Financial Conversations

Determining the best way to manage new business regulations is critical, especially when those changes impact how you handle sales and customer transactions.

On this special bonus episode of the podcast, I’m diving into the GST/HST Holiday Proposal, a temporary measure designed to provide financial relief to Canadians during the upcoming holiday season. This new regulation, effective from December 14, 2024, to February 15, 2025, will require businesses to remove GST/HST charges on specific goods.

In this episode, I’ll break down what the proposal means, what types of goods qualify, and share practical strategies for businesses to prepare for these changes, including updates to point-of-sale systems, staff training, and customer communication.

Visit FinancialConversations.com or The Canada Revenue Agency, for more details including a full list of qualifying goods..

Financial Conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared here are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Let’s jump in and get your business ready for this exciting—yet challenging—change!

Determining your prices as a business owner is a challenging aspect to get right and requires careful thinking. It’s very common early on in your journey to undercharge and then start increasing as you get more experience. Part of determining your new pricing involves weighing the pros and cons of value and hourly pricing.

This week on the podcast I sat down with, I sat down with Daphne and Lucy from Salt Design Co. They are graphic and web designers with over 7 years of experience in creating amazing value for their clients and have plenty of experience in managing their pricing.

Links to find out more about Salt Design Co.:
Salt Design Co. Website: https://saltdesignco.studio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltdesigncompany/?hl=en
The Messy Middle Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-messy-middle/id1464240363 

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Facing the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship can take its toll on your mindset. Ensuring that you have what it takes to deal with challenges and failures will make all the difference to your financial success.

This week, I sat down with Alisha Kumar, founder and CEO of The Social Project. We discuss her journey creating a social media agency and what she’s done to maintain a growth mindset.

Links to find out more about The Social Project:
The Social Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialprojectinc/
Website: https://thesocialproject.ca
Alisha Kumar: https://www.instagram.com/alishakumar/ 

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Building a creative agency is no easy feat. Focusing on listening to client’s needs, connecting them with the technology best suited to solve their problems, and support their branding and website design is a sure way to get there. 

This week on the podcast I sat down with business partners Sarah Thompson and Sheldon Stenning, who have built an established agency, ThompsonStenning. In this episode, they chat with me on all they have learnt and what has attributed to their success in the 8 years they have been in business.

Links to find out more about ThompsonStenning:

ThompsonStenning Website: https://www.thompsonstenning.com/
ThompsonStenning Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecollinsavalon/
ThompsonStenning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahturtonweightcreative/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldonstenning/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/weight-creative/ 

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Planning for tax season is something all business owners get stressed over. It can be challenging to understand what expenses are deductions (insert Schitt’s Creek voice “that’s a write-off”), and what is the best way to ensure you can afford your tax bill. 

This week on the podcast I sat down with Joe Collins, CPA, CA, of Avalon Accounting, a remote based Canadian bookkeeping and accounting firm. He has all the tips to make tax season easier.

Links to find out more about Joe Colins:

Joe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AvalonAccounting
Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecollinsavalon/
Joe’s websites: https://www.avalonaccounting.ca 


Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Legally protecting your business is something all entrepreneurs must do and it can be overwhelming. Whether it's sorting out the legal framework of your business structure, having adequate contracts in place, and differentiating between a contractor and employee, having the right legal advice can make all the difference. 

This week on the podcast I sat down with Jamie Bell, a BC-based lawyer, to discuss the top legal issues entrepreneurs face. Jamie is not your ordinary lawyer as she’s also an entrepreneur with her own e-commerce company, Contracts Market, that sells contract templates. Jamie really knows where business owners are coming from!

Please note, this podcast offers general information. Jamie advises you to go see a local lawyer for specific advice.

Links to find out more about Jamie:

Jamie Bell on Instagram: @wildcoastlaw, @contractsmarket

Jamie’s websites: https://www.thecontractsmarket.com

                                 https://www.wildcoastlaw.com  

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Buying a house for anyone, especially an entrepreneur, is  challenging and involves significant financial resources and preparation. As an entrepreneur, it's important to properly prepare, understand the stress test, and know when you are ready.

This week on the podcast I sat down with mortgage specialist Tori Dolmans. Tori is a BC based mortgage broker with over 26 years of experience in the financial industry. She gives unbiased advice and is extremely client focused. During this episode, we discuss the mortgage qualification process and what entrepreneurs need to be aware of when buying house.

Links to find out more about Tori:

https://mortgagebytori.com
@mortgagebytori
https://www.facebook.com/mortgagebytori

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.

Marketing budgets, especially when you are a small business can be tricky to figure out. On one hand, you might have limited cash flow especially if you are in the early stages of your business. On the other hand, a substantial outlay in marketing could contribute to stronger revenue months in the future. 

This week on the podcast I sat down with Brand Marketing Consultant Stefanie McAuley. Stefanie is the founder of BroadWorld Consulting and I wanted to understand more about marketing, branding, and all the things in between. 

Links to find out more about Stefanie: 

https://biz.broadworld.co/
https://www.instagram.com/broad_world/

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances. 

If you have ever reached a point in your business where you feel slightly unsure about your next step, I guarantee instant inspiration with this episode and Carly’s incredible business journey! 

In this week’s episode, I catch up with Carly Arbuthnot from Twenty Eight North.  Carly has built a successful retail store located in Vancouver. We talk about the unconventional way she started her business, how she managed it through the pandemic, and how even today she is constantly assessing business performance, pivoting operations, and coming up with out-of-the-box strategies to drive business performance and growth. 

Links to find out more about Carly: 

https://www.twentyeightnorth.ca/
https://www.instagram.com/shoptwentyeightnorth/

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances. 

In this week's episode, I speak with Kira La Forgia, Director of Operations/HR turned small business consultant for millennial entrepreneurs. Kira's mission is to empower women to identify their unique skills and passions and turn them into a profitable businesses so they can have the freedom to live their life on their own terms.

One of the first decisions we have to make when hiring for our businesses is; should we hire a contractor or an employee? Kira talks us through the key differences so you can make the right decision for your business. 

Links to find out more about Kira: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiralaforgia
https://the-paradigm.com/

Visit https://www.financialconversations.com to get your question answered on an upcoming episode. 

Financial conversations is intended for educational purposes only and should not be relied on to make financial, legal, or investment decisions. Thoughts, opinions, and advice shared on financial conversations are general in nature and do not consider your individual circumstances.