The Number

Family and business, and the business of getting the next generation involved is Francisco Lombardo’s business. This discussion ranges from parenting, to getting the next generation ready. Is your business the resented sibling? Are you setting your kids up for success, and when should they start working in the business? Francisco answers these questions and more on this episode of The Real Bottom Line!

As a new business owner, Afton has been busting through some of the common myths surrounding entrepreneurship. She has now niched down to teach about brand messaging and content strategy. The way she breaks down how to find your voice and cut through the noise is a must-listen!

As your business grows, the need for building a strong advisory team becomes more and more critical. In this episode, we speak about the benefits of building the right team for your business. Find out your diagnostic score of your business at https://www.totalwealthscore.com

This is one of those interviews that were both a joy to record, and a joy to listen to. Recorded the day before Vasavi turned 40, we head down fascinating roads including who you should look up to, and why talking to yourself out loud can be game-changing. Her confidence and energy are so compelling – enjoy!

Ever been curious about buying or building a franchise? This episode is for you! Lance Graulich is an expert in franchises. Having owned multiple franchises himself, and then becoming a broker, he has seen it all. In this episode, we talk about who should and shouldn't buy a franchises, and what to consider when buying or turning your business into a franchise. Free Assessment: https://www.zorakle.net/assessment/welcome/ionfranchising

Investing in real estate does not come without cost or risk. Abiel Ballesteros is a professional Real Estate Investor in Miami, with properties across multiple states. Join us today as we discuss who real estate investing is for, and how to decide on a segment of real estate to focus on. Abiel will also share his thoughts on syndicate investing and why multi-unit/family buildings can reduce your risks and costs. If you've ever been interested in learning more about real estate investment, here's your chance!

Once I got over my fangirling, I settled in to talk to Ross about his aspirations and his goal of a 150-million-dollar company. I love the ambition, and he is doing it all virtually! We dig into the business and distribution of content, and how content distribution as an investment can produce revenue for years to come. Ross breaks down his KPIs and the lessons he learned from his grandmother, as well as the importance of curiosity, and communication trust when it comes to remote work. You’ll leave this episode knowing what to delegate and what not to delegate, how you can use hiring as a form of asset allocation, and so much more!

Let’s talk about expectations, age, hustle, grind, and what are the numbers that we really need to know. I want to talk a bit about the fact I went to see Sting in concert, he was so full of life and vibrant, he delivered an amazing performance. He was a master, and he held the audience in the palm of his hands. And yet, he was so chill, he was just so zen-like he was living his best life. Now, if we were to dig into the numbers around Sting we will find the following, He is 70 years old.He has a net worth of $550 million. He has sold over 100 million records during his time as a solo artist. He has six kids, numerous graduate kids, two wives a whole bunch of properties. So why is he still performing?

IT and technology are becoming more and more important to the efficient separation and scaling of business. In this episode, Gay Hamilton of 'Go Innovation' and I talk about when and how to hire IT personnel vs. contractors. We'll outline the IT resources required as you add staff, as well as the reality of cyber crimes and how it has been whitewashed.

Samantha Dean is a former accountant from Australia who now helps other experts monetize their knowledge. In this episode, Sam provides invaluable advice on how to work through your 'shoulds' and the importance of setting up boundaries. She'll also share her thoughts on how to set up good collaborations, and what she believes are the most important key performance indicators. There's lots to learn in this episode!

André Brisson has ADHD. He has also built two successful companies, and is now working on his third! When he received his ADHD diagnosis a few years ago, it explained EVERYTHING. Since then, he's learned all he can about ADHD and used his knowledge and first-hand experience to build a coaching program to help high-achieving entrepreneurs. On this episode, we'll define what exactly ADHD means, the reason why so many entrepreneurs have ADHD, and the differences between ADHD and other mental health/neurodivergent conditions. André will also explain the common symptoms of ADHD, and how you can turn these symptoms into your superpowers!

Personal Branding expert Monique Bryan has a massive background in global business, fashion, and marketing. She brings the energy and strategies around What is personal brandingWho needs itOnline presenceHow authentic to be onlineRetreats as a business strategy.How to put yourself into a high energy state You will love this advice delivered with panache.

What do you get when you marry energy efficiency, net zero, and block chain? You get Megan McCarthy's Rocarbon Labs! A start-up that helps business owners and their facilities reach net zero, with a faster return of investment thanks to the improvement in carbon offsets sold on the carbon market. How does the carbon market work? How can you develop more income streams for your facilities? What is data collection and the block chain? Listen and find out!

Big ideas, game changers and transformative focus. Real life and business can get in the way of developing and implementing big ideas, but Andrea Ivanka and I talk about how to get them and stay focused! Listen to this episode to learn where big ideas can come from, how to re-engage with ideas you had in the past, the difference between alignment and systems and why they are both SO important.

Katelyn Bourgoin is a trailblazer in the area of customer-focused research. Steeped in the experience of closing down her tech start-up, she is on a mission to teach effective customer research to entrepreneurs and other marketers. Katelyn is engaging, practical, and super knowledgeable on so many things. Join us as Katelyn shares that knowledge, explaining 'Jobs to be Done' and how McDonald's used it to increase their milkshake sales, beach head content, and where true customer clarity comes from. Clay Christensen video we talk about: Understanding the Job Sign up for Buyer Psychology email:www.katelynbourgoin.com

Profit is a beautiful thing, and opens the door to all sorts of new questions: Where do I stash it? What do I do with it? Should I spend it or save it? Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey, it’s time to plan now what to do with that profit.

In this episode we are going to really define that super nebulous term - leadership. How to get work done through others and the different hats of managing, leading, and coaching. Lisa Haydon has just passed the 5-year anniversary mark of her business, Pivotal Growth. Prior to her own pivotal growth, Lisa worked in finance and banking for large enterprise companies. She helps companies assess and diagnose their people performance with diagnostic, consulting, and implementation services. Join us as we discuss the turning point that launched Lisa into the world of entrepreneurship and how to get past imposter syndrome, her thoughts on what your meeting cadence should be as an entrepreneur, and how to vet potential business partners.

How about this boundary? Only pursuing opportunities that offer the potential of adding 7 figures to the top line. Eleanor Beaton is the Founder and CEO of Safi Media. She is on a mission to double the number of 7-figure women business owners by 2030 through business coaching, entrepreneurship education and story telling. We talk about the filters that Eleanor uses when evaluating opportunities, and dig down into niching – how to know when it is time to narrow your focus, and the bliss and pain of executing on this strategy. We'll discuss CEO time and what it is, as learn what a 'Jewel Business' is and why you want one! (HINT: 30% open time for the founder is one of the foundation pieces)

A communication expert and Founder/CEO of Orisha Creative, Tamika is a specialist at turning leads into buyers. Join us for this fascinating conversation where you will learn the difference between a launch and an active enrolment campaign, and how Lead Generation is just another vanity metric. We'll break down the buyer's journey vs. the customer journey vs. funnels, redefine personal development, and share a unique definition of community.

Did you ever wonder what it takes to scale a company to 50 employees? What you have to do in the business as a Founder in the beginning and how that role evolves over time. Saeed El Darahali is the CEO of SimplyCast and has been an entrepreneur since his teens and he has many lessons to share. In this episode we discuss How to avoid micromanagingThe two tasks he always wants to participate inThe second question he always asks in an interviewThe evolution of communicationThe triangle of Calculated Risk decisionsHow serving multiple markets and segments can give you an advantage

This is a must-listen episode for all Entrepreneurs who want inspiration. Tareq came to Canada in 2015 with nothing. He is now a sought-after speaker, running a major chocolate factory and a couple of retail stores. The story of Peace By Chocolate is now available in a book and a soon-to-be-released feature film. This interview is an inspiration and reminds us that we can overcome almost everything and that hope is important. In this episode, we talk about The importance of Building a family outside of your familyThe interplay between profit and purposeHow Peace is the most important value you can have

Mary Jane Copps aka The Phone Lady is on a mission to make people less anxious and more masterful in their use of the telephone. In an era of texts, DMs, emails and a bijillion social platforms, a lot of people have lost their love of the phone or maybe didn’t ever love it. As an expert in all things phone, Mary Jane shares some great insights into: Why Customer Service calls are totally different nowHow to make Sales calls more effectiveHow often to follow up and what to do to get maximum resultsWhat to say if you are leaving a voice mail

On this episode, we dig into this question. The brain is a powerful tool that may not always lead us in the right direction. If we think of our brain like a computer, our subconscious is the operating system. And there are programs running and influencing our decisions all the time. Join us as we talk about Bringing these programs to the conscious level Reprogramming our mind to The shortcuts your brain takes when making decisions

Personal Branding expert Monique Bryan has a massive background in global business, fashion, and marketing. She brings the energy and strategies around What is personal brandingWho needs itOnline presenceHow authentic to be onlineRetreats as a business strategy.How to put yourself into a high energy state You will love this advice delivered with panache.

Justin Breen was an entrepreneur trapped in a job until 5 years ago. A journalist by trade, he started BREpic as his salaried work was going away. I love hearing about people’s journeys to Entrepreneurship – they are all so different and inspiring in different ways – and Justin’s is one of perseverance. His conversion rate was pretty low at the beginning – 1 in 1000. To get his first 5 clients he talked to 5000. I think most of us would have called it way before that! Join us to hear that story and our discussions around: The importance of family and why his always comes firstHow he decides who to work withWhere the future of public relations isPricing of servicesThe difference between Entrepreneurs and Business OwnersWhy getting into small rooms is important on a number of levels It’s another great episode

For our last recorded episode of 2021, we wanted to go out with a bang, so we have not one, but THREE guests! Neil Stephen, Shelagh Cummins, and John Swain join us to share their expertise in Marketing, Coaching, and Accounting and they serve up some amazing insights and tips! We discuss the changes we’ve seen in business throughout the pandemic, and which of those changes we believe to be permanent. We will also break down our top 3 pointers for business owners in 2022, and what our biggest goals are for the upcoming year.

On this episode of The Real Bottom Line, we share and discuss our favourite business books that we’ve read over the past year. A few of the books we discuss include Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy’s Who Not How, which lays out a blueprint of changing your thinking around your work; Fotini Iconomopoulos’ Say Less, Get More, which teaches an inclusive approach to negotiating, and Tarek Hadad’s Peace by Chocolate story shows us how community and perseverance can let you build success from scratch.

Serial entrepreneur, published author, and CEO of ClearToYou, Frances Shagen, sits down to discuss what you can and can’t delegate when it comes to your accounting, how Mastermind changed her business, and the 3 most important questions you should be asking before hiring your bookkeeper. With a background in accounting and finance, Frances focuses on helping women, especially Indigenous women, start and grow their own enterprises. Learn more about Frances’ journey and how you can be your own CFO in this episode of The Real Bottom Line.

Laural Carr, owner of Impagination, a marketing firm in Toronto focusing on sevice-based businesses, is about to celebrate her 35th year in business. We talk about productizing your services - the Why and the How? We talk about pricing and when you should value based price versus charge by the hour. You will want to tune into this episode to learn about what elephants, meatloaf and GPS have to do with marketing. It’s a great one!

Roxanne Tate is the owner of Tate Engineering Inc. and Airtight Spaces. She is about to hit the ten-year mark and is sharing a lot of the lessons she has learned along the way. Join us on this episode as we discuss... - The importance of values - How to evaluate business opportunities - Being deliberate about your growth - The pros and cons of real estate investing

The first two-time guest - this episode is less interview and more conversation. Business coach extraordinaire, Andrea Ivanka and I discuss the importance of strategic planning, how we approach it, the elements to consider and some surprising tactical implementation suggestions.

Michael Devenney, the Founder of WorkInsights and The Mindset Project, is a trailblazer in the leadership field. He researches, consults and builds tools so that teams can build stronger, more profitable and longer lasting companies. Michael is very forthcoming about his PTSD and depressive periods – his weekly LinkedIn posts let so many entrepreneurs know that they aren’t alone. We talk about mental health and entrepreneurs (67% of business owners will have an occurrence of mental health issues during their working life) and the stigma that is still prevalent that prevents many of them from reaching out for help. Michael outlines the support systems he has built, and how a good hike is so helpful.

I have known Teresa Easler for almost a decade. In that time, I have learned soooo much from her – and now you can too! We talk about perseverance, dealing with debt, and shifting your mindset. Teresa measures everything and delivers some amazing truths around pricing and when to charge for things you may be doing for free.Want to find out if you’re a presentation rockstar? Click here! (https://www.connecttothecore.com/presentation-rockstar-scorecard)

TRUST. It affects your topline, your bottom line, and everything in between. It seems like a nebulous concept, but my guest, Natalie Oldfield has developed The Client Trust Index™. This tool gives you proven, objective data that helps you make decisions, improve your customer experience, increase retention, and deepen relationships. We talk about how she transitioned from CMO, and her journey to becoming a world-renowned Trust Expert.

Susan Diaz is a messaging maven who has gone all in on podcasts as anchor content. Her company, c+p digital, takes on the task of developing a great concept all the way through to publishing, and repurposing podcasts into compelling content. Starting as a chocolatier in India, we discuss how she came to Toronto and her journey to business ownership.

Nathalie Morin and Julien Rousseau-Dumarcet met and fell in love in Wakefield, QC. He; a Frenchmen with a passion for chocolate; she, a young hospitality professional who had itchy feet! Together they travelled to Europe and began their adventures. They worked for a handful of award-winning hotels and independent chocolatiers in France, England, and Scotland. They had envisioned setting up shop in Halifax 2 years prior to arriving in Canada. But why Halifax? Because it offered a great quality of life, had many European influences, and was conveniently located between Ottawa and Roquebrune-sur-Argens - the couples' respective hometowns! 7 years, 1 expansion, 2 babies, 1 house, lots and lots of blood, sweat & tears later.... Here we ARE! A true commitment to dedication, hard work and a solid partnership!

A graduate from Acadia University in 1986 with a BA in Health and Physical Education, Tanya was a physical education teacher in HRM for 10 years and as a co-owner was instrumental in the success of the Nubody’s chain of Fitness Centres. A customer service advocate, Tanya is a relationship builder and focuses on the special touches. Currently, Tanya is the Director of WORKSPACE Atlantic and President of Mattie Capital. She is an active community volunteer, involved in fundraising with the Canadian Progress Club-Halifax Citadel, Chisholm Services for Children, Family SOS, Phoenix Youth, Oakfield Golf Club, and the United Church of Canada. Phoenix Youth nominated her for the 2016 Maritime Philanthropy Awards as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser. In 2019 Tanya was awarded the Community Heart Award from Chisholm Services for Children and currently sits on the Foundation board with Chisholm. Tanya was recently awarded the Progression of the year 2020 for Canadian Progress Club Halifax Citadel and the Eastern Region. Staying active with fitness, yoga, golf, kayaking, and biking are high on Tanya’s priority list as is travel and spending time with her husband and family - which includes 5 grandchildren !

As a co-founder and CEO at RIDDL, and Partner and former Managing Partner of Code + Mortar, Jenelle Sobey is motivated to build a sustainable, competitive and resilient world. She believes that the tech sector can enable and scale solutions to achieve that. Jenelle has so much experience in starting and building businesses, so she will be sharing with us her start-up secrets. She has been recognized with tons of awards for her work - too many for us to list here!

In this episode, we decided to shake things up a bit. We interview Melanie Little, founder of startup vLife, about her vision and goals of supporting buying local. Then, Melanie joins me in the host chair, and we turn our attention to one of her clients – Bernadette. A fascinating double interview about building a business and celebrating along the way.

Megan O'Neill is a Mindset Mentor and Certified Core Belief Engineering (CBE) Practitioner who, for over 19 years, has helped clients break-fee of limiting subconscious beliefs, fears and patterns. Her work specializes in the area of money mindset—assisting clients in understanding why they're operating the way they are and then working to clear it at a deep level so they can transform their relationship with money! She lives in Ottawa with her husband Kevin and her teens Sara and Tommy. www.meganoneill.ca https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-o-neill-36392999/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoreBeliefsforBusiness https://www.instagram.com/megancorebeliefs/ Freebie/Offer: The Confidence Lab - https://meganoneill.ca/confidence-lab-own-your-entrepreneurial-expertise/

Shelagh's journey began in the classroom as a teacher for 12 years. A decade ago, she traded in her regular paycheck for the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship, starting with a parenting blog and tutoring business. It wasn't until she was the emcee at a business conference that she discovered her true calling, and began facilitating women's business training and coaching entrepreneurs to greater business success. Today, Shelagh is the Founder and CEO of The Road to Seven, helping visionary entrepreneurs take empowered action to achieve their ambitious dreams.

Brent started his sales career doing door-to-door sales for various charities. This is where he discovered his love for sales, getting to talk to people from all different walks of life, coast to coast across Canada. He then transitioned into a tech start up and got to work with small business owners across North America, helping to connect them with other businesses to solve their pain points. He then partnered with his amazing fiancée, Leslie, to launch The Full Prism Group. One of their core services is showing business owners that sales don't have to be scary and intimidating. They teach strategies and help to generate leads as well as generally keeping their back office organized, whether that means implementing new project management software or getting their books up to date.

In this episode we break down the 5 key numbers every entrepreneur should know.

Over the past decade, Matt Symes has worked with over 400 organizations to help them understand the principles, methods, and tools of high performing organizations. From helping a manufacturing company scale from 20m to over 150m a year, a construction company from 42m to 200m/annualized and countless other organizations from 1m - 10m, Matt has had a front row seat on the trials and tribulations of organizations going through scale. Symplicity Designs is a B Corp that measures and supports a triple bottom line - People, Planet, and Profit. Over the last decade they have given back more than 4.2m in Low-Bono, Pro-Bono, and Cash to the social sector. Their work in the education system, the health care system, Matt and his team provided guidance to more than 1800 business leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic with a series of early stage webinars to help organizations get oriented and prepare for the pandemic. As a result of his efforts, he was named the 2021 Business leader of the year in Nova Scotia. He not only helps other organizations scale but he leads an equity portfolio of 8 organizations. They have skin in the game and use these same principles to scale their own organizations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-symes-8328a765/

Amanda started working at Home Hardware as a teen and eventually worked her way up to a management position. She learned how to run a business from the ground up and is now an owner of the same store she started out at! Join us as we chat with Amanda about how she managed to keep everything running smoothly throughout a pandemic and major supply shortages, while also continuing to grow the business.

Shaun, is the Founder and CEO of Blue Cow Marketing. He was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at a young age. He knows firsthand how much love and determination gets poured into running a business after spending more than 10 years touring all over Canada learning from different industries. Not only is Shaun passionate about marketing he also developed some very unique abilities to stay current with changing technology in this ever-progressive world. Now as a Keap Certified Partner for 10 years, Shaun helps businesses owners implement automation in their business to grow their bottom line and get their lives back. Learn more: http://bluecowmarketing.ca/automate LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunwhynacht

In this episode, Wendy takes on some of the top questions submitted to her about finance and business.

Tracey is an accomplished professional with 20 years of experience in the financial services industry working directly or indirectly with personal, commercial and corporate clients to help them achieve their financial goals. A demonstrated passion for increasing financial fitness coupled with lending and risk management experience led to the establishment of Bissett Financial Fitness Inc. As Chief Financial Fitness Trainer of Bissett Financial Fitness Inc., Tracey educates and empowers individuals, notably young adults, and entrepreneurs to take control of and live their financial lives with confidence. As a former executive at TD Bank, one of Canada’s Big 5 Banks, Tracey has worked with and in support of thousands of individuals and entrepreneurs to secure the financing they needed. This hands on experience coupled with her formal financial education, Masters of Business Administration and Chartered Financial Analyst designation, position Tracey uniquely to coach about all things money. Tracey is a full time professor in the financial services faculty within the Business School at Centennial College. She leads speaking engagements and is the Executive Producer and host of the Young Money podcast all focused on increasing financial fitness. Recently named a Silver Award winner for The IFSE Institute Award for Financial Literacy Champion through the Wealth Professional Awards 2020. A native of Nova Scotia, Tracey enjoys giving back the community and actively volunteers with Therapeutic Paws of Canada, the United Way of Toronto & York Region as well as Junior Achievement of Central Ontario.

Tim is co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Fit First Technologies. His fascination with why and how people end up in the right or wrong careers started 45 years ago when he was hired for his first job – delivering flyers for the local newspaper. As he progressed up his professional ladder, he saw top performers move up and those who – well – didn’t. Often, it wasn’t because they were incompetent, but rather that their skills and personality didn’t fit that role or company. He realized that personal and professional success happens when the ‘fit’ is right. In 1995 Tim founded the Brennan Group of Online Companies – a firm that provided training to North American businesses on strengthening their sales leadership. It was here that he first started counselling clients on the impact of smarter selection practices. Along the way, the technology of assessing and predicting fit enabled Tim’s vision of helping companies adopt a better way to find, select and hire became a reality. A decade or so later that company became Fit First Technologies. More recently, Tim and the Fit First team have been instrumental in helping clients such as Atlantic Superstores, Admiral Insurance, Eden Valley Poultry, FYI Doctors and others reduce turnover, increase efficiencies, and generate a return on investment of more than 300% in one year all through better people practices. Tim’s passion for helping companies select great people and for people to find their dream career continues to be fueled by his belief that everyone will be more successful when companies measure what matters in the hiring process and sort potential employees by their Fit First; then education and work experience.

On this episode of the Real Bottom Line we go surprisingly deep on pricing, sales and lifelong learning with Andrea Ivanka. Andrea coaches Entrepreneurs in building and scaling their business in an authentic way.