Open Concept

For the past three decades, Alan Brookes, Race Director of the Canadian Running Series, has helped make Canada a racing destination. Here's what he says it takes to make an event that really has meaning for people, and that will keep them coming back. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2009, Stuart Lombard's company Ecobee created the first-ever smart thermostat. But when the bigger, better-funded Nest thermostat burst on the scene, everyone told him he should just quit.He didn't. Here's how Lombard kept going through the tough times, and how he's found a smarter way to success. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Could the sharing economy shake up...air travel? Justin Crabbe thinks so. He's the CEO of Jettly, an app for on-demand private jets – and he wants to compete for customers with major commercial airlines. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There's a revolution happening in the women's underwear industry – one that's focused on comfort, function, and what women actually want. Canadian brand Knix is one of the companies leading that movement. Here's how CEO Joanna Griffiths built a successful brand – and a huge online community – by challenging stigmas about women's bodies. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Public libraries on a business podcast? You bet. If you want to know how to reinvent an institution at risk of becoming obsolete, you couldn't find much better inspiration. Many predicted Google would kill the public library, but today they're bustling. People aren't just there for the books. They come for the the 3D printers, the video editing courses, and the cooking classes. That's thanks in part to people like Ab. Velasco, Manager of Innovation for Toronto Public Library. Here's what he's got to say about how any institution, big or small, can push the boundaries. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

TribalScale calls itself a global innovation company. CEO Sheetal Jaitly tells us what it takes to make big corporations more innovative, why interviews are a terrible way to know if you've got a good hire, what he learned as a door-to-door photocopier salesman, and why business leaders need to talk more about their own mental health struggles. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Diversity is a hot concept in the business world these days -- but what does that actually mean, and what do companies need to do to be truly inclusive? Sarah Saska wants to help companies make fundamental changes for diversity -- and she says there’s a good business case for them to do it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rami Alhamad on the making of the PUSH Band, and what's coming next in the multi-billion dollar business of wearable tech. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sonia Sennik and the Creative Destruction Lab are searching for 'massively scalable' science-based start-ups...on earth or in space. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael Tamblyn on the launch of a tech titan, the worldwide battle with Kindle, and why he remains bullish on reading. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The science of retail: How artificial intelligence is being used to make stores smarter; from what to order, when to order it, and where to place it to prompt us to buy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Andrew Tai on the future of car buying. Why the process is badly broken now and how it promises to look in the near future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ray Reddy's meal-ordering app has conquered Toronto. Next stops: Chicago, New York and L.A. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dionne Laslo-Baker’s journey from medical science to her DeeBee Organics kids’ treats being in 5,000 stores across North America. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The remittance business is dominated by a few big players charging very high rates. Here’s how a Canadian start-up is rolling out a cryptocurrency to change that. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Public relations maven Natasha Koifman on the beauty of small in social media, the power of saying no... and the benefit of not having a plan B. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Out of the shadows: After launching one of the largest porn companies in Canada, Bella French steps away from the cameras to talk about changing the industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From a maca root protein shake to a US$550-million health food staple in just over a decade. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How the Toronto story-sharing start-up attracted 65-million users and created one of the biggest hits on Netflix today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cannabis entrepreneur David Posner on the markets that await when marijuana is legalized in Canada. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Capital markets veteran Camilla Sutton joins Noel to discuss gender diversity, pay equity and the #MeToo movement in Canadian finance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How two Montreal triathletes channeled their desire for better fitting and looking apparel and launched a stand-out brand. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wealthsimple CEO & Founder Mike Katchen on taking on Canada's biggest banks through a radically different approach to doing business. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bunz CEO Sascha Darius Mojtahedi joins Noel for a discussion on turning his million-user barter-trading zone platform into a global business. The challenge: Keeping the culture in, the cash out and the business growing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Introducing Open Concept with host Noel Hulsman. A new podcast from Yahoo Finance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.