The Finance Cafe

In this episode of The Finance Cafe Podcast, host Shannon delves into the world of bookkeeping and financial education with special guest Jami Monte. Jami shares her journey from a successful career as a CPA in the Advertising industry to becoming an entrepreneur and launching Chillbooks™, a dynamic financial education platform designed to empower business owners with essential financial skills.

Links:

Website: jamimonte.com

Instagram: @jami.monte

YouTube: @jamimonte

TikTok: @jami.monte

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamimonte

Free GST/HST Tracker: https://pages.jamimonte.com/hstguide

Chillbooks™️ Info: https://jamimonte.com/chillbooks/

Free Solopreneur Write Off Guide: https://pages.jamimonte.com/writeoff

Welcome to another insightful episode of the Finance Cafe Podcast! In this episode, our host Shauna Frederick is joined by Faye Pang, Country Manager at Xero, to explore the transformative power of integrating bookkeeping software into business operations, with a special focus on Xero’s innovative platform. Xero, renowned for its user-friendly, cloud-based accounting software, has expanded to offer a comprehensive suite of tools and services tailored to small businesses' needs. We delve into the significance of adopting bookkeeping software, which equips entrepreneurs with the essential information needed for informed decision-making.

Faye discusses how Xero’s features streamline access to financial data, empowering women entrepreneurs by facilitating efficient management and strategic planning. She shares practical tips for transitioning from traditional methods like paper ledgers and timesheets to incorporating Xero into business operations. Drawing from real-life examples, Faye illustrates how women entrepreneurs have leveraged Xero’s bookkeeping software to enhance their financial management, enabling them to make informed business decisions and drive growth.

Quote:

Website: 

https://www.xero.com/ca/

Social media handles:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayepang/?originalSubdomain=ca

Twitter: @xero

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xero/ 

It is extraordinarily common for entrepreneurs to wear many hats, but at what point is it taking you away from your strengths and draining you of the energy required to run your business? On this episode of The Finance Cafe Podcast, we are excited to dive into a conversation with Glenda Plews from Payworks, an amazing Canadian company designed to do the heavy lifting of payroll, HR, benefits and more. Host Shauna Frederick digs into thought provoking topics that will help you evaluate what you, as an entrepreneur are spending your energy on, and if it is optimal for the success of your business. 

We are so excited to welcome this week’s guest, Dr. Wendy Cukier, Founder & Academic Director of the Diversity Institute, Academic Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre onto The Finance Cafe podcast this week with your host, Shannon Pestun. Tune in as they discuss the recently released, 2024 State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Canada Report. 

Dr. Wendy Cukier is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Academic Director of the Diversity Institute and Research Lead of the Future Skills Centre. She co-authored the bestseller “Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park" and is a leader in disruptive technologies and innovation. Shannon had a chance to talk to Dr. Cukier about the current economic landscape for women entrepreneurs in Canada, and hear about her personal story as a leading Social Entrepreneur, Professor, and Consultant in this space. 

Quote: 

32:00 “We hear so much doom and gloom about the economy, but we’re also seeing so much robustness and resiliency, consistency and survival of women entrepreneurs.” - Dr. Wendy Cukier

Websites: 

Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub: 

Website: https://wekh.ca/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wekh-pcfe/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wekh_pcfe/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wekh_pcfe 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WEKHPCFE/ 

See It Be It Campaign: https://wekh.ca/see-it-be-it/ 

We took this opportunity to interview Co-Founders Shannon Pestun and Shauna Frederick for an inside discussion on the women who inspired them to lead with integrity and contributed to their passion for supporting women in entrepreneurship.

Over the last four years, Shannon and Shauna have been devoted to supporting women entrepreneurs through meaningful conversations about how financial knowledge and understanding empower women in their business and personal journeys. This week they are in the interviewee seat and share their own strategies, habits, and insights on the women that inspire them, the resources that help lift up this community, and what it takes to be a woman leader in today’s society.

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the remarkable journey of Tiffany Callender, a trailblazer in Canada's Black community. With a profound commitment to social entrepreneurship and community development, Tiffany has dedicated decades to crafting and implementing programs that uplift Canada's Black population. Notably, her leadership played a pivotal role in the co-development of The Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.

Join us as we sit down with Tiffany Callender, co-founder of The Federation of African Canadian Economics—a black-led nonprofit organization focused on fostering wealth creation among Canadians of African descent.

As a black woman entrepreneur, Tiffany shares her personal story in the realm of entrepreneurship and underscores the crucial need to support and accelerate the endeavours of black women entrepreneurs.

She passionately articulates why she champions the cause of black generational wealth creation, emphasizing that wealth transcends monetary value, embodying true prosperity.

Through her tireless efforts in breaking down barriers to access loans for black women entrepreneurs, Tiffany is not only fostering economic empowerment but also cultivating a culture of support, sponsorship, mentorship, and community.

Tune in as we celebrate Tiffany Callender's inspiring journey—a testament to Black excellence, resilience, and the unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter future for all.

Quote: 

24:55 

“The strength of any community is the health of their women and part of that is the autonomy to support themselves and to create wealth within their community” - Tiffany Callender

Websites: 

www.facecoalition.com 

FACE LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/facecoalition/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

FACE Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/facecoalition/

FACE X (Twitter)
https://twitter.com/1FaceCoalition

Social media handles:

LinkedIn: : https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-callender-27b68995/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtiffanycallender/

X (Twitter):  https://twitter.com/tiffcallender

Join your host, Shauna Frederick, for this insightful conversation with Shilpa Mishra, Partner, Capital Advisory Leader, and Leader of Women Driving Growth with BDO Canada. Shilpa sheds light on what it takes to support women entrepreneurs and help them find the money. Hear how financial advisors and companies like BDO Canada support business owners in gaining access to capital and lend their expertise for strategic and profitable business decisions.

Shilpa also shares information on their exciting initiative, Women Driving Growth, the only Canadian professional services firm offering advisory solutions for enterprise-level women leaders. Our all-woman team of dealmakers, trailblazers, and financial professionals is committed to helping advance women in their respective businesses in the market.

Quote:

11:36: “Access to capital is not about finding just traditional sources of capital because if you look at the $1.3 trillion lent in Canada in the 3rd quarter, 60% was from the banks, but 40% was from alternative lenders.” - Shilpa Mishra

20:40: “I would say to the entrepreneurs and the business owners, and leaders listening, an advisor can be your advocate. Most of the time I am my client's advocate.” - Shilpa Mishra

Websites: https://www.bdo.ca/insights/women-driving-growth

Social media handles:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shilpa-mishra-cpa-mba-0181257/

Instagram: @BDO_Canada

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BDOCanada 

Join host, Shannon Pestun for this insightful conversation with Melodie Gringas, Director of Programs & Community at The Forum, as they delve into the vital role of creating community for women entrepreneurs and the transformative impact of financial literacy on their entrepreneurial journeys. We are excited to share that The Finance Cafe is teaming up with The Forum to deliver a free course offering presented by TD that fosters gender focused learning, and fosters an environment for women to engage in open and vulnerable discussions about money. Melodie shares valuable insights on the importance of these conversations in shaping our business values. 

🎉 Exciting Collaboration Announcement:

The Forum and The Finance Cafe proudly unveil a collaborative program designed for women entrepreneurs. To apply for The Forum Business Finance Essentials, submit your application through: https://www.theforum.ca/business-finance-essentials?fbclid=IwAR2G-bNq7jBy98rP4HouG0hL2GqZe9q5Tybg57hZnTvBK4RuG5IVC3xFjDw. 

Registration is free! Don’t miss out on this enriching course opportunity, dedicated to self-identified women, non-binary, transfemme, and 2SLGBTQ+ entrepreneurs that explores the intersection of community, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial success.

Quotes: 

03:57 

“Whenever we hear capital, so we think about money we think about raising money which are very important, but we have to remember all the other types of capital that can contribute to growth as well” -Melodie 

04:11 

“For us wisdom capital it includes all the knowledge, all the skills, your lived experiences, the wisdom that women bring and that they further develop by participating in our programs.”-Melodie

04:25 

“At the Forum for us wisdom capital is also brought into our community by our mentors, our board, our team, basically everyone that is part of the forum, so it’s really an evolving concept, everyone brings it together and it involves not only having knowledge but really knowing what to do with that knowledge” – Melodie

04:56 

“We want to show women they already have that capital, they already come with their own set of capitals and really have that abundance mindset and really make them realize that they are already rich in that wisdom capital, so for us that’s really one of the 3 pillars that we really chose to activate.”- Melodie

05:30

“For many women entrepreneurs we underestimate our full potential.” -Shannon 

07:15 

“Knowledge is power, knowing your numbers is such a powerful tool.” -Melodie

17:05

“(Community) is basically what we’re all about, and yes we deliver programs but I would say community is the foundation of it all, it’s key, it’s the most important things that we like to talk about, really refers to us becoming a part of and contributing to a supportive community of mentors, champions, women entrepreneurs and really grounded in- practice community as a verb because to us being part of a community it’s an action.” -Melodie

22:57

“Talking about money will help you gain an understanding of where have you arrived on your business path, how did you get here, and really embrace this new financial level by asking the right questions to the right people in order to start focusing on things that are really important to you that align with your values rather than putting all of your energy  into growing a part of your business that is maybe not as important to you.” -Melodie 

Websites: 

www.theforum.ca

The Forum Business Finance Essentials Application: https://www.theforum.ca/business-finance-essentials?fbclid=IwAR2G-bNq7jBy98rP4HouG0hL2GqZe9q5Tybg57hZnTvBK4RuG5IVC3xFjDw

Social media handles:

LinkedIn: : https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodie-gingras/ 

Instagram: @theforumca

Facebook: facebook.com/theforumca

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: 

Welcome back to The Finance Cafe podcast season 4! In this episode, we dive deep into the realms of burnout with the remarkable CEO of The Burnout Lab, Tevi Legge. Join us for a candid conversation about the cost of burnout, particularly its impact on women entrepreneurs. Tevi Legge opens up about her journey with burnout, offering insights that resonate with the challenges many of us face, and explains how we as women entrepreneurs specifically can be affected. Throughout the episode, we explore not only the apparent toll burnout takes on us but also the subtle, often overlooked consequences. Tevi identifies three pivotal indicators of burnout: energy depletion, diminished efficacy (your care factor), and the emergence of cynicism. Join us for this courageous and bold conversation as we look at the cost of burnout and what we can do to help ourselves navigate our burnout journeys and live our lives lit.

Websites: 

https://www.tevilegge.com

www.theburnoutlab.com 

Social media handles:

Instagram: @theburnoutlab

Facebook: The Burnout Lab

In this episode, Shannon and Shauna sit down to reflect in a year-end recap of The Finance Cafe and reintroduce themselves to new listeners gained in 2023. Together they reminisce on the past 3 successful years of The Finance Cafe and revisit why they started in the first place - to empower female entrepreneurs by taking the mystery out of the numbers, helping women understand their business finances, and explore the importance of financial decisions and why we make the decisions we make. They have worked tirelessly to build a non-judgmental community where women entrepreneurs can grow in confidence, connection to our business, and shared learning. Join us with your hot cuppa for a conversation between business partners and friends as they share the heart and soul of the Finance Cafe, and how we can help you succeed in 2024 and beyond.