In this week's episode of The Real Bottom Line, Jesse Adams, Founder of Ember Experience, shares insights on building a positive workplace culture and how leaders can model behavior that encourages psychological safety. Here's a breakdown of the key takeaways:

• Acknowledgement vs Agreement: Leaders can create a culture that values open and honest communication by acknowledging without necessarily agreeing. By doing so, they can foster a safe environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions.
• Aligning Values with Social Contract: The social contract made with employees at the beginning of the relationship needs to align with the organization's values. Leaders must ensure that the expectations they set at the outset are consistent with the organization's values, and execute them properly.
• Compassion and Boundaries: Compassion is crucial in the workplace, but it's equally important to set boundaries. Leaders must have uncomfortable conversations when necessary, and approach them with empathy and authenticity while still addressing issues effectively.

Overall, this episode offers valuable insights into building a positive workplace culture where employees feel safe to express themselves, and leaders can effectively address issues with empathy and authenticity. If you're a leader looking to improve your organization's culture and create a safe and inclusive workplace, this episode is a must-listen!

Lisa Hrabuk is a former award-winning writer and journalist turned business strategist and problem solver. Through her company, Wicked Ideas, Lisa helps shift power dynamics, untangle problems, and access the money and influence needed to create sustainable change that sticks. We get philosophical, yet also practical, as we discuss wicked problems, what they are, and how they can be solved.

If you want to find out what FAST and SLOW mean when it comes to these wicked problems and ideas, and how to embrace being a disruptor and stepping into the power of shifting your ecosystem, then this is the episode for you! Listen now to learn the importance of your values, and how identifying where you want to go (not where you are) is integral to finding your success.

Learn more about Lisa at wickedideas.ca

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

Alison Taylor is the Co-founder, CEO, and Portfolio Manager of Invico Capital – a leader in the alternative investment space. She is the winner of several prestigious awards, including Female Executive of the Year in 2019, and made the 2021 Top 100 list of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. We dig deep down into how Alison and her Co-founder started Invico, the products they have, and how they work. We also talk about how she grew the company from 3 employees to 50, and the importance of investing in your employees, inspiring your team, and giving back to your community. 

She is a proponent of women in Finance, and the high number of females working in all levels of the company certainly stands out in this traditionally male industry.

If you would like to understand more about how your business can access debt capital, even if you don’t fit in the bank mold or benefit from a fund that does that type of investing, take the time to listen to this episode. You won’t regret it!

Kristen’s business was started as a side hustle that became the main act in the Pandemic. She is a true purple brain – what I call people who are equal parts of logic/math and creativity.  Her husband also owns a business in the creative side of marketing and they are definitely helping each other grow. She didn’t always like math, but she has truly gained respect and appreciation.

We covered a lot of ground in this interview –

• How to use planning to escape the hustle and grind
• How to schedule your tasks to take advantage of when you are at your best
• Two things that can help you grow your appreciation of math
• How using personalize letter design can create a curated client experience
• How to stand out in your field with customized fonts

In part two of this special episode of the Real Bottom Line we are concluding the Master Class – Mixing Love and Business. 

If you are part of an Entrepreneurial Couple, you are going to want to take a listen and find out about

• The Montebello Rule and why you need one
• Why intense hobbies are important
• Being open to renegotiation
• Money, risk tolerance
• Balancing roles at work and home
• Legacy

We recently ran a live masterclass for Entrepreneurial Couples – Mixing Love and Business: Crafting a recipe for success. And boy did we delve into the meat and potatoes of how to be successful – and Eleanor Beaton and Neil Stephen deliver the goods. So much so that we have taken the class and made it into a special two-part episode of The Real Bottom Line. 

In part one, we cover decision making

• Having space and grace around decision making
• The importance of shared values and the difference these make. 

 It’s soo good….enjoy!

Have you ever gotten a key chain or some other branded product and wondered – what are they trying to tell me? Justin Lee is trying to change things.

Justin’s journey to entrepreneurship was a bit winding and a big learning process for him. His focus now is on Promotional Products done differently. Some key subjects we discussed were

• How a repeatable process can unleash creativity
• How it is important to be intentional with your promotional products
• How promotional products can impact your brand and reputation
• How his Entrepreneurial Wife is key to the success of his business

Valentine’s Day is all about love, friendship, and showing others that you care. Last year, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace by Chocolate, who exemplifies all these qualities and more. A native of Syria, Tareq knows all too well how important it is to share peace and hope, especially during difficult times. The messages he shared in this episode are timeless and really worth a listen.

The recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey was devastating, and the aftermath of the disaster is nothing less than heartbreaking. The death toll is already over 33,000 and growing, and now more than ever, the survivors need hope and to know that the world is thinking of them. 

While thoughts and prayers aren’t nearly enough, in situations like these, every little thing helps. Tareq and Peace by Chocolate are raising money to assist with rescue and recovery efforts by donating proceeds from several of their products. 

The link is the comments to help – spread the love today by buying some chocolate to support an extremely important cause

https://peacebychocolate.ca/pages/earthquake-in-syria-and-turkey-relief

In this episode, we are going to talk about the next most important book for your reading list and how building a vision of your future life will change everything.

In this episode, Anthea Mumby and I talk about the importance of having a vision statement for your company and your life. And the extra importance this takes if you are an Entrepreneurial Couple. 

1. When Anthea first made a vision statement and how
2. How it affected her mental health
3. What is in a vision statement
4. How often to review your vision statement
5. How to turn your vision into a tool for recruiting staff, ideal clients, and measuring your progress
6. Why you also need a personal vision statement