Join us as we check back in with Claire and Katie of Friendly Composting!   What changed after their first podcast with our panel? What was learned? Did they implement any changes to their business? What’s next for their company and what questions do they have for our panel now?   Tune in as talk about a pricing increase, the tax and legal ramifications about hiring contractors versus employees, how to manage website design and much more!   While the path to the success is not always linear, we believe these two young entrepreneurs are well on their way!

Have you ever wondered about selling your product to the Government of  Canada? Have you been overwhelmed when trying to learn about this process? You are not alone! Many businesses have found it difficult to navigate through the process of Government procurement. This is why our finance specialist, Rita Kim invited Tess Menges of OSME (Office of Small and Medium Sized Businesses)to our podcast. OSME is an incredibly valuable resource that should be utilized by an business interested in selling their products or services to Government. Join us we learn firsthand from Tess how OSME is dedicated to helping small business navigate through this process. Specifically, Tess shares some success stories as well her top tips for anyone that is responding to a bid! Tune in for this informative episode! View our website for additional resources:   https://serenitynowforentrepreneurs.com/2021/03/23/selling-your-products-to-the-government-of-canada/

Building a business is not an easy task and reading books about building a business can sometimes be overwhelming and a little boring as well!   The Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs team is made up of six entrepreneurs with over 10 decades of business experience.  Our podcast panel includes an accountant , a lawyer,  two grant specialists (tax credits and government grants), risk and finance consultant, and a marketing expert.   We as a group have started multiple businesses and have also worked in consulting roles, increasing our exposure to not just problems we have experienced first-hand as owners, but also what our clients (other business owners) have experienced as well.   One of our goals is to share our experiences and knowledge in a way that is not boring and also makes sense to listeners of all backgrounds and experiences.   Keeping that goal in mind we decided to dedicate one podcast to how building a business is like building a house.   Listen in as we relate the different components of building a house to building a successful business. What is needed to build a strong foundation for your house/business? How does electrical relate to accounting? Can the house have a playroom or even a place for rest, recovery and release? I built my house but how do people find it? What partners do I need to build my house?   Listen in as we address these questions and more! Let us know what resonated with you and what topics you would like our panel to address in future podcasts!

This podcast features questions from the owners of Friendly Composting, a weekly compost pick up and local product delivery located in beautiful, Kamloops BC! Owners, Katie Forsyth and Claire McLoughlin are roommates, best friends and business partners who began Friendly Composting in March 2020! Yes, these girls are brave, they started a new company at the beginning of the initial COVID-19 shut down. Katie and Claire are both passionate about community and the environment and when they they discovered a need for an organics pick up program and composting site in their city, they took action! They believe in supporting local farmers, makers, and soil production all in the hopes of creating a zero waste community. The Serenity Now team was excited to speak to these young entrepreneurs and answer their questions about growing a business from the “ground” up! Listen in for some serious talk solid advice and laughs along the way!

The latest episode of Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs delivers strategic insights on Web3, blockchain, and NFTs through practical business applications. The Serenity Sisters systematically break down smart contracts, tokenization, and decentralized data ownership, translating technical concepts into actionable intelligence. The episode features compelling case studies, including the implementation of smart contracts that reduced billing operations by 0.7 FTE while enhancing the client experience. The discussion examines NFT-based loyalty programs, cryptocurrency payment infrastructure, and operational efficiency improvements through real-world examples. The Serenity Sisters address security protocols, environmental sustainability, and regulatory positioning within the Canadian market. Their analysis strikes a balance between technological opportunity and risk assessment, offering measured perspectives on adoption strategies. A topic that can be overwhelming, this is essential listening for entrepreneurs evaluating Web3 integration, understanding competitive positioning in evolving digital markets, or developing technology adoption strategies for sustainable growth. As we wrap up our interviews for the summer, the conversations continue. Join us weekly for conversations around entrepreneurship and more at @serenitynowforentrepreneurs. Thanks for being part of our community.

"I will crush you with my negotiation" is the OLD way of doing business. The Serenity Sisters discuss a better approach, and it's transforming how entrepreneurs handle deals. In the latest episode of Serenity Now for Entrepreneurs, the Serenity Sisters tackle the art of negotiation with insights from Stanford Business School research that will change your approach forever. What you'll discover in this episode: Why the most successful negotiations are actually collaborative problem-solving exercises The exact definition of a true win-win (hint: both parties should feel a little disappointed!) How packaging your requests together creates better outcomes than negotiating piece by piece The #1 technique that makes people more likely to say "yes" to your asks As Rita Kim shares in the episode, "There's always a way to figure out a win-win. Always." Stop dreading negotiations and start using them to build long-term business relationships that last decades. Our hosts share real examples of clients they've retained for 25+ years through fair negotiation practices. Listen now and bring some Serenity to your next business deal! Click below.