GROWTH PILLAR: Leadership & Ops

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Founders preparing to transition / Leaders building systems

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear look at why businesses stall, how to choose the right tech without getting sold, and what it actually takes to build a business that runs without you.

Most businesses don't fail because of a bad idea. They fail because the systems never caught up with the growth.

Colby Jardine and Levi Lawrence are partners at Iron House Pro and co-hosts of the Built to Last Podcast. They work with founders and business owners who have built something real — but find themselves stuck, overwhelmed, or completely unable to step away. Together they bring a rare combination: Levi's background in technology selection, organizational design, and systems thinking, paired with Colby's expertise in habit change, creative strategy, and human behaviour.

In this episode they break down the Death Valley Curve — the profitability dip that traps businesses between $2M and $5M — and explain why so many founders hit it without seeing it coming. They talk about artificial profit margin, technical debt, and what a real gap analysis looks like when someone actually knows what they're doing. They cover why people don't know what they need, only what they don't want, and how Iron House Pro acts as a people-first technology company that helps you choose tools based on fit, not sales pressure.

Key topics covered:

Connect with Colby and Levi:

Special thanks to Bernice Williams for making this introduction happen.

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

@Hive — Real-world business networking, in person and online. Starter membership $99 CAD/year.

Profit10™ — Take the free Profit Snapshot. Ten questions. Find out what's really holding your business back.

Canada Growth Network — Business connections plus GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month CAD. Start your trial for $1.

Next Steps

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Sales & Revenue
WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / New business owners / Leaders building systems
WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: Real financing strategies, the team of three every business needs, and the cash flow decisions that keep your doors open.

Most new business owners don't run out of ideas. They run out of money — and they never saw it coming.

Michael Yasny has spent decades helping new businesses, growing businesses, and businesses in financial trouble find financing they didn't know existed. In this Canada Growth Network session, he breaks down exactly what it takes to set up a business the right way — before you open the door.

Michael covers the team of three every owner needs on day one: a corporate lawyer, a business accountant, and a business advisor. Not a coach. Not a general practitioner. The specific people who understand commercial documents, tax setup, and alternative financing.

He explains why you should incorporate on day one — and the one question you ask your accountant to find out if they're worth keeping. He walks through how family financing works, what a real loan structure looks like when you pull equity from your home, and why asking for less money than you need is one of the most dangerous things a new owner can do.

Michael also covers pricing strategy, what happens when you try to grow too fast into big-box retail, how to handle supplier disputes without burning relationships, and why paying your team more often costs you less.

This is a practical, no-fluff session for anyone thinking about starting a business — or anyone who opened one and is wondering why the money keeps disappearing.

Connect with Michael Yasny:

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Canada Growth Network — A business community where SMBs and solopreneurs get real connections and access to GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month Canadian.

Profit10™ — Take the free Profit Snapshot and find out what's really holding your business back across ten key drivers.

Property Wizard Podcast with Fred Crouch — Practical real estate and wealth-building conversations for anyone who wants to put property to work.

Next Steps

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: AI & Automation

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Corporate escapees / Leaders building systems

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear picture of how AI-powered procurement works, how to know if a tender is worth pursuing, and how to submit stronger bids in less time — without replacing the human judgment that wins contracts.

Most businesses ignore public tenders. Not because they can't win, because the process feels impossible. Jim Overboom co-founded TenderSeal while finishing his mechanical engineering degree, after meeting a business owner in New Zealand who grew his team from four to sixty people in two years purely through government contract wins. That conversation changed everything.

TenderSeal is an AI procurement platform that helps businesses find tenders they qualify for, generate proposal drafts from their own company data, and double-check submissions for errors before the deadline hits. Jim walks through how the platform works, who it's built for, and where most businesses go wrong when they first try to navigate public procurement.

Key topics covered:

Connect with Jim Overboom:
Website | LinkedIn | Company LinkedIn | Blog

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Profit10™ — Find out what's really holding your business back. Take the free Profit Snapshot — ten questions, no cost, real clarity on where your business stands.

East Trade Winds — Free weekly networking every Tuesday 8–9 AM EST. Bring one challenge, one introduction. No pitch. Real business conversation.

Sterling Grace Technologies — Cybersecurity, IT support, and business continuity for Canadian SMBs. If your systems aren't protected, they're exposed.

Next Steps

Questions or connections: [email protected]
Join Canada Growth Network – GoHighLevel + Network = $1 CAD first month, $47 CAD/month after
Subscribe to the K4B blog
Search K4B episodes by topic
Register as a K4B guest
Visit Knack 4 Business

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: AI & Automation
WHO THIS IS FOR: Solopreneurs / SMB owners / Non-technical founders / Leaders building systems
WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear picture of how AI agents work, when to use them safely, and how to start automating your business without breaking anything — or leaking data.

Most solo operators are doing the work of five people. Allan Edmond built a business around fixing that.

Allan is the CEO of TechPeace, based in Grimsby, Ontario. He helps non-technical founders turn AI tools and custom software into working business systems — without the security risks that come from building blind. With over a decade of experience across agencies in Singapore, Australia, France, and Canada, and as one of fewer than 50 Glide Certified Experts globally, Allan has shipped 100+ apps for founders who had big ideas but needed someone to make them real.

In this conversation, Allan walks through the full arc — from why he left traditional coding, to the no-code era, to what agentic coding actually means for a business owner today. He explains what a personal AI agent is in plain language, why the prototype you built in Lovable might be a security risk, and how to think about local versus cloud AI models depending on your risk tolerance.

Key topics covered:

Allan also writes a daily French-language newsletter — La Toolbox d'Allan on Substack — packed with practical AI tips for business owners who want to stay sharp without getting overwhelmed.

Free consultation for business owners exploring personal AI agent setup: calendly.com/allan-edmond/free-consultation

Connect with Allan:

A big thank you to Blair Patton from Benchmark Insurance for the introduction.

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

@Hive = Real-world business networking in person and online. Starter membership $99 CAD/year.

Profit10™ = Take the free Profit Snapshot and find out what's really holding your business back. Ten questions. No cost.

Canada Growth Network = Business connections plus GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month Canadian. Start your trial today.

NEXT STEPs

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Networking & Community

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Service-based business leaders / Anyone building a referral-based community

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear model for turning a siloed industry into a collaborative network — plus hard lessons from burnout, community building, and 35 years in the care sector.

Growing a care business feels lonely. Not because the people aren't there, but because everyone treats everyone else as competition.

Iain Clague saw this pattern up close. With 35 years across hospitality, nutrition, and the care sector, he watched small providers and suppliers struggle in isolation while the fixes they needed were sitting in the next room. So he built The Care Connector Network — a community where care providers, suppliers, and professionals learn each other's businesses, make introductions, and grow together.

In this episode, Iain breaks down why traditional networking fails care businesses, what the real cost of isolation looks like, and how a collaboration-first model changes the outcomes for everyone involved.

He covers how 87% of UK care businesses operate with a single registered service — and why that makes community not a nice-to-have but a survival tool. He talks about the moment burnout forced him to stop doing everything alone. And he shares a simple framing that changes how you talk about someone else's business — and why that shift is the foundation of every referral relationship worth having.

The lessons here go well beyond the care sector. If you're a service-based SMB owner who's been carrying too much for too long, this one is worth your full attention.

Topics covered:

Connect with Iain Clague:
The Care Connector Network | LinkedIn | Instagram | Company LinkedIn

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Canada Growth Network — A business community where SMBs and solopreneurs get real connections and access to GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month CAD.

Profit10™ — Take the free Profit Snapshot: ten questions that show you where your business is strong and where it's leaking.

WebIndexer — Turn your website into a 24/7 client-facing assistant that answers questions while you're doing everything else.

Next Steps

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Leadership & Ops

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Nonprofit leaders / Leaders building systems

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: Practical warning signs to watch for, a realistic turnaround timeline, and the financial habits that keep a business stable long before things feel broken.

Most businesses don't fail overnight. They drift, slowly, quietly, until the cash is gone and the options are few.

Diesha Cooper is the founder of Execuly and a fractional CFO/COO who embeds herself inside small businesses and nonprofits to stabilize them before — or during — crisis. She doesn't just advise and walk away. She becomes part of the team, builds the systems, and stays until the business can stand on its own.

In this episode, Diesha breaks down what actually causes a business to need a turnaround — and what owners can do right now to prevent one. She shares the warning signs that get ignored, why your financial reports can look healthy while your cash account runs dry, and how most small businesses collapse from the same small mistakes: too much debt too early, siloed bookkeeping, and no real go-to-market strategy.

She also talks about what a realistic stabilization looks like — typically three to six months to break even, another two to three to reach profitability — and what you can start doing this week to lead with clarity instead of reacting under pressure.

And because Diesha is someone who learns by doing, she shares the story behind Siplux — her microplastic-free double-walled glass travel cup — a product she launched specifically to learn marketing from the ground up.

Key topics covered:

Listener offer: Visit siplux.com and use code BERNIE for 25% off.

Connect with Diesha Cooper:
Execuly website | Execuly blog | LinkedIn — Diesha Cooper | LinkedIn — Execuly | Facebook — Execuly | Email: [email protected]

Browse all episodes: Past K4B / ETW / CGN episodes

— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Profit10™ — Most owners can name their revenue. Fewer can name what's limiting their profit. Take the free Profit Snapshot — 10 questions, plain language, real clarity.

Canada Growth Network — Business connections + GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month CAD. Real tools. Real people. Start your trial for $1.

East Trade Winds — Free weekly networking every Tuesday 8–9 AM EST. One challenge. One introduction. No pitch.

Next Steps:

Questions? Email us: [email protected]

Subscribe to the K4B blog: https://blog.knack4business.com/

Search K4B episodes by topic: https://knack4business.com/

Register as a K4B guest: https://tinyurl.com/mcdm3hk6

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR:Leadership & Ops

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Founders building teams / Leaders hitting a growth ceiling

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear picture of what fractional leadership is (and isn't), three signs you need it, and a real client story with a 238% sales increase — no new headcount.

Most founders hit a wall. Revenue is up. The team is maxed out. Decisions are piling up. And the instinct is to hire, but hire who, exactly?

Natalie Hoop is a fractional COO and strategic operations partner who works with founders and scaling businesses to bring order to chaos. In this Canada Growth Network Power Hour session, she breaks down the fractional leadership model — what it is, what it isn't, and when it's the right move.

Natalie covers the three signs a business needs a fractional leader, why hiring full-time too soon is a costly mistake, and how she walked into a client's business, remapped their entire sales process using Typeform logic and pipeline automation, and produced a 238% increase in sales, a 79% increase in transactions, and a 71% reduction in the sales cycle — in 30 days. No new headcount.

She also walks through how to make the fractional partnership actually work: define the problem (not just the role), use a 30/60/90 day framework, and give the fractional real decision authority.

Key topics covered:

Connect with Natalie Hoop:

Browse all episodes (K4B / ETW / CGN)

— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Canada Growth Network: Business connections + GoHighLevel CRM for $47/month CAD. Start your trial!

Profit10™ — A structured 10-driver business diagnostic built for coaches, consultants, and fractional leaders. Take the free Profit Snapshot

WebIndexer: Turn your website into a 24/7 client-facing assistant. See it live on knack4business.com: 

Next Steps:

Questions? Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Sales & Revenue

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Sales leaders / Founders building systems

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear picture of why sales tools get abandoned, how to align your whole organization around the buyer journey, and what separates a sales team from a revenue engine.

Your sales process feels busy. The pipeline looks full. But the revenue isn't there.

John Golden has seen this pattern across hundreds of organizations — and the problem is almost never the tool.

John is the Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Pipeliner CRM and host of the globally recognized Sales POP! podcast — ranked in the top 2% worldwide with over 1,600 episodes. A former CEO of Huthwaite International, the creators of SPIN Selling, John brings decades of real sales leadership to a conversation most businesses need to have.

In this episode, John and Bernie unpack why CRM systems get built for managers instead of salespeople — and why that single design flaw causes most adoption failures. John explains the difference between a sales team and a revenue engine, why consultative selling and genuine curiosity still outperform every shortcut, and how AI should support the human side of selling — not replace it.

Key topics covered:

Connect with John Golden:

Browse all episodes — K4B / ETW / CGN

— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Profit10™ — Find out what's really driving — or limiting — your enterprise value. The free Profit Snapshot is where it starts.

Notionhive — Websites built to perform, not just look good. If your site isn't generating leads, it's time for a rethink.

WebIndexer — Turn your website into a 24/7 client-facing assistant. See it live on knack4business.com.

Questions or connections: 

[email protected]

Join Canada Growth Network + GoHighLevel = $1 CAD first month, $47 CAD/month after:  Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

Subscribe to the K4B blog

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Register as a K4B guest!

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Health & Wellness 

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Corporate escapees / Leaders building systems
WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A working definition of mental fitness, a leadership lens on burnout, and practical steps to protect performance and people.

Burnout isn't a personal failing. It's what happens when the system around a person breaks down.

Dr. Jackie Kinley, psychiatrist and founder of AIR Institutes, joins Bernie Franzgrote and cohost Wayne Pratt to challenge the old idea that mental health is something to fix in the individual. Instead, she makes the case for mental fitness — a skills-based approach built on behavior, relationships, and daily habits that helps leaders and teams perform under pressure without burning out.

In this conversation, Dr. Kinley covers:

Connect with Dr. Jackie Kinley: air-institutes.com | LinkedIn | AIR Institutes company page | YouTube

Audience bonus: get your free Resilience Snapshot (the FRQ12) at air-institutes.com.

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— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

Next Steps:

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GROWTH PILLAR: Cybersecurity & IT

WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Corporate escapees / Leaders building systems

WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: Actionable insights, hard-won lessons, real growth strategies

Most small business owners feel the same tension every week. The thing protecting your business is also the thing slowing it down. Margaret Dibor has spent 20 years on both sides of that line.

Margaret is the co-founder and Chief Information Security Officer at Dima Risk Solutions in Vancouver. She has worked across telecom, education, healthcare, and government. She sits on the board of the ISACA Vancouver Chapter.

Her story started in Poland, moved through England, and now lives in Canada. Each move taught her something about how businesses really protect their data.

In this episode, Margaret explains why most SMBs are over-equipped but under-protected. She makes the case for resilience over defence. She walks through why AI tools can quietly leak sensitive data with no way to retrieve it. She covers vendor due diligence, data sovereignty across Canada, the EU, and the US, and the simple frame she uses to decide when an owner should bring in expert help.

Key topics covered:

Margaret is launching a two-month pilot of her risk management platform for owners in health tech, fintech, healthcare, and finance. If you handle sensitive data and want a calm, practical roadmap before something goes wrong, this conversation is for you.

Watch the podcast here.

Connect with Margaret:DimaRisk.com | LinkedIn

Thanks to Willie Nichol in Scotland for the introduction.

— PARTNERS ON THIS EPISODE —

NEXT STEPs

Disclaimer: Everything you heard today is for educational purposes only. It's not professional advice. Before you act on anything — talk to a certified expert in your area. Your accountant. Your lawyer. Someone who knows your situation.

We share perspectives. You make the decisions.

Want more? Head over to blog.knack4business.com — packed with practical episodes on AI, marketing, leadership, and growth. No fluff. Just the good stuff. Subscribe while you're there.

Until next time; keep building.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.