Smart Man, Smarter Woman Podcast

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Time is going faster for Juliet. Is it because she’s been stuck in the house with Steve for a year during lockdown? “No matter how much we know, we still fail sometimes.” “There is no such thing as a failure. There are victories and there are learnings. Sometimes what become victories later resulted from our greatest learnings.” “The only people who never fail are those that never do anything at all.” “Always show that thing that differentiates you from other companies, and in most cases other than your product, it’s usually you.” “You have something to tell people. You’re telling your story, your brand’s story, or your company’s story, and people get attached to that and they like to follow your journey.” “Pinterest is not social media. It is a visual search engine. It’s the third largest search engine after Google and YouTube.” “The number one mistake is not collecting people’s emails.” “Email marketing is the number one thing that companies can do that brings a lot of conversion.“ “Whether you’re on social media, writing blog posts, email marketing, or anything that you’re doing, you always have to tell a story.” “Don’t be afraid. If you want to do this so badly, go for it. You will fail. Learn from those mistakes. Stand up again. Go, pivot, create something.” “Don’t worry about finding customers for your products. Find products for your customers.” - Seth Godin   Our guest is Founder and CEO of Rectified, Inc., Sandy Dedeian. Sandy has been an entrepreneur and marketer since 2004, and has followed an atypical career path. She has a unique mix of academic knowledge, traditional work experience, and crazy entrepreneurship. In 2007, she founded Rectified Inc. to help small and medium companies improve and perfect their marketing, and has since worked with SMEs in the Middle East, the UK, the US, and Canada. Sandy holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut, a Masters in Management from the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, and an MBA from HEC Montréal. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Steve didn’t ask how Juliet was doing. She’s going to tell us anyway because she prepared an answer. “I don’t think any business owner can really hit their goals unless they understand the financial position of the company.” “I don’t think you need to do your numbers yourself. I think it’s really important to get a qualified bookkeeper that you’re able to communicate with as well.” “The question of, ‘what do you see when you look at these numbers?’ Could start a wonderful conversation that could also lead to education.” “Let’s not just imagine it in our heads, but actually lay out a plan.” “Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash is king.” “Entrepreneurs may not talk about it the way we do, they might not manage it efficiently or effectively, but the mere fact that they are still in business and have been able to manage cash flow over whatever length of time their business has been around, is a testament to their ability and their success.” “Give the financial side of the business as much attention as the other sides.” “Banks generally aren’t in the business of funding startups.” “If you have a banker and you’re unhappy, or you’re looking for a new one, it’s really important to talk to people you know.” “The banker is not your best friend.” “Nobody expects an entrepreneur to be perfect, but they do expect them to be transparent, knowledgeable, and to be enhancing their skills.” Tracey has a gift for listeners (linked below). Steve’s questions are famous. “When you understand your money, it changes the trajectory of your life.” “It’s really important to be kind to yourself.” “I believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of us.” - Dave Ramsey   Our guest is Founder of Bissett Financial Fitness, Inc., Tracey Bissett. Tracey has over 20 years of experience in financial services. Prior to Bissett Financial Fitness Inc, Tracey worked as an executive at TD Bank. Her experience and education make her uniquely qualified to coach on all aspects of money. In 2020, Bissett Financial Fitness, Inc. launched the Young Money Scholarship Fund to assist post-secondary students with their finances. Tracey holds an MBA from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor’s from Queen’s University, a Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate from Centennial College, and a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Time is the ultimate status symbol.” “Clients measure value differently. What we too often call customer experience, when we’re working on customer experience, we’re actually working on customer service.” “Service is designed to save clients time and effort. Experience is about creating time well spent.” “What do the best brands in the world have in common? People don’t buy from them, they buy into them.” “If anyone expects to recover, you must be staging an experience. Your in-store experience has to be worth me paying a ticket to get in.” “Even experiences are commoditised, so you have to keep refreshing them.” “Experience is time well designed, and experience is memory. If there’s no memory, you didn’t have an experience.” “Whatever business you think you’re in - you’re not in that business.” “There are two types of loyalty. There’s the loyalty of fear and obligation, and there’s the other kind of loyalty which is connection and identity.” There’s no Q&A round today. “Open, honest communication is the best foundation for any relationship. But remember that at the end of the day, it’s not what you say or what you do, but how you make people feel, that matters the most.” - Tony Shay  Our guest is Founder of DMW Strategic Consulting, Dennis Moseley-Williams. Dennis has been a globally sought-after motivational speaker on customer experience for over 20 years. He is the author of Serious Shift: How Experience Staging Can Save Your Practice, and he has a blog that is read by entrepreneurs and business owners globally. Dennis is one of only two certified Experience Economy Experts in the financial services industry in the world. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Juliet will never get tired of being called the Smarter Woman. “With some entrepreneurs there’s this sort of internal process that goes on of wanting to be a ‘self-made person’. Often times this can lead to people feeling like they have to do everything themselves, but that is such a fallacy. No man is an island.” “When you find the right people at the right place and the right time, magic can happen.” “They think in order for you to be an entrepreneur, you need to have some fancy tech startup. Being an entrepreneur can just be you have an Etsy store and selling stuff.” “Be really conservative with your cash flow at the start.” “Do not make the assumption that your project will go viral.” “Pitching and finding potential investors is not an easy thing to do. It does, to an extent, depend on the networks of people that you have.” “Everybody sees the flashy headline. Nobody sees the two years of groundwork that it took to get to that point.” “Most start-ups fail.” “It’s okay to let an idea go. You can try new things.” “You can do anything - just not everything. Accept the help that people are willing to give if you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey.” “Build something 100 people love, not something 1 Million people kind-of like.” - Brian Chesky   Our guest is Marketing Director of Atomic47 Labs, Nicholas Prouten. Nick’s decade-long career has spanned across roles in Gaming, Entertainment, Cybersecurity, Real Estate, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrencies. He is an Ambassador for LODE, a precious-metal-backed cryptocurrency, and his goal is to bring back an honest monetary system. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Keep saying ‘yes’ whether you know how to do it or you dont know how to do it. At some point you will make it if you just keep saying ‘yes’ and faking it.” “To be an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have that persistence, and you’ve got to have those multi-skills and be able to get through a lot of different things.” “Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It does take a special kind of breed.” “A lot of people who hire designers, or any creatives in general - anything that you’re hiring somebody to create for you, is owned by them by what’s called creative ownership. It’s that creator’s intellectual property until the creator gives that company the creative ownership. An action item to help companies get around this is creating something as simple as a creative transfer agreement.” “There is a belief that once you pay for something like a logo that it is yours, but it is not by law.” “Being an entrepreneur, as lonely as it can be, make sure that you’re finding ways to connect and be inspired. If you’re having a hard day, just call someone.” “Be good to yourself. Rest. Take a day off every now and again.” “You see things and you say ‘why?’ I dream things that never were and say ‘why not?’” - George Bernard Shaw   Our guest is Central Branch Founder, Brady Dahmer. Brady is a multiple award-winning designer and creative entrepreneur. With over 25 years of experience, Brady has held board positions in several arts foundations and events, developed courses, served as a faculty member of a national art school, worked with Fortune 500 Companies, entrepreneurs, revolutionary thinkers, and current and future leaders. He taught Design and Art Direction, and designed a curriculum, at The Art Institute, and ran the TYE international youth entrepreneurial program for high school students. He is the author of ”I Wish We Knew That Before We Started...” Brady holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Advertising from Conestoga College. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Today is an almost perfect day for Juliet. Steve wants the credit, but only for the good days... “I believe that your business should support your life, not consume it.” “More often than not, you’re doing a lot of repetitive admin work.” “Start with a virtual assistant, but you want to be purposeful and keep that lane really small, and have it grow.” “Day 1, if you’re thinking of being an entrepreneur, start that team.” “You didn’t start a business to run a business.” “Your calendar is like your time bank account. If you don’t do things effectively with the hour, you’re going to lose the day.” “Your primary focus right now has been delivering the services and keeping the business, revenue, and profits, but there’s a second thing that most people neglect and don’t understand, and that’s the efficiency of growing the business and compressing the admin aspect of it so the creation continues to grow.” “Do anything you can to have a good laugh.” “You had jobs you didn’t like doing. You left them for a reason. So, this is supposed to be fun.” “Learning is only learning when you implement it. Slow down to speed up. Implement. Build your win team so you can get to what is next.” “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.” - Bonnie Blair   Our guest is Founder of Win the Hour, Win the Day, Kris Ward. Kris is the leading authority on team building and productivity. After her husband’s cancer diagnosis, Kris stepped back from the day-to-day running of her business for 2 years. After her husband’s passing, she returned to the business full-time and found it growing despite her absence. Today, she coaches and teaches entrepreneurs how to grow their business so that they can become more successful with more freedom. Kris has featured on multiple leading podcasts, radio shows, and TV shows, she is the best-selling author of “Win the Hour, Win the Day”, and the host of the Top 10 podcast, Win the Hour, Win the Day. Kris holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Ryerson University. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “A business model is nothing but how an organization creates, captures, and delivers value. How they join together these different pieces in a business is the business model.” “Most entrepreneurs, what happens is they think there is a gap in the market, but they never look whether there is a market in that gap.” “Do business testing. Do a sample business testing to see if your assumptions are correct or not. And then, decide a business model based on that.” “90% of startups fail. Why? It’s because it’s all assumptions.” “A business coach should be looking at three things: giving the entrepreneur a third-party perspective, an accountability partner, and analyse the patterns within the organisation.” This is a podcast. Nobody can see Steve’s hand movements, but maybe listeners can hear the air moving to help them visualise it. “You have a natural HR inside you.” “If you have one business model and one revenue model, it can get outdated due to technology at any time. You need to keep innovating newer revenue models to have your business sustain.” “Think of the revenue model side. Technology is giving immense potential for you to have different revenue models. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” - T.S. Elliott   Our guest is business coach, Joseph Sudhip. Joseph was born and raised in India. With hard work and education as an emphasis for getting ahead, Joseph went on to pursue a Bachelor in Commerce and Law, an MBA in International Business, become a Certified Management Accountant, and got certified as a Registered Corporate Coach. With extensive experience working in various industries with business owners and CEOs, Joseph decided to become a business coach, helping businesses grow and provide value as they succeed. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Interestingly” is, in fact, a word. Juliet is interestingly excellent. “The only thing that people really respond to in the mail, is something you could eat.” “We guarantee our customers that we will delivery them a 10% success ratio.” “There’s a misconception among entrepreneurs that you only go out of business because there’s not enough business.” Cheryl’s Win-Win-Win philosophy: is this a Win for my customer? Will it be a Win for their target audience? Will it be a Win for Idea Factor? “The time that I was being the technician was zapping my energy to pour into it the entrepreneurship which was really where I belong.” “We have a process behind everything, not visible to our clients, but very visible to us. What’s happened since we’ve done that is we have a precision effort to every campaign that we launch.” “For years I often said certain things were difficult for me because I couldn’t tap into the Old Boys’ network.” “If you don’t understand your goal, you can’t create a path to get to it.” “I already know what my legacy is going to be, and it’s what I always wanted. That is to pass over the reigns of Idea Factor to another female entrepreneur. I’m excited that it’s not only a female entrepreneur, but also a woman of colour.” “Worry about being better, and bigger will take care of itself.” - Gary Comer   Our guest is Cheryl Cappellano, Founder and CEO of The Idea Factor, Inc. Cheryl has over 20 years of experience in the industry, dedicating her time especially to cultivating relationships with customers. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, she was nominated as Royal Bank of Canada’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year, she was a Burlington Chamber of Commerce Finalist in Business Excellence in 2013 and 2017, won the Business Excellence Award in 2018, and she is a member of the World Wide Association of Female Professionals. She is a regular public speaker on topics ranging from marketing to advertising, and she shares her wealth of knowledge with others through her mentorship initiatives. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Steve hasn’t had much sleep, but with some extra caffeine, the show goes on! “It’s great that I have a business acumen, and it’s great that I love sales, but I have to have a plan.” “People think it’s so easy to go and sell your art, or your photography, without really sitting down and saying ‘what does that mean, and what is the plan to doing that, and how do you execute it?’ There’s a lot of steps in between the actual creation and the selling that go into play.” “The difference between the businesses that make it and the businesses that don’t, it isn’t the product or service that you sell, it isn’t the marketplace, and it isn’t the conditions, it is the resilience of the business owner to keep getting back up.” “Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It does take a certain kind of mindset, and although it can be very rewarding, there are lots of sacrifices, and it isn’t for everyone.” “We need to look out for each other. We need to support each other. We need to help those who have difficulty helping themselves.” “Whatever you do as an entrepreneur, just make sure that you stay strong, you keep going, and know what your goal is. It’s easier to stay connected if you know what you’re reaching for.” “You do not take a photograph, you make it.” - Ansel Adams. Our guest is Karlana Pedersen, Owner of Karlana Pedersen Art & Photography. Karlana is a business owner, entrepreneur, and visual artist, specialising in mixed-media art, digital illustration, and portrait photography. In 2015, she founded Karla Pedersen Visual Art & Phototgraphy, which has since become an exclusively online custom art service provider, divided into two distinct brands - Karlana.com, her digital art gallery, and Art Maiden ®, her new art licensing brand. She is a certified Nikon Professional, with the focus on both lifestyle, and fashion photography. She is also the co-host of the weekly How Do Artists Podcast, and Artwork Wednesday on Facebook Live. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “If you’re not out there getting in the media, getting on podcasts, getting quoted in the Star, somebody else in your industry is.” “If you don’t know the art of the pitch and you don’t understand what you’re doing you can burn more bridges than you can build.” “Whatever it is you do, you have expertise, you have knowledge that the mainstream doesn’t have.” “Every success builds on every other success.” “There are so many different forums now, there’s a billion different ways to find your comfort zone.” “Civility in the workplace can help you retain customers and employees. It literally has a financial impact of 30% on companies.” “The way we treat each other really matters.” “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” – Oscar Wilde. Our guest is Tracy Lamourie, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Lamourie Media. Tracy is an industry thought leader, international award-winning publicist, and she is a frequent guest on many TV and radio shows, and internationally recognized podcasts. In 2017, her work helped free an innocent man from death row. She has been quoted in multiple international publications on human rights issues, public relations, leadership, entrepreneurship, and empowerment, and she is a regular contributor to Medium and Prosperi Press. She was nominated for the 2020 Universal Women’s Network Woman of Inspiration Award, the 2020 RBC Women of Influence Award, and the 2020 Tallberg/Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Steve didn’t ask Juliet how she was today. She’s having a hard day today, and she wants to be at the fireplace with a glass of wine and the dog lying next to her. “Do you know why people think email marketing doesn’t work? One reason is, they are terrible at copywriting. The other is the corporate side of marketing.” “This is the ultimate secret to email marketing: You ask people if they want you to send them a thing, and if they say yes, you send them that thing and you don’t send them other stuff.” “Almost always, the best idea is the simplest idea.” “If you’re selling anything, or you’re any kind of marketing organization, or a non-profit, and you need people you need to reach, you need a list.” “If you’re going to start out with a list, the first thing you need to do is you need to have an email marketing provider who’s going to send those emails for you.” “90% will never purchase anything from you. But you’ve got to be okay with helping people for free.” “A lot of people who write articles about marketing online – their goal is not to teach you how to do marketing. Their goal is to get more readers, so they get paid more by whoever the platform is. They have tools that tell them which topics and articles are popular, and they will read those articles and summarize them in their own article having never done any of that marketing.” “No one’s giving away the secret sauce on the internet for free.” “Put a little notepad next to your phone, and every time somebody calls you and they enquire about making a purchase, put a checkmark for where they heard about you. If there are lots of checkmarks in the Facebook column, post more on Facebook.” “Join a business networking or business referral group. That’s going to be a good stepping-off point.” “If you’re having a bad business day, sit somewhere comfortable and quiet, preferably dark, for a few minutes and just let your mind wander, and then you’ll come up with a solution for a problem you’ve had in the past. If you’re motivated, you’re not going to want to sit in that chair anymore, you’re going to want to go do something about what you just thought of.” “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” - Unknown Our guest is Matt Rouse, co-founder of Hook SEO, LLC. Matt is the author of Crush SEO, Start Saying Yes, and Flattening the Hamster Wheel. He has also authored over 1000 articles and many training courses, including the Inbox Mastery Email Marketing Masterclass. Matt hosts the Digital Marketing Masters Podcast and has done over 150 episodes. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Sarcasm isn’t part of Juliet’s vocabulary. It’s also her and Steve’s anniversary. “There are as many companies as there are entrepreneurs’ personalities.” “Successful entrepreneurs have a purpose.” “Once your purpose is clear, everything else becomes easy.” “Most entrepreneurs want to change the world. That is because they have the purpose that they can have an impact.” “Successful entrepreneurs understand it’s a journey. They understand that making money is not a purpose.” “If you want to build a successful company, you cannot do it by yourself.” “Don’t expect that the reason you started your business necessarily has to be your long-term purpose - you can change it.” “How many of your new years’ resolutions do you actually implement?” “People have a tendency to want too big of a change at once. Instead of starting big, just start small. Implement the first step until that step becomes a routine – when it’s a routine, you don’t have to think about it anymore.” “92% of our worries are not legitimate.” “If you feel like you want to write a book, write a book. It’s not easy, but it’s a good journey.” “I would like to recommend to entrepreneurs to take care of themselves. I’m talking about physical health and mental health. Think about your mind as a muscle – if you want this muscle to grow, it needs to recover. For the physical aspect, start sports. Take care of yourself, because if you can’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of your company and your people?” “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” – Michele Ruiz Our guest is Laurent Notin, a business coach on a quest to crack the entrepreneurship code. Laurent is a French national who left France at the age of 23. He then lived in South East Asia for 20 years before settling in Finland in 2019. He has a passion for helping others, and dedicates his time to coaching, training, and mentoring entrepreneurs. He is also a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Juliet wants to retire in the Caribbean. “You need to focus on the essential few and let go of the trivial many.” “A little bit of progress across 15 things isn’t really moving you forward to accomplish what you want to accomplish because you’re not moving forward far enough in any of the areas.” “There’s an entrepreneurial spirit in some of us that is not in all of us.” “You need to stop trying to build an airline, and instead drill for oil.” “You don’t have to be the best in the world at drilling for oil, but you could probably make a lot of money in that industry if you’re just okay at it.” “Your mentors don’t have to be people that you’ve ever actually met.” “Try to keep it condensed. Pick one or two people in a certain subject matter and just follow them.” “Keep seeking the mentor until you find the one that resonates with you.” “200 years from now, we’re all going to be dust. Even if we change the world, no one is going to remember us 200 years from now. The meaning of life is to take the luck that you were given, push it as far as you can, and then sprinkle it around as best as you can. Give more than what you took.” “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have the same 24 hours in a day.” – Zig Ziglar   Our guest is Dylan Ogline, founder of Ogline Digital. At the age of 14, Dylan started his first business. After dropping out of high school, he became a serial entrepreneur, taking on multiple business projects simultaneously. In 2016, he decided to drop all but one – digital marketing. Since then, he has built Ogline Digital to become a 7-figure agency. Dylan believes that everyone can build their own digital agency, and he dedicates much of his time to his training programs where others can learn to start and build their own successful digital agencies. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Shaun attended an entrepreneurial conference in grade 9. Shaun didn’t see a blue cow that inspired the name of his company. If you have a business, you have some understanding of what marketing is. “Digital marketing is just using a different means to do that type of marketing.” “Instead of running newspaper ads or radio ads, you’re running Facebook ads.” “Find people that can help you do what you need to do in those little steps along the way – don’t try to learn it all yourself.” “If you’re found online, whether you have a Google listing or you have your website, you are, in one way or another, doing digital marketing.” “As much as understanding who your client is, you also have to have an understanding of who your client is not.” Businesses should think about starting or joining Facebook groups. “When you create a video for your business, you’re not going in to try and sell your service. You’re going to provide information and value.” “There is a skill and knowledge that you have that other people are looking to have answers to.” “Podcasting has gained a lot of headway in the marketplace in the last several years.” “Where I see a podcast really beneficial for a business is not as a means to advertise but as a means to share your area of expertise and your knowledge.” “The digital landscape is always going to be changing. What we set out to do today, in 2 months, 3 months, or 6 months is most likely going to change.” “Be okay with the fact that you might start something that is not going to work.” Juliet spoke more than she was planning to speak. “Clients don’t care about the labour pains. They just want to see the baby.” – Tim Williams   Our guest is Shaun Whynacht, Founder and CEO of Blue Cow Marketing. Shaun has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing across both the US and Canada, helping clients develop the tools for marketing and promoting their businesses. A self-professed learning addict, Shaun spends his “downtime” keeping up with the latest trends in technology, marketing and design so that he can put them to work for his clients. Shaun is also a licensed display fireworks and pyrotechnician. He holds a Diploma in Technical Television Productions from the Nova Scotia Community College. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Your brain is not designed to keep you happy; it’s designed to keep you alive.” “When you have more energy because you’re doing your HAPPI, all of a sudden things start making sense.” “Shifting your state of being gives you more energy to do all the things that you really want to do.” “KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. You don’t need to make it complicated.” “Fun is the first thing that goes whenever we start working on something in life that we’re excited about, and it needs to be the first thing that stays.” “Often times, we’re just busy for the sake of being busy.” As entrepreneurs, we got into business because we thought we could succeed. “If a thought led you to action, why not take more time to think?” “What’s the fastest way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” “Everything that we needed to be successful in life we learned when we were kids, and we need reminders of it.” “We must work hard not to become our struggle. Whatever you’re experiencing is not who you are.” “It’s not your last decision that’s going to determine your path; it’s your next decision.” “Happiness cannot be travelled to, cannot be owned, cannot be earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley Our guest is Vernon Brown, Founder of What’s Your Happi. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, happiness coach, and certified life coach. He started out working as a model and actor in New York, but eventually turned to life coaching in search of fulfilment. In 2013, he Founded What’s Your Happi. Motivated by his own life experiences, Vernon has coached thousands of people, and helped them find and sustain their happiness. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: If you have a set vision or plan in your head, you tend not to pay as much attention to external factors. Karen didn’t have a plan when starting her blog or her podcast, and her philosophy was “start it, try it, and then decide”. This meant she could be more adaptive to the environment. “If 2020 has taught us anything, I think it has absolutely convinced even perhaps some of the non-believers that the ability to pivot is absolutely key to success.” “With respect to your entrepreneurial toolkit, I believe that written communication is really important.” People portray themselves as successful but never really show the behind-the-scenes. There’s the image of the iceberg: at the tip of the iceberg is the success we see on social media, and under the water is where we find the long hours, sleepless nights, stress, and setbacks. “If you’re not resilient or you don’t think positive, then entrepreneurship is going to be tougher than it already is for you.” “Do not wait; the time will never be just right. Start where you stand, work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” – George Herbert Our guest is Karen Swyszcz, Co-Founder of Kaibigan Connection, Founder and blogger at Makin the Bacon, host of The Bacon Bits ‘n’ Bytes Podcast, and author of the best-selling Women’s Health book, Fitness to Freedom. She works part-time as a continuing and professional studies instructor, teaching blogging and social media strategy courses at Sheridan College. She is also the co-author of Lighting The North, a book on diversity and feminism in Canada, which is also a 2020 Non-Fiction Finalist for the Canadian Book Club Awards. Karen holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Waterloo. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “Everybody is changing the world just by existing and going through their day. It’s whether you’re changing it for the positive, whether you’re changing it for the negative, or you’re just kind of maintaining status quo.” “Of course I need to make a living, and I want to make some money, but I think we need to do it in a responsible way.” “Isn’t everything an opportunity?” The inspiring story of Suon Rottana that David turned into a film. Steve took the decision to change one of the questions. Juliet tried to protest, but it didn’t work. Will she take him along on that island getaway? “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman Our guest is David Peck, Founder of SoChange. He is a lecturer at the business school at Humber College in Hamilton, Ontario, and contributes regularly to Rabble.ca and TheMindMarket. He is also an accomplished podcaster, with his podcast, Face 2 Face, featuring over 500 episodes. In 2007, David was a co-producer on the educational kids show, Spellz. In 2008, alongside comedian Matthew DiSero, David founded the Mosquitoes Such Tour, which aims to raise awareness of Malaria through performance. In 2009, Verge Magazine named David a Global Hero for his contribution towards making the world a better place. David co-edited Irreconcilable Differences, and he is the author of Real Change is Incremental, which was awarded a Word Guild Culture Award for social change. He holds a Master’s in Philosophy from the University of Guelph. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “A business is a commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you.” “Companies and leaders need to go beyond traditional training methods to truly engage with their employees.” “Knowledge-dumping is important, but when it comes to culture, leadership, creating influence, and mass movements, it’s the culture that needs to shift.” There are three types of employees in every organization: “Actively Disengaged – they come to work and do less than is expected.” “Disengaged – they come to work and do what is expected.” “Engaged – they come to work and do more than what is expected.” “If you’ve got employees in your team that come to work and just get through the day, then you’ve got wasted money on the table.” “You’re wasting 34% of their salary before they even walk in the door.” You can turn an organization around in 4-5 weeks. “I’ve learnt all my leadership stuff from bad leaders – what not to do.” “You’ve got to start a business where you’re not working in it. You’ve got to start a business that is scalable, leverage-able, and online.” “Your past is perfect. Even if it didn’t work out or you had an argument with your boss and got fired, it’s a good contrast to keep pushing you toward your passion and dreams.” “The biggest lesson in life is always to charge towards your highest excitement; charge towards your true north. If you’re not charging towards your highest excitement that means you’re off-course.” “Everything is neutral until you give it meaning.” “It is a hell of a journey, and the more you can look after your mental health along the journey, the better off you’re going to be as a leader, influencer, and entrepreneur.” “I’ve never lost a game. I just ran out of time.” – Michael Jordan Our guest is Richard Maloney, Founder and CEO of Quality Mind Global and Engage & Grow. Richard is a serial entrepreneur, internationally sought-after keynote speaker, mental health coach, and mentor. He has authored three books: The Minds of Winning Teams, Engage & Grow, and Injury Free. His method, known as the Maloney Method, has grown into a system of healing that has allowed people to transform their lives through mental training. He has a passion for fine wine, the outdoors, friends, family, golfing, and surfing. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: “As an entrepreneur, no matter what your business industry was, you had some kind of a challenge last year.” “Being an entrepreneur is always a rollercoaster – these past nine months even more so.” Steve has no words to describe the past year. “What 2020 has showed us is the resilience of the entrepreneur, the ingenuity of the entrepreneur, the tenacity of the entrepreneur…” “Every entrepreneur out there should be very proud of themselves. They are the heart and soul of the economy.” “Even if your business wasn’t able to survive it, for whatever reason, as an entrepreneur you still have to acknowledge that you did it, you gave it your best shot, you gave it your effort, and to not undervalue what that means. Don’t assume that you’re a bad entrepreneur because you didn’t come out on the other side of this.” “A positive thing that came out of it was a lot of introspection for me and a much deeper sense of strong relationships with the people that I determined were important to me, and that the connections with those people was much stronger than they have been before.” - Juliet “Personally, I was very glad we launched our podcast.” – Steve “The thing I have enjoyed about the podcast and the guests is the variety of guests – lots of different people, different backgrounds, different stories, and different journeys. I can honestly say I learned something from every one of them.” Steve turned 65 this year (Happy Birthday!). When his birthday arrived in the fall, he wasn’t excited at all. Since then, he’s had some time to reflect on it, and he gives some advice to entrepreneurs: “Spend some time planning what you want to do, and spend some time planning what you want your transition to look like.” Steve and Juliet are amateur photographer junkies. Every summer, a local photographer does a photography class. This year, because it was done virtually, there was a fall and a winter session, so Steve and Juliet got to spend more time doing something that they both enjoy. They were planning to take their business 100% remote by June this year, but Covid-19 forced them to do it a few months sooner. It’s the first time in 10 years that they didn’t have a brick-and-mortar office to go to. Juliet is still on the fence as to whether it’s the right move for her personally. Steve and Juliet are looking forward to traveling outside the 50-mile (75km) radius of their travels in the last 9 months. “It’ll be interesting to see how many of the positive changes around the world stick.” “One of the things that has really come out of the last 9 months is how supportive everybody is of everybody else.” “Entrepreneurs are generally optimistic people.” Steve is optimistic that many good things will remain. Steve and Juliet thank all the listeners for hanging in for the past 40 (more or less) episodes. “The first steps toward getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” – JP Morgan Today, our co-hosts reflect on 2020, and look at the year ahead. 2020 has been more challenging for entrepreneurs than it ever has before, and today Steve and Juliet aim to inspire us to embrace 2021 and let go of 2020. While there is an abundance of negativity, Steve and Juliet take this time to reflect on the positives. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0

Gold Nuggets in this Episode: Juliet took their puppy for a walk at 4:30am. She thinks the puppy had mixed feelings about that. “A lot of people don’t always share the tough moments; they kind of gloss over it and say ‘it was a struggle in the beginning, but look at where I am now.’” “Entrepreneurs need to hear that it’s not all perfect, and it’s not this front that you see on the news or on social media; that there is so much struggle behind it to get them there.” “I’m all for encouraging entrepreneurship. I think there will be a great need for more and more over the coming years. But I don’t think it’s doing anybody a good service to tell them that it’s all fun and games.” “Validating an idea is a plain sensible thing to do.” “People get on their high horse that they have this idea and therefore other people must buy it. They’re missing the whole idea that it’s a problem that they need to address and find that people want solved.” “In this day and age, there’s a good argument for starting a business as a side hustle.” “You are not your business. You should not measure yourself by the success of your business. That is a tough lesson to learn.” “Don’t be afraid of learning, because sooner or later you’re going to have to.” “If you’re going to grow a business, you want to be very sure that your reason behind it is good, and that you are mentally fit enough to do it.” “Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down.” – Arianna Huffington Our guest is author, writer, and speaker, Jan Cavelle. Jan started with a sales business that she ran from under her staircase at home, and through pure determination, she scaled her business to garner great success. She has won numerous awards, represented the UK in Europe as one of the first 50 Female Entrepreneurial Ambassadors, spoken about SME’s on Newsnight, debated at the Cambridge Union, formed part of the Women Influence Community, and has written contributions to many publications, including Real Business. Her ambition has always been to author and publish a book, which she will accomplish in 2021. Song by Adam Vitovsky / CC BY 3.0