The Business of your Business - TechConnex Podcast

Why PropTechs are Poised to Disrupt the Market more than Fintechs? Interested in understanding Property Technology?  Want to understand their disruption potential?

Every industry is facing technological advances, however the real estate market has been slower to embrace change.

Proptechs are accelerating the speed of innovation and change in the Real Estate market.

From Big Data, AI and machine learning to virtual and augmented reality and drones, join us for a discussion on the PropTech trends that are disrupting the market.

Brian Bell, PropTech Innovation Practice Lead, Accenture Consulting will put PropTechs into perspective and help you understand their disruption potential!

Lunch and Learn jointly sponsored by: City of Vaughan

This morning Kelley and I had the pleasure to speak with Denis Gravelle of Devant Canada.

We work with thousands of international students and alumni who need help with career planning, resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, networking, employer research and introductions. https://devant.ca/about-devant-2/

Denis discusses the importance of International Students, the struggles over the last year, resilience, and a bright future for those who are studying in Canada.

Please join us for a great conversation.

Thank you.

Kelley & Ryan

This afternoon Kelley and I have the pleasure of speaking with Peter McCabe of Prolink.

Our goal is to help our clients feel confident in the decisions they make, secure that we will be there for them whenever there is an urgent need, and know that they are an integral part of the PROLINK family. https://prolink.insure/our-story/

Pete discusses the importance of Cyber Security, the issues COVID has brought, the proactive approach Prolink took and much much more!! The Ottawa Senator also get discussed which was a surprise to us..

Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day.

Kelley & Ryan

Kelley and I had the chance to speak with Zeze Peters, CEO of Beam City. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zezewo/

Beam.city DNA is the world's 1st unified advertising automation platform helping businesses plan & optimize their ads on Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Bing & millions of sites, while delivering amazing results in days or weeks. https://www.beam.city/dna/

We discuss the inner workings of his company, the impact of COVID, the future of digital marketing and the importance balalnce and much, much more. 

Please join us thsi great conversation.

Thank you

Music provided by@Quantum Jazz - Balcarabic Chicken

In this episode of the Techconnex Member Spotlight, Kelley and I speak with John Kitchen of Esri Canada.

We discuss his amazing career at Esri Canada, the great work that Esri is doing, the future of climate, data collection and much, much more. So join us for this great conversation with one of the best in the business.

To learn more about Esri Canada, please go to https://www.esri.ca/en-ca/about/overview

Thank you and we hope that will enjoy this session.

Music provided by@Quantum Jazz - Balcarabic Chicken

In this episode of the TechConnex Podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Terry Mocherinak Founder of Apex Capital Advisors. 

Apex is a boutique investment bank and strategic advisory firm founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.  They have built, operated, invested in and sold technology businesses and understand the  pain points and objectives of business founders. https://apexcapitaladvisors.ca/

Terry and I talk about the current M&A market within Canada and the United States, What companies and advisory firms should look for in a client and Terry's Top 3 Tips for a successful sell.

Please join us for this engaging conversation

Thank you.

TechConnex

A small Marketing budget can go a long way with a little elbow grease and some smart planning. In this session, we’ll share some ideas on how to make the most of what you have and brainstorm some ways to leverage cost-effective and free tools.

This session will be led by Roshni Wijayasinha, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Prosh Marketing, who will be joining Kevin as a facilitator.

Roshni is a marketing leader with 15 years of progressive experience, having launched over 50 products and brands in over markets worldwide, and helped companies attain 9 investment rounds. She started her career working on top consumer brands on the agency side, and has built her reputation by bringing creativity and strategic insights to leading global technology companies such as Microsoft, Sony & Kobo. Most recently, she has built out marketing teams & brands at technology leaders like Juice Mobile, Thinking Capital, Benecaid and Foxquilt, and has founded Prosh Marketing, a Marketing Consulting agency that specializes in Strategy, Planning and Communications for SMBs and Start-ups.

Peer Group Generously Sponsored By: AMD

Product Management in many technology companies can mean different things and the resulting role is often caught up in firefighting day-to-day issues rather than working strategically to make the product a success.

This session will provide you with an understanding of what Product Management is, and isn’t, together with a tool you can use to help focus on the real job of Product Management.

These sessions are facilitated by Lee Garrison of the TPMA.

The global pandemic has had a significant impact on businesses with many having to shift their priorities and reduce their resources and budget. On top of that, sellers have been thrust into a virtual selling environment where they can no longer meet with buyers face-to-face to build rapport, discover needs and effectively collaborate to deliver a positive purchase experience.

So, how do sales organizations and individuals overcome these challenges and position themselves for success in the "new normal"? Through this interactive session we will identify some of the key challenges and opportunities for sellers in a virtual environment and discuss what is working and not working in our own sales engagements with the objective of generating new ideas that you can take away and apply to your next virtual sales meeting.

The goal of this year’s Sales Discussion Peer Group is to provide a collaborative environment for shared learning of best practices in sales efficiency, effectiveness, and management. We will explore specific situations or challenges that we may encounter with a discussion around how each participant solves them to maximize every prospect and grow your sales.  Participants will come out of each session with ideas and action items they can take back to the office and apply.

These sessions are facilitated by: John Montgomery of Sales Jump Start 

Join Akshay Kalle, CTO at Pathway Communications as he leads a discussion on

• Relevance in the new economy - post COVID
• The Role of the CIO in the next 3 years
• Emphasis on Product design and innovation
• impact of AI and Automation

These sessions are facilitated by Ray Gilbert and Jamal Shah of Causal Effects.

Women in Technology Peer Group

Though the numbers are improving, we all know that tech is still a male-dominated industry.  We also know the gender bias - whether unconscious or otherwise - continues to adversely impact women.  In this session, we'll tackle some all-too-common workplace scenarios, challenge our own biases, and discuss tangible ways people of all genders can champion equality and enable change.

Speaker: Nicolle White

Nicolle is currently Senior Director of Programs at retail experience agency, Avida, and as the only woman on the leadership team, she is dedicated to being the voice of women both in and outside of the company. Nicolle commits her time to empowering and supporting women both professionally and personally, and has been involved for many years in women’s advancement organizations including OmniWomen, the Bishop Strachan School Alumni Association, and youth girls’ mentorship groups.

Nicolle is Past President of Lean In Canada-Toronto, where she served for two years (appointed by the Board of Directors as President in 2018). Overseeing all aspects of the Toronto chapter and its 4000+ members, Nicolle led an executive team responsible for marketing initiatives, finance, sponsorship and fundraising, member engagement, and programming and events. Nicolle remains engaged with Lean In Canada in an advisory role.

Nicolle earned her BA in Sociology, minor in Marketing from Concordia University, attended McGill University for Public Relations, and in 2015, through her studies at the University of Toronto, was designated a Project Management Professional (PMP).

This Peer Group is sponsored by: IBM

Wow what a year it has been!! This will be our final CEO session before the Summer Break, unless we all want to continue through the Summer?

On behalf of Barry Fairhurst and the entire TechConnex Team, we truly appreciate and thank you all for an amazing year.

We will be discussing the following topics in an open forum, this session will also be recorded.

1. Opening your business and what does it look like for you?
2. Communication & Collaboration
3. Pivoting your business
4. BDC update with Marc-Andre Maheu
5. Any other issues or concerns that need to addressed

This Peer Group is sponsored by: BDC

We believe many of our CEO's & Executives would appreciate learning what others have learned and how they are executing the myriad of notifications, Government prognostications, website to access information, execution on different strategies to keep their business afloat.

We  discussed the following topics in our open forum this session morning, please enjoy.

1. Rosanna Berardi of Berardi Law will provide an update on the current status of the American Border and Visas.
2. Ryan Mallough and Julie Bryden of CFIB will be discussing Provincial Affairs and what is going on with the Ontario Government and the impact on business through Covid.
3. CEWS (Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy) – have you taken advantage, if not, why not?

Proudly sponsored by: BDC

Join Agnes Lan, Director, Business Development at Change Connect as she shares how her successes and failures have helped shape her journey.

Described as influential and inspirational by her clients and peers, Agnes Lan helps organizations grow through change.  She has a knack for breaking down complex strategies into tangible business tactics.  Leading the way in Sales Transformation for SMBs and Enterprises alike.

Hear about the lessons that Agnes has learned along the way!

In this session of the TechConnex CIO Peer Group, we will be speaking with Anthony Iannucci, CIO for the City of Richmond Hill.

Anthony will be discussing his career and journey with the TTC and his current position as CIO for the City of Richmond Hill. We will also discuss the action items Anthony and his team have faced during the Covid-19 crisis.

Anthony Iannucci has spent over 30 years creating success for organizations in transformation and continuous improvement through the development of business strategy and alignment with information technology solutions.  After a long career with North America’s third largest transit organization the Toronto Transit Commission aligning business and technology for success Anthony is currently leveraging his passion for developing and mentoring teams in leading the City of Richmond Hill through the delivery of a strategic transformation in Information Technology.

Facilitated by: Ray Gilbert & Jamal Shah of Causal Effects

Driving Culture and Engagement in an organization is often seen as requiring big ideas and even bigger budgets. Most of us do not have the bandwidth for large-scale projects focused on these things alone.

Now with your entire workforce working from home, how are you driving Culture and Engagement?

Come share your grassroots initiatives, ideas and the hacks that are working for your company to define your culture and support engagement.

Keys to Top Sales Performance - ONLINE SESSION

Buying in the last few years has changed more than ever. Buyers are more educated, there are endless options, and buyers are distracted and short on time.

Sellers and sales organizations are struggling to keep up. But there are specific actions that Top performers and Top-Performing Sales Organizations take that allow them to achieve superior results.

Through the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research, we analyzed data from 472 sellers and executives from mid-size to some of the world's largest companies to learn what they do to achieve top sales performance.

In this session learn about 5, data-backed keys to top sales performance that will help you unleash your sales potential in 2020.

Learning Outcomes

• 1 big idea—one absolute essential—that you need to perform at elite levels in sales
• 5 keys to help you get to top sales performance
• What the top sales organizations and sellers do to beat their sales goals
• How to maximize your own sales motivation and unleash your sales potential
• The 3 sales skills you and your team must possess

Please join us for the first recording of the Virtual Tech CEO Peer Group on Friday April 3rd, 2020.  We will be discussing the affects of Covid-19 to your business, Government Aid, Taxation and the Global Effect this has on everybody!!

Howard Lerner CPA, of SBLR LLP will be leading a discussion on:COVID-19 government assistance programs and actions designed to improve cash flow.

Mark Lijour of ICTC will be discussing the following 3 items

1. How does COVID-19 and the state of the global economy affect your business? 

2. Tips, tools and practices to move operations online

3. Other support and programs from ICTC.

If there is anything else, please let us know!

Sponsored by: BDC

How to Thrive Through Challenges and Change

Grab your coffee or your cup of tea and join us for a conversation on how you are thriving through these challenging times and share what you are doing to keep yourself and your teams connected.

This session is sponsored by: IBM