Today I speak with Tariq Fancy, the former Chief Investment Officer for "Sustainable" Investing at BlackRock (2017-2019). BlackRock is a financial services firm with over $9 trillion in investments. After trying to improve Wall Street’s "green" initiatives from the inside, Tariq realized the idea of “green” was exploited for marketing and there was little social impact happening. Now Tariq is ready to blow the whistle about greenwashing. He founded Rumie - an ed-tech nonprofit startup (2013) that provides effective and scalable ways to close the learning gap. In May 2020, Rumie 2.0 launched. Rumie 2.0 is a new suite of learning solutions, evolving to meet the demands of modern-day learners with an open and free library of micro-learning courses on the essential life and career skills it takes to succeed. In this episode, we talk about why and how he transitioned from the hyper corporate world to running a nonprofit as well as trying to make a difference in the world.

Tariq's social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

Rumie's social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

Our skin is happiest when we are happy, so let’s start there! Caralyn is a Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner RHNP™ and Acne Expert. As a holistic skin coach, she empowers her clients to listen to their bodies and make tweaks to their lifestyle, skincare routine, mindset, and nutrition to clear their skin naturally. In this episode we talk about how Caralyn was able to make this business her full-time job and how she has been growing as a solopreneur handling and learning all the business functions. Hope you all enjoy this episode and wear your sunscreen.

https://www.caralynhale.com/

@caralyn_skintheory

Caralyn’s Acne Foundations E-Course: https://www.caralynhale.com/acne-reset

Today I speak with Amer from TTT Studios. With the help of his team at TTT Studios, Amer launched Shop Studio Live. This Shopify App empowers brands to foster meaningful relationships with their customers while supercharging conversion rates through engaging live videos. Amer and I discuss how he developed a repeatable process to create new startups for his organization and how he brought Shop Studio Live to market. This is a fantastic episode if you want to know more about how Amer got a product on Shopify and how your business can bring more innovation and creativity while running lean.

Website: https://www.shopstudio.live/

In this episode I had the opportunity to speak with Max Lieberman to learn more about his story and his mission “We believe that education and empathy create a better workplace for all” . When entered the workforce he quickly realized that many companies lacked the knowledge on how to accommodate people with disabilities. Just like many entrepreneurs he saw a challenge he wanted to solve.

Many companies refused to accommodate his learning disabilities, which made it difficult to climb the corporate ladder. He realized there must be other people facing similar challenges. Max created Liebs & Co. to ensure people with disabilities are better understood and given fair opportunities in the workplace.

Liebs & Co Website: https://liebsandco.com/ 

Math and beauty may not always go hand and hand, but Art AI has made this happen by training AI to develop art as if a human created it. Art AI that creates “Art made by Artificial Intelligence that Captures the Eye & the Mind” has allowed people, like me, to add one-of-a-kind artwork to their collections. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ben, one of the three founders of Art AI. Ben, who alongside Eyal and Guy, have developed a new unique form of art. Ben and I speak about how their idea came to be and how you train an algorithm to create art at a high level. This innovation that democratizes art is truly fascinating. Now everyone can acquire unique and intricate artwork for an accessible price.

https://www.artaigallery.com/

A picture can be worth a thousand words... or dollars. In this episode, we speak with Josh Carn-Saferstein from Birdhill Studio. Josh explains how he transformed a camera and hobby into a brand-focused business that works with some of the most exciting CPG companies. We speak about the differences between a professional shoot and an iPhone shoot and when to use each. The creative process may seem like a black box of secrets,  but Josh breaks it down and describes his process.  Josh explains how he approaches a project as well as the openness he shares with his customers. One of the most exciting things we discuss is Josh’s approach to attracting his first customers and building long-standing relationships.

https://www.birdhillstudio.com/

You may be wondering what Building Blocks is or curious about why I started it. On this special long weekend episode, I share a bit about me, how I got to where I am today, and what the future holds for the podcast. If you have been enjoying the podcast and have a guest recommendation feel free to send drop a message or leave a comment below.

This is a special episode as we speak with Adolphus Bassey, one of my best friends, one of the most hard-working people I know who not only promotes happiness but also elevates everyone around him. Growing up in Odukpani, Cross River State, Nigeria Adolphus found cybersecurity when trying to look for a niche to focus in as a software engineer he found consulting where he became the youngest manager within his Deloitte office, from there he wanted to take steps in being more business focus where he went to UBC to attain his MBA from here he has interviewed and work with some of the top tech and consulting companies. This podcast we speak about his secrets to success and the secret is…. Hard work. We speak about his mindset around how he views the world and what he considered success all while keeping a smile on his face. Hope you enjoy this episode as he is one of the biggest reasons for any success I have had through my MBA career and is also one of the few geniuses I have met in my life.

The rumor is you can't have your cake and eat it too, but Susgrainable has figured out a way to drink your beer and eat it too. Susgrainable transforms beer "waste" into premium baked goods, including cookies, waffles, and banana bread. This beer “waste” should not be called waste at all as it’s the healthiest part of the grain; it is high in fiber, protein, and minerals.

In this episode with Marc, we talk about his career decisions and journey. Marc was a former nutritionist, who worked with people wanting to improve their diet, however, most eventually fell victim to the sugary sweetness of snacks such as cookies. Marc applied this experience and knowledge to add nutritional value to his baked goods. During Marc’s MBA, he learned that beer waste makes up a large segment of global waste, and this “waste” was mostly all fiber and nutrition. This was the start of a sweet idea. From the chalkboard to the market, Susgrainable, has not only been opening people's eyes to upcycling but giving them a tasty treat along the way. Right now they are doing a Kickstarter to introduce their dry good products and mixes, so everyone can enjoy and make “Susgrainable” baked goods at home. Hope you enjoy the podcast and look for ways to upcycle more in your life.

https://susgrainable.com/

Kenny has started a variety of companies and organizations that include Kicksaw and SalesTO. Our conversation covers a variety of topics including unpaid internships, how to get the most out of a job, how to grow in a career, and how to better prepare to start a business. Most importantly we speak about how he was able to progress and build the skill needed to run a successful company. Our discussion explores ideas that you don’t need to start a business to start something and with a focus on being realistic, you can ensure that your effort is put in the right places. Some of these key learnings from this discussion I wish I knew back in my early twenties. Kenny and I had a similar experience working our first jobs in Kitchener/Waterloo. This conversation was a refreshing and unique view on what it means to be an entrepreneur and how you can take everyday steps to become better prepared to manage a team and find a passion.