Chatter that Matters

Patrice Mousseau, First Nations, single Mom, watching her eight-month-old daughter scratch her arms and legs until they were bloody. The only prescription the Doctor offered to help with her daughter's eczema was a steroid cream, something Patrice didn't want to do. So Patrice researched and identified five natural and organic ingredients that could help. Her research proved right and within two days her daughter was cured and as it turns out she wasn't the only beneficiary.

Word of mouth, then a farmers market and fast forward to today and 800 stores sell Satya Organic Skin Cream. Patrice is just getting started. 20% of children suffer from eczema, and the numbers from adults aren't far beyond. How big can Patrice's business get? She is already doing deals in Hong Kong and the USA. Can Patrice manage her growth?

To help answer that question three experts weigh in. Vicki Saunders, the founder of SheEO who is one of the most impressive individuals I have ever chatted with. When you learn about their approach to empowering women and capitalism you will have renewed faith in #radicalgenerosity and collective wisdom. Vicki offers so much in terms of what it takes to build a business. From RBC we have Devinder Gill who is swept up in Patrice's story, but also offers some sage advice on how to scale. Corby Fine, one of our thought leaders from Season One returns and puts his big digital brain to work on her business. He gets straight to the point to point Patrice in the right direction.

Every small business owner, aspiring #entrepreneur, anyone dealing with the confines of a gig economy, or wanting to dream and do will benefit from this episode. A Mom doing what she can to keep her daughter from suffering. From farmer markets to800 retailers to knocking at the door of global markets. This is a true and telling tale of against all odds, but beating those odds with institution, insights, and the incredible SheEO platform to stand on.

Chatter that Mattes is presented by RBC.

A crockpot solution (01:10) Patrice's daughter, only 8 months old developed eczema. With no alternative treatments, except steroid cream, Patrice seeks for an alternative. Researching both traditional and academic sources, she decides to make her own treatment…in her crockpot! It worked. Patrice was onto something.

Community matters (02:32) Growing up in a small town in Northwest Ontario, and being part of the Anishinaabe Nation, provided Patrice with a strong sense of community. This held her in good stead as she battled and overcame alcoholism, eventually finding her feet to establishing herself as a successful broadcast journalist at CBC and APTN However, Patrice it not fulfilled and moves on.

From local to global (06:42) Making her first sale at a local farmers market, Patrice is ecstatic and gets her product certified organic and approved by Health Canada. Satya is launched. Getting her product onto the shelf was her next step. Starting with a "no" at the first local store she approached, Patrice's' eczema product is now in over 800 stores and has a partnership in Hong Kong. Satya's growth has relied mostly on word-of-mouth but it's now time to step this up a level or two. Patrice looks to our three experts for their advice.

Advice to grow (10:06) Corby Fine, VP Digital at goeasy - Patrice needs to "dial-up" her communication on why the product matters, why her product is the best for the consumer. It's a great product, make sure your communications bring this the fore. Devinder Gill, Regional VP, RBC Business Financial Services - sometimes you have to look back to go forwards. Getting clarity on Patrice's global ambitions would be a great place to start. Vicki Saunders, CEO of SheEO - don't focus on too many things at once; focus on what's directly in front of you and remember to breathe.

My closing thoughts - Patrice's North Star (25:40) In spite of her success, Patrice has never lost her North Star, always remaining true to her purpose. Caring about those who suffer from eczema and the planet, Patrice is striving to expand her business globally, never feeling disadvantaged by her circumstances. The DNA of a true entrepreneur.

Links and References

Patrice Mousseau, Owner, Satya Organic Skincare LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-mousseau-1109791a/ Website - https://satya.ca

Vicki Saunders, CEO of SheEO LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vsaunders/

Corby Fine, VP Digital at goeasy LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/corbyfine/

Devinder Gill, Regional Vice President, RBC Business Financial Services LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinder-k-gill-82446323/

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit - https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Joe Parenteau is one of the co-founders of Vancouver based startup Fable. They want to become a world-renowned direct to the consumer brand, that sells dinner plates and cutlery, and eventually other accessories for your home. Finding and acquiring customers is crucial, but it is both challenging and expensive in a crowded marketplace. Our three thought leaders have different opinions about Fable's prospects. Sunil Sharma, Managing Director of Techstars Toronto, likes the founders, their business plan, and the fact they are generating revenue. Lori Darlington, VP of RBC, is a fan of their brand and their accomplishments to date but encourages them to work closely with their financial institution, and advisors on a SWOT analysis and scenario planning. Joe Mimran, who created Club Monaco, and the Joe Fresh brand isn't so confident. He views the category as slow-moving, questions Fable's price point, and then offers them some incredible advice to create a brand that can be world-renowned. We include a bonus track featuring Joe Mimran's story.

Presented by, RBC.

From bookkeeping to dinnerware (01:28) Graduating as an account Joe Parenteau starts his career at an accounting firm that built software for bookkeeping. While working there Joe was inspired to create his own company. With a passion for interior design and the desire to be an entrepreneur, Joe cofounds Fable.co, a dinnerware company selling directly to consumers.

Designed in Vancouver, made in Portugal (05:27) Unlike Amazon and Wayfair who merely curate dinnerware, Fable, design the dinnerware themselves and sources it from Portugal, using only ethical and sustainable craftsmanship. Joe and his partners' vision is to expand their product range, moving from the dinner table to other spaces across the home.

Joe asks for advice (08:50) In order to fulfil this vision, Joe asks for the following advice: (1) What it takes to develop a brand? (2) The best way to grow Fable and raise capital to expand the business? Our three experts, Joe Mimran, Lori Darlington and Sunil Sharma share their advice.

Our experts weigh in (10:40) Joe Mimran, President JM&A Inc, Founder Club Monaco and Joe Fresh, advises Joe to "pound away" at his story to build his brand and communicate why his products are different to thousands of others. Lori Darlington, VP, Small Business & Strategic Partnerships, RBC encourages Joe to perform a SWOT analysis with as many parties as possible. Sunil Sharma, Managing Director at Techstars Toronto, believes that as Joe's business is generating revenue, he should not be in a hurry to seek funding.

How can fable be heard? My final thoughts (24:05) "Attention is the oxygen of almost all human endeavour" In this age of noise, many brands are starving for attention and only if you make your customer the hero will you be noticed. What you do, only matters if it matters to your customer and always seek for opportunities to surprise and delight them at every turn.

Links and References

Joe Parenteau, Co-founder, CEO at Fable LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jparenteau Website - https://fablehome.co

Joe Mimran, President JM&A Inc, Founder Club Monaco and Joe Fresh https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-mimran-32902814/

Sunil Sharma, Managing Director at Techstars Toronto https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilsharmats/

Lori Darlington, VP, Small Business & Strategic Partnerships, RBC https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-darlington/

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/ RBC Small Business navigator - www.rbc.com/smallbusinessnavigator

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Wonderkind brings unique & tailored gifts right to your door. They represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in Canada businesses, support communities, empower female entrepreneurs & spread kindness. One gift at a time.

Now that's some kind of wonderful. Or is it?

Is it possible that all of this good is complicating Wonderkind's offering and making it harder for the consumer to buy? Are the founders, Tara Cochrane and Shawna Pereira's burning desire to sustain woman enterprise, distracting them from building a sustainable business? I went to three experts to ask these questions and more, and all came back with exceptional advice, Arlene Dickinson, Dragon, Entrepreneur, Partner, and Mother who has mentored, guided, and invested in so many successful leaders and businesses. Jay Bhatti, co-Founder of Brand Project, one of the world's leading thinkers and doers on how entrepreneurs can develop and scale their ideas, and Nazine Virjee, VP of RBC. She focuses her wealth of experience partly on new ventures.

A heartfelt story that beats with passion, emotion, and desire combined with insights and ideas that anyone can apply to make their dreams a reality.

Presented by RBC.

Books, Tara's best friends (01:45) Moving around a lot as a kid in a single-parent household, taught Tara resilience and that anything was possible. Books were her best friends. Feeding her curiosity and imagination and by immersing herself and learning other people stories, enabled her to better understand and connect with people as well as opened up a different way of thinking.

A chance meeting leads to great things (04:31) While getting back her roots of writing, Tara Cochrane, meets Shawna Pereira at a fundraiser. They worked well together, shared the same values and had a passion for small business. The beginnings of a new partnership and a new business emerge with the idea of taking the power of storytelling - the stories of local businesses - and making it into a business platform.

Curiosity and kindness come together (06:02) Tara and Shawna combine the concept of personalization and the sense of surprise to establish Wonderkind, delivering unique & tailored gifts right to your door…curiosity and kindness coming together. Showcasing businesses founded and cofounded by female entrepreneurs, they represent over one-hundred and twenty Made in Canada businesses, sharing kindness one gift at a time. But there could be too much for customers to wonder about.

First-class advice from our experts (11:47) Naznine Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC, doesn't start by looking at the numbers, rather she first wants to understand the business model and the customer problem Tara is solving. Additionally, Nazine, pints out that managing is very important, and if there is one thing the COVID pandemic has taught is how to manage risk. Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder & Partner, Brand Project, believes that Tara's core product offering and purpose have to mesh together very well in order to attract customers and talent. Arlene Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures Capital, advises Tara to be clearer in her messaging on how Wonderkind's process works - simplicity is key.

It's a wrap - Tony's final thoughts (26:41) It's important that Tara chooses from the many options Wonderkind offers and lock onto to what success looks like. Is it supporting woman entrepreneurs, gifting or supporting charities? Clarity of purpose and my you matter is going to be key.

Links and References

Tara Cochrane, Founder + Creative Director, Wonderkind https://www.linkedin.com/in/taracochrane/

Website - https://wonderkind.ca LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wonderkindinc/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/wonderkind_inc Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wonderkind.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wonderkind_inc

Arlene Dickinson, General Partner at District Ventures Capital Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlenedickinson/

Jay Bhatti, Co-Founder & Partner, Brand Project LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybhatti/

Naznine Virjee, VP Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/naznine-virjee-73695a7/

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit - https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

As a mother, Sheri Allain wondered why there wasn't more focus on STEM for children, especially girls and why her children's school had nights devoted to drama, music, arts and crafts, but not one on technology.

So Sheri created CODEZILLA to provide hands-on coding classes, camps and parties, and lunch and after school programs for kids ages 4 - 14.

And Sheri's business takes off as she isn't the only parent asking the questions.

And then COVID-19 hits and hands-on becomes virtual? Sheri transforms her business only to find parents all over the world knocking at her door!

Has the business become too big and complicated? Sheri asks our experts Bruce Croxon one of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs, Ken Wong one of Canada's leading business professors and Paul daSilva RBC's leading franchise expert for help. Should she sell, scale or franchise? After listening to her story and their advice what would you do?

Presented by RBC.

The perfect mix (01:22) Sheri's has both educator and entrepreneurial DNA flowing through her blood, her one grandfather was a Prairie school teacher and the other a successful businessman. With this and her desire to provide more STEM activities for school kids, Sheri continues the family legacy and starts her business, Codezilla, a business teaching kids to code.

The beginning - Hello World (03:51) Hiring her first instructors in 2017, Codezilla immediately takes off - forty kids in four hours - first testing the idea and then quickly transitioning to charging for it once she realizes the demand is real. Initially reluctant to be the face of the brand, Sheri realizes that her opinion and points of view are valued by many and makes the switch to be front and centre. Codezilla is now in over 40 schools across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Offline to online - a rapid response (07:04) COVID-19 forces Codezilla to change their delivery model, what was once face to face has to become virtual. Sheri and team responded quickly and within two weeks changed the entire business to online learning, learning as the went and making changes to enhance the experience. Her business grew rapidly but she also has her own kids to look after. Now Sheri has some decisions to make: Sell, scale or franchise.

Sell, scale or franchise? Our experts dial-in (10:49) Paul daSilva, National VP, Franchise Financing, RBC offers great advice on Sheri's franchising opportunities, key steps to take and where she can get assistance. Ken Wong, Distinguished Professor, Smith School of Business at Queens University, shoots straight and advises Sheri to chose what business she is in; and if she was to franchise she needs to standardize her people, process and props. Bruce Croxon, Managing Partner, Round 13 Capital, believes Sheri should rather scale her business and find a partner to help her do so.

Tony's parting thoughts (25:21) Although Sheri has a tough choice to make, franchising is not for Sheri. With the DNA of entrepreneurship and teaching, she should scale the business instead and find a partner to compliment her, allowing her to run her business and achieve a balance between her business and family life.

Links and References

Sheri Allain, Founder, Codezilla - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheri-allain-6b49b01/ Website - https://codezillakids.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/codezillakids/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/codezillakids @codezillakids Twitter - https://twitter.com/CodezillaKids @CodezillaKids

Bruce Croxon, Managing Partner, Round 13 Capital https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucecroxon/

Ken Wong, Distinguished Professor, Smith School of Business at Queens University https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-wong-4453892

Paul daSilva, National VP, Franchise Financing, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-dasilva-23642a2b/ RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit - https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Canada United - https://www.gocanadaunited.ca/

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.ca Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Thirty thought leaders step up with profound insights, compelling ideas, and much-needed and deserved inspiration to help small business owners get to where they need and deserve to go.

In Series One, Small Business Matters personalized the stories of 10 small business owners so that we take their dreams and challenges personally. Why? Small business is the heart of our economy, and it is in our collective interest to keep them beating strong. In each episode, three thought leaders invested the time to learn their business and to offer their ideas. In this episode, I share some of their wisdom, thought leadership we can all benefit from.

Presented by RBC.

Mastering the basics (01:36) Dr Trung Ngo advises Paul Hemburrow in Ep2, that by mastering the basics, he can better navigate his challenges and increase his chances of success.

Finding the silver lining (02:38) In Ep 4, Joe's O'Brien's whaleboat touring business battles to stay afloat during COVID-19, but Alexandra Blum and Ujwal Arkalgud offer inspiring advice on where his next opportunities lie, post COVID - if only he can hang in there.

Touch and Taste (05:48) Kristi Knowles, Mother Raw (Ep 5)and Sheena Russell's businesses, Made with Local, (Ep 10) both rely on "touch and taste". Our experts, Andrew Black and Darrell Jones, share the importance of getting one's product into consumers hands and encouraging them to share their great experiences to build word of mouth.

Value (06:42) When talking to Paul Hemburrow's, at Health Hub Solutions, David Kincaid defined value: "It's not what a product does, but what it enables." In Ep 7, Joe Jackman, believes that Jennifer Menard, needed to communicate her value, taking credit for it and finding the "tie-breaker". For Lisa Taylor, founder of Challenge Factory, Kelly Peters advised that she needed to clearly articulate what her customers were going to get - their results.

Your point of difference and telling your story (10:30) In Ep 8, Chris Barrett, CEO of Operatic, identified a key point of difference Ernesto Gomezes needed to take advantage of. Duke Mackenzie, shared his advice on the power of personalized storytelling.

Digital marketing & fly fishing (13:19) Chris Barrett and Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Director at Google, Canada shared their advice on how digital marketing can power one's business. From understanding your customers intent to using online reviews to build trust and the need for your digital destinations to perform speedily.

Narrow your focus (15:27) Eliminating redundancies, focussing on fewer opportunities and overall, narrowing one's focus was shared by many of our experts. Beverly Hammond and Caroline Paxton advised Lisa Taylor on where she could narrow her focus.

Broaden your focus (16:48) Additionally, many of our experts shared advice on broadening one's focus. Increased revenue can be had by expanding one's opportunities. Corby Fine advised Traci Shepheard as such in Ep 1. In Ep 6 , Lisa Kimmel, CEO of Edelman, Canada and Latin America encouraged Carly Shuler, Co-Founder of Hoot Reading to expand from literacy to STEM. For Jennifer Menard, Stephen Shaw recommended she broaden her offering to include other services, such as security. Jeanne Beker recommended François Thériault, Co-Founder at Surmesur, expand his business into woman's wear. Nancy Rooney, VP of PepsiCo, guided Kristi Knowles on where she could expand her business and Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-Founder, Ethnicity Matters provided Sheena Russell with ideas on expanding her product line to cater for ethnic communities.

Not just a bank - RBC's depth of advice (20:38) Caroline Paxton, provided our entrepreneurs with advice on all things social media related. Laura Davey, on the importance of cash flow; Laura Darlington shared the role of scenario planning in ones business; Kellie Sauriol planning and knowing ones financial situation is key to engaging with your financial advisor; Jane Henderson, displayed her depth of knowledge of the food industry when advising Kristi Knowles; Eric Leblanc, shared advice on the importance of understanding what one is trying to achieve; Kiruba Sankar, on the advantage of being a certified supplier; Kellie Sauriol, the importance of budding credibility with your bank; Lolita Guerrera, compliments Francois on his quick pivot to save his business; Sid Paquette, advises Paul that being transparent allows financial advisors to truly understand his issues.

Links and References

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Meet the Heroes of Small Business Matters Series One.

Each week, during the darkest days of COVID-19, we produced a podcast featuring a small business owner, and three thought leaders who help them get to where they need and deserve to go. All made possible through the incredible support of RBC. We went remotely across Canada to explore many sectors of our economy. We talked to startups, established businesses, first-generation Canadians to family-owned companies that spanned decades. Every one of them inspired me with their resilience, resolve, and ability to reinvent.

In this podcast, I revisit each one to pay tribute to these heroes and to share what I learned along the way.

Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.

Traci Shepheard (01:41) Traci Shepheard's lifelong dream was to be an entrepreneur building a health and wellness business. She invested her savings and purchased an Airstream Trailer, retrofitting it to create a 'rock star' experience. MeditationWorks is launched. As she starts the ignition, her wheels fall off when COVID-19 stops everything in their tracks, especially a studio where people meditate inside a trailer, even one as beautiful as Traci's.

Paul Hemburrow (04:14) Paul and his partner buy a profitable business that rents TV sets to patients in hospitals and then reinvents it to offer a suite of innovative tools that patients can access at their bedside while benefiting the hospital and healthcare. Health Hub Solutions finally get the breakthrough they need but COVID-19 arrives and no one is focused on the future, just surviving the day.

Lisa Taylor (06:08) A powerful insight leads Lisa Taylor to reinvent the future of work. Many people were satisfied at work, but not fulfilled. Lisa left the security of a great job to launch the Challenge Factory, a research-based, process-driven consultancy that helps companies create productive cultures where people work with a higher purpose. She moves from the uncertainty of a startup to the complexities of leading a growing business, only to have today's economic uncertainty, turn her business upside down.

Joe O'Brien (09:11) Joe O'Brien is a gifted entrepreneur operating his tourism business, O'Brien Boat Tours, from St John's Newfoundland. He captains his guests to the edge of the world, with whale watching, giant icebergs, and a wild bird sanctuary, mixed in with the songs and spirit of Newfoundland and Labrador. are on offer. Joe shares his story of growing up in a fishing village and having to reinvent when the Cod disappeared. COVID-19, requires Joe to reinvent once again.

Kristi Knowles (11:01) Kristi knows that the company needs a rebrand if they are going to battle international food giants for market share. Mother Raw is born, and the legacy of the Founder, and her mission of 'Good on Good' is woven across every consumer, retailer, and employee touchpoint. Manufacturing in Canada and in 5000 locations, can Kristi finance this growth and get the attention she feels Mother Raw deserves?

Carly Shuler (12:49) After a five-year stint with Sesame Streets Labs in New York, and getting her Masters in Education at Harvard, Carly returns to Canada and creates Hootreading.com. Why? Carly knows that kids who love to read will spend a lifetime loving to learn. Hootreading matches students with real teachers, and with Carly's proprietary technology and teaching methods, her business takes off. Her concern is that she might draw the attention of multinationals who will go after her market share with their deeper pockets.

Jennifer Menard (14:29) Jennifer Menard's life has been about reinvention, regardless of her circumstance, openly sharing her life story growing up in a broken home, but persevering to become a successful entrepreneur. Finding her path through a mentor who employed her and then subsequently encouraged her to buy the business she helped build. Jennifer rebrands, brings in a partner and Staff Shop is born, staffing events across North America and the Caribbean. Her business is all is promising until COVID-19 cancels every event.

Ernesto Gomez (17:12) Ernesto Gomez is a first-generation Canadian who fell in love with food watching and then helping his mother and grandmother prepare meals in their kitchen. Curiosity led him to explore Chinese and Italian food and travel the world, feeding his mind with possibilities. A chance meeting in Vancouver kick-starts Ernesto's latest venture - Nuba Restaurant. Armed with a war chest, they set their sites on a new location in Spain and then COVID-19 attacks in more ways than one. They have to shut down their restaurants, and Ernesto catches the virus.

Francois Theriault (20:04) Surmesur, an innovative, personality led tech-enabled made-to-measure men's wear retail chain. Francois and his brother Vincent understand customer service better than most. Instead of selling a made to measure suit, they train their staff to sell into a moment that someone wants to own. They combine this insight, with a personality led shopping experience, and state of the art technology. Their skills as entrepreneurs lead them from one store in Quebec City to expansion across Canada and into the United States and Mexico. Then COVID hits.

Sheena Russell (22:07) Sheena Russell is the co-founder of Made with Local. Sourcing local ingredients and working with social enterprises to employ people who have barriers to the mainstream workforce, Sheena achieves B-Corp status, When COVID hits, the government orders this 'high risk' segment of the population into isolation, leaving Sheena with a ton of orders to fill and no one there to help her. Sheena makes a trademark entrepreneurial move - she jumps in with her family to bake, make and ship products, and fast-tracks a new product that is perfect for these times.

My Closing Thoughts (24:15) Despite the challenges they faced, entrepreneurs find a way to get back up in the horse to ride again. "They don't just find an opportunity. They create it" They create our economy and our jobs. These entrepreneurs inspire not only their children and their employees, they inspire all of us to make our destiny a matter of choice, not chance.

Links and References

MeditationWorks - https://meditationworks.com Health Hub Solutions - https://healthhubsolutions.ca/ Challenge Factory - www.challengefactory.ca O'Brien's Boat Tours - https://www.obriensboattours.com Mother Raw - https://motherraw.com Hootreading - Hootreading.com Staff Shop - http://staffshop.ca Nuba Restaurant - https://www.nuba.ca Surmesur - https://www.surmesur.com Made with Local - www.madewithlocal.com

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://chatterthatmatters.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Sheena Russell is the co-founder of Made with Local, and her story will inspire anyone who wants to be their own boss, and act on their beliefs and values. Made with Local sources local ingredients and then works with social enterprises to employ people who have barriers to the mainstream workforce. When COVID hits, the government orders this 'high risk' segment of the population into isolation, leaving Sheena with a ton of orders to fill and no one there to help her. Sheena makes a trademark entrepreneurial move - she jumps in with her family to bake, make and ship products, and fast-tracks a new product that is perfect for these times. If that isn't enough to earn your admiration, Sheena is also a Certified B Corp, to reflect a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. Sheena is part of a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.

Sheena's challenge is to have her brands compete for attention in some of the world's most competitive food markets. To help her with her quest we invite Andrew Black, CEO of Brand Project, a venture capital firm, Bobby Sahni, from Ethnicity Matters to advise her on tapping into the multicultural market. Kellie Sauriol, from RBC, talks about how to ensure her growth ambitions are supported.

Presented by RBC.

Humble beginnings (01:24) After graduating from Dalhousie University, Sheena joins the City of Halifax teaching businesses how to recycle but needs a more creative outlet. In 2012, spotting an opportunity to produce healthy and tasty snacks, Sheena starts Made with Local. She starts selling her snacks at local farmers markets on the East Coast, building a strong following and in 2016 enters Sobeys Atlantic with her real food bars.

Local ingredients, local partnerships (04:59) Using local ingredients is not enough, Sheena partners with a Nova Scotian social enterprise, the Flower Cart Group, using them to help make her products. With incredible support from SheEO mentors Made with Local expands further. Now with a presence in Sobeys Ontario, a private label partnership with FarmBoy and opportunities to expand their partnership with Loblaws, Sheena's grassroots approach has paid off. To boot, Made With Local achieves a B-Corp certification.

Down, but not out (10:30) COVID-19 strikes! "Well, it hit us like a ton of bricks." With their production capacity completely shut down, and a large order pending, Sheena had to make alternate plans. It was all hands on deck, Sheena, her husband, and her director of sales roll up their sleeves and baked and packed. As if that was not enough, they were in the process of launching a new product.

Expert advice (14:10) Andrew Black, Founder Managing Partner, Brand Project recommend Sheena continue to persevere in retail and do more sampling once COVID-19 allows her to do so. Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-Founder, Ethnicity Matters, points out that: when catering to different ethnic communities dietary requirements, they are not all are homogeneous. Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services, RBC suggests focussing on working capital and cash flow constraints and using a forecast to do so.

Capitalism has a conscience - Tony's closing thoughts (22:47) Sheena has proven that profit and purpose can go hand in hand. Sourcing local ingredients and partnering with social enterprise, not as charity, but as a fundamental part the business and culture. And inspire of growing the business in one on the most competitive provinces, Ontario, remained true to her values, values that matter to all of us.

Links and References

Sheena Russell, Founder, Made with Local LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheena-russell-0459b728/ Website - https://www.madewithlocal.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/madewithlocal @madewithlocal Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/madewithlocal @madewithlocal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/madewithlocal/ @madewithlocal

SheEO - https://sheeo.world Sobeys - https://corporate.sobeys.com Farm Boy - https://www.farmboy.ca B Corporation - https://bcorporation.net The Flower Cart Group - https://flowercart.ca Loblaws - https://www.loblaws.ca/about

Andrew Black, Founder Managing Partner, Brand Project LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-black-2b3764/ Website - www.brandproject.com

Bobby Sahni, Partner & Co-Founder, Ethnicity Matters LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbysahni/ Website - https://ethnicitymatters.com

Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-sauriol-3a86a9158/ RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Chatter-that-Matters-111890333544575 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

Jeanne Beker, one of the world's leading fashion authorities, Sabrina Geremia, Head of Google Canada, and Lolita Guerrera, VP of RBC Retail, are the experts in this episode. They offer powerful advice to co-founder Francois Theriault on how to reposition Surmesur, an innovative, personality led tech-enabled made-to-measure men's wear retail chain, to compete in a post COVID economy. Two of their ideas Francois acts upon immediately, a testament to the power of bringing entrepreneurs together with thought leaders to chart a profitable path forward.

Francois and his brother Vincent understand customer service better than most. Instead of selling a made to measure suit, they train their staff to sell into a moment that someone wants to own. Walking down the aisle, presenting in a boardroom, looking sharp for that first date. They combine this insight, with a personality led shopping experience, and state of the art technology. The result is fabulous, fitted, and affordable made to measure fashion for men and a loyal customer base. Their skills as entrepreneurs lead them from one store in Quebec City to expansion across Canada and into the United States and Mexico. Then COVID-19 hits.

Weddings are cancelled, presentations are now done from the neck up over Zoom, and stores are closed. In classic entrepreneurial fashion, the Theriault brothers start selling masks to generate much-needed cash flow to invest in the reinvention of their business.

Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.

Francois finds inspiration in Asia (02:08) Realizing that a career in finance is not for him, Francois, shortly after graduating, spends a year travelling Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India and China. Inspired by the suit shops in China and Thailand, where custom-fit suits are the fraction of a cost of those in Canada, Francois and his brother decide to go into business.

A better way to buy suits - a perfect fit (03:01) The service experience gained while working in restaurants, combined with the idea of custom-fit suits, the Thériault brothers begin their entrepreneurial journey, not just selling suit but selling experiences. Getting to truly know their customers and building relationships, sets them on the road to success. With 10 stores across Canada, the United States and Mexico, they build a business founded on a culture of empowerment and with staff with personality.

A new way of doing business (06:20) COVID-19 upends their business. Face-to-face relationships are no longer possible and their customer's requirements have changed too. From suits to sneakers, causal wear now dominates, but will this be a viable option for Surmesur? Realizing they need to reinvent themselves, for Francois, digital stands out as a key factor for success.

Operating in a post COVID economy (14:18) Jeanne Beker http://www.jeannebeker.com/about/, Style Editor at TSC and Creative Director, believes Surmesur can broaden their appeal by offering tailored suits for woman. Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Director at Google, Canada believes Francois "has the opportunity to treat his website as a flagship store" and Lolita Guerrera, VP, Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC, points out Surmesurs' resilience in pivoting from suits to masks.

Tonys final thoughts (25:27) Francois has a burning desire to succeed and one word describes his life and his business: "transformation". Passionate about quality and to truly understand their customers moments that matter, Surmesur designs outfits that are both an expression and a vessel to take them there. "There's no doubt in my mind, you will continue to transform and not just as a business, but transforming the customer's employees that you feel so honoured to serve."

Links and References

François Thériault, Co-Founder at Surmesur - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francois-theriault-8280b227/ https://www.surmesur.com

Jeanne Beker, Style Editor at TSC , Author, Keynote Speaker, Host, Freelance Journalist, Creative Director - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-beker-109a501b/ http://www.jeannebeker.com/about/

Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Director at Google, Canada - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-geremia-028644/ https://about.google/

Digital Main Street - https://digitalmainstreet.ca

ShopHERE program - https://digitalmainstreet.ca/shophere/

Helping Small Business - https://canada.googleblog.com/2020/05/helping-50000-canadian-small-businesses.html

Lolita Guerrera, VP, Commercial Markets, Retail, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lolita-guerrera-mba-2885a014/

RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html To get specialized support for your business, visit https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/advice/industry-expertise.html Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Chatter-that-Matters-111890333544575 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGvzmw9MFkUcGylrFA2xCQ

If you want to be swept away in a story about resilience, reinvention and catching dreams, this episode is for you. Then combine it with compelling advice from three experts, Robert Carter, Chris Barrett and Duke McKenzie on how to engage the head, heart and wallets of customers. It is appointment listening for anyone wanting a post-COVID comeback.

Ernesto Gomez is a first-generation Canadian who fell in love with food watching and then helping his mother and grandmother prepare meals in their Mexico kitchen. Curiosity led him to explore Chinese and Italian food and when he was old enough, travel the world, feeding his mind with possibilities. Ernesto returns to Mexico and opens a restaurant and attends the school of hard knocks. After five years with his knapsack packed with experience, he goes off on another exploration and returns to Vancouver, where his family has immigrated. Bored and restless he wanders into Nuba restaurant and meets Victor and then, well, I won't spoil that part of the story.

What Ernesto and Victor build in terms of restaurants, formats, culture and community is a case study in entrepreneurship. Armed with a war chest, they set their sights on a new location in Spain and then COVID-19 attacks in more ways than one. They have to shut down their restaurants, and Ernesto catches the virus. For anyone thinking this is a common flu pay attention to how Ernesto, strong and healthy has to fight for every breath and during that time, fight to keep their dream alive and jobs for his employees.

Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.

Ernesto turns a passion into a career (1:06) Hunting deer with his father, cooking with his grandmother and his early passion for cooking supported by his mother, Ernesto "cooks from the heart". Receiving culinary training in Europe, Ernesto, turns his hobby into a career and learns the business in the school of hard knocks! However he needs more and enters a postgraduate program at Cornell. After graduating, Ernesto travels the world exploring the foods of Japan, France, Middle East and Spain, returning to Mexico to focus on stadium and arena food.

Success in Vancouver (05:06) Following his parents to Vancouver, Canada, a chance meeting sets Ernesto on a path to success. He sells his business in Mexico, and together with his new-found partner, Victor, reinvigorates an existing restaurant, Nuba. From these humble beginnings, they go on to establish 2 different concepts and expand to create a 100 seater flagship restaurant and another focusing on kids. Off the back of this success, Ernesto, travels to Spain to open a new restaurant but returns to Vancouver with an unwelcome guest, the Coronavirus.

Ernesto recovers from the Coronavirus and pivots the business (08:33) For 12 days Ernesto, is flat on his back, taken down by the Coronavirus and so has his business. To survive they cut salaries, cancel partner dividends, reduce working hours and lay off staff. But that's not enough. Popular delivery platforms are eating away at their meagre profits. Something has to change. With the money that would have been spent on their expansion into Spain, they decide to build their own, bespoke food delivery service but don't stop there. They also create their own meal kits.

The path to growth - the experts plot a way forward for Ernesto (13:42) Customers are going to be wary about coming back to restaurants. Robert Carter, managing partner of Stratton Hunter Group suggests a strong focus on building trust from a sanitation standpoint. Duke McKenzie, CEO, re6l advises Ernesto to continue to tell his story, but much more frequently - he has all the right ingredients for authentic stories. Chris Barrett, CEO, Operatic Agency provides 3 key pieces of advice: knowing your audience, being visible to customers searching for food delivery and getting the story of "one location straight to your door service" out there - its a key differentiator.

I am encouraged by Ernesto - Tony's final thoughts (25:00)Despite the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the restaurant sector, I am encouraged having spoken to Ernesto. I am encouraged by his curiosity, his resilience and his determination to reinvent his business in the face of personal and professional adversity. Ernesto displays the fighting spirit this country needs and in Ernesto's case, fortune has truly favoured the bold.

Links and References

@ernestokut https://www.instagram.com/ernestokut/ Website - https://www.nuba.ca Instagram - @nubatown https://www.instagram.com/nubatown/ Twitter - @nubatown https://twitter.com/nubatown Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nubatown Trip Advisor - https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d2301939-Reviews-Nuba-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html Inside Vancouver - https://www.insidevancouver.ca/2019/10/31/vegan-meals-vancouver/

Chris Barrett, CEO at Operatic Agency - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbarrett2/ Website - https://operaticagency.com

Duke McKenzie, CEO at re6l - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dukemckenzie/ Website - http://re6l.com

Robert Carter, Managing Partner at The StratonHunter Group - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-carter-3953589/ Website - https://stratonhunter.com

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Chatter-that-Matters-111890333544575

Jennifer Menard's life has been about reinvention, regardless of her circumstance. She openly shares her life story growing up in a broken home but perseveres to become a successful entrepreneur. She found her path through a mentor who employed her and then subsequently encouraged her to buy the business she helped build. She rebrands, brings in a partner and Staff Shop is now staffing events across North America and even the Caribbean. Her business is guided by purpose and all is promising until COVID-19 cancels every event. Listen to how Jennifer responds by pivoting her business, earning the admiration and advice from Stephen Shaw who has produced for the Rolling Stones and Oprah Winfrey; Joe Jackman who has helped some of the worlds largest brands pivot and Kiruba Sankar, Global Leader, Global Procurement - Corporate Social Responsibility, RBC. Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.

A troubled start (01:04) Jennifer shares her story growing up in a troubled home. The chaos and trauma impacted her personally but by surrounding herself with the right people and the right resources, she managed to survive. Leaving home in northern Ontario at 18, Jennifer moves to Toronto, lands a job at MLSE and begins to rebuild her life.

From strength to strength (03:51) Two years later Jennifer connects with Geoff Bagg and joins his company, The Bagg Group. Her path to entrepreneurship and success begins when Jennifer is given an opportunity to start a hospitality and event division at The Bagg Group, eventually buying the division to start Staff Shop. She builds a successful business, staffing events across North America.

Making the pivot (07:45) Then COD-19 hits but Jennifer is not deterred. Although events are shut down, cutting off the lid blood of her business, she rapidly pivots to focus on staffing for essential services. Considering the future of Staff Shop, Jennifer has some fundamental questions she needs answered: how much does she pivot, how far, how fast and for how long?

The experts weigh in (12:20) Joe Jackman: "Be really good at not only selling your proposition but executing it and getting credit for what makes you different." In order to grow her business, Stephen Shaw advises Jennifer to pinpoint growth industries and land a key client. Kiruba Sankar from RBC acknowledges Jennifer's certifications allows her access to opportunities, but those with the best method win

Tony's closing thoughts (25:51) Tony believes clients will indeed pay a premium for Jennifers offer of full-time versus contract staff. Competing on price is a race to zero but competing with a premium offer is where you'll find a higher purpose, better employees and better clients.

Links and References

Jennifer Menard - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-menard-56276812/ Website - http://staffshop.ca Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StaffShop.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/staffshop.ca/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/staffshop/people/

Stephen Shaw, Principal, Round Room Live - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-shaw-98170019/ Website - https://roundroomlive.com

Joe Jackman, Founder | CEO, Jackman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-jackman/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearejackman/

Kiruba Sankar, Global Leader, Global Procurement - Corporate Social Responsibility, RBC LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sankarkiruba/

Supplier Diversity - https://www.rbc.com/sourcing/supplier_diversity.html RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html

Follow Tony Chapman

Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chatterthatmatters/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Chatter-that-Matters-111890333544575