Behind the Business

How a software engineer became a custom fine-jewelry founder. From writing software to setting stones, Aasim Sayani shares how he built Fuse Jewelry—a tech-first, custom fine-jewelry brand focused on safety, intimacy, and community. We dig into the realities of retail jewelry (security, margins, and cash flow), why Aasim left a stable software career, and how he and his wife/co-founder run the business while raising a newborn.

We talk custom engagement rings, championship pieces, and the vision for a community makerspace where customers can learn—and even build—parts of their jewelry. Aasim also opens up about bootstrapping (putting years of salary intoFuse), hiring bench jewelers, and experimenting with embedded tech in fine jewelry.

In this episode:

• Leaving “golden handcuffs” for entrepreneurship
• Security & trust in jewelry retail (for staff, clients, and family)
• Custom > commodity: why education wins sales
• Manufacturing dreams: from private bench to public makerspace
• Culture & craft: sourcing stones with heritage & story
• Co-founders & marriage: feedback, roles, and letting go Fatherhood, travel, and intentional time

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Adi Desai turned a childhood obsession into a career—first launching DoubleClutch.ca in 2012, then pivoting into ownership with Advantage Auto Group (Hyundai &Stellantis). He shares how automotive journalism opened doors, why he built relationship-first stores to counter dealer stereotypes, and what COVID taught him about cash flow, team retention, and resilience. We also get real aboutfamily balance, South Asian expectations, and growing the thick skin entrepreneurship demands.

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What if a pregnancy test put privacy first?

Co-founders Vicki Schenkel and Angie Ibrahim share how Petal Pregnancy is building a flushable pregnancy test to bring dignity, discretion, and better design to one of the most intimate moments in women’s health. We get into the real founder journey: mapping a broken aisle at retail, running 100+ validation calls, partnering with Western’s Ivey MBAstudents for research, joining accelerators (and winning Tree Frog Accelerator’s pitch competition), and confronting R&D and manufacturing realities without losing momentum.

You’ll hear how lifelong best friends became co-founders, how they translate feedback from both women and maleinvestors, what they learned about regulatory, IP, and unit economics, and why community matters when you’re pushing through setbacks. If you care about femtech, privacy, andbuilding from zero to one, this one’s for you.Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

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What if your student club project became a company fighting the plastic crisis?

That’s the path Nuha Siddiqui took—spinning a University of Toronto Enactus idea (eco‑packers) into erthos, a sustainable materials venture focused on plastic alternatives and packaging that can actually work in real supply chains.

In this episode, Nuha walks through the founder journey—from campus labs to global stages—and the community that made the leap possible.

We cover: 

• Origin story: Enactus U of T, leveraging school resources, mentors, and community
• eco‑packers → erthos: why the rebrand mattered for vision and scale
• Finding the team & co‑founder fit: programs and networks that opened doors
• Fundraising reality: rejections, resilience, and closing her seed round on her wedding day
• Showing up globally: learning and lobbying at the world’s largest sustainability conferences
• Life behind the headlines: balancing family & friendships while building in your early 20s
• Why this matters now: the climate and plastic crisis, and what emerging research on plastics & human health means for consumers and brands

Nuha’s work has been recognized by Forbes, The Globe & Mail, New York Weekly, and GreenBiz—but this conversation focuses on the grit it took to get there.

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Chapters:00:00 The Journey Begins: From Idea to Business02:45 Building Earthos: The Evolution of a Sustainable Company05:49 Navigating Family Expectations and Entrepreneurial Risks08:37 Scaling Challenges: Moving to Asia and Finding Manufacturing Partners11:51 Overcoming Age and Gender Barriers in Entrepreneurship14:46 The Reality of Sacrifices in the Entrepreneurial Journey17:49 Advocating for Change: The Role of Policy in Sustainability20:53 Celebrating Milestones: Personal and Professional Achievements23:43 The Future of Earthos: Innovations and Industry Impact27:02 Reflections: Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

From Big Four to founder. From burnout to building something better.

In this episode, we sit down with Miguel Alexander Centeno, a Latino entrepreneur, parent, and the founder of TaxHack Accounting Group, to unpack what it really takes to build a scalable service business from scratch.

We talk about:

• Quitting Big Four with a toddler at home
• Building the first version of his professional services firm
• Saying no to the wrong clients and defining your ideal customer profile (ICP)
• The mindset shift from “employee” to “entrepreneur”
• Choosing systems and delegation over hustle
• Redefining work-life balance as a parent-founder
• Honoring the immigrant grit that made it all possible

This is a candid look at what it really takes to walk away from stability, bet on yourself, and build a business that aligns with the life you want.

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🎁 Behind the Business Listener Exclusive:

Enjoy 20% off all Three Ships Beauty products with code BTB20, valid from Sept 1 to Nov 30 at threeshipsbeauty.com. Excludes kits/bundles.

Connie Lo left a career in corporate accounting to co-found Three Ships Beauty, a skincare company on a mission to make effective, natural products accessible to everyone. What started with a simple idea grew into a nationally recognized brand featured in Whole Foods, the Globe and Mail, Dragon’s Den and Forbes.

In this episode, Connie sits down with Faheem to talk about:

• Her transition from Big 4 accounting  and corporate to entrepreneurship
• What makes a co-founder relationship truly work
• Navigating rapid growth, major retail launches, and personal challenges (including a life-altering medical event)
• The real story behind their Dragon’s Den appearance
• How to push forward when things get tough — and why optimism still matters

Whether you're building a brand or exploring what’s next, this episode is a masterclass in resilience, purpose, and leading with heart.

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:55 Founding Three Ships: The Early Days

04:29 Balancing Corporate Life and Entrepreneurship

08:15 The Role of Family Support

10:39 The Co-Founder Dynamic

12:56  Building Effective Communication

16:30 The Entrepreneurial Journey: Early Signs

18:51 Learning from Family: The Entrepreneurial Influence

21:30 Scaling Challenges: The Target Meeting

23:46 Navigating Life's Challenges: A Personal Journey

27:18 The Impact of Media Exposure: Lessons from Dragon's Den

32:41 Overcoming Age and Gender Bias in Entrepreneurship

35:49 Building Confidence: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

41:52 Future Aspirations: Growth and Expansion Plans

Note: This episode contains occasional strong language

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Josh Rowlands, Founder & Head Trainer of In-Line K9, to talk about how working with dogs became more than a career — it became a form of therapy, a calling, and a thriving business.

Josh shares his journey from a 20-year military career to launching a dog training company that now serves hundreds of clients across Ottawa. We discuss the challenges of starting a service-based business from scratch, why teaching owners is just as important as training dogs, and how he balances scaling the business with staying true to his mission.

 Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

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📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/

Chapters:

00:00 Finding Balance in Life and Business

01:15 The Journey of Inline K9

04:42 Challenges of Starting a Business

08:43 Building a Team and Community

12:22 Coping Mechanisms and Mental Health

16:09 The Importance of Boundaries

18:47 Sharing Your Story and Authenticity

22:22 The Impact of Energy in Training

24:57 Balancing Family and Business

30:13 Future Goals for Inline K9

On Episode 4 of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Olivia Villalta and Vanessa Griffiths, the dynamic duo co-founders that are building Gift Better Co., a corporate gifting company built around meaning, impact, and a whole lot ofhustle.

Olivia left a demanding corporate career and Vanessa was searching for her entrepreneurial outlet. Together, they built Gift Better Co. from the ground up, navigating growth, pressure, and big wins along the way.

They share how they landed a $500K corporate contract with no employees, no warehouse, and barely enough time to breathe and still managed to deliver. This episode is aboutscrappiness, betting on yourself, and figuring it out even when the odds feel stacked against you.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to build something meaningful from scratch this is the one.

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

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📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Gift Better Co

01:48 The Concept of Corporate Gifting

03:41 The Journey to Entrepreneurship

06:25 Identifying Market Needs

10:40 The Importance of Storytelling in Business

12:31 Building a Personal Brand

14:36 Acquiring Initial Clients

20:13 Winning a Major Contract

25:55 Warehouse Challenges and Contract Delays

32:06 Overcoming Operational Hurdles

34:39 Seizing Opportunities Through Networking

46:09 Building a Strong Team and Leadership

48:16 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

On Episode 3 of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Sean Callaghan YouTuber-turned-entrepreneur and the founder of Creator Mill Inc. What started as a passion for making videos with friends became a full-fledged career on YouTube.

Sean opens up about the realities of content creation: the pressure of metrics, the challenge of staying authentic, and the mental toll of turning passion into performance. He shares his evolution from making viral content to launching a business that helps other brands succeed in the social media space.

This episode is for anyone navigating the creator economy, trying to show up online as a founder, or wondering how to stay grounded when the numbers don’t always match theeffort.

#BehindTheBusiness #CreatorEconomy #YouTubeBusiness #AuthenticityMatters #SmallBusinessMarketing#MentalHealthForCreators #PodcastSeason2

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

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Chapters:

00:00 The Journey Begins: From YouTube to Entrepreneurship

12:32 Navigating the YouTube Landscape: Success and Challenges

24:28 The Shift: From Content Creation to Business Strategy

35:06 Lessons Learned: Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Path

45:46 Looking Ahead: Future Endeavors and Advice for Entrepreneurs

On this episode of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Azrah Savin-Manji, the dynamic co-founder and CEO of Syzl, a platform helping food entrepreneurs find kitchen space and build their businesses.

Azrah shares how a craving for home-cooked meals as a student turned into a tech-driven mission to solve a major gap in the food industry. From relocating to Toronto to scale her vision, to navigating co-founder dynamics with her husband, Azrah offers an honest and inspiring look at what it takes to build a startup—while raising a family.

This episode explores the intersection of entrepreneurship, community, and representation, especially for women and immigrants building in the food space. Azrah also discusses the biases that exist in investor circles, the role of AI in the future of food tech, and the importance of normalizing ambition for the next generation.

Whether you're building something yourself or curious about the behind-the-scenes of Canada's food startup ecosystem—this one’s for you.

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

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Chapters:

00:00 The Journey to Entrepreneurship

01:33 Introducing Syzl: A New Food Business Platform

04:55 Connecting Communities Through Food

07:33 The Co-Founder Dynamic: Working with Family

10:55 Navigating Investor Relationships

14:58 The Leap into Entrepreneurship

20:19 Building a Support Network

21:59 Balancing Parenthood and Business

25:15 Choosing the Right City for Growth

26:57 The Evolving Startup Ecosystem in Canada

28:44 Advice for Aspiring Founders

30:04 The Future of Syzl and AI

31:35 Overcoming Challenges as a Founder

34:35 Lessons Learned from the Founder Journey

37:12 Raising the Next Generation of Leaders