The Vision B-Side Podcast

On this episode, Frank Lonardelli, Founder, President & CEO of Arlington Street Investments joins me for a candid discussion about leadership, his success as an investment entrepreneur and the wisdom he gleaned from a family of strong Italian women. 

Frank has SO many quotable statements in this conversation. He shares what his biggest struggle has been as an entrepreneur, some thoughts and insights into what it takes to be a successful investor, and my personal favorite part of our talk; what happens when fear takes the driver's seat as a leader and some of the effects that can have. Leadership has been challenged in many ways over the past couple of years, and Frank takes a deep dive into how our mindset and perspective play a significant role to coming out on top.

This conversation wouldn't be complete without wrapping things up with how his Mom and sisters have helped him understand what true leadership is.

Enjoy!

"I still have coats in my closet from when I was in high school.... [laughing ensues]. I'm not someone who chases fashion that often." — Amish

It was such a pleasure sitting down with my friend Amish, who takes us on his personal journey of starting a brand new apparel company, Pluto Apparel. It's an inspiring and unique lifestyle brand that celebrates everyone's journey, but he also describes his real soft spot for the underdog. I think the majority of us are hard-wired to appreciate a good overcoming story! In short, Pluto is a representation of being YOU. 

Launching Pluto also comes on the heels of celebrating 10 years of building his first company, Forward Level Marketing. If this wasn't enough, Forward Level is offering some brand new services as of September 2022.... YES, you heard it here first! Tune in and find out how this marketing company is making huge innovative strides forward.

Even though in one of Amish's many quotable moments, he says "You can't boil the ocean and be successful," it feels like he's trying. 

Enjoy!

Jesus Vargas, Founder & CEO of LowCode Agency based in Miami, FL, gives us the rundown on building low cost and time-saving apps for entrepreneurs and small business owners. At one time, this option was only available for large corporations, but thanks to some low and no code innovation, even the smallest of companies can take advantage of automating their business offerings through an app! The heartbeat of LowCode Agency is helping non-tech entrepreneurs with tech needs.

Jesus also shares some of his B-side and how he began working for his Grandpa early on, who owned the largest computer business in Mexico at the time. He understands the life of an entrepreneur, because he is one! He's owned several businesses, including a solar panel company, and even shares some personal fears as well as what keeps him resilient when things get tough. I asked him what has been the most interesting app he's developed.... and you'll have to tune it to find out. You will not be disappointed!

Enjoy!

In this 2nd episode of The Deep Cuts Series, we hear the B-Side story of Jayda Smith, who at only 21 years of age founded The Daughter Creative Co. Jayda is the daughter of Kim Westlund, the Founder of The Business B-Side podcast (featured in the 1st episode) and this story is personal and one you won't want to miss.

Jayda spent 6 years (again, she's only 21) training and getting her red seal designation in the hair industry before she swiftly switched gears starting her own business creating unique pieces of art that speaks about an individual's identity, worth and value. Jayda grew up in a single-parent home with her Mom and tells the story of how her experience of growing up without a father impacted her perception of men and her struggle to find her true identity as a result. She is candid about her personal journey and how facing the pain head-on helped her heal and move forward.

Jayda has a heart for youth, or really anyone, that may find themselves in similar circumstances or in a battle for their identity. She is investing her time, talents and business to connect with those that find value in her message. As a Mom (and I'm obviously biased), this is my favorite B-Side podcast so far! 

Enjoy!

Who thought documentation and productivity could be a sexy topic? I certainly didn't until I sat down with Adrienne Bellehumeur, Founder of Risk Oversight to discuss how her research and years of personal experience on the subject changed how she approached mundane tasks in the most effective way. In Adrienne's words, "I used 'The 24 Hour Rule' to turn my own career around". I wanted to hear more!

As Adrienne explains, the concept of The 24 Hour Rule is quite simple; do something with the information you receive within 24 hours. By putting this rule into practice, it addresses the limitations of our short-term memory and gives us a 'superpower' because most people don't take advantage of this discipline. Among the many things we discussed, she also believes that unprocessed meetings are the biggest source of mental health issues in companies. Wait, what?! Drawing a line between mental health and documentation was something I found fascinating to talk about.

Adrienne is hard at work on her latest book, The 24 Hour Rule, set to be published in early 2023 and we are privileged to be hearing this conversation ahead of time. Clarity creates momentum and this is a great start...

Enjoy!

We don't always draw an obvious line between creativity and networking, but when I met Jan Eden, I was taken aback at her ability to connect with her clients. In a time where so many business owners are desperately trying to grab hold of new ideas for how to authentically reach their audience, Jan stands out in the crowd with proven, time-tested strategies she implemented early on and still uses today. 

Jan is the Founder of The 21st Century Executive Mindset has been an Executive Coach for over 30 years. She was one of the first women in the business of coaching and started her company as a single mom with 4 small children. Creativity is at the heart of everything Jan has done, and she shares numerous stories that will inspire you to think differently about authentically standing out in a crowd. As Jan puts it, she's seen it all and also shares some real and timely advice for entrepreneurs and those considering a new venture. 

As Jan has honoured so many people that have come across her path, we honour her today in being able to share some of her incredible story.

Enjoy!

In this first episode in the Deep Cuts series, Kim Westlund, Founder of The Business B-Side podcast shares her own real and raw B-Side story. 

Kim spent many years navigating the challenges of single-parenting, building a successful career and trying to understand her own identity in the middle of it all. There were many rock-bottom moments to climb out of, from being divorced twice at a young age to dealing with bankruptcy, living on welfare and career loss. The feelings of shame, guilt and failure were enormous, but somewhere deep down, Kim's dream for a life of purpose and impact guided her to her dream career. 

Kim's deep passion for sharing the B-Sides of everyday people came from digging through her own story that was hidden for many years. She is now building a business helping others unpack their own stories so they can stand out as business owners, parents and leaders in their lives and careers. She also shares the meaning and depth behind how Channel One Productions and The Business B-Side were created.

In Kim's words, "At one time, I never knew my story was important. I finally owned my story. Every story matters. This podcast is inspiration that my story might fuel yours."

Thank you to guest host, Lisa Gareau, Founder of Candy Event Consulting and The Connection Architect, for guiding the conversation.

Enjoy!

Lisa Gareau, Founder at Candy Event Consulting and The Connection Architect, joins me for an impactful discussion on how she is trail-blazing a brand new program focused on next-level connections. This is for anyone looking to up-their-game and create more meaningful events!

Lisa starts by sharing how her journey into entrepreneurship began despite some challenging circumstances in her personal life. Lisa also gets candid about how 'Candy' was born, her passion for connection and how the changing landscape in the world in which we currently live is providing her an incredible niche opportunity to engage more deeply with clients and customers. She describes it as 'connection first' and how the process of re-thinking how events have always been done is critical to future success.

Tune in for this rich conversation around the art of connection in business, with ourselves, and the world around us to create new opportunities to innovate and move into a new realm of engagement. Enjoy!

Nic Beique is the Founder of Helcim, a fast-growth payments processing company in Calgary, Canada and is on a mission to be the world's most loved payments company. 

Now, imagine you were joining a traveling circus and you needed some kind of manual to tell you how to succeed...this is how Nic describes his desire to create an operating guide for his company to thrive.

Recently, Nic publicly released his company culture book, The Way of the Helcim, and is putting his stake in the ground early. 'Helcim' is an old latin word meaning, doing things right even when it's harder. Nic's approach to leadership and finding success is rooted in some foundational core values, which seems to buck the trend of many 'microwave' solutions to business that are present today. Listen in as this Texas-French Canadian shares how he fell in love with the payment world at an early age (you don't hear that everyday) and how he's building a company culture that will stand the test of time. Enjoy!

Jason Bacon, Founder of Sunstone Strategic shares his personal and unlikely story of entrepreneurship and how he overcame his unknown struggle with ADHD. Describing his thought patterns, "It's like controlling a Ferrari engine with bicycle brakes." Jason describes his early attempt at business in the 5th grade selling tadpoles (yes, you read that right) to his 8 year old friends until the government regulations, aka, the school principal, shut him down. He never quite fit the educational system template and his story is truly inspirational as to how he identified his challenges and how he decided to use ADHD as a strength instead of a weakness. Tune in for Jason's short list of book recommendations that helped him gain new insights and how his mindset changed to success once his internal narrative shifted. Enjoy!