Success Leaves Clues with Robin Bailey and Al McDonald

With a knack for establishing new and highly successful ventures, Vino Jeyapalan's newest entrepreneurial start-up, Kabo, has become Canada's largest direct-to-consumer fresh dog food brand. In his conversation with hosts Robin and Al, Vino talks about his mission to improve the life of dogs while advancing opportunities and innovations in customer experience as he aims to expand Kabo.co beyond its own line of pet food into the pet health space. No stranger to the world of solutions management, Vino spent over 8 years working in scaling consumer product startups at Facebook and Instagram that led to him being awarded Marketing Magazine's Top 30 Under 30 in 2016.

Jeff Cates, CEO and President of Achievers, an industry-leading employee engagement solution provider that accelerates a culture of performance, joins Robin and Al for a conversation detailing his passion for the start-up industry and advocacy efforts for entrepreneurialism. After being named CEO in April 2019, Jeff quickly led Achievers to new product and global growth. Jeff’s expertise for creating environments where employees can do the best work of their lives has helped Achievers receive multiple employer awards: Top 50 Best Workplaces™ in Canada, Best Workplaces™ for Women, and Best Workplaces™ for Inclusion.

Robin & Al welcome guests Zack Brown, Vice President, Sales & Valentina De Castris, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships at Dialogue Healthcare Services, a virtual primary care platform founded with the mission to improve wellbeing by reducing barriers to quality care. As the largest and fastest-growing telemedicine company in Canada, Dialogue provides convenient, virtual access to a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals for Canadian companies who care. By empowering employees to be proactive about their physical and mental health, businesses can reap the significant benefits associated with happier and healthier employees. A benefit that is more important than ever!

Nick Spina began his dynamic entrepreneurial journey shovelling snow and mowing lawns for his neighbours as a teenager to bar-tending/managing in his early 20's to owning and operating hospitality companies at the tender age of 23. He launched LiveFit Foods, Canada's leading, fully-cooked, chef-prepared meal service in 2015, starting with just 100 meals a week and 2 employees. Fast forward to 2021 and LiveFit now boasts 200+ employees, serving over 50,000 meals every week.

Brimming with positivity and entrepreneurial spirit, Clint Israel, President of CAMERON'S Brewing Company brings his upbeat style to the conversation, discussing his recipe for preparation & success during the perplexity of the pandemic lockdowns. His focus, initiative and unwavering belief in himself, his company and employees, propelled Cameron's forward into new and exciting opportunities of customer service & growth.

Elizabeth Dimovski is not only a talented dental professional, she cares deeply about her clients. Her life's purpose is to help people heal anyway she can so throughout the pandemic she has focused her practice on helping her clients nurture their mental health as much as caring for their dental health. She touches on her passion for connecting with the many people she meets, self improvement, meditation, as well as taking care of yourself & those around you.

In this episode, Al & Robin introduce Kelsey Boyer, an inspirational CCF certified Leadership Coach and the Founder of Women's Leadership Accelerator. Kelsey has created a 90 day mentorship program for aspiring and current female leaders looking to up level their confidence, effectively manage their energy, and gain more clarity on their purpose so they can reach their potential and thrive in their careers. She shares her unique entrepreneurial journey as well as her passion for coaching personal awareness & growth.

Their shared belief in the power of mindfulness, to unleash the human potential and improve mental health, inspired entrepreneurs Sheba Zaidi & Genevive Savundranayagam to launch Mahara Mindfulness, setting them on a path to create meaningful products and experiences that offer people a stepping-stone into a world of mindful practices and personal transformation. Their first product, The Human Being Journal, was developed as a direct response to the pandemic to help people gain much needed perspective and for those looking to level up, manage stress and maximize their potential. Its amazing success is a testament to creating a product that resonated with what the market needed most right now.

Considered a tech innovator and thought-leader in marketplace businesses, customer experience and scaling businesses, Diana Goodwin is Founder & CEO of MarketBox, a sales and scheduling e-commerce platform, designed to boost sales for service businesses with mobile and virtual workforces. She has won numerous business awards including Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Telus $100,000 Small Business Challenge and brings her passion for technological adaptation to the conversation.

Dr. Janet Morrison, a life-long learner and educator who believes in the transformative power of post-secondary education is the 8th President & Vice Chancellor at Sheridan College. Adapting to change this past year, she has learned the importance of resilience and collaboration, the principles she believes will help continue the support of women in leadership. Dr. Morrison herself wears a lot of hats in her day-to-day life – educator, volunteer, community leader, mother, daughter, partner, and sister – and she’s had years of experience learning how to balance all these roles. But the one thing she recommends most... do what you love!