The Finance Cafe

Our relationships with money can be complex, especially as women and women in business.  

In this episode Host and Co-founder of The Finance Cafe, Shannon Pestun, and her guest, Stacy Yanchuk Olesky, CEO of Credit Counselling Canada, dive in some of the reasons why that is and why it's so important to develop a really great relationship with money. 

Stacy is the interim CEO for Credit Counselling Canada, a national association and accrediting body for the non-profit credit counselling industry in Canada.  Stacy served as Director of Counselling and Director of Education for the Credit Counselling Society for 13 years.  She has a master’s degree in Family Ecology, is a professional Coach and a Certified Educator in Personal Finance. She has a monthly article in Canadian Living, and is called to speak to local, regional, and national media on personal money management. 

Another key piece that Stacy speaks to is "credit" as a whole. Did you know that in Canada, a credit score, a credit report and a credit rating are all different? Stacy breaks it all down in a way that is clear and understandable. 

In this must listen episode, Shannon and Stacy also talk about whether or not money is "gendered" and why that may be and how it impacts women entrepreneurs and so much more! 

Reach out to us at The Finance Cafe here: 

www.thefinancecafe.ca

@thefinancecafeofficial 

Linkedin

Remember use the code PODCAST10 to save 10% off our signature Financial Literacy Program for Women Entrepreneurs.

Studies show that small business owners are working longer hours, harder and putting less money in their own pockets.

Shauna Frederick, who hosts this episode, was excited to be speaking with Kerri Riddle who has some excellent tips, tools and tricks to help women entrepreneurs set themselves up from the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, to pay themselves. 

Kerri, is a Business Advisor and Partner with Grant Thornton LLP with 12+ years of experience working in assurance and advisory services in Newfoundland and Labrador. She loves working with clients, helping them understand their business and their growth potential, overcoming challenges and unlocking opportunities. Over the years, Kerri has worked with public companies, private entities, not-for-profit and public sector clients across multiple industries.

Shauna and Kerri talk about normalizing that while it's okay to put your business first, you also need to value your contributions. This episode is full of valuable insights about why it's so important to have your businesses financial information at your fingertips and how to understand it in order to make effective decision as you grow your business.

You can connect with Kerri on LinkedIn. 

Here are the resources mentioned in the episode.Cloud accounting insights | Grant Thornton

How do I restore profitability in my business? | Grant Thornton

Thanks again to our podcast sponsor the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.

We hope you found this episode insightful and empowering for your entrepreneurial journey. Follow us on social media and visit our website to learn more about our financial literacy program designed specifically for you.

In this episode, host, Shannon Pestun speaks with the EDC's Director of Inclusive Trade, Jenn Cooke. 

As the Director for Inclusive Trade, Jenn leads a team that is focused specifically on helping more women and diverse Canadian entrepreneurs realize their global potential with confidence by removing barriers, creating an equitable playing field, and increasing accessibility to products and services.

Jennifer is inspired by Canadian entrepreneurs and believes strongly in the untapped potential to grow Canada’s economy by empowering more women, Indigenous, Black and racialized peoples, and those from the LGBT+ communities and/or living with disabilities, through business to scale and grow beyond borders. 

There's a lot of benefits to exporting and Jenn and Shannon discuss how it is opening doors for women entrepreneurs and why more women should think about exporting as a growth and sustainability strategy.

Listen in to learn some of the myths about exporting, the pros and the cons and what women owned small business owners need to know.

Get in touch:

Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada  

Export Development Canada  

Trade Commission Services 

Forum for International Trade

Thanks again to our podcast sponsor the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. 

We hope you found this episode insightful and empowering for your entrepreneurial journey. Follow us on social media and visit our website to learn more about our financial literacy program designed specifically for you. 

Love is in the air and here at The Finance Cafe its all love, all the time... for women entrepreneurs. 

This week co-founder Shauna Frederick, is joined by Marcela Mandeville, Chair of WEOC Canada and CEO of Alberta Women Entrepreneurs who shares how the ecosystem is connecting, supporting and collaborating with women entrepreneurs.

Marcela has explored the world of business through a globally focused business undergraduate degree, designation as a Certified International Trade Professional and more than twenty years of global experience developing and implementing business strategies. A career highlight has been taking on leadership roles at Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) to support AWE’s goal to build stronger communities and economies through women’s participation in entrepreneurship.

Marcela believes strongly in continuous learning and contributing to the community. 

Obviously we love talking about women's entrepreneurship at The Finance Cafe and just one of the reasons is because of the increase we've seen on women's entrepreneurship in Canada over the last 10 years, and especially over the last two. According to Stats Canada, there are currently more than 360,000 self-employed women in Canada.

What this says to us is that we have a growing network of women entrepreneurs to connect with, collaborate with and learn from. 

This episode is all about connection, supporting, networking and why it's important to have more more than one source of capital to rely on in your business. 

Speaking of connection and networking we want to send a big Valentines thank you to our sponsor, the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.

Made up of 10 regional hubs, WEKH operates in both official languages and includes a network of over 250 organizations, reaching more than 100,000 women entrepreneurs.

WEKH is a part of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy that aims to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise. Using a methodology developed by the Boston Consulting Group and the Cherie Blair Foundation (2019), it is estimated that closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship in Canada could add $41-$81 billion to Canada’s GDP

To connect with Marcela:

Instagram:@awebusiness, @msbrightidea

LinkedIn: Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, Marcela Mandeville

Facebook: Alberta Women Entrepreneurs

Website: awebusiness.com

Reach out to us at The Finance Cafe here:

www.thefinancecafe.ca

@thefinancecafeofficial

Linkedin 

Remember use the code PODCAST10 to save 10% off a one-year membership for our Financial Literacy Program for Women Entrepreneurs.  

Last fall, Sara Blakely reminded us that an idea for a consumer packaged goods (CPGs) business can lead to a billion dollar opportunity for women entrepreneurs. 

It's no secret that women-owned businesses are behind some of the most innovative consumer products on the market, are driving industry trends and reinventing product categories. But the path from product development to retail success can be a daunting one, particularly for women entrepreneurs who face increased barriers when accessing financial, social and entrepreneurial capital.

On this episode Shannon Pestun has a conversation with Felicia Lekan-Salami, entrepreneur and CEO of Milton Food Group. Milton Food Group is a health conscious snack company that is rapidly expanding its reach and extending innovation to introduce new products to the market.

Shannon and Felicia talk about expanding in the consumer packaged goods market, how to find an equity partner, strategies to capitalize on growth and how acquisition has been key to the growth of her company.

Felicia is a resourceful, strategic and energetic professional with over 20 years of experience helping multinational organizations make better business decisions that drive sustainable growth and profitability. She is a big 4 trained management consultant with experience in various industries and countries and has worked with clients that include Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola. 

On top of being a busy entrepreneur, Felicia is also the Divisional Vice President – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The Bay and Hudson's Bay Company. 

Felicia firmly believes that people make a difference and together everyone achieves more. This is a sentiment that aligns so well with ours here at The Finance Cafe! 

Reach out to Felicia here:

LinkedIn - Felicia Lekan-Salami

Milton Pies

Milton Pies on IG 

Reach out to us at The Finance Cafe here:

www.thefinancecafe.ca

@thefinancecafeofficial

 linkedin 

Remember use the code PODCAST10 to save 10% off our signature Financial Literacy Program for Women Entrepreneurs.

Women-owned businesses are behind some of the most innovative, game-changing products and services on the market, driving industry trends, reinventing product categories and changing the way the world embraces entrepreneurship. But despite their impact, barriers continue to persist.

In this episode, Shannon Pestun, sits down with friend and colleague, petra kassun-mutch to talk about the rapidly growing feminist economy, the need to redefine success and breaking barriers so women can reach their full economic potential.

pk is an indie media entrepreneur, freelance journalist, Canadian Association of Journalists member, former book publishing executive, zine-maker and startup professional. Recipient of Inspiring Top 50 Women in STEM in 2018. Profiled in Canada 150 Women: Conversations with Leaders, Champions and Luminaries. Founder of Highwire Collective (formerly Eve-Volution) Also founder and former President of award-winning Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Canada’s 8th B-Corp, which under her leadership received the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation (2009). pk currently works to advance inclusive, non-extractive, non-exploitative entrepreneurship and innovation in public policy and startup ecosystems with a particular emphasis on gender equity.  pk is the founding publisher and caretaker of LiisBeth. Follow pk on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Welcome to another episode of The Finance Cafe Podcast presented by The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.

This week your host, Shauna Frederick, dives into a conversation on avoiding a CRA audit with The Tax Chick, Amanda Doucette. 

Amanda is a problem solver who loves showcasing the human side of professional careers. In her day job, she's a lawyer helping her clients navigate the complex world of income tax, GST and employment insurance.

Her passion is helping people navigate problems that seem insurmountable and empowering them so they feel in control of their business and decision-making, she truly believes taxes are fun and aims to help her clients feel more confident in their tax situations, helping them understand relevant laws so they can avoid future issues. 

In 2020, Amanda launched The Tax Chick Blog and The Tax Chick Podcast, she is a woman you need to know. 

Listen in as we unpack The Tax Chick's Top 5 tips for avoiding a CRA audit:

Tax Chick Socials:

Instagram: @tax.chick

LinkedIn: Amanda Doucette, TEP

Blog posts referenced in episode:

https://taxchickca.wpcomstaging.com/2021/12/28/musings-of-a-tax-chick/

https://taxchickca.wpcomstaging.com/2021/11/29/the-tax-chick-5-step-process-for-surviving-cra-communication/

https://taxchickca.wpcomstaging.com/2020/09/28/tax-chick-tips-on-surviving-an-audit/

We hope you found this episode insightful and empowering for your entrepreneurial journey. Follow us on social media and visit our website to learn more about our financial literacy program designed specifically for your. You'll learn how to read the story of your business - one number at a time.

In this new episode kicking-off a new year and a new season, we are also celebrating a new sponsor for The Finance Cafe Podcast.  Thank you to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, a resource must for any women entrepreneur!

In this episode your hosts, Shannon Pestun & Shauna Frederick have a conversation about the different barriers that women entrepreneurs face, but more importantly, provide tangible action items to help support you in your entrepreneurial journey.

Often the New Year is an opportunity to reflect and look ahead and the same is true for entrepreneurs. This is a great time to look at your business, look back at your original business plan, remember why you started and fall in love with your business all over again. 

Wishing you all success in 2022 and hope to see you around The Finance Cafe. Happy New Year!

Follow us both on instagram for more valuable resources: @wekh_pcfe @thefinancecafeofficial

In this new episode kicking-off a new year and a new season, we are also celebrating a new sponsor for The Finance Cafe Podcast.  Thank you to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, a resource must for any women entrepreneur! 

As we are transitioning to a New Year, Founders of The Finance Cafe, Shannon Pestun and Shauna Frederick wanted to take some time to reflect on what they have learned over the past year creating The Finance Cafe, their e-learning literacy program and starting this podcast. All key pillars in creating a space and a community committed to supporting women entrepreneurs and having important conversations addressing the gender gap. 

They share their takeaways and personal learnings as they celebrate the incredible women who have bravely and vulnerably shared their stories, insights and expertise with us over the last year. Most importantly what they plan to bring with them into the next and what that will look like for The Finance Cafe..

You won't want to miss this value packed episode that will be sure to spark inspiration, insights and encouragement as we gear up for another year!!

From everyone at The Finance Cafe.  Thank you for being a part of this important and incredible community. Happy New Year. 

Follow us on instagram for more valuable resources: @wekh_pcfe @thefinancecafeofficial

This episode is jam packed with honest, real insights that are sure to have you laughing, crying and totally inspired! 

This week, The Finance Cafe's co-founder, Shannon Pestun, speaks with Founder, Biz Empowerment Expert & TV Entrepreneur Expert, Vivian Kaye. Among her many hard won accomplishments Vivian has bootstrapped her company, KinkyCurlyYaki to $6 Million!

Vivian shares many valuable insights from the wins and fails she experienced along the way. She shares why she believes of financial literacy for women is so important and clearly speaks to the unique challenges women entrepreneurs face and the added layers and bias' black women entrepreneurs experience and what we need to do change them. 

As a true advocate, Vivian also shares her work with tease tea's Founders Fund.  "A Founder led and built community supporting under represented women & non-binary founders during every stage of their entrepreneurial journey."  Her passion for breaking through bias, creating change and "just take action" attitude is contagious!

Connect with Vivian:

Vivian Kaye is a business & empowerment expert, keynote speaker, and founder and CEO of KinkyCurlyYaki. She is a mentor and advisory board member at Founders Fund. She also hosts a show called Mind Your Business on YouTube, recently made her debut as host of Business Class: Build It Braver powered by AMEX Canada and is the Entrepreneur Expert on CityLine with Tracy Moore.

Twitter: @itsviviankaye

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsviviankaye/

Instagram: @itsviviankaye

Website: viviankaye.com