Float or Founder Podcast

Ryan Shupak is the co-founder of Jiffy, a service that allows you to get on-demand contractors to your home. Building a marketplace always comes with its own set of challenges. The supply side, the contractors, are already doing the work so building up this marketplace was a bit easier and more unique than others.The early day grind of getting sign ups took this former investment banker and his co-founders door-to-door. Scaling and finding early customers happened through all types of channels: Facebook groups, emailing potential users from people they knew, encouraging word-of-mouth marketing with yard signs, and more.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Shawna Stewart is the VP of People and Operations at PostBeyond, a tech startup in Toronto. Being in charge of the operations and people part of any company is a tall order. Shawna's favourite task is to create inclusive and positive policies. In light of Black Lives Matter especially, she believes it is important to take another look at policies and revamp those that have biases. Shawna discusses the misconceptions around what human resources is and which paths to pursue in your career if you're interested in heading up people or operations. Shawna also shares the questions to ask recruitment firms to find out if you align on values and to ensure you hire a diverse team. She says that continuing anti-racist initiatives in the workplace is a marathon, not a sprint, and we have to normalize talking about what is right.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

David Lloyd recorded this episode with Neil Wainright in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss "the grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is currently the CEO of PostBeyond.Neil Wainright is the founder and CEO of UpHabit. UpHabit is an app that's a personal CRM for super connectors. Neil discusses growing UpHabit for the past 11 years and David takes us on a journey through his exits and past startup growth stories. Neil discusses what first inspired him to launch UpHabit by seeing a gap at a previous company he worked at. He talks honestly about how the pace of business impacts a young founder's mental health.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

What does it take to launch a business in Canada? Kayla Isabelle has had the pleasure of seeing companies from launch through success many times as Executive Director of Startup Canada. She takes us through the joy of coaching and mentoring startups and the similarities she sees between leaders. What does every entrepreneur need? Passion and grit.Kayla takes us through how COVID-19 has reshaped companies or inspired new companies to launch. She tells us her opinion on whether you should launch your ideas now or wait for greener pastures.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Diana Goodwin launched Aquamobile eight years ago - a business enabling swim instructors to do at-home lessons on-the-go. Their internal management tool of these instructors and customers/lessons led her to launching Marketbox to other companies facing labour deployment and management challenges. In essense, Aquamobile became a customer of Marketbox!The journey of balancing two companies isn't simple but Diana knew she wanted to focus on the software business. She discusses how she spent time searching for the right person to become the General Manager of Aquamobile and how her amazing team has stepped up to the challenge. She shares the experience of feeling excited about running a new company and specifically a tech startup. Diana also gives her best advice to all other solo founders out there.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Many people think marketing is fluffy but (especially in the tech industry) it's anything but. Marketing is creative, experimental, and data-driven. How do you write copy that connects? How do you create ads that converts? You need to test a hypothesis and see the data to build the most successful marketing strategies.Sarah Stockdale takes us on her decade-long career in the startup industry and why she started Growclass so that other startup entrepreneurs could better understand marketing and customer acquisition in the early days. Sarah goes into details about different strategies to attract customers. We also discuss her newsletter, We Need To Talk About This and how her supportive friends encouraged her to actually launch it to the public. She also opens up about what wasn't working with Valkerie that led to the rebrand!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

David Lloyd recorded this episode with James Novak in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss "the grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is currently the CEO of PostBeyond.James Novak is the CEO of Fiix. Fiix is in the asset maintenance industry within software... an industry not necessarily thought of often! James discusses growing Fiix, how he moved from consumer tech in RIM to this role, and how Fiix has grown to a big, global company.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Running a textile factory is challenging but Kathy Cheng of WS & Co. and Redwood Classics Apparel takes us into the world of vertical integration. She shares how her family moved to Canada and started this company to promote made-in-Canada goods. She discusses how they're making fashion accessible through their Redwood Classics Apparel brand and the importance of sustainability and supporting makers in the fashion industry. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Derek Manuge is the co-founder, Director, and CEO of Corl.io - a revenue sharing and investment company. He shows us the different types of funding opportunities for businesses and how he came up with the idea of using data to make equitable and fair investment decisions. There is a lot of math that goes into the underlying software! Derek shares the importance of choosing the right team and advisory board for your company to help you move forward and scale.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Faye Almeshaan is the Program Manager and Venture Associate of Acceleprise. Acceleprise is a B2B software accelerator program and investment firm based in San Francisco and Toronto. She talks about how companies pivoted and grew out of COVID and what the investment scene is like. If you're a B2B startup looking to join an accelerator, you can follow along with the current cohort's journey and apply for their upcoming cohort in January 2021!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Social media marketing is a necessary component of every company. Zoe saw this a few years back when she started her agency Schmooz at a time when many didn't see social media as a serious pursuit. Zoe offers her insights on how important social media is to provide value and connect with the human side of brands, especially during COVID and Black Lives Matter. She also discusses the recent charitable children's book she has released alongside Gabriella Rackoff: ABC Stay Home With Me.As per Zoe, "You create a legacy in every action you take [on social media]." You need to align your social goals with your company values. Provide value and don't be entirely self-serving."Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Charles Bennett has been running his full-service technology management company, Triella, for 17 years as founder and CEO! Running a company for that long has given Charles insight into the industry. He shares his top security tips for any company during COVID and with remote work becoming the norm. He openly shares the challenges of hiring and mentoring new team members when switching to full remote. Charles also talks about the other business he almost chose to run at a fork in the road 17 years ago - guess what it is!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Paula Teixeira Leite is the founder of Caju Winds, a cashew spread that is a delicious, vegan alternative to cream cheese and other dairy spreads. She started the business when her daughter started experiencing allergies and reactions to food. Paula shares insights into starting a food business - everything from the regulations, to working closely with (and relying on!) the food inspector, to choosing local versus big box stores, and so much more. She openly discusses the challenges of delivery as a niche product and small business struggles during COVID. If you're launching a packaged food business, Paula has all the insights for you!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Back to school looks a little different in 2020 for most people. Jason Field is the Founder and CEO of Brainstation, an education centre for digital skills. He discusses how they switched to online education during COVID-19 and how they could reach additional markets due to the online switch. They offer 400 instructors - not a small team by any means. Jason explains how they handle company culture, hiring, and management with such a huge team.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Trigger Warning: Discussions of racism, George Floyd, police brutality, racism in the workplace.Dr. Leeno Karumanchery is the co-founder and Head of Behavioural Sciences at MESH Diversity. MESH fully integrated anti-racism tool. He is a doctor of sociology and discusses the first class and professor that inspired him to pursue anti-racist work as his profession. He goes into how him and his friend built MESH using science and data as the basis for what they drive forward (and how they hire with their own metrics!). He highlights how to value people in the workplace and why the term "diversity of thought" is a cop-out for companies.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

When you face a personal pain point, what's the first thing you think to do? Alyssa Atkins of Lilia decided to turn her personal pain point into a business. Lilia is a personal online concierge that gives you clarity and confidence in options about egg security and storage - and celebration! She talks about her time in Y Combinator as it switched to virtual amidst COVID and what Y Com helped her achieve. She also shares Lilia's typical persona and how she talks to each one of her users, which is very important in early stage companies.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Jay Rosenzweig of Rosenzweig & Company talks to us about recruiting - in a pandemic and out. He also provides insights on how you can offer your skills to achieve what you want in your career and try new paths. Fun fact: he does songwriting on the side!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

David Lloyd recorded this episode with Joel Lessem in mid-2019 but never had the opportunity to publish it... until now! David Lloyd takes over the Float or Founder podcast to discuss the "grind" it takes to run a tech startup and turn it into a solid company. David comes from an extensive background in the tech industry in Toronto and is currently the CEO of PostBeyond.Joel Lessem is the co-founder and CEO of Firmex. Firmex is rapidly becoming a standard for sharing large volumes of highly confidential and sensitive documents for corporate transactions, litigation, and compliance. Joel discusses growing Firmex but also the importance of disconnecting and some of his favourite ways to step back and take a break.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Timing is everything - or so we're told. Neel Lukka delves into why timing is so important for the success of a company. He talks about the different businesses he's built, his experience in Y Com, and what he's up to now!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Martha Switzer is the co-founder and CEO of Sprout. Sprout enables businesses to reward their employees for healthy behaviour. She talks about wellness, how COVID-19 impacted wellness initiatives, and why she built a company around wellness and health in the workplace.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Mark Ang, co-founder and CEO, of Second Closet joins us this week. He discusses the unscalable early days of creating their storage company and how they grinded through those challenges. If you're curious on what goes on behind-the-scenes of early day startups, Mark has incredible insights into what him and his co-founders faced!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Nunzio Presta runs a business of helping you sell your business with the company he is the CEO of, BizOn. He takes us through the selling process, the best way to approach selling your business, how to buy a business, why people sell, and so much more. He provides really interesting insights into operating this type of marketplace and how it began.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Marsha Druker of F*ckupNights talks to us about building a community and what it takes to really form a meaningful one. In light of COVID, she talks about taking a community that typically met in-person to a virtual one.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Starting a new business anywhere is a challenge - but especially if you need a physical space to operate in. Dr. Bryan Gelman runs Yonge & St. Clair Veterinary Hospital. He delved into the tricky world of Toronto commercial real estate, navigating a property sale, and turning the place into his ideal veterinary practice.Dr. Gelman truly values his clients and their furry family members. He shared best practices for maintaining social distancing when you have pets to keep everyone safe as well as some socialization techniques for those new furry family members!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Back in April 2020, Techstars Global Startup Weekend COVID-19 Online CANADA took place. People from across the country joined this hackathon-style weekend virtually to help accomplish goals surrounding COVID-19. Float or Founder offered a podcast episode as a prize and from there, this special edition episode was created!In this episode, you'll meet Danielle Torrie, an organizer for the event, plus Bruno Morency who was a judge. Members and leaders from the three winning teams also participated. Introducing Kelsey Muller & Michaela Moore and Omar Mohamed of RestAssured, Sabahat Naureen: Pharos, and Nino Melikidze & Sean Huang of HealthBot.Congratulations to everyone who participated. Thank you to Sunil Sharma and Rob Foxall for organizing the podcast episode with us and to the entire Techstars team for putting together this virtual startup weekend.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Eric Vardon now operates Morphio.ai, an artificial intelligence company for digital marketers. This all grew from his many years operating a digital agency. Eric discusses marketing during COVID and beyond.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Shrad Rao built Wagepoint from a unique perspective: seeing a strategic alignment between a product all businesses need and a desire to modernize an older industry. He took on payroll, alongside his co-founders, and they have helped small businesses handle their payroll needs in a modern way. Shrad's company has always been remote-first and he shares exactly what they do to build and maintain a positive and social remote work culture.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Kate Dickson & Sarah Hartkorn of Primped discuss marketplace creation for their bring-beauty-to-you application.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Jodi Kovitz, founder of #MoveTheDial takes us through the challenges her organization faced during COVID-19 and how she turned these experiences into new projects to lead. Now, Jodi has published her book Go Out Of Your Way and her podcast Joyful Sundays went live on June 14th 2020. We had a lot of fun catching up with Jodi and discuss how you can go out of your way for others during social distancing.Book: https://shop.movethedial.com/products/go-out-of-your-way-bookSeason 1 episode: https://www.floatorfounder.com/episode/jodi-kovitz-move-the-dialSupport the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

"At some point, you have to ask for it." Colin Hennigar is the VP of Major Gifts of SickKids Foundation. He talks about fundraising tips for non-profits and startups alike, whether during COVID-19 or not. Colin goes in-depth about how their foundation keeps investors up-to-date on where their charity goes. He shares how the charitable and giving acts of Canadians and around the globe has positively impacted SickKids Foundation. He also discusses Tech4SickKids and the foundation's new podcast!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

Float or Founder is launching season two in June 2020! We can't wait to bring you more stories from startup founders and entrepreneurs in Toronto, Canada. Beyond that, we're expanding our guests to include executives, venture capitalists, and other great people that make this city shine. See why Toronto is one of the best places to launch your new startup and build your own entrepreneurial journey here. Visit our website at floatorfounder.com for more information on our guests, our hosts, and our partners that help make our podcast possible. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

What's it really like to go through an acquisition/merger? What about an aqui-hire? Farhan Thawar shares his experience going through an acquisition not once, but twice! Find out how the process goes, if it's anything like it is on TV, and what it's like to be part of the Canadian tech ecosystem.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

We're back with another #movethedial minisode! Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures, a firm that invests in co-ed led, early stage consumer technology companies. Jesse discusses the importance of diversity on a team, in a product, and what Halogen looks for in a company they want to invest in!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Michelle McBane takes us through her experience as a VC in Toronto and what you can do to standout when pitching investors. She provides a ton of actionable advice surrounding your pitch deck, founding team, and company. Whether you dream of securing a big investment or becoming a VC yourself, Michelle has insights for you!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Prashant Shukla and Devon Leichtman take us into Origin Ventures - their VC firm based in Chicago. They provide resources to all their investments and believe it's important to support the founders and their companies from origin to exit. Hear why they're excited about investing in the Canadian tech scene, the type of companies they're looking for, and how best to impress.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Eva Lau of Two Small Fish Ventures shares her journey in the Toronto tech scene and supporting burgeoning startups as a VC. We sat down with Eva at #movethedial this past November in Toronto. She discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion early on in products to find product market fit.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Joanne Fedeyko of Connection Silicon Valley discusses differences between startups, funding, and opportunities in Canada versus Silicon Valley and how she bridges those gaps.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

We've all had managers who just didn't quite know how to... manage. Melissa and Jonathan Nightingale of Raw Signal Group take us on their career paths in tech in SF all the way to promoting proper management training to the Toronto ecosystem. Learn how they encourage companies to implement proper management techniques, co-authored a book together, and so much more.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/partners)

On this special #movethedial minisode, we speak with Dr. Sarah Saska of Feminuity about diversity and inclusion. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

The fashion industry is a challenging one to be in. Shane Vitaly goes deep into building his punk jewelry brand from scratch and everything that entails. From factory mishaps to building a brick-and-mortar Toronto store from scratch to starting another jewelry brand with a new target audience. There are many different aspects to building a successful fashion brand and if you've ever thought of entering this industry, Shane's podcast is one to listen to.Shane talks to us about being on Dragon's Den and being offered a deal from Arlene Dickinson and Bruce Croxon. His team of dedicated individuals help him market the business as he travels between countries, discovering new trends and managing quality control. Shane shares what it takes to build brick-and-mortar shops, managing e-commerce, and creating jewelry for often-ignored markets.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

People always tells you to create a business idea out of a personal pain point. Have you ever been running a company and been frustrated by an industry pain point and decided to solve that? That's exactly what Mark Graham of commonsku did. During his days running Rightsleeve, he faced challenges and needed a workflow management platform. That workflow management platform became what commonsku is today and it's made for the promotional products industry.Mark gives a bunch of tips on balancing two companies, going through a successful acquisition, and running the company with his wife and co-founder, Catherine. He shares how they balance and integrate work and family life and their love of bringing work home as well as sharing success and solving challenges together.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Quick: what happens when some bad news gets released about your company? Do you react or not? When you have good news - how do you spread the word? All these questions and more are answered by the amazing Jodi Echakowitz of Boulevard PR.Jodi has led her PR agency for the past 18 years. She has incredible insight into running a successful B2B PR firm, managing remote teams and events, and helping companies that aren't super-sexy consumer brands get their messages out to the public. If you're looking for PR advice to watch your startup soar, Jodi has the insights for you!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Carolyn Plater and Stephanie Kersta have years of experience in the healthcare and addiction field. They saw a trend of people only seeking help once their lives had crumbled and their stress was too much to manage. They wanted to provide a proactive solution. Out of that, Hoame was born.Hoame is a meditation studio downtown with a variety of rooms of wellness themes. Carolyn and Stephanie discuss finding a place that felt like home, transitioning from their work in nursing to running a company, and top tips for entrepreneurs to handle the stress in their lives. Carolyn and Stephanie are best friends with a well-balanced cofounder relationship who had great insights into finding a space downtown Toronto, building their team when their space wasn't complete, and partnering with McMaster University on wellness courses.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Derek Hopfner, Shane Murphy, and their CTO, Travis Houlette, met years ago while living in Calgary and playing punk rock music. Years later they would create their first business and shortly after, come up with the idea for Founded. Derek and Shane are subject matter experts in the legal profession who saw a gap for small business owners looking for inexpensive and digital legal solutions.Derek and Shane talk about the importance of being subject matter experts, the fortune of running a business with close friends, and how important it is to put your ideas into action. They learned a lot from running their first business which informed their creation of Founded. They share the process of getting investors and advisors, growing their team, and disrupting an old industry to make it accessible to business owners and entrepreneurs.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Jodi Kovitz started #movethedial with a mission: elevate all women-identified folks in technology. Change the stats for all women-identified individuals in executive and founder roles. Finally, and most important, see the day where her daughter's gender is not a determinant in her success.Jodi openly shares about women in tech, STEM in the education system, and how she created a diverse team at #movethedial. Jodi is quick to credit her team and her community and support system. She talks about the exact books she read, coaching she and her organization have gone through, and good tips and habits that any entrepreneur can use to build a thoughtful team.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

How do you rebrand death into something a bit more sexy? Erin Bury and Kevin Oulds discuss the process of making wills and estate planning something that people want to partake in and invest in. From Kevin's early stage business, to rediscovering what customers needed, to becoming what Willful is today, Erin and Kevin share it all.This husband-and-wife duo have interesting insights into building a great company culture early on, how VCs receive them, and how their brand is their true differentiator and how that impacts them. See what it takes to run a company together and positively brand a complicated and somewhat taboo topic. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

"Something I always suggest to founders is if you can solve one of your own problems then that's really interesting."Rebranding takes a lot of work. If you've ever pursued this difficult project at work, you know how much work and how many people are involved in the process. Juno College is the newly rebranded HackerYou and the rebrand has been widely accepted and loved!Heather shares how her entrepreneurial mindset changed after she had both of her children and how she stepped back and hired people to fill roles (and succeed in them!). She also discusses how she entered into Y Combinator, and in typical founder fashion, leapt on the last minute opportunity and changed vacation plans to attend. If you've ever considered entering into Y Com, Heather discusses the benefits of being part of it. Find out Heather's journey from Ladies Learning Code (now Canada Learning Code), to HackerYou, to officially accredited Juno College of Technology.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Shannon and Kris share all about the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and being startup founders. They know the importance of continuing to push through to where things are really starting to ramp up.Both of these amazing co-founders share how they are supporting diversity in sports and sport tech through highlighting female founders and rural startups. They also discuss being a couple and how that impacts running their company. Learn how they save money when on the road, pitching their Canadian company on a global stage, working with the sports companies they once dreamed of working for, and their rabbit, Jack, who brings joy to the office!Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

“There is so much doubt to overcome that can only be overcome by continuing to prove yourself.” How do you retain good employees, prevent burnout, take unused vacation days off the balance sheet? Adopt a wellness program that gets over 80% opt in that provides employer-matched vacation savings.Erica Pearson is the founder and CEO of Vacation Fund. She shares how she started off with a scrappy and manual MVP to prove the concept, strategies for how a new founder can take time off (as best as possible!), and pitching as a first-time founder. She shares about the importance of living as many experiences as possible for a fulfilling life and how that mission fuels her team and her company.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Justin Thouin is the co-founder and CEO of LowestRates.ca, a platform that allows you to compare insurance, mortgage, and other rates in Canada. Justin started off as the "Chief Everything Officer" and shares the process of letting go of tasks as the company grew. He knows how difficult entrepreneurship is and the time you need to dedicate to build a successful company. Justin talks about his unique perspective in funding the company slowly rather than through large raises. He also takes us inside how banks and insurance companies work and how his company is attempting to improve financial literacy, access, and convenience for all Canadians.In this podcast episode, we made an error in recording, which meant we lost the last little bit of ur rapid fire round. We wanted to record Justin's answers again, and he kindly obliged, offering great advice for any founder who makes a mistake.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

Our first LIVE episode happened at Dovetail Basecamp on September 21st! For this special episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing the amazing Kelsey Ramsden. Kelsey has founded and led many eight-figure businesses and has over fifteen years of experience as an entrepreneur. Kelsey has Tallus Ridge Development, Belvedere Place Development, and SparkPlay under her belt. This multi-faceted founder shares her story and how and why she started these companies.Kelsey discusses running online versus offline companies, how to win business awards and get on the covers of magazines, and how important mentorship and community is to your success. Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)