Speaking of Business

Trina Fraser is a co-managing partner at Brazeau Seller Law. Since 2014, her practice has been focused on Cannabis Law. She helps her clients negotiate contracts, develop business strategies, execute transactions and ensure they are complying with regulations.

Trina completed her business undergrad program at Queens University with an intention of moving forward into finance, accounting, or marketing. In her 3rd year, she took a business law course and felt pulled to pursue studying law further. The first 15 years of her law career, she practiced Corporate Business Law before moving her focus to Cannabis Law.

Working with the ever-changing regulations as the governing organization develops them has been exciting and a challenge. As well overcoming the stigma that is attached to the Cannabis industry regarding the medicinal purposes and recreational use.

When you are approaching a crossroads and need to make a decision, trust your gut. It is easy to become overwhelmed in the pros and cons and weighing every option, but when you trust in you, you discover that you know what path to take.

Connect with Trina at: brazeauseller.com

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com.

Katherine Cooligan is the Regional Managing Partner at Borden, Ladner, Gervais LLP. Katherine is a practicing lawyer who specializes in family law. 

Katherine has faced many adversities in her personal and professional life and her ability to overcome is inspirational and has helped her reach her goals. 

IN THIS INTERVIEW:  

How It Began 

Katherine found her passion for Family Law while working at her uncle's law office during high school and during under grad program.  She was exposed to many areas of the law but felt most connected to family law because of the personal connection with her clients. 

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

One of Katherine's most challenging experiences was the loss of her five-month-old son on the day she became Partner at Gowlings Law Firm. The experience profoundly changed her life and brought a depth of compassion and understanding that has translated to her passion to help families during times of crisis and need.

When Katherine started her law career, leadership positions in law where predominantly filled by men. There has been a considerable shift towards balance in more recent years thanks to women like Katherine who has become part of a select group of female leaders and partners in law. 

Operational Wisdom

Your path to what you call success does not have to be a straight line, most often it is not. Katherine encourages others to expect delays, expect bumps in the road. make the adjustments necessary, ask for support and step back if necessary but do not step out. 

Connect with Katherine at: blghttps://blg.com/en/Our-People/Cooligan-Katherine

Tedx Talk: Tackling Fear and Unleashing your Full Potential

 For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com.

Jennifer McGahan is the owner and principle designer at Jennifer McGhahan Interiors, which specializes in high-end renovation or decor projects.

Jennifer started her business in 2008 when she was a stay-at-home mom. She took courses at night to get her qualifications and acquire the tools she needed to be successful. In 2012, on the heels of her marriage dissolving she had to make a decision to jump in with both feet or find a new direction. 

IN THIS INTERVIEW:  

How It All Began 

In 2015 Jennifer's business really started to accelerate, which meant she quickly needed to hire her first employee and then within six months, hired several more. Now, in 2019 the business has outgrown its current location and they are upgrading to accommodate their needs.  

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

Getting funding for the business as a women-owned business has been a big hurdle. Only 4% of venture capital money is going to businesses that are owned by women. Jennifer built a million-dollar business on a ten-thousand dollar line of credit. 

Operational Wisdom

New hires must be a good fit on the team to compliment and enhance the synergy between the team members. 

The importance of finding your tribe, a mentor or a coach who can help to guide you when you are at a crossroads and need to make critical decisions. 

When scaling your business, the areas that have the biggest risk often present the biggest opportunities. 

Connect with Jennifer at: jennifermcgahaninteriors.com

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com.

Allyson Chisnall is the CFO & COO of MediaStyle - an impact communications company that serves clients who are focused on making Canada a better place through their campaigns, concepts and ideas.

IN THIS INTERVIEW:   

How It All Began 

Allyson started her first business in 2005 as an independent Financial Controller for small businesses. In 2009, she met the founder of MediaStyle and became an advisor to the new company. When it came time for MediaStyle to scale up, Allyson was invited into the CFO position. 

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

In high school, Allyson was told she should not go into accounting because women should not be accountants, this sparked her "oh yeah, watch me" attitude. 

Further in her career her ability was doubted simply because she was a woman in what was (at the time) a male-dominated industry. This fueled her and Allyson quickly earned the supervisor position at the accounting company at which she worked.

Allyson's biggest challenge at MediaStyle was adapting to working with creative individuals and concepts where there can be many good choices as opposed to the one right way of accounting. 

Operational Wisdom

Constantly learning to bring new systems, and checks & balances into the business to improve function and efficiency.

Have a board of mentors, not just a coach. A group where many different perspectives can come together and share ideas for you as you grow personally and professionally. 

Building Culture

Weekly Team Lunches

Quarterly retreats with education and social activity

Flex time and fitness benefits

Encouraging feedback from team members on what they want and need to be successful and happy.

Connect with Allyson at: mediastyle.ca. 

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com.

Emily Bertrand has always had a passion for horses. She started riding at a very young age and fell in love with them immediately. 

Being with horses helped Emily at various times throughout her youth and this was a catalyst for wanting to create Royale Equestrian Centre, a place where she could give back through horses. 

IN THIS INTERVIEW:  

How It All Began 

Emily was searching for a barn that had all the facilities and qualities that she wanted. When she could not find one that was just the right fit she began to build her own. She started in 2007 with two horses and one paddock. She now have forty-two horses and many other animals.

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

Being dedicated to learning each detail of a new business is what Emily had to do - from hiring, stocking, building relationships with other companies to collaborate and how to manage cash flow.  

Operational Wisdom

Do not underestimate the amount of time things take and have patience when you are building your systems.

Budget and plan in advance.

Find a mentor who can help guide you to make informed decisions.

Building Culture

Have frequent meetings with staff, and develop a sense of community among the members of the team.

🎥 Watch the interview - Click Here

Connect with Emily at: royaleequestriancentre.com

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com.

Amy Friesen started in the retirement industry in 2004 working mostly in marketing and in several residences. While she loved her work, she began to feel like she wanted to have a bigger impact in the retirement community. 

Since 2014, Amy has built two business to better serve the retirement community and continues to develop and grow Tea and Toast as well as thelocalsenior.com  

Tea & Toast specialize in retirement living, long-term care and helps individuals and families find the right retirement home for their loved ones.

The Local Senior is a community for businesses to come together and showcase their products or services to people who are looking for senior services.

IN THIS INTERVIEW:  

How It All Began 

Early in her career in the retirement industry, Amy found herself running into a lot of barriers regarding how and where she could provide the type of service that the community was looking for. 

Amy felt she had many ideas and skills that she could implement but felt stuck in the role and department she worked in. When she was caught up in a string of layoffs she saw her opportunity to start her entrepreneurial journey and implement her vision and mission.

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

The move from solopreneur to having many team members is difficult, but hiring the right people and trusting in their abilities is the key to success.

Operational Wisdom

The greatest lesson around being a mother and an entrepreneur - there is no perfect time or correct blueprint to follow, you need to find your own balance and practice being kind to yourself when thing don't go according to plan. 

Trusting your intuition to lead you in the right direction.

Building Culture

The cornerstone is having respect for each team member, encouraging open communication, having common goals and aligning the vision and mission.

Connect with Amy at: teaandtoast.ca & thelocalsenior.com

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com 

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Following our interview with Sean MacGinnis of BuildAble (check out Episode 32), we scheduled a behind-the-scenes interview on what of his project sites.

Sean and his clients were kind enough to show us what they did for a couple who needed to transform their home to make it accessible to their second-floor bedroom and master bathroom.

In this interview, Sean takes us into the couple's home and showcases the work they did, including a full bathroom renovation and the installation of an elevator. Yes! An elevator!

Thank you for sharing Sean! We love what you do!

To get in touch with Sean and his team, go to their website at BuildAble.ca.

For additional episodes of the Speaking of Business show, visit www.SpeakingofBusinessShow.com.

Sue Hameed is a mortgage broker & co-owner of Platinum Mortgages Ottawa. Sue grew up in an entrepreneurial family. She watched and then helped her parents build a business from nothing into a very successful venture. Through her experiences in the family business, becoming a mother and the desire to find balance in her life so she could care for herself, her family and her business, Sue learned to overcome adversity by keeping a strong mindset. In This Interview: How It All Began At a young age, Sue learned entrepreneurship as she worked alongside her parents in the family business co-managing the operations. Just several weeks before Sue was due to give birth to her first child, her father had a heart attack. In an effort to alleviate stress from him as he recovered, she went back to work soon after giving birth, bringing her newborn son into the office with her every day.. Overcoming Adversity When Sue became pregnant with her 2nd child she knew she had to make a change as she did not want to keep doing what she was doing and the way she was doing it. She had the vision of stepping into work where she could create her own hours, have no ceiling on her potential income and be there for her children, bringing more balance to her life. With little experience in the financial industry, and many hurdles to overcome, she applied herself and learned not to dwell in the negative but spend time and focus on improving her skills, her abilities and her education. Leadership Growing a team that now has eleven members, Sue started with the vision of growing organically, through leading by example, with smart branding and marketing. Her vision and dedication has earned her awards such as the CMP Young Guns Award - Top 55 in Canada and the Mortgage Alliance Network Top 5% Award The Future Sue is striving to achieve balance in her personal and professional life as she knows the importance of making herself a priority. Moving forward she continues to create a better customer experience through yourvirtualmortgage.com and grow the Platinum Mortgages Ottawa team where they provide guidance and education in many areas such as: • Residential • Commercial • First mortgages • Purchases • Renewals • Refinances • Bankruptcy • Proposals    Connect with Sue at:  platinummortgagesottawa.com and yourvirtualmortgage.com.

For additional episodes of the Speaking of Business show, visit www.SpeakingofBusinessShow.com.

Tarah Sly is a child of parental divorce. She never expected to have gone through what she did but as a teenager who lived through the separation of her parents, she knew she wanted something difference for others, as children and adults. 

Through her professional and personal growth, she has discovered a deep desire to make a difference in the lives of those affected by divorce. She is now the co-owner of the Clarity Divorce Centre, (formerly known as the Separation and Divorce Resource Centre), the Operations Manager and is the child and youth councilor at the centre.  

IN THIS INTERVIEW: 

How It All Began 

Tarah shares her journey of being a child of divorce to finding her voice and her passion by helping those who struggle through the overwhelm, and often debilitating experience, of divorce.  

You will also learn about the history of the Clarity Divorce Centre which lies in her parents' divorce. Diane Valiquette, Tarah's mother, started her business to help those struggling through divorce so that they could feel supported and not feel alone. Today, the Centre's impact is far and wide. 

Overcoming Adversity to Stick to the Vision & Mission 

Running a separation and divorce centre is not easy. Tarah shares the struggles they have had to overcome building a business that has far reaches today in the field of divorce, and the services they have come to offer through their growth. 

The future 

The vision of the Clarity Divorce Centre is to have all services available under one roof that a person may need while going through a separation or divorce. They focus on collaborating with highly qualified and experienced practitioners in every field of service they provide such as: 

• Mediation 
• Legal advice 
• Family support 

• Child and youth counselling 
• Post-divorce recovery 
• Therapy/counselling 
• Financial counsel 
• Workshops/education 

Connect with Tarah at: claritydivorce.com 

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit speakingofbusinessshow.com 

Adriana Olvera is the General Manager of Thorncliffe Place Retirement Residence In Ottawa. Before she moved to Canada, Adriana worked in a Children's Hospital Social Services Department in Mexico.  

Adriana has been the General Manager of Thorncliffe Place for five years and has been a member of the Thorncliffe team for ten. Starting as the receptionist where she learned the foundation of how the residence operates she then moved into sales and marketing and now runs operations at Thorncliffe. 

Challenges: 

• Adapting to and learning a new culture in Canada 
• Learning new business terminology and policies 
• Managing a team of 54 members 

Operational Lessons: 

• How to trust and delegate to the Managers in each department of operations 

Building Culture:  

• Helping team members grow personally and professionally through training 

• Daily staff huddle where concerns can be heard and positive experiences can be shared by each team member 

Operational Wisdom: 

• Finding your work-life balance so you can be fully present and engaged 

• The happiness of your team is important; when you take good care of your people they will take good care of the business 

Connect with Adriana at: ThorncliffePlace.com 

For more Speaking of Business Podcasts visit: speakingofbusinessshow.com