GrowthTales

From setting up wireless networks for students at Queen's University to leading a Toronto-based digital product studio, Amit Arora's journey is a story about learning fast, staying adaptable, and building with the right people around you.

In this episode of GrowthTales, Amit shares how Chapeau evolved from a small spinout into a specialized technology partner, why the company chose to stay bootstrapped, and how AI is changing the way software teams build, automate, and deliver value.

What You'll Learn: → How Amit's early interest in computers led to his first business at Queen's University → The role mentorship played in shaping his career and leadership style → How Chapeau spun out and found its niche in custom product development → Why Chapeau chose to focus on client-facing technology in regulated industries → How Amit learned to build a team, delegate, and rely on advisors → Why "humble, hungry, and smart" became an important hiring philosophy → Why Chapeau stayed bootstrapped instead of raising outside capital → How AI has allowed a 15-person team to produce far more without increasing headcount → Why some founders can now build version one of a product themselves with AI → Where Chapeau fits once AI-built prototypes need to become enterprise-ready → How AI agents can automate repetitive workflows in financial services and insurance → Why Amit believes AI will change jobs rather than simply eliminate them → Why technical fundamentals and problem-solving skills still matter in an AI-driven world → The biggest business lesson Amit has learned after nearly a decade of building Chapeau

About Chapeau: Chapeau is a Toronto-based digital product studio that helps organizations design, build, and improve custom software products. The company works with mid-market and enterprise organizations, particularly in regulated industries, combining software development, user experience, systems integration, workflow automation, and AI to help clients get more value from their existing technology.

About Amit Arora: Amit Arora is the president of Chapeau. With a background in computer science and more than a decade in technology, Amit has worked across software development, delivery, sales, product strategy, and leadership. Today, he leads Chapeau's growth and helps organizations use technology and AI to solve complex business problems more effectively.

READY TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS? ConnectCPA helps growing businesses streamline their financial operations with tech-driven, human-led cloud accounting services. From bookkeeping and payroll to controllership, tech advisory, and tax, we bring structure, insight, and peace of mind so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Trusted by 1,000+ businesses across Canada and the USA | 2x Xero Accounting Partner of the Year | 6x Globe & Mail Top Growing Companies

👉 Book a free intro call: https://www.connectcpa.ca/contact

ABOUT GROWTHTALES & CONNECTCPA: GrowthTales brings you real conversations with founders, business owners, CEOs, and entrepreneurs who are building and scaling businesses. Hosted by Mike Pinkus from ConnectCPA, we explore the challenges, wins, and lessons learned on the path to sustainable growth.

ConnectCPA is one of the pioneers of Cloud Accounting, with a passionate team of 100+ accounting experts, CPAs, and technology enthusiasts. We act as an extension of your team, optimizing your processes, automating your workflows, and providing clear financial insights so you have more time to focus on running your business.

Connect with us: Website: https://www.connectcpa.ca

GUEST LINKS: Chapeau: https://www.chapeau.ai/ Amit Arora on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitarora1/

From struggling to get a usable corporate credit card to building one of Canada's fastest-growing companies, Ruslan Nikolaev's journey with Float is a lesson in solving local problems, designing better financial systems, and using AI where it creates real leverage.

In this episode of GrowthTales, Ruslan shares why he and his co-founder started Float, how the company is modernizing business banking and expense management for Canadian companies, and what comes next after raising an $85 million Series C.

About Float: Float is a Canadian business finance platform that brings together corporate cards, business accounts, bill payments, reimbursements, expense management, and accounting integrations in one place. Built specifically for Canadian businesses, Float helps finance teams control spending, automate manual workflows, and manage company money more efficiently.

About Ruslan Nikolaev: Ruslan Nikolaev is the co-founder of Float, one of Canada's fastest-growing companies. With a background in software engineering and product development, Ruslan helps lead Float's product vision, technology strategy, and mission to build better financial tools for Canadian businesses.

READY TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS? ConnectCPA helps growing businesses streamline their financial operations with tech-driven, human-led cloud accounting services. From bookkeeping and payroll to controllership, tech advisory, and tax, we bring structure, insight, and peace of mind so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Trusted by 1,000+ businesses across Canada and the USA | 3x Xero Accounting Partner of the Year | 6x Globe & Mail Top Growing Companies

In this episode of GrowthTales, Garron Helman shares how he built and sold Venbridge, a SR&ED financing company, in just four and a half years - timing the exit at the peak of the market without ever planning to sell. Now at the helm of GrowWise, he's using voice AI and LLMs to replace the traditional technical consultant in the Canadian R&D tax credit process. Hear why Garron believes most founders are too greedy to exit, why people still sell to people in an AI-driven world, and how two failed platform builds led to the breakthrough behind GrowWise.

In this episode of GrowthTales, Matt Himel saw firsthand how overdue invoices silently choke business cash flow. Instead of accepting it as a normal part of operations, he built Harvest, an AI-powered platform helping businesses automate collections and get paid faster. Hear how Matt turned a frustrating operational problem into a fintech startup focused on solving one of the biggest pain points in business.

In this episode of GrowthTales, host Mike Pinkus sits down with Chris Taylor, Founder and CEO of Actionable, to share the lessons learned from 18 years of building behavior-change technology in the learning and development space. Chris reflects on the risks of overbuilding too early, the importance of focus and market timing, and how learning the hard way shaped Actionable into a platform that helps training companies, consultants, and organizations measure the real ROI of their learning programs. The conversation explores bridging the knowing–doing gap, making learning stick through behavior change, and what it takes to build sustainable, impact-driven software over the long term.

In this episode of GrowthTales, host Mike Pinkus sits down with Kyle Feigenbaum, co-founder and CEO of Healthybud, to unpack the real journey behind building a purpose-driven pet wellness brand. Kyle shares how a deeply personal loss, combined with his own health transformation and finance background, led him to challenge the status quo of the pet food industry. From early entrepreneurial wins to cash flow crises and scaling an e-commerce brand in a highly competitive market, this conversation offers honest insights into resilience, intentional growth, and what it truly takes to build a lasting business rooted in impact and trust.

In this episode of GrowthTales, host Mike Pinkus sits down with Jon Nastor, seasoned entrepreneur, long-time podcaster, and co-founder of Digital Commerce Partners (DCP). Jon shares the origin story behind Hack the Entrepreneur, the podcast he launched a decade ago that grew to more than 30,000 listeners per episode and surpassed 500 episodes. He reveals how the show not only became a thriving business but also opened doors to transformative relationships, including the partnership that eventually led to the creation of Digital Commerce Partners. Jon dives into his shift from podcasting to building a content-focused SEO agency for DTC e-commerce brands, offering valuable insights into organic growth, the interplay between paid and organic traffic, and why many established companies sit on SEO gold mines without realizing it. He also unpacks the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, LLM search, Google's dominance, and how businesses can think about SEO and content strategy in an era of constant digital shifts. Packed with entrepreneurial lessons, practical clarity, and a forward-thinking perspective, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone growing a digital business or navigating today's search-driven world.

In this episode, we dive into a compelling conversation with Dominic Piscopo, the founder of Big 4 Transparency. From launching a weekend Reddit experiment to building the largest crowdsourced salary database for accounting professionals, Dominic's journey is a masterclass in grit, trust, and entrepreneurial resilience. He shares the ups and downs of transforming a side project into a sustainable business, all while redefining compensation transparency in the accounting industry.

Join us as we explore Dominic's mission to empower accounting professionals, the challenges of selling into trust-based industries, and the power of staying in the game long enough to find product-market fit.

In this episode of GrowthTales, host Mike Pinkus sits down with Jennifer Commins, the passionate founder of Pluck Tea. Jennifer shares how she turned a frustrating tea experience at a restaurant into a thriving business, starting with just $5,000 and a credit card. From blending teas at her kitchen table to landing restaurant partnerships, launching a DTC store, and weathering the storm of COVID-19, Jennifer takes us through the ups and downs of growing a Canadian tea brand.

She also dives into the importance of Canadian ingredients, the challenges of getting on grocery shelves, and how her team is building a unique and sustainable product right here in Toronto. If you're an entrepreneur or just someone who loves a good origin story, you'll love this heartfelt and insightful episode.

In this episode of Growth Tales, we sit down with Hailey Dawood, second-generation owner of The Idea Hunter, to explore the incredible evolution of her career—from joining the family business to redefining it with intention, clarity, and heart. Hailey opens up about what it really takes to succeed in the high-pressure world of corporate events, how she rebuilt her team culture post-pandemic, and why emotional resilience and systems go hand in hand.

You'll hear how she learned to trust herself, lead with high standards (without burning out), and find calm in the chaos of event planning—all while scaling a business that thrives on creativity, integrity, and connection.