North Report

If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.caTime Guide(00:30) - Introductions(00:57) - About Zen Habito(02:50) - Career Journey(05:10) - About Globe and Mail(07:50) - Change in Strategy(09:30) - Data & Typical Consumer(11:15) - On-boarding Process Then Vs. Now(12:50) - Focus on the Future Audience(17:18) - Onboarding Process(20:50) - Challenges / Advantages(23:50) - Bringing Family Values into Business(25:50) - 6 Key Pillars(28:50) - How do you Define a ‘Positive Experience’ & Take a Loss(31:50) - Key Learnings from Past Strategies(34:00) - Incorporating Tech(35:15) - How do Censorship & Loyalty Intersect?(37:10) - Foresee Technological Changes(39:39) - Three Key Takeaways(42:00) - Working on now(44:02) - Contact InfoSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://ca.linkedin.com/in/zenalynhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/

In this week's episode, Adeel Syed, the COO of SPC tells us all about the undertaking of creating a seamless digital experience, unique challenges that come with targeting the niche market of young students, and how technology is transforming the loyalty landscape in 2020.If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.caTime Guide: 00:30 - Introductions00:56 - Career Prior, to Now01:40 - Elevator Pitch for SPC02:52 - Target Market of Students04:48 - Hit or Miss Initiatives 05:41 - Key Features of Digital Transformation07:40 - Looking to Other Companies08:40 - Benefits of Partnership Model11:01 - Future of SPC11:50 - Gen Z13:40 - Building a Digital Team15:20 - Loyalty Landscape17:10 - Book Recommendation18:00 - Key Points19:00 - Shoutout + Contact InfoSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeelasyed/https://spccard.ca/

Micah Solomon is an expert and thought leader in everything related to your brands' customer service and experience. His new book, Ignore Your Customers (And They'll Go Away) is an in depth exploration on delivering the ultimate customer experience. We spoke with him about how customer service is the new marketing, the evolution of consumers, what companies are getting wrong in the current climate and incorporating 'the default of YES'.Time Guide >> 00:28 - Introductions >> 01:02 - About Micah >> 03:38 - Career up to Now >> 06:27 - Book >> 07:15 - Experience >> 08:20 - Face-to-Face >> 09:13 - Customer expectations >> 12:53 - Provide Alternatives >> 14:21 -Developing Standards >> 18:00 - Right versus Wrong >> 24:00 - Myths and Misunderstandings >> 26:40 - Book Recommendation >> 27:43 - 3 Takeaways >> 29:14 - What’s happening now? >> 30:00 - ContactIf you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca Social:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.micahsolomon.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/customerguru/

This week on North Report we spoke with Chris Sanz, a commercial, technology, and cannabis lawyer practicing in association with Inter-Alia Law. We discussed the day-to-day legalities in cannabis, common misunderstandings and missteps surrounding the cannabis sector, the purpose of lawyers, making risk-based decisions and his enthusiasm about working in the cannabis sector.Time Guide:00:30 - Introductions01:40 - Career prior to now03:09 - Day-to-day at Cannabis Company04:30 - Mistakes in Cannabis06:23 - When to bring in legal help08:21 - Crypto Currency vs. Cannabis11:30 - Cannabis 2.0 - topicals and edibles14:02 - Misunderstanding/Myth About Law15:28 - In-person Retail Experiences18:20 - Closure of irregular market locations21:09 - Parallels between alcohol and cannabis22:26 - Impacts of Changes in Law24:26 - Upcoming Major Regulatory Changes25:34 - Book Recommendation26:14 - 3 Key Takeaways28:15 - Shoutouts + ContactSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.interalia-law.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-sanz-67401538/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

In our last episode before the holiday break (don't worry we're back January 8th) Matt McKinney, the Executive Director of Workbridge Associates; a solution providing IT staffing across 11 major North American Markets. He spoke with us about finding the right staff for your office culture, equity play and the potential for the recruiting industry.Time Guide:00:27 - Introductions03:40 - Elevator Pitch05:05 - Uniqueness06:40 - Candidate Commonalities09:51 - Misunderstandings18:11 - Cannabis Space?21:01 - Staffing a Staffing Firm23:33 - Major Changes29:56 - Favorite Book33:10 - 3 Takeaways37:28 - Concluding Remarks Social:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.workbridgeassociates.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckinneymatt/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

 Trang Trinh who is the CEO and Co-Founder of TREC Brands; a conscious cannabis company that believes in driving a company forward with values rather than profit. The founding director of TREC (which stands for Trust, Respect, Equality & Compassion) spoke with us about various successes and challenges in building a brand that included putting community and social responsibility first, how to build passionate dedicated teams, and making sure your company is focused in their value and mission statement.  00:28 - Introductions01:32 - Previously04:02 - All about TREC05:14 - How's the experience been?07:03 - Differentiation in Cannabis09:45 - Product Distinguishing13:14 - The Next 10 Years16:39 - Team Makeup20:03 - Regulation21:44 - Giving Back24:14 - Toronto26:49 - 3 Takeaways28:43 - ContactSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.trecbrands.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/trangtrinhca/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Patrick Sojka is the Founder and CEO of Frequent Flyer Bonuses Group/RewardsCanada. He increasingly contributes to the online market, helping consumers find travel reward program bonuses. The resource platform is worldwide, and we spoke with him about the backend processes of satisfying loyalty, the importance of geotagging, and updating technology in order to compete in the rewards market. Time Stamps:00:29 - Introductions00:45 - Rewards Canada.ca01:37 - Career leading up to Frequent Flyers. 03:09 - How well is loyalty keeping pace? 03:29 - Behind the scenes04:30 - Appealing to younger audiences. 06:53 - Is there room for smaller players?08:10 - Anyone we should keep an eye on?10:50 - Backend development12:52 - Can tech giants still fit?14:19 - Geotagging 15:17 - Calgary Loyalty17:22 - No more plastic19:37 - How are programs protecting consumers?21:42 - Systems to protect data22:37 - Favourite Book24:13 - 3 takeaways25:00 - ShoutoutsSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-sojka-4134aa14/https://www.rewardscanada.ca/about.htmlIf you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Customer Retention Marketing is a key segment of businesses that can often be difficult to tackle.  North Report spoke to Stacey Cummings who is the Head of Customer Solutions Marketing at Purolator. Purolator is Canada's leading courier and Cumming's discusses the importance of incorporating technology in a B2B business,  utilizing consumer data to exceed market expectations and maintaining loyalty through reliability. Enjoying North Report? Be sure to tag us @north_report & share it with your friends.Time Guide: 00:44 - Introductions02:20 - How did you end up at Purolator?06:47 - Integrating Sales & Marketing10:00 - Purolator's Value Prop12:45 - Common Myths of B2B Marketing14:50 - Difference in Strategy18:16 - Building a Marketing Team21:55 - Reading People24:04 - Technology Enabling Customer Relationships26:50 - Loyalty in 10 years. 30:00 - Current Projects34:15 - 3 Takeaways Social:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceydoesmarketing/https://www.purolator.com/en/home.page If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Andrew Wilson is the Chief Operations Officer at the seed-to-sale software platform GrowerIQ. They offer a plethora of services including business planning, facility design, and various avenues of cannabis consulting. As GrowerIQ brings together systems and data, Wilson speaks to us about incorporating compliance, maintaining a technology-first mentality, and sniffing robots. Enjoying North Report? Be sure to tag us @north_reportTime Guide:00:24 - Introductions01:53 - International Relations03:14 - Elevator Pitch for GrowerIQ04:11 - Where do you start building?05:18 - How do we integrate with your controller? 05:30 - Having a master grower06:28 - Addressing Problems07:42 - Software and Regulation12:08 - Common Myths14:13 - Machine Learning to Grow Cannabis18:12 - All of Agricultural Activities?19:32 - Sniffing Robot 24:30 - Columbia26:00 - Extraction Facility31:40 - 3 Takeaways32:52 - What are you working on?Social:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwilson41/https://groweriq.ca/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

From Sydney Australia, North Report speaks with Philip Shelper; the CEO at Loyalty & Reward Co and Author of 'Blockchain Loyalty'. They speak about a variety of topics including the homogenization of loyalty designs, the importance of simplicity and studying consumer psychology to create the most effective loyalty and rewards program.Enjoying North Report? Be sure to tag us @north_reportTime Guide:00:30 - Introductions01:29 - Competitor monitoring03:09 - Blockchain Loyalty04:12 - Here to stay?05:31 - Sectors Consulted06:05 - How do they differ?07:30 - Differentiating your program08:59 - Human Psychology09:23 - What are people getting wrong?11:03 - People arent spending enough11:32 - Why loyalty programs?13:29 - Card Linking14:05 - How has the space changed?16:08 - Hyper-Personalization16:40 - What’s in your basket?17:53 - What would you have told yourself?19:55 - Current Projects21:15 - 3 Takeaways22:53 - OutroSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_reporthttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipshelper/http://blockchainloyalty.io/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

This season on North Report we speak to even MORE experts and thought leaders in Toronto and beyond about their expertise in a variety of industries.Episode 1 speaks to Morgan Kelly [Chief Executive Officer] and Noah Marconi [Chief Technology Officer] from Tag Innovation; an innovation lab supporting loyalty programs with expertise in software, analytics, blockchain and corporate education. They explore why blockchain should be incorporated into enterprise companies, and how to sell your appropriate emergent technology to said business. They incorporate both technical and high-level expertise while discussing reward programs in the travel industry, redeeming a plateau of points, and how to be a partner in enterprise rather than a point of resistance.Enjoying North Report? Be sure to tag us @north_reportTime Guide00:31 - Introductions04:30 - Selling Emergent Tech06:08 - What is Blockchain?10:38 - For those in Loyalty...12:35 - Why the Travel industry?15:09 - Legacy Loyalty17:00 - Sunrise in Enterprise20:16 - Feet in door26:20 - Leveraging blockchain?28:57 - What would you do differently?32:57 - Current Major Challenges35:59 - Common Myths or Misunderstandings40:00 - Company Risks48:33 - Favourite Books50:41 - Tag Innovation is a Certified Aboriginal Business51:56 - ConclusionsSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-kelly-71730213/https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahmarconi/https://www.taginnovation.io/If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

As season one concludes, we wanted to do a brief recap for episode 20 exploring what we learned about creating a podcast, and in releasing a product that represents a company, a team and their guests as effectively as possible. We spoke about efficient processes, favourite takeaways and what's coming up in SEASON TWO!We want YOUR FEEDBACK on season one! Send us a note at hello@northreport.caTime Guide:(00:28) - Introductions00:49 - Favourite Takeaways01:40 - Processes02:25 - Guest Management03:39 - Hanging Foam04:00 - Quality Audio04:30 - Your morning commute05:00 - Backgrounds & Levels05:30 - Sponsorships06:08 - Phone Interviews06:45 - International?07:26 - Lowlights?08:15 - Feedback09:15 - Receptive Guests09:30 - We want YOUR THOUGHTS!!10:05 - Conclusions

This week on North Report we spoke to the CEO and Co-Founder of Proto 3000, John Frangella. In a mixture of good startup and entrepreneurial content, we learned about how he went from dairy farming to manufacturing, fitting into a companies workflow, and really working to always make clients happy through your products.Enjoying North Report? Be sure to let us know at hello@northreport.ca.Time Guide:00:31 - Introductions00:40 - Proto 300001:06 - Using your Imagination01:32 - Making Cheese?02:07 - Farming to Printing?03:48 - Elevator Pitch04:42 - Manufacturing Challenges05:50 - Tactile Elements06:18 - Competition07:08 - Main Challenges08:21 - What would you do differently?08:27 - You Can't do Everything09:22 - Average People & 3D Printing10:16 - Injection-Molded Part10:25 - Investment11:25 - 3D Printing in your Home12:07 - Breaking into the Sector12:53 - Getting Involved13:24 - Creating without Intellectual Property15:33 - Not everyone needs it17:14 - Are there any Misunderstandings?17:26 - Why you don’t call it 3D printing?17:50 - Getting Technical18:06 - Depositing as a process18:54 - Quality Material19:21 - Book Recommendations21:25 - 3 Takeaways22:40 - Get in Contact23:11 - ShoutoutsSocial: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-frangella-1944a72/https://proto3000.com/

This week we spoke to the Creative Director & Founder of Stack Creative, Stuart Thursby. The boutique creative agency focuses on the overlap between branding, websites & campaigns. We spoke with him about growth hacking, building the right team for a brand, how NOT to get lost in metrics while marketing.Enjoying North Report? Be sure to share it with your friends @north_reportTime Guide00:28 - Introductions00:36 - Stack Creative01:25 - Art Director & Other Titles01:35 - Roles to Play02:15 - Target Company02:38 - Marketing Tactics03:08 - Geographic Challenges04:05 - In person versus online05:32 - Small Office Spaces06:13 - Maintaining Positive Habits06:34 - Freelancers07:35 - Agency Offering Accountability07:55 - WFH Policies08:12 - Building the right team09:08 - Growth Hacking10:21 - Short & Long Term Problems11:18 - The First Month12:03 - Calling in Help12:35 - Company Roadmap13:21 - Company Life Cycle15:00 - Staff Augmentation16:00 - An Agency is…16:50 - It’s easy to get lost in metrics17:26 - What sets Stack apart?19:48 - Steps for other Founders21:29 - Book Recommendations22:13 - 3 Takeaways24:56 - Traditional Forms26:20 - Shoutouts27:25 - ContactSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sthursby/http://stackcreative.co/

This week we touched on even MORE content exploring the intersection of education and cannabis. Rob Tyrie, the SVP and General Manager of FoliEdge Academy (a Subsidiary of Aleafia health) opens up about how he conducts the research required to educate work sectors, scents and discretion of cannabis and 99% THC products.In case you missed it, part one came out last week, and you can have a listen here:https://northreport.simplecast.com/episodes/educational-assets-part-oneTime Guide:00:33 - How do you conduct your research?01:55 - Professional Practice02:24 - Not like clinical trials03:04 - Cannabis and Opioids04:05 - Champagne Analogy06:05 - Bowls at work?06:45 - Scents and Discretion08:12 - Blast to the past09:06 - Happy Hour10:35 - Interacting with people who use cannabis11:14 - Need for Simplification12:06 - Educating about Strain12:35 - High versus Low Quality13:24 - Hemp Use15:33 - High Concentration15:53 - Another Dimension?16:10 - 99% THC17:30 - Medical or Consumer19:07 - Advising20:20 - Multibillion dollar environment21:33 - THE book, ‘Walk Away’22:14 - 3 Takeaways22:49 - Shoutouts23:10 - Cymbl23:39 - ConclusionsSocial:https://www.instagram.com/north_report/https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-reportLinks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/robtyrie/https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleafiahealth/https://www.aleafiahealth.com/https://foliedgeacademy.com/Referenced Report: https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-health/cannabis-medical/canadian-study-finds-benzodiazepine-use-among-patients-drops-45-percent-after-medical-cannabis-treatmentIf you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

In part one (of two) Rob Tyrie, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of FoliEdge Academy, a subsidiary of Aleafia Health, exploring how cannabis has been integrated with technology, accessibility and education. In this first part-episode specifically, Tyrie tells us about his career as an entrepreneur, summarizing and simplifying technical information and microdosing. Also, be sure to tune in to PART TWO; out next week! Time Guide: 00:31 - Introductions 00:52 - FoliEdge Academy 01:00 - Vertically Integrated 01:49 - 60,000 Urine Samples 02:22 - Serial Entrepreneur 03:28 - Technical Enterprise Computing 04:20 - Cannabis as the new technology 04:50 - Educational Cannabis Assets 05:40 - Follow the cycle 06:30 - Corporate space 07:25 - Education & Regulation 08:55 - This is JUST regulation 10:33 - Incorporated Technology 11:30 - Online Training 12:37 - Accessibility 13:23 - Learn from your mistakes 15:00 - Education with the Black Market 16:10 - Edibles 17:10 - Matching needs to information 18:40 - Microdosing 19:45 - Recreational users and clinics? 20:35 - Primary Challenge 21:35 - There is a right way to change a curriculum 22:53 - Adult Use Marketplace 23:18 - Cannabis Economics 24:17 - Addictions…? 25:08 - DSM 26:10 - Addiction Cont’d 26:29 - Clinical Trials 27:20 - Vaporizers 27:57 - In a decade… Tune in Next week for PART TWO of Rob's episode! Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report https://letsgethightech.com/?utm_source=launch&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=Cannabis Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robtyrie/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/aleafiahealth/ https://www.aleafiahealth.com/ https://foliedgeacademy.com/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

On this week's episode of North Report, Luis Saffie (the senior director of infrastructure engineering) from Wealthsimple spoke with our hosts about all things related to building and implementing technology, using staff creativity as internal tools, debunking common managerial myths and utilizing communication in every facet of a workspace. Enjoying North Report? Be sure to share it with your friends :) Time Guide 00:24 - Introductions 00:40 - Who are you? 03:01 - Typical day at Wealthsimple 04:06 - Tools get paid-off 05:43 - Where to start scaling your team 06:41 - Internal Staff as your tools 07:18 - Data Entry 08:01 - Systems for capabilities 10:32 - Communication & Healthcare 11:57 - What has set you apart? 14:12 - Improving communication 15:34 - Tools & the next Fax Machine 20:21 - Always discovering new technology 21:10 - Knowledge Based Organization Tagging Systems 21:40 - Building your teams 23:04 - You NEED creativity 24:07 - Tools for Team building 25:10 - Eat together 26:10 - Videos of people eating 27:27 - Common Myths? 28:12 - Hierarchies 31:40 - “Great things and great solutions are simple” 32:53 - 3 Takeaways 33:27 - “The Innovators Dilemma” 34:45 - Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-saffie-36913835/ https://www.wealthsimple.com/

This week, North Report and the team at Quantum Mob tried something a little different; one of our co-founder's was on our good friend Mike Moll's podcast called Content Sessions. We thought it was so informative and unique that we cropped our favorite clips, and put together a summarized episode for our listeners. They speak about the challenges of targetting audiences and markets, maintaining momentum in distribution and running ads on various social platforms. Jump to 06:27 to listen to their discussion. Time Guide 00:23 - Introduction 00:40 - Content Sessions 01:03 - Marketing for Software Companies 01:45 - Favorite Points? 03:16 - Pre-Rolls 03:55 - BST 04:41 - Three Takeaways 06:27 - Content Sessions 07:22 - Core Service Offering 08:10 - Web AND mobile? 09:05 - Main Products 10:38 - Loyalty 11:00 Retention is the new onboarding 12:13 - Automation 13:33 - Tagging the back end 14:15 - Developers as Researchers 15:15 - Follow-Up is key 17:30 - Focused Sites 18:21 - Hacking SEO 19:09: 100 Touchpoints? 19:45 - UTM Tags 20:30 - Human Error 21:56 - Exhausting a persona 23:16 - Broad doesnt help you sell; you need a content 'funnel' 26:33 - Combination of automation & manual 27:00 - Secret Sauce 28:41 - Resharing 30:58 - THAT doesn't exist 31:31 - Be the solution. 32:27 - Put it everywhere. Links Social: Website - https://northreport.ca/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ Links: Mike Moll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeajmoll/?originalSubdomain=ca Eric Kim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/-eric-kim-/ Content Sessions - https://socialmediahouse.to/podcast If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

John Sowden, the Vice President of one of Toronto's best event staffing firms The Butler Did It, has been with the company for over 16 years and is always looking for ways to streamline and improve the hospitality industry. By building and utilizing custom technology, The Butler Did It has surpassed its competitors as they use their digital softwares for scheduling, HR, and educating staff. Enjoying North Report? Be sure to share it with your friends :) Time Guide: 00:34 - Introductions 01:00 - How did you end up in hospitality 01:30 - The Butler Did It 01:56 - Favorite Guest 02:49 - What makes a guest interesting? 03:26 - Cheese 03:50 - Key Components of the Industry 04:30 - Part-Time Psychologist 05:09 - Structure with Technology 05:48 - Software for HR 06:36 - Implementation of Tech 07:35 - Confirmation in Pen 08:10 - Human Competition in Tech 08:48 - People don’t adapt as fast tech can change 09:21 - Staying Modern 09:48 - Be patient 10:37 - Researching an event 11:18 - Setting the team up for success 12:20 - Setting ourselves apart 13:00 - Maintaining Relationships 13:52 - Custom Software 14:53 - Making repairs versus custom buildout 16:13 - Guest Requirements 17:30 - Making people feel good 18:15 - Experiences & Memorability 19:20 - Human Error 20:40 - Garbage in, Garbage Out 21:23 - Takeaways 23:00 - Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.thebutlerdidit.ca/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-sowden-341b385/

We tried something a little different this week. We spoke with 4 different designers - Simon Leung (Product Designer at Quantum Mob), Franchesca Tingting (Senior Product Designer at Event Mobi), Rishabh Varshney (Co-founder & CEO at Lake Financial) & Sophia Yang (Marketing Intern @ Quantum Mob) - at various points in the careers. We explore their array of experiences getting started in design, what design means to them, working with unversed colleagues, and making changes to a city (like Toronto) by applying design techniques. Enjoying Norh Report? Be sure to share it with your friends and TAG US @North_Report. Time Guide: 00:40 - Introductions 01:05 - How did you get into design? 02:12 Mish-Mash of Background 03:09 - Print is Dying 03:50 - Leap of Faith 04:22 - What is Design? 05:28 - Where do designers add value? 05:49 - Communicating the exact product 06:37 - Bad Design? 07:31 - Daily Activities 08:31 - Integration with Developers 09:40 - Startup/User Research 09:57 - Resources 10:50 - Design Communities 11:16 - Peers as your teachers 11:50 - Room for Improvement? 12:25 - Signage & Following Traffic 13:54 - Improvement to the City? 14:22 - Different Perspectives 16:03 - Changing the Slack Logo 17:10 - Tangents 17:55 - Freshii 18:44 - Speed and Design 21:31 - User Research 22:44 - Observe your target market 24:00 - Get to know your client 25:00 Moving away from ‘the clinical’ 26:09 - Folding Phones 27:25 - Upcoming Changes 28:15 - Automated Cars 29:47 - Design solving problems 31:55 - Instagram ‘heart’ icon 32:35 - Evolving Roles 35:40 - Functionality 38:09 - Developer interaction 42:10 - Takeaways 43:59 - Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-ch-leung/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/franchescatingting/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabhvarshney/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-yangg/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Facilitating the sale of Cannabis can be a difficult feat; but Shahbaaz Kara-Virani, the Head of Sales at Lift & Company has utilized his athleticism, and honed it as a skill to assist his career. In this week's episode we discussed complacency, sports with sales, staying up with regulation, patience and the Toronto Raptors! Enjoying Norh Report? Be sure to share it with your friends @North_Report Time Guide 00:29 - Introductions 00:50 - Head of Sales 01:12 - Facilitating the Sale of Cannabis 01:49 - How did you end up in cannabis? 02:44 - Salesforce 03:12 - Athleticism 03:59 - Complacency was Creeping 04:34 - Growing Pains 05:00 - Being Productive while stoned 06:18 - Leading a Sales Team 06:28 - Endurance and Investment 07:09 - Sales and Sports 07:36 - Ability to adapt 08:06 - Learning how to lose 08:57 - Losses 09:08 - Elevator Pitch 10:12 - Facilitating Cannabis Sales 10:30 - Staying up with regulation 11:27 - Edibles 12:30 - Risks 13:13 - Navigating your niche 14:39 - Difficult Decisions 15:32 - What is our focus 16:09 - Monetization & Medical Events 17:22 - ‘The One Thing’ 17:43 - Unique Challenges to Lift&Co 19:05 - Scalable Strategy 19:44 - Systems, People and Processes 20:34 - Helping Everyday Entrepreneurs 21:51 - Investing in the right people 22:22 - Different Departments Scale Together 22:38 - Unified Score Card 23:00 - Implementing systems 23:33 - What would you do differently? 25:17 - Technology intersecting education 26:06 - Find a way to understand th black market 26:44 - Packaging is bad for the environment 27:07 Standardize Regulation 27:27 - Retail Lottery (Strategy) 28:38 - Drake and the Raptors 29:34 - Canada leading the way 30:07 - Celebrate 30:38 - Better your Health 31:09 - 3 (4) Takeaways 32:39 - Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahbaaz-kara-virani-51936b30/ https://lift.co/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

As the Chief Commercial Officer, Adam Coates is responsible for overseeing marketing, sales, commercial strategy and business development for Westleaf and its retail banner, Prairie Records. In episode ten, we explore all things related to cannabis and its consumption, cultivation and manufacturing as well as what it takes to market a product with an implied stigma - in both medicinal and recreational sectors. Did you enjoy the episode? Be sure to share it with your friends, family and even random strangers :) Time Guide 00:28 - Introductions to Westleaf 00:41 - Cultivation, Extraction & Retail 01:15 - Lack of Quality Consistency 02:02 - Disrupting Categories 02:14 - Prairie Records 02:56 - CCO Responsibilities 03:34 - Career steps to Cannabis 04:17 - Experience 05:06 - Bringing acquisitions together 05:35 - Cross functional sales and marketing division. 05:53 - Product innovation & execution innovation 06:19 - How to create a unique consumer experience? 06:40 - Restrictive Marketing 07:50 - Cannabis Retail 08:19 - Creating something unique 09:10 - Successful Staffing 09:52 - Scale 10:02 - Vertically Integrated Strategy 10:30 - Missing from the space 10:45 - Value Proposition 11:34 - Record stores & strains 11:56 - TOP HITS; curated ‘playlists’ 12:58 - Immersive Experiences 13:43 - Post Prohibition Strategy & Regulation 14:43 - Less Harm Done 15:00 - What regulation is doing 15:20 - We need to educate the consumer. 16:15 - Change in Tech 16:42 - The Second Wave 17: 10 - Edibles 17:55 - Onset 18:55 - Feeling Cannabinoids 19:21 - Loyalty and Branding 20:08 - Building social following organically 20:45 - Consumer point of connection 20:57 - Distinction between Med and Rec 22:43 - Production 23:21 - Quality and Consistency 23:50 - Implied Lifestyle 24:30 - Budtenders 25:31 - Changes in the space 26:09 - Canada = Industry Leader 26:43 - Source of innovation 27:35 - Hemp & CBD 28:35 - Doing things differently 29:27 - Having the right culture 30:18 - Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-coates-b2715b17/?originalSubdomain=ca https://www.westleaf.com/ https://www.westleaf.com/prairie-records/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

In this episode, Cannabis Journalism explores writing and working in the cannabis space with Katarina Kostovic, a content writer and journalist for Leafly. Leafly is one of the largest cannabis resources in the world and works to empower people in the legal marijuana market, informing them on the right products for their lifestyle and wellness. This week, Kostovic spoke with us about age distribution, psychopharmacology and cannabis as a replacement for opioids. Did you enjoy the episode? Be sure to share it with your friends, family and even random strangers :) Time Guide: 00:30: Introductions 01:05: Cannabis journalism 01:13: Processes 01:57 - Developing a skill set 2:13 - Psychopharmacology 02:55 - Cannabis instead of Opioids 03:30 - The Writing Process 03:54 - Optimizer Health 04:13 - Useful Sources & Footwork 04:58 - What don’t we know? 05:47 - The use of Antheogins 06:30 - Writing towards Recreation? 07:16 - Age distribution of consumption 08:20 - Cannabis as a way to reconnect with our bodies 08:25 - Other Journalists? 08:49 - Shakeups 09:16 - Lift Expo 10:08 - Where can people start? 11:16 - Distribution & Stigma 11:52 - Regulations as a writer 13:00 - If A + B = C… 13:15 - ‘Why doesn’t cannabis smell linger? 14:03 - Making cannabis food (at home) 14:41 - How CBD competes with the supplement market 15:16 - Endocannabinoid 17:58 - Changes in consumption 18:50 - Bioavailability & Ammonia 20:37 - No stress on your liver 21:08 - Conclusions 22:11 Contact Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.leafly.com/news/author/katarina-kostovic https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarina-kostovic-ab7bb495/?originalSubdomain=ca If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

In today's episode we look at the success story of Canopy Growth within the cannabis space, as well as how software helped efficiently expand the company. Roman Kliotzkin is the Senior Manager of Software Development at Canopy. While he thought his time in the marijuana sector was temporary, he takes time to speak with us about the massive expansion from Smith Falls, across-the-nation, through software development. Time Guide: 00:32 - Introductions 01: 36 - Canopy Growth 01:53 - Owning Subsidiaries 02:43 - Getting into SoftDev 04:15 - Twitch? 07:00 - MMPR & Staying on Top of Legislation 07:55 - Customer Acquisition 08:20 - Regulatory Landscape 08:55 - Ecommerce 09:10 - Selling Online 10:30 - Catalogue Control 11:00 - THC versus CBD 12:26 - Custom Software helps keep track 12:51 - What's new in the space? 13:58 - Efficiency 14:46 - Recreation versus Medicinal 16:49 - Specificity 18:09 - Planting with 'Mom' 18:40 - Every Stage Needs to be Tracked 19:30 - Changes came very quickly 21:17 - Managing the Back-End 22:15 - The government didn't even have enough time 23:25 - Major Regulatory Changes 25:47 - Sign-Off Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romankliotzkin/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/canopy-growth-corporation/ https://www.canopygrowth.com/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

In this week's episode, Bruce Ryan (Founder & CEO of CannaSystems) explores all things Hemp and Cannabis related. The machinery CannaSystems focuses on is heading directly to farms where the stock material can be turned into fibre and core for industrial manufacturing. Time Guide 00:24 - Introductions 01:32 - Hemp Bricks & Lego 02:42 - What's being Yielded? 03:14 - How did you get into the Cannabis Space? 05:27 - Machinery Evolution 08:15 - Legalization 09:35 - Plant Uses 10:37 - Tech with Cannabis 11:23 - 10x the Yield? 13:58 - No, it doesn't smell 15:15 - Other affected areas 16:25 - How the job is changing 17:48 - Turning away from Canola 19:18 - Tech and Cannabis 23:50 - What's on the Horizon? 25:05 - Carbon Credits 27:00 - Hemp Plastic & Light Swtiches 28:40 - Charging & Building Cars with Plants 29:45 - Biofuel 31:09 - Legalities 33:29 - Stop Gap Measure 36:27 - Shoutouts & Current Projects 40:20 - Contact Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: Hemp Lego House: https://globalnews.ca/news/3784330/sooke-home-lego-green-fireproof/ Hemp Fiber Car: https://www.google.com/search?q=hemp+fiber+car&rlz=1C5CHFA_enCA851CA851&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK5vmWm4LjAhXHGs0KHRsJBmIQ_AUIECgB&biw=1433&bih=633 CannaSystems: https://cannasystems.ca/ Email: bruce.w.ryan@gmail.com If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Tiago Gavassi, the founder of Panic Lobster talks to us this week about disrupting an existing industry with new technology. Panic Lobster is "a virtual reality platform that helps people develop communication skills... and to overcome the fear of public speaking. With a background in electronic engineering, Tiago has been immersed in communications since he was in university and explores 'New Solutions to Age-Old Problems. Time Guide: 00:23 - Introductions 00:36 - What is Panic Lobster? 00:55 - What is VR Technology? 01:31 - Where did you start? 02:31 - Where did the idea of Panic Lobster come from? 04:34 - Hardware versus Software 05:40 - How did the company start? 06:50 - Challenges finding a team 08:23 - Working with friends 08:48 - Compared to conventional training 11:30 - Who's behind the scenes? 13:19 - We're working on feedback 13:55 - Harsh Audience 14:50 - Training your staff 15:09 - Facebook Hardware 16:50 - Challenges working with technology 19:00 - Sales Processes 21:08 - Emerging Technologies 23:10 - What would you do differently? 24:53 - Don't tie yourself down 25:53 - Other Firms? 27:01 - Learning together 28:03 - Conclusions 28:44 - Partnerships 29:54 - Where to find us? Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiago-gavassi-33990677/ https://paniclobster.com/ https://www.instagram.com/panic_lobster/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/panic-lobster/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Moving away from advertising only, episode 5 of North Report meets Mike Moll, the Founder and Managing Director of Social Media House. He breaks down tips and tricks, running ad accounts, recording podcasts and staying in the 'lane' that makes you most comfortable and effective. Time Guide: 00:41 - Introductions 02:15 - How did you start? 03:32 - Burnout 04:59 - Day to Day 06:48 - Youtube to build a skillset 08:14 - Identifying People 10:38 - Major Scaling Takeaways 12:24 - Marketing Services 14:27 - Letting them make decisions 15:54 - Are they successful? 18:48 - Call Rails 19:41 - Software? 21:43 - Juggling tools 24:25 - What are other small businesses doing wrong? 31:54 - Collision & Directional Shifts 34:47 - What would you do differently? 36:09 - Conclusions 37:43 - Contact Info Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: mike@socialmediahouse.to https://www.instagram.com/mikeajmoll/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Who should you hire as your business grows? Missionaries vs mercenaries. We speak with Rishabh Varshney (CEO, Lake Finance) to get his opinion about how to build out a team and align them to your vision. Time: Guide: 00:24: Introductions 01:13: The Journey, Past to Present 01:59: What Became of Bunz 02:27: Scaling a Team Correctly 03:43: Areas that Need Growth 04:37: Generational Gaps (?) 05:27: Changing Mindsets 06:33: Where to Find Staff 07:47: Meeting Partners at McDonalds (Say What?) 08:57: Making Difficult Hiring Decisions 10:50: Evolving Roles 11:58: Differences the Second Time Around 12:50: Hiring for More-Specialized Roles 14:06: Tech Changes/Advances 15:11: Avoiding Burnout 16:26: Local versus Contractor 18:02: Scaling without Bodies 19:26: Conclusions Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://lake.finance/ Rishabh - r@lake.finance If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Find out how to Find, Attract, Choose, and Equip sales talent. Asad Zaman (Managing Partner of Executive Search, Sales Talent Agency) weighs in on building your sales team, critical first hires, interviewing strategy, and approaching the sales industry from a fresh perspective of vocation vs job. Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azaman1/ https://www.salestalentagency.com/ If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Finding the right team, pitching, and exiting. We speak Shums Kassam and Jaclyn Ling (Co-Founders, Hatchways) about how they built their startups and exited their first company to Kik Messenger. Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report Links: http://hatchways.io If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca

Company culture describes a company's personality. It guides employees and is responsible for satisfaction and productivity. In this episode, Britton and Sameer Lalji (CTO, DealTap) try to understand what drives culture in startups and what we can do to improve it. Social: https://www.instagram.com/north_report/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-north-report If you'd like to be a guest on a future episode or want to hear more about a topic, email us at hello@northreport.ca