Boiling Point Podcast

The Mighty Introvert

 

Introducing Luis Vazquez and TheMightyIntrovert.com

What type of person do you think of when you think of an entrepreneur? Most likely you think of a boisterous visionary type who stands out from the crowd. While this is often how we characterize entrepreneurs, this isn’t always the case. Many entrepreneurs would consider themselves introverts who would much rather an evening of quiet contemplation than an evening of schmoozing at a networking social. Sadly, many entrepreneurial-minded introverts never take the first steps to pursuing their own business because there is so much interaction in starting a business and with the selling process. Today’s Boiling Point guest is out to smash the misconception that introverts cannot be successful business people; they just need to go about things a different way.

Luis Vazquez calls himself a s creative hustler but is also a freelance developer, a former break-dancer, and an introvert who helps other introverts to shine with his website, TheMightyIntrovert.com. His message to introverts is to stop pretending to be extraverts.   This can be hard for some because a lot of the resources out there are designed for the more extraverted. The resource that Luis has developed has not only helped him and his own business, but countless other introverts.

Check out this episode of the Boiling Point to fully empower yourself or your favorite introvert.

 

In this episode

• Monica is back filling in for Greg.
• We hear about how Greg met Luis at a Seth Godin event.
• The group discusses the benefits to being both an introvert and an extravert.
• Luis tells us about how difficult it was initially for him to become a freelancer as an introvert.
• Luis tells us about his background as a first generation Mexican-American in a poor neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and how some of this played into his introversion.
• Luis also tells us how in Mexican culture can see introverts as ‘the alphas’.
• We hear how by trying to sell as an extravert Luis was rewarded with $150 and a Burger King Sandwich. We then hear how this all changed when he tried some different strategies.
• Luis tells us why improvisation or “winging it” doesn’t work for introverts as much as for extraverts, but there is a better strategy.
• Dave mentions how some extraverts have no problem speaking, but often have difficulty truly listening.
• Luis tells us how introverts can be team players, but in a different way.
• He also tells us that being in more extraverted situations can become easier if you treat the situation like building a muscle.
• We hear how introverts are not necessarily shy.
• Dave is drawn in by Luis and agrees there is so much to learn about the diversity of strengths we all bring.
• Monica sees how introverts and extraverts really do compliment each other and we also hear how this played out in her office’s creative brainstorming sessions.

 

Links

- TheMightyIntrovert.com

- Luis on Twitter

- Luis on Linked In

- Course on Prospecting for Introverts

 

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Be Motivated by the Challenge

 

Introducing Heather Moyse

Have you truly challenged yourself lately? So many of us go through our daily lives and make excuses why we can’t take ourselves to the next level. Maybe we are just being lazy, have fears that we won’t live up to our dreams, or assume we are not good enough. Sometimes we just need to be motivated by someone that has done something extraordinary to kick-start our own challenges. Someone like two-time Olympic gold medalist Heather Moyse.

You would be surprised to find out that Heather wasn’t always so driven. She admits that her athletic prowess had more to do with genetics than dedication. Though she played three varsity sports in university, you wouldn’t have ever seen her in the gym lifting weights in her spare time. What Heather did enjoy was a challenge, which is just what happened when at the age of 27 she was given the opportunity to go to the Olympics just five months after being introduced to the sport of bobsledding. Find out how her challenge was almost if not more rewarding than her gold medals in this inspiring episode of the Boiling Point.

 

In this episode

• Monica is back filling in for Greg.
• We are introduced to Heather for both the person she is as well as her accomplishments.
• We learn about what Heather is up to now and her passion for empowering others.
• Heather tells us about the surreal experience of going to the Olympics.
• Heather makes the point that she was just one of the best in the world who were willing to take a leap of faith to try to best at something and we are all capable of more than we generally give ourselves credit for.
• We hear how Heather is inspiring others to take her path to become more than they could have imagined.
• She tells us about her “no regrets” philosophy and what that means to her.
• Heather tells us why we should strive for the “unlikely, but possible” and how she is now more motivated by a challenge than by mastering it.
• Dave likes the idea of stepping back to appreciate and embrace the challenge and not just being focused on the result.
• Monica wants to reevaluate where she may have had some limiting beliefs that may have stunted her in the past.

 

Links

- Heather's Website

- Heather on Facebook

- Heather on Twitter

- Heather on Instagram 

 

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The Business of Brainstorming

 

Introducing Marilyn Barefoot and Barefoot Brainstorming

Children have a natural ability to be creative. You give a kid a box and she will imagine it as a million different things. At some point though a lot of us seem to misplace this creative ability to make random associations, but this skill is so important to so many professions, including creative entrepreneurs. This week’s Boiling Point guest is an expert in retraining your brain to become more creative once again.

Marilyn Barefoot is the head of Barefoot Brainstorming based out of Toronto, Ontario. Marilyn spent almost 30 years in the creative aspects of advertising and during that time noticed that in most agencies there was no process to being creative. Now Marilyn is helping companies all around the world by tapping into the creative abilities of their employees.

Check out this episode of the Boiling Point to see how you can get your creative juices flowing.

 

In this episode

• Previous BP guest, Monica Adair fills in as a guest host for Greg.
• We are introduced to Marilyn and hear a little bit about her background.
• Marilyn tells us what prompted her to go and find a process for creativity.
• We learn a little bit about the Osborn-Parnes model of creative problem solving.
• Marilyn notes that children have the innate ability to make random associations and it seems that formal education impacts our ability to make the same associations as easily.
• We hear a story of how random association helped Michelangelo invent the bicycle and how it helped develop Velcro.
• Marilyn teaches of the importance of divergence and convergence in the process of being creative.
• We hear some examples of how the brainstorming process has helped big companies make some unique decisions.
• Monica loves the idea of getting ideas and thought out of their typical “silos” and making new and interesting connections to seemingly unconnected things.
• Dave feels like there is so much more to lean from someone like Marilyn and notes the confidence she would have to have to facilitate such a creative experience.

 

Links

- Barefoot Brainstorming Website

- Marilyn on Linked In

- Barefoot Brainstorming on Facebook

- Marilyn on Twitter

- Barefoot Brainstorming on YouTube

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Positivity and Transparency

 

Reintroducing Jake Rothschild and Jake’s Ice Cream 

Social media can be an incredibly powerful force for good, but often it is used to spread vitriol and to create a platform for unconstructive argument. Many are looking to tune out the negativity including this week’s Boiling Point guest, Jake Rothschild.

Jake was a previous guest of the Boiling Point and had introduced us to his amazing Joyscream, possibly the world’s healthiest ice cream. Like many Americans, Jake has many reservations about the USA’s current political environment, the division of its people, and the negativity and arguments he sees being spread online. As a man who knows how to get people’s attention, Jake is trying to change the conversation online by spreading positivity and by being transparent.

Jake has decided to remain apolitical for the foreseeable future but wants to promote the good news that is still out there. One great example of this was a Facebook page he created to follow his journey to lose weight. Within 60 days, Jake had lost 24 lbs. and was amazed by the number of people that joined his group sharing their own stories and cheering him on.

Check out this episode to see how Jake is spreading the positive vibes on this episode of the Boiling Point.

 

In this episode

• We hear how Jake gave Greg a marketing idea, which resulted in Greg finally selling his cottage.

Jake tells us his thoughts on America’s current political environment.

We hear about Jake’s former life within the media.

Jake shows us some of the flaws of the current social media landscape and how it can make people miserable.

We hear how he stopped being political online but started spreading the positive.

Jake tells us how the support he found on social media helped him to lose 24 lbs. in 60 days.

We also hear about Jake’s food business incubator is helping to launch other people’s businesses at the Irwin Street Market in Atlanta, Georgia.

We hear how brands like Uber are jumping on board with Jake.

Jake tells us how the community kitchen is a great way to test out new products without a huge investment.

We discuss how the incubator is like a venture capitalist where the currency is expertise and positivity.

 

Links

- Jake's Previous Boiling Point Appearance 

- Jake's Ice Cream Website

- Jake's Website

- Jake's Ice Cream on Twitter

- Jake's Ice Cream on Facebook

- Jake on Facebook

- The Irwin Street Market Website

- Greg Selling his N.B. Cottage

 

 

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The B Corp Bank

 

Introducing Craig Ryan and BDC

Financing is a big deal for entrepreneurs, but so often the charter banks just don’t “get” entrepreneurs. Luckily for Canadians, there is an option out there that is exclusively for entrepreneurs and they really do “get it”. That bank is the Business Development Bank of Canada and their director of social entrepreneurship, Craig Ryan, is our Boiling Point Guest this week.

The BDC was created by the federal government with the purpose to support entrepreneurship with special attention to small and medium sized businesses with loans, investments, and advising. The BDC is not just the bank for entrepreneurs but is also a B Corp and a great supporter of the cause. Check out this week’s episode of the Boiling Point to see how financing your social venture can be accomplished with the BDC.

 

In this episode

• We meet Craig and hear about how he and the BDC helped spread the message of “The Millennial Dream”.
• We hear about the purpose of the BDC and why that purpose is not a “mandate”.
• Dave mentions the difference between his experiences as an entrepreneur with the charter banks and the BDC.
• Craig tells us a little about some great B Corps across the country that you may not of heard about.
• We delve into Craig’s background to see how he became a director of social entrepreneurship at BDC.
• Craig tells us why the B Corp movement is so important to him and the BDC.
• We also hear how Greg and “the Millennial Dream” were used as bait.
• Craig also tells us about the Measure What Matters Tool, which is available on the BDC website and how it can measure your business’s impact in a very short amount of time.
• Dave thinks it is so cool that a bank is helping promote the message in “the Millennial Dream”.
• Greg is proud to be a part owner (along with all other Canadians) in a bank that gets entrepreneurs and believes in them.

 

Links

- The BDC Website

- The BDC's Measure What Matters Tool

- The BDC on Twitter

- The BDC on Facebook

- The B Corporation Website

- Craig on Linked In

- The Millennial Dream Website

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Put Up or Shut Up

 

Introducing Janice MacPherson and Pomodori Pizzeria

We have all had the experience to being unsatisfied and it isn’t a great feeling. For some of us though, being dissatisfied can be the catalyst to creating something great. Take this week’s Boiling Point guest, who would end up ordering local fast food in order to get something on her table, but would often end up complaining to herself about what she received. Instead of just accepting what she got, she decided to “put up or shut up” and get into the fast food business for herself.

Janice MacPherson is the co-founder of Pomodori Pizzeria in Rothesay, New Brunswick along with her husband and previous BP guest, Steve Goddard back in 2008. Prior to Pomodori, Janice was running an independent internet service provider in British Columbia named Net Idea Telecommunications, which offered ISP services to people in Nelson, BC.   However, after becoming pregnant with her second child, she decided to move home to the Maritimes and work for the ISP remotely. During this time, she ended up eating out often but was often left unimpressed with the service and food she was receiving. The answer was to fix her problem herself and as a result Pomodori was founded. Now in business for around 8 years and after being rated 8th best in the world in the World Pizza Championship in Italy, Janice was able to turn dissatisfaction into a thriving business.

Find out how you could do this as well in the episode of the Boiling Point.

 

In this episode

• Greg and Dave are treated to some fantastic pizza from Pomodori.
• Janice tells us about the ups and downs of opening a new business two months before the greatest recession of our time.
• Janice also tells us about the work she does with the Wallace McCain Institute and her four-year stint interviewing entrepreneurs on CBC radio.
• We hear about how she got involved in an ISP years before the local telecommunication companies did in BC.
• She tells us of what prompted her to get into the food business after returning to New Brunswick.
• We understand Janice’s thought process when deciding on how Pomodori was to be set up and why she decided to go the route of fast counter service versus a full service restaurant.
• Janice tells us what prompted her and her business partners to enter the World Pizza Championships and the outcomes that resulted.
• We also hear about Janice’s human resource philosophies and how she is able to get teenagers to take on real responsibility so that they are able to gain true confidence.
• There is also a discussion on why we don’t see more healthy fast food options.

 

Links

- Pomodori's Website

- Pomodori on Twitter

- Pomodori on Facebook

- Janice on Twitter

- Janice on Facebook

- Net Idea's Website

- Wallace McCain Institute's Website

- World Pizza Championship's Website

- Steve Goddard on The Boiling Point

- Judith Mackin on The Boiling Point

                                                                                                   

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From Break to B Lab

 

Introducing Joyce Sou and B Lab

It seems we all live busy lives. We all have obligations and commitments that take up our working and non-working hours and often this leads to a lack of time to sit back and reflect. As our Boiling Point guest this week could tell us, taking some time away from your daily grind can help you reassess your situation and put you on a completely different path.

Joyce Sou went to business school and didn’t really know what she wanted to as a career path. At the time, she decided to take the path of least resistance to become an accountant and later an auditor in consumer markets. Though she credits her experience in these roles for developing her leadership skills, she knew that her current career path wasn’t what she wanted to do long term. After getting married, Joyce and her husband decided that they were going to take a break and had a sabbatical year to travel around the world and as an unintended consequence she learned a great deal about social enterprise.

To learn more about the results of her sabbatical and her work with B Lab, check out this episode of the Boiling Point.

 

In this episode 

• We meet Joyce and hear about her work with B Lab in Canada.
• Joyce tells us about her background and what led her to take a sabbatical that would change her life.
• Joyce tells us how her time away gave her the ability to reassess her career path and to realize that the world still spins when you step back from your commitments.
• Dave and Greg consider the merits of taking a sabbatical themselves.
• We discuss how taking time away would lead to a different perspective.
• Joyce tells us how she then got involved with B Lab and how business can help impact the world for good.
• We discuss the merits of being a B Corporation or just taking the B Impact Assessment.
• Joyce tells us how two hours of your time on the B Impact Assessment could give you a benchmark of how your company stands.
• We also hear how Joyce is getting involved in hockey to one-day pay with her daughter.
• Dave is inspired by the way that Joyce found her way to B Lab.
• Greg considers how using a sabbatical as a reset is so interesting.

 

Links

- Joyce on Twitter

- Joyce on Linked In

- B Corporation Website

- B Corporation on Twitter

- B Corp Canada on Twitter

- B the Change Website

- B Impact Assessment

 

 

 

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Collaboration over Adversarial Relations

 

Introducing George Chmael II and Council Fire

It is always great to work in a collaborative environment but sometimes there is a belief that such environments cannot be achieved. So often instead of thinking of ways that everyone can work in concert, groups take an adversarial stance where the result makes one group a winner and another the loser. Today’s guest believes that more often than not and even in contested situations there is still a way to work together to achieve a result that everyone can be happy with.

George Chmael II is the president and chief sustainability officer at Council Fire, a Maryland based small sustainability consultancy, which has been running for 17 years and works on projects all over the world. Council Fire operates at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social issues and uses an approach of collaboration because, “together we are smarter than any one of us alone.”

A great example of their collaborative approach is when they were working with the port of Baltimore and the environmental impacts of maintaining a 128-mile “highway” between the city and the Chesapeake Bay. Instead of an us versus them mentality in regards to the port and environmentalists, George and his group engaged stakeholders, which led to greater results for all those involved including costing taxpayers $125 million less than they would have if they had taken the adversarial route.

Check out this episode of the Boiling Point to learn more and to see how this approach could work for you in the future.

 

In this episode

• Dave tells us about his experience as a chaperone at We Day.
• We learn about how Greg and George worked collaboratively to bring “The Millennial Dream” to some US showings.
• We learn about the work that Council Fire does in the sustainability space.
• George tells us how things have changed in the world of sustainability from when he started his company 17 years ago.
• We hear why collaboration is so important with the work that George does.
• George also tells us why his training as a lawyer helps him in his work today.
• We hear of a great example of his work in relation to the port of Baltimore and the great spinoffs that came from it.
• Dave talks about how being collaborative can be tough and that it takes a high degree of cooperation, trust, and time.
• George tells us that credibility does not flow from words but from action.

 

Links

- Council Fire Website

- Council Fire on Twitter

- SustainaFest Website

- George on Linked In

 

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He Wrote the Book

 

Introducing Ryan Honeyman and LIFT Economy

With increasing interest in B-Corp companies, many are left wondering how to learn more about the craze and how they can get involved. To this purpose, this week we have Ryan Honeyman from LIFT Economy who is also the writer of “The B Corp Handbook”.

Ryan is no stranger to the B Corp movement. In 2011, he started his own solo consulting firm focusing on making companies more sustainable and soon he heard rumblings of the B Corp movement and was impressed at its ability to measure and manage social and environmental impact. The trouble was explaining what B Corps were in a 30 second elevator pitch, so for those who wanted to know more he wrote “The B Corp Handbook”.

Today, Ryan is a partner at LIFT Economy, which is an impact-consulting firm that seeks to create, model, and share locally self-reliant economy for the benefit of all life. Ryan is also a podcaster for Next Economy Now and is currently fundraising for a Best for the World/B Corp accelerator called the Force for Good.

Check out this episode to learn even more about the B Corp movement.

 

In this episode

• Ryan tells us a little about himself and LIFT Economy.
• We learn how he got interested in B Corps and how he ended up writing the book on the movement.
• We learn how companies that are not B Corps are using the assessment to benchmark their company’s performance.
• Ryan tells us about his Force For Good Accelerator Fund and how the money is being raised through equity-based crowd funding.
• There is a discussion on crowd funding and what makes equity crowd funding different.
• Ryan tells us a bit about the Next Economy Now podcast for which he is a member.
• Dave is impressed with how Ryan is so generous with his time and knowledge and his approach to financing B Corps.
• Greg is inspired by how people like Ryan are doing such amazing things so selflessly.

 

Links

- Ryan on Linked In

- Ryan on Twitter

- The B Corp Handbook

- LIFT Economy Website

- LIFT Economy on Twitter 

- Force for Good Accelerator on WeFunder

- The Next Economy Now Podcast

 

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Inspiring a Region

 

Introducing Karina LeBlanc and the Pond-Deshpande Centre

We here at the Boiling Point Podcast spend a lot of time discussing triple bottom line businesses, but the question becomes where can I find out how to get involved in this emerging sector of socially minded businesses? This week’s guest has just the organization for you to check out.

Karina LeBlanc is the executive director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre based out of the University of New Brunswick. Entrepreneurs Gerry Pond, Jaishree Deshpande, and Gururaj Deshpande founded the centre with a mission to act as a catalyst to grow and support a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada. Beyond this, the Pond-Deshpande Centre seeks to simulate young people (and young-minded people) to become active and engaged change makers and leaders in the emerging business-for-good ecosystem. When Karina came on board as the executive director, she already had experience in the Fortune 500, startup, and non-profit space. She decided to take a 90-day “listening” tour to understand how the centre could assist the province and the region. From that tour, she learned that too often young people were disconnected from the concept of becoming an entrepreneur and there was little to no conversation about being a social entrepreneur. Since then, the centre has produced over 100 alumni and has been the catalyst in New Brunswick recent business boom.

Check out this week’s episode to learn how you could take the same practices to your region.

 

In this episode

• Greg tells us about his recent trip to the B Corp Champions retreat in Philadelphia.
• We hear how Greg and Karina met and how it spun off into the “Millennial Dream”.
• Karina tells us about the mission and goals of the Pond-Deshpande Centre.
• We hear about the great work the centre does with students all around New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.
• Karina speaks about the misconceptions that some have toward becoming and entrepreneur and what it truly means.
• We hear how starting the centre was similar to many other start-ups.
• Greg mentions that he hears all over North America about how the centre does things right.
• We discuss what makes the centre and New Brunswick different then many other areas.
• Karina tells us about their accelerator programs.
• She also lets us in on some authors you should check out if you want to get involved with social entrepreneurship.
• Greg is truly inspired by Karina and the centre and how it has created a legacy of giving back.
• Dave agrees that there is so much to learn about the space and thinks it was great that the centre got it start by doing a “listening tour”.

 

Links

- The Pond-Deshpande Centre Website

- Pond-Deshpande on Facebook

- Pond-Deshpande on Twitter

- Millennial Dream Website

- Karina on LinkedIn

- Karina's Bio

- Karina on Twitter

 

 

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