Chatter that Matters

What happens when Arlene Dickinson and Brett Wilson believe in your dream before you do? Sunshine Tenasco, an Anishinaabe entrepreneur, author, and mother of four, knows that feeling. When she appeared on Dragons' Den with her handmade baby moccasins, Arlene and Brett Wilson opened doors she never imagined possible. Sunshine decided to open doors for others. She founded Pow Wow Pitch, an organization helping Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island turn their ideas into businesses through mentorship, funding, and community. RBC was one of its earliest supporters. Sunshine also shares her mother's extraordinary influence, her fight for clean drinking water in Indigenous communities, and why love and joy guide everything she does. Our conversation left me thinking about the challenges facing so many young Canadians. They have dreams and ambition, but face growing uncertainty about their future and where they fit in today's economy. In my closing thoughts, I explore why our youth need a hand up, not a lifetime of handouts. Why mentorship, financial literacy, and opportunity matter. And why believing in someone's potential means little unless we help them realize it. We cannot simply tell young Canadians to dream big. We must help them turn those dreams into reality. Stay tuned for news of a series titled Canadian Youth Matters in 2027. To find out more about Pow Wow Pitch: https://www.powwowpitch.org To find out more about Her Braids: https://sunshinetenasco.com/pages/her-braids      

Thirty-eight years in business. No salespeople. How does Jody Steinhauer do that? By building a team of problem solvers and being a high achiever. As a child, Jody led the country in Girl Guide Cookie Sales. At 14, Jody talked her way into a job at a women's fashion chain and became the region's top salesperson. Her approach? Instead of selling merchandise, she sold into the moments her customers were dressing for. She started The Bargains Group with $1,000 and repurposed her dining room table as her office. Nearly four decades later, she still runs her business on what people need. That instinct also shaped how she responded when her heart broke. She had learned that a man froze to death in a Toronto bus shelter. Jody asked: How do we fix this?  That question became Kits for a Cause, a not-for-profit that connects organizations and individuals who want to give with charities that need support. So many takeaways from someone who deeply cares about her employees and their collective outcomes. You'll hear how to: • Turn a sales conversation into a problem-solving conversation. • "Mine the gap"—find opportunities to add value instead of cutting your price. • Make giving back useful for charities, meaningful for employees, and part of how you do business. At 37:58, I share my idea of the week: Fuel and Friction. Those two compass points can help you navigate a business, brand or career.  CHAPTERS 00:00 Head, heart, hands—and closing the say–do gap 03:05 Meet Jody Steinhauer 03:19 A top salesperson at 14: "I wasn't selling anything" 04:50 Honest advice that earns lasting loyalty 05:18 Building a company of problem solvers 06:01 Kindness, family, and a drive for efficiency 07:04 Fashion school and an unexpected salary offer 08:23 From high fashion to the discount business 09:39 Starting over with $1,000 10:27 Why suppliers backed a 21-year-old 11:45 Overachievement: superpower or kryptonite? 12:19 A health crisis forces a business rethink 14:06 Motherhood, delegation, and a nursery at work 15:38 Be authentic, be consistent, and give back 18:25 A message from RBC and Futurpreneur 19:50 What charities actually need 20:59 Making donation dollars go further 24:37 The death that demanded a response 25:39 Rethinking how businesses give back 28:29 500 calls in 83 days: building Kits for a Cause 30:16 No salespeople, no advertising—and Amazon 31:13 Giving employees time to give back 33:58 Advice for dreamers and doers 35:03 Write your eulogy—and learn to delegate 35:45 The impact Jody wants to leave 37:58 Tony's idea of the week: Fuel and Friction 40:41 Thanks for listening

What would you risk to build something remarkable? Andrew Black sold sunglasses from under his bed at Queen's, built a million-dollar business before graduating, and sent his résumé to 500 headhunters before Nike USA gave him a shot. Andrew learned from Phil Knight, joined LEGO when it was struggling, and launched Virgin Mobile Canada after Richard Branson hired him. Today, his firm, BrandProject, has backed 44 consumer brands. Andrew is a winner. Andrew shares why challengers win by championing the customer, why investors back people before ideas, and what the best builders do when things get hard. You'll also hear Phil Knight's unforgettable parting advice and how Richard Branson once knocked Andrew out of a sailboat to win a race. His message is simple: "You have to bet on yourself. You only get so many at-bats, and you better make them count." If you're building a company, considering a career leap, or wondering whether to take your next big swing, this conversation is for you. Stick around to the end.  I share my three takeaways and a secret: what most successful entrepreneurs do that you can easily follow.

"Go through your day, find something that pisses you off, and fix it." That might be the best definition of entrepreneurship I've ever heard. It comes from Julie Cole—a "recovered" family lawyer, mom of a growing family and co-founder of Mabel's Labels. For Julie, necessity truly was the mother of invention. And it served her twice. First, Julie noticed parents labelling their kids' belongings with masking tape and markers, only to have those labels fall off in the wash, disappear in the dishwasher, or fail somewhere between school and summer camp. At the same time, Julie's eldest son, was diagnosed with autism at age three. With a toddler and a newborn also at home, she realized a traditional career couldn't bend to meet her family's needs. So she built one that could. Together with her sister and two best friends, Julie began making labels in her sister's basement long into the evening. Twenty-three years later, Mabel's Labels has been recognized twice by the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, and Avery successfully acquired the business. I then end the episode sharing my small-business tip of the week:  This is Episode 3 of Small Business Matters, a five-part conversation series running throughout October, thanks to the support of RBC. Next week: Andrew Black.

For decades I've admired Bruce: his integrity, his personality, his intuition and his drive. He helped build Lavalife before most of us trusted the internet, became one of Canada's best-known Dragons on Dragons' Den, and co-founded Round13 Capital. Few people have had a front-row seat to nearly four decades of disruption. Fewer still are this honest about what it takes. This isn't an interview. It's a masterclass woven into a podcast.  Hard-won lessons from someone who will tell you that anyone who claims to bat a thousand isn't telling the truth. We will also learn about 13th Round: Fight for Life, which has brought 700 kids into the boxing ring for discipline, belonging and self-esteem and then my Tony Takeaway:  My lesson in life for all who dream and do. Episode 2 of Small Business Matters, honouring our Small Business heroes, and presented by RBC. CHAPTERS 00:00 Three kinds of people: who makes things happen 02:57 Curiosity at 65, and what never changes about success 05:21 Lessons from his father: grade eight, $50 and humility 06:50 Dragons' Den: the fame, the brand and why he left 08:43 Lavalife: building trust before anyone trusted the internet 10:19 Why founders fool themselves, and the feedback loop 11:32 Passion vs. introspection: what Bruce looks for first 12:38 The pitch every investor dreams of 14:06 Billion-dollar valuations, AI and getting back to basics 15:39 The 51/49 rule, and Bruce's Achilles heel 19:18 Taking the emotion out of investing 20:25 Why Canada is the best place to build a business 22:52 Celebrating entrepreneurs like hockey players 24:01 13th Round Fight for Life 25:35 The letter Bruce hopes to receive 26:33 Tony's three takeaways 28:15 Stand for something before you try to stand out If this episode moves you, share it with one person who's building something. A business, a brand or a career. Round13 Capital: https://round13.com/ 13th Round Fight for Life: https://13thround.life RBC Small Business: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html