Canada’s Entrepreneur

Leor Rotchild is the Calgary-based Executive Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), where he champions responsible Canadian business as a force for good in the world. He also hosts a podcast called Pipelines & Turbines, which features interviews and commentary about topical energy and sustainability issues.

Leor started his career in the international development sector and spent several years as a sustainability leader in Alberta's energy sector. He founded a social enterprise specialized in zero-waste events and consulted to several clients in energy, clothing and apparel, and professional services.

Leor joined CBSR after completing a long term consulting assignment with the Energy Futures Lab, where he helped to launch a new social innovation platform to accelerate Alberta's energy transition.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Brady McDonald is a full time real estate investor (http://www.bkrealestateinvesting.com/), lifestyle entrepreneur and father. After 14 years swinging from tree top to tree top, Brady retired from Hydro One at the age of 32 but he hasn’t sat still. In 5 short years he and his wife, Kristy, have purchased over 120 properties, grown their team to 20, and currently operate a property management company as well as a renovation company. Stemming from his previous experience as a utility arborist instructor, Brady launched Learn with BK, which is the real estate investing education and coaching arm of their business. He and his team have won many awards including Canadian Real Estate Wealth's Joint Venture Partner of the Year and REIN’s Co-Venturer of the Year 2017 as well as REIN’s Renovator of the Year and the Leslie Cluff Memorial Player of the Year in 2018. Brady, Kristy and their team specialize in Real Estate Investing Joint Ventures where they partner with individuals who want to invest in real estate but don't have the time and expertise to do it alone. Together they collaborate to create turn key income properties in Barrie, Ontario that create both long term wealth and cashflow for everyone involved.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Dating back to law school, Brett Colvin had kept abreast of the access-to-justice crisis. According to Clio's legal trends report, roughly 77% of legal needs in North America go unmet. Bloated billable hours and the intimidating prospect of hiring a lawyer leave countless business owners with out the legal help they need. As a corporate lawyer, I realized early on that I would never be able to afford my hourly rate if I were to start my own business. This troubling insight led to my obsession in transforming the traditional law firm model in a way that allowed lawyers to work more efficiently and, as a result, help more people. Goodlawyer was born out of that need, and my desire to increase access and affordability to quality legal services for startups and entrepreneurs like myself. Goodlawyer provides an on-demand, "a la carte" legal services marketplace that allows business owners to get professional legal help more efficiently — at a fraction of firm rates. This year to date, we are proud to have helped over 700 businesses across Canada with a modern approach to hiring a good lawyer.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

MNTN was founded in 2018 with one mission in mind - to build the world's most sustainable lifestyle brand. Since then we've been developing a planet-over-profit business model with the environment, animals, and the death of corporate greed at the forefront. We're not here to line our own pockets, we're here to deliver high-quality products that not only look good, feel good, and can change the world, but create a new form of global capitalism that takes every environmental factor into consideration.

Kristian Hansen, CEO of MNTN, is a multi-award winning serial Entrepreneur, explorer, and mission-driven founder currently on a journey to solve the climate crisis through eco-conscious capitalism, the power of consumerism, and data. Originally from Calgary AB, Kristian grew up in Dubai and spent the last 10 years exploring in 70+ countries building start-ups. He is currently living in Montreal, Québec.

Jake Robitaille, CMO of MNTN, was born and raised in Europe but has been living in Montreal for a little over a decade. He is an experienced public relations manager and sales representative with a bachelor's in communication from the University of Montreal. Passionate about marketing and the creative process of advertising, his goal has always been to broaden his horizons and seek opportunities related to communicational strategies. With years of sales experience, Jake has transitioned to leading his own PR team for a hyper-sustainable startup.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Eric Vardon is a AI Tech Entrepreneur (www.morphio.ai), C-Suite Executive and Advisor with more than 20 years of success in marketing, sports, advertising, cannabis, health and wellness, fitness, luxury, fashion, beauty, technology, and digital industries. Leveraging extensive experience in business development and start-ups, Eric’s broad areas of expertise include brand development, digital strategy, communications, entrepreneurship, leadership, and growth.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Carl Fransen is CEO, Entrepreneur, System Architect, Public Speaker, Author and World Traveler with over 22 years of progressive business and IT experience.

His passion is to make his mark on the world in a positive and lasting way. Carl wants to set an example for his son, that he can compete with integrity in today's world, be very successful, and leave the world a better place.

Combining his technical/business based education with a long career steadily progressing up the corporate ladder, he decided to build a company that held true to his values. So, he founded and designed the next generation of IT support firm: CTECH Consulting Group Inc. CTECH is a completely automated, cloud based IT company designed to compete against any other IT firm without the overhead. They promote a life style to all our staff where they can work any where, at any time, access any information, on any device that is relevant to their job and collaborate with anyone they want to.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Toronto-based entrepreneur and the world's youngest Garfield licensee and founder of GarfieldEATS, Nathen Mazri along with corporate partner, Pascal Haider are scheduled to launch Egeez, the first tech-driven, entergaging (Entertaining + Engaging) e-commerce site dedicated to connecting fans with global entertainment brands and their collectable merchandise and food globally before Christmas 2020. Ranging from comics, celebrities, cartoons, entertainment merchandise or food are all provided for fans and geolocated targeted based on the city they live in. Egeez in onboarding licensees of major studios and licensors such as Nickelodeon, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, WWE, Endamol Shine, Smurfs and even Penguin Random House licensed books and many more to come.

Ai technology, the Egeez website and database predicts fans IP statistics per their region to showcase the best products surrounding them to help support licensors’ overstock departments, along with meeting targeted sales and connecting consumers with their favourite products. With industries such as Mobile eCommerce, box office revenues, retail sales and a digital shopping increase of 40 percent, brands and retainers from around the world can look to corner a nice market with Egeez’s as their online provider and connector to fans globally. When Egeez launches before Christmas 2020, fans can log into the marketplace by going to egeez.com or download the app in Google Play or the Apple Store to browse Egeez’s online shops from all their favourite entertainment brands globally. Egeez is a proud member of Licensing International, supporting us to onboard licensees and licensors given their 35 years of network with WWE, Warner Bros, Walt Disney, and many more. Egeez’s has initially created an online platform for entertainment brands to ‘onboard’ their overstock, whether they’re a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, restaurant or entrepreneur, as Egeez’s is providing companies the opportunity to join the marketplace before the official launch. Egeez’s have Happiness Account Managers in every continent today onboarding official licensed products around the clock from North America to India, Europe, Asia and Middle East. As for licensees, Egeez will support their digital sales strategy during this pandemic especially and help them impress their licensor with shining quarterly royalty reports.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

A serial entrepreneur and business leader, Joel Sherlock is a born connector who has been building great teams and delivering the expertise to execute. Joel has been at the helm of 9 successful start-ups and corporate exits, including one of BC’s top private real estate brokerages, a national first action sports e-commerce company, a successful corporate consulting firm and a few private equity funds. Joel’s time is now focused on Kelowna, BC-based Vitalis Extraction Technology, an industry leader in manufacturing industrial supercritical CO2 extraction equipment, where he is Chairman and Co-Founder, as well as on Spectrum Asset Leasing and Doventi Capital. Doventi Capital in Vancouver is the private equity fund he co-founded to support professionals in the growing legal cannabis market. Spectrum Leasing in Toronto is an asset backed lender designed to support entrepreneurs and manufacturers in the world’s fastest growing market. Born in Winnipeg Manitoba, Joel’s early years were on the farm, that all seems a far cry from studying finance at UBC and Harvard Business School and offices in Vancouver, Kelowna and Toronto. Joel still loves to balance all this travel with a few days on the farm, with no phone or internet.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Rob Townsend is Founder and CEO of Camber, an independent fintech and wealth management company in Calgary.

Camber is focused on helping people make smarter decisions with their money through data-driven analysis. It has recently launched the Camber Dashboard, an online tool that helps high net worth clients visualize and optimize their finances so they can increase returns, minimize taxes and avoid costly mistakes.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.

Michael DeVenney, President of Halifax-based WorkInsights, began researching entrepreneurial mental health after his own depression and anxiety forced him to sell two businesses. His research led to him founding ‘The Mindset Project’ which empowers entrepreneurs to talk about and manage their mental health as well as provides tools to support founders in the growth of their business. Though he knows the warning signs, he says he’s been affected by the stress of the pandemic and has had to make it a priority to use coping strategies and manage his mental health. DeVenney says entrepreneurs feel the weight of their personal and business stresses combined and it’s hard to separate the two. He hopes to challenge stigma and promote open conversation about the mental health struggles many entrepreneurs face.

Click here to download a free copy of the BDC report on entrepreneur mental health and well-being.

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneurial podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter.