Behind the Business

Season 2 of Behind the Business kicks off with Sue Hamer, the founder of Ottawa’s beloved SuzyQ Doughnuts.

What began as a kitchen experiment during a Canada Post strike turned into one of the city’s most iconic donut shops. In this honest and inspiring conversation, Sue shares her journey from craft shows and farmers markets to opening her first storefront, all while raising a family and staying grounded in her values. 

We dive into the real challenges behind the scenes—from navigating burnout to maintaining quality and planning for growth, including a future food truck.

It’s a story about starting scrappy, building with heart, and the power of community. A perfect way to launch Season 2.

Stay connected with ⁠#behindthebusiness⁠ :

📱 Instagram: ⁠www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/⁠

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

Chapters:

00:00 The Spark of Entrepreneurship

07:51 From Farmers Market to Retail

14:45 Navigating Challenges as a Parent and Entrepreneur

21:57 Growth and Expansion During COVID

28:54 Creative Processes and Future Plans

35:00 Lessons Learned and Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

In the Season 1 finale of Behind the Business, Faheem Savja sits down with Rahim Karmali, Founder and CEO of Serv, a fast-growing translation agency. From working on his honeymoon to navigating the challenges of fatherhood and entrepreneurship, Rahim shares the raw and real story behind building a business from scratch.

Rooted in service and shaped by his background in competitive badminton, Rahim opens up about:

• Spotting a gap in the translation market
• The early days of Serv and learning from a tough business split
• How AI is reshaping the industry — and why localization still reigns
• Balancing the demands of family and entrepreneurship
• Why authenticity and persistence are critical for success

With lessons in grit, growth, and staying grounded, this episode is a candid look at the hustle behind a business that helps brands be understood around the world. 

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:37) Founding Serv Translation Agency

(3:37) Pivoting and Launching with Partners

(7:26) Why the name "Serv"?

(9:21) Experience in Northern Pakistan

(11:55) Athletics and Business

(13:44) Parenthood and Entrepreneurship

(16:46) No Days off - even on vacation

(18:36) Seeing your product out in the wild

(20:17) The impact of AI in the industry

(23:18) Impact of Rahim's Family on Entrepreneurship

(28:33) Business Development on crutches

(31:06) Moving the business to Toronto

(34:02) Relationships - in life and business

(37:20) Lessons from Nine Years in Business

On Episode 7 of Behind the Business, Batool Salim, Founder and Agent at Team Mosaic Realty, shares her journey of launching a real estate business while raising a family—sometimes quite literally from the nursery.

From taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship to systemizing her business for long-term success, Batool opens up about the highs and lows of building Mosaic RealEstate alongside her husband. She dives into the realities of navigating the Toronto real estate market, balancing parenthood with business ownership, and the importance of streamlining operations to scale.

This conversation is filled with real insights on what it takes to manage both a thriving business and a growing family—all while keeping a vision for the future. If you’re an entrepreneur, parent, or dream of starting your own venture, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice.

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:48) Launching Mosaic Real Estate

(4:50) The Dynamics of Working with your Spouse

(8:57) Balancing Parenthood and Entrepreneurship

(11:24) Taking the Leap of Faith 

(13:09) Navigating Peaks and Valleys in Business

(14:30) Insights on the Toronto Real Estate Market

(16:21) Celebrating Milestones and Achievements

(18:46) Future Aspirations for Mosaic

(20:42) Advice to Future Entrepreneurs

On Episode 6 of Behind the Business, Maha Mansoor & Michael Nistorescu, the husband-and-wife team behind Mansoor Law, join Faheem Savja for a conversation about building a thriving law firm while raising a family.

From launching their practice to scaling with a client-first approach, Maha and Michael share the realities of working together as spouses, the lessons they’ve learned as parent-entrepreneurs, and how their community-driven mindset has shaped their business.

They open up about:

🔹 The challenges (and perks!) of building with your spouse

🔹 How their clients and community fuel their growth

🔹 The most rewarding parts of running their own firm

🔹 The reality of entrepreneurship—beyond the highlights

🔹 What they’d tell their younger selves about business ownership

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to start and scale a business with your partner, this episode is packed with real insights, honest reflections, and valuable advice.

Our guests this week: mansoorlaw.ca

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:24) Formation of Mansoor Law

(4:50) Building with your spouse

(8:27) Scaling with the community in mind

(10:58) Client-first advantage 

(14:25) Being parent-entrepreneurs

(22:33) Most rewarding part

(26:43) Future of Mansoor Law

(31:03) Advice to their younger selves

(33:57) Reality of being an entrepreneur

On this episode of Behind the Business, Jiten Grover, Owner of Dipped Donuts, sits down with Faheem Savja for a candid conversation about turning a childhood passion into a thriving business.

Jiten shares how Toronto’s vibrant community—especially Kensington Market—shaped his vision and brand, inspiring him to create one of the city’s most beloved donut spots. Heopens up about the challenges of launching his first and second locations, navigating the food industry, and weathering the impact of the pandemic.

From leaving an office job to testing if entrepreneurship was the right fit, Jiten’s journey is packed with insights on resilience, building a strong team, and embracing the grind of running a small business.

If you've ever dreamed of starting your own venture, this episode is filled with real talk, hard-earned lessons, and of course, some seriously sweet inspiration. 🍩🎙️

Note: This episode contains occasional strong language.

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:42) How it all started - Donut Inspiration and an "office" job

(7:31) The Pandemic and Toronto love

(9:45) Importance of cash flow & marketing

(11:34) Expansion to 2nd location

(14:36) Managing time & staff as a founder

(18:49) Maintaining quality while growing

(20:45) Dr. Dre - the mixer

(21:45) Expanding presence online

(26:24) Jiten's biggest challenge - the brand

(31:50) Jiten's biggest reward 

(33:23) The creative donut process

(37:08) The best donut he's ever made

(38:38) What would he tell himself - 9 years ago

In this episode of Behind the Business, Fatima Jaffer, Real Estate Consultant at Texas Realty, joins Faheem Savja for a raw and insightful conversation on the grind of building a book of business from the ground up.

Fatima shares what it’s like to enter the real estate industry at a young age, navigate cultural expectations, and standout in a competitive field. From hustling to close deals to the challenge of creating work-life balance, she breaks down therealities of entrepreneurship that go beyond the highlight reel.

This conversation also explores the influence of family and culture on career choices, especially as children of immigrants in North America. Plus, Fatima flips the script—turning the tables on Faheem to dive into his own entrepreneurial journey.

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business, overcoming industry barriers, or making bold career moves, this episode is packed with relatable insights, hard-hitting advice, and real talk you don’t want to miss!

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

Chapters:

(0:00) Intro

(0:42) Real-Estate grind right out of grad

(3:51) Doing real-estate full-time

(5:50) Hustling from a young age

(7:11) Fear of starting out

(8:04) Establishing credibility at a young age

(11:49) Struggles of balancing life and growth

(21:20) Shifting priorities with age

(23:03) Impact of Family & Culture on Business

(26:00) Pressure to pick a career too early

(30:39) Rise and fall of agents during the pandemic

(35:25) It’s a people business

(36:30) Having a strong support system

On this episode of Behind the Business, Cory Gottfredson, Founder of Snow Crane Capital, joins Faheem to share his journey into the world of Search Funds—from taking the leap into entrepreneurship to raising capital and navigating the challenges of deal-making.

Cory opens up about the highs and lows of searching for and acquiring a business, what happens when deals fall through, and how he manages the pressures of entrepreneurship while balancing life as a father of three.

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to set up a fund, bring on investors, and successfully acquire a business, this episode is packed with real-world insights you don’t want to miss!

Welcome to Behind the Business.

Thank you for tuning in to our first season! Tons of new content on the way.

Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :

📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/

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

(0:00) Intro

(1:13) Cory's path to starting his Search Fund

(3:15) The concept of a Search Fund

(5:13) Bringing on Investors

(7:46) Snow Crane Capital - defining the search

(12:02) Impact on family life & a lonely search road

(18:51) Small Business Acquisitions vs Search Funds

(21:10) The perfect deal - that fell through…

(25:13) Shifting approach to finding the right business

(29:24) The market for acquisitions

(31:57) Finding the right partners and firms

(36:39) What's next for Snow Crane Capital?

(39:37) Cory's advice to searchers

On our second episode of Behind the Business, Raaziq Bhimani of ⁠Buddha Burger ⁠joins Faheem to talk about the restaurant game, building food culture and his approach on mentorship and people as an entrepreneur. Raaziq also shares his hockey and bollywood aspirations along the way! Tons of laughs and wild stories in this one. If you've ever wondered what the heat of the kitchen is like, you don't want to miss this one.

On our very first episode of Behind the Business, Salima Kassam of Sustain and Grow Digital joins Faheem to talk about quitting her dream job at Meta, managing the daily mental doubts of becoming an entrepreneur and her first year in business. Tons of laughs sprinkled with some harsh realities. This episode is one that anyone can relate to.

Welcome to Behind the Business.

Thank you for joining in our first season! Tons of new content on the way.