Business and Culture Podcast

The Government of Canada is supporting the next generation of Black entrepreneurs through an investment of over 1.3 million dollars in the Federation of Black Canadians Black Entrepreneurship program. This program aims to support nearly 170 black youths and create 70 jobs. In this episode, I speak with Christopher Thompson, the Executive Director of the Federation of Black Canadians. We discuss: - how this program will help new and emerging Black entrepreneurs - what participants can get out of this program - how you can register for one of the cohorts Resources Federation of Black Canadians Black Entrepreneurship Program https://fbcfcn.ca/ Listen on your favourite podcast platform https://anchor.fm/businessandculture --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with me Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/ Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/ Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

Only 17% of businesses in Canada are women-owned and while the Canadian government is taking steps to advance women's economic empowerment, there is so much to do.  In this episode, I speak with Svetlana Ratnikova, the founder of Immigrant Women in Business. It is an organization that helps immigrant women grow professionally and personally.  

 In this episode we cover: 

1. How Svetlana became one of the 1st female entrepreneurs in Russia 

2. What inspired you to start an organization to help immigrant women become entrepreneurs 

3. The importance of seeking a mentor  

Connect with Svetlana 

IWB March 8th Women's Day Event https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-womens-day-celebration-tickets-409251531347?aff=ebdsoporgprofile  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/svetlanaratnikova/ 

Listen on your favourite podcast platform https://anchor.fm/businessandculture 

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/ 

Website: https://anchor.fm/businessandculture  

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

Starting a product-based business can be challenging, especially if it depends on finding suppliers in another country. 

In this episode, I speak with Lea, the owner of Mersi Cookware, a cookware brand in Canada.   

We cover: 

1. Steps for finding reliable vendors 

2. How to build meaningful business relationships 

3. Costs involved in running a product-based business  and more!  

Resources

 Mersi Cookware website: https://mersicookware.com/ 

Listen on your favourite podcast platform https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me Instagram: 

https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://anchor.fm/businessandculture 

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

Do you want to start or scale your food business in Canada? In this episode, I talk with Janice Bartley, the founder of Foodpreneur Lab, a non-profit organization that helps Black entrepreneurs gain mentorship and resources for success in the food industry. 

In this episode, we talk about:

1. How Janice got into entrepreneurship and the food industry

2. How she recognized the lack of resources for Black entrepreneurs in the food business

3. How she started her non-profit Foodpreneur Lab to help Black foodpreneurs start and scale their food business in Canada

 Resources 

Connect with Janice

Website: https://www.foodpreneurlab.com/

LinkedIn -https://ca.linkedin.com/in/janice-bartley-ab5427168

Apply for cohort 3 here https://www.foodpreneurlab.com/start-scale-path 

Listen on your favourite podcast platform 

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

 Connect with me 

 Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

After being laid off from his job, Ryan Knight started his entrepreneurship journey and opened his business, Detailing Knights. After realizing there were limited resources for Black-owned businesses to access capital to scale their business, he founded his non-profit organization, Afro-Caribbean Business Network. 

 In this episode we cover: 

1. How Ryan gained capital to start his business 

2. How he received mentorship that helped him scale his business 

3. Entrepreneurship programs available in Canada 

4. How ACBN helps Black entrepreneurs start, scale and access microloans for their business

Resources

Connect with Ryan Knight 

Website:https://acbncanada.com/

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ryan-oneil-knight-6534b134

Resources mentioned in this episode 

The Small Business Enterprise Centre- https://www.ontario.ca/page/small-business-enterprise-centre-locations

Summer Company- https://www.ontario.ca/page/start-summer-company-students

Second Career- https://www.secondcareerontario.com/web/second_career/

Digital Main Street-  https://digitalmainstreet.ca/ 

Listen on your favourite podcast platform 

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

 Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here : https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

After quitting a draining job in 2022, Maggie embarks on an exciting journey in the industry of her dreams, only to be laid off months later. 

Maggie originally started this podcast to help share the story of entrepreneurs living in Canada but she now discovers that it will be a chance for her to relearn the world of entrepreneurship in a safe space.

In this episode, I'll talk about:
1. The do's and don't of dealing with a Layoff
2. How to Cope with Unexpected Layoffs in the Corporate World
3. The Difference in Recruiting vs. Laying Off Employees in Corporate Organizations.

Listen on your favourite podcast platform https://anchor.fm/businessandculture 

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/Website: https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Loved this episode?  Leave us a review and rating here

https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

2021 was known as the year of the "Great Resignation" as employees were quitting their draining jobs and exploring more meaningful job opportunities. Some are taking a chance on themselves by exploring entrepreneurship but it takes strategic planning to do that.

After being laid off from her corporate job, Christen James strategically exits her nine to five to become a successful transition and mindset coach, helping women turn their side hustle into a full-time gig and navigate the great resignation of 2021. She is a mindset and transition coach helping women create strategic exit plans to turn their side gig into their full time gig. With a corporate background, CJ is passionate about leveraging skills and helping people make the transition from employee to entrepreneur.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. What is the "great resignation" phenomenon of 2021, and how is it inspiring individuals to become entrepreneurs?
2. How can individuals use their corporate skills to transition into becoming entrepreneurs?
3. What are the key differences between being an entrepreneur in Canada and the Caribbean?

Don't forget to follow us and participate in our weekly polls and questions.

Resources

Connect with Christen 

Website- https://www.christennjames.com/

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/christennjames/

Listen on your favourite podcast platform

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

The international food sections of local grocery stores often carry the same set of brands. If you're from the Caribbean then Grace and Irie are some common brands you can find. There is a gap however seen with the absence of African food products. It is not to say that these products are not found in stores at all... they are found mostly in African and Caribbean retail stores.

Lola Adeyemi is the founder of It's Souper, an Afro-fusion soup and sauce line that has African-inspired recipes. She recently landed a deal on the Canadian investor TV show Dragonsden and is passionate about making African products more accessible in mainstream grocery stores like Sobey's and Wholefoods.

In this episode, we talk about:
1. How to successfully launch a culturally-inspired product into mainstream grocery stores.
2. The steps needed to jump through to make a product competitive in the food industry.
3. The importance of finding mentors outside of one's own race, gender, or culture to succeed.

Resources

Connect with Lola

Website- https://itssouper.com/

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lolaadeyemi/

Listen on your favourite podcast platform

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

Have you ever had a passion for something that effortlessly turned into a business? 

Yolanda Marshall, a proud Guyanese immigrant to Canada, sets out to write children's books that celebrate different cultures when she discovered the lack of representation in the Canadian publishing industry. She is an author of a series of children's books that teach children about cultures in a creative and fun way.

In this episode, we talk about:
1. Immigrant Experience: Discover how Yolanda adjusted to life in Canada as a young teen, and how she and her peers supported each other as they navigated a new culture.
2. Writing for Kids: Learn how Yolanda began writing for children and her motivation for creating books that celebrate culture and diversity.

3. Staying True to Yourself: How Yolanda was able to leverage her authenticity to land a publishing deal

Don't forget to follow us and participate in our weekly polls and questions.

Resources

Connect with Yolanda Marshall

Website: https://www.ytmarshall.com/

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolandamarshall/

Some of her books include, C is for Carnival, Miles Away in the Caribbean, My Soca Birthday Party, A Piece of Black cake for Santa and her recent book, Hot Cross Buns. 

You can find her books on Amazon, Knowledge Bookstore, Indigo and the Toronto Public Library.

Listen on your favourite podcast platform

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here- https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/I hope that you enjoy this episode.  

With her irrepressible ambition and drive to make African businesses thrive, Yvonne Ben transforms her fashion blog into a revolutionary directory for the Black community in Canada.

Yvonne Ben is the founder of Kscope, the #1 directory for African brands, providing visibility and exposure for African businesses and service providers in Canada. She is passionate about helping African business owners thrive and creating a platform for immigrants to gain knowledge in the entrepreneurial space.

"Let us shift the narrative of how Black-owned businesses are seen and help them to thrive through our shopping directory and our different marketing outlets." - Yvonne Ben

In this episode, you discuss:
1. The importance of  changing the narrative of Black-owned businesses and their association with bad customer service
2. Yvonne Ben journey from an international student studying biomedical biology to entrepreneurship
3. The story behind the creation of the Kscope, an African business directory and platform.

Don't forget to follow us and participate in our weekly polls and questions.

Resources

Connect with Yvonne

Register your business on the Kscope Directory today- https://thekscope.co/add-listing/

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/yvonneben 

Listen on your favourite podcast platform

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/

How much do you prioritize wellness as an entrepreneur? 

In this episode, I talk with Kate Koplynova, an entrepreneur and immigrant from Russia as she shares her inspiring journey of taking responsibility for her own well-being. She encourages people to take responsibility for their own well-being and to make good choices in terms of their health and environment. Kate also emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, engaging in constant self-improvement, having a consistent routine, being excited about your business, and practicing gratitude.
"Don't be afraid to invest in yourself at the very beginning - taking care of yourself and practicing gratitude are essential to becoming the healthiest version of yourself and achieving success as an entrepreneur."

In this episode, we talk about:
1. What inspired Kate to pursue a business in the wellness industry
2. The importance of prioritizing wellness to have success in entrepreneurship
3. Advice for newcomers interested in starting their own business

Don't forget to follow us and participate in our weekly polls and questions.

Resources

Connect with Kate

LinkedIn- https://ca.linkedin.com/in/katekoplynova

Listen on your favourite podcast platform

https://anchor.fm/businessandculture

Connect with me:

Instagram: https://www.in/businessandculturepod/

Website: https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here https://www.podpage.com/business-and-culture-podcast/reviews/new/