Edge of Business

An activist, an entrepreneur, and a humanitarian dedicated to combating global iron deficiency through simple health innovations. Dr. Gavin Armstrong knew he wanted to reform the society and bring social justice when he was just an undergraduate student at the University Of Guelph. Dr. Gavin is the first Canadian to receive the William J. Clinton Award for international work against hunger and his award winning innovation the Lucky Iron Fish is helping treat Anemia across the globe.

For many decades, Crystal has been inspiring, educating, and uplifting women to create the best lives and love the skin they are in through her S.W.A.T program (Simply Women Accredited Trainer). A six-time Canadian international bestselling author and strong life coach supporting women talks about her journey and challenges in this Women's Day special episode.

We sat down with the founder and CEO of Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion who has been advocating for diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the Canadian businesses for over two decades. From leading teams of professionals providing consultation services in diversity areas to having his own podcast with industry leaders talking about these sensitive topics, Michael has being named one of the 10 Most Influential DE&I Leaders Revamping The Future (2023) by CIO Views Magazine.

We sat down with world renowned digital and social media thought leader with 15 years of international experience in guiding top brands to drive growth digitally. Being a fortune 500 consultant, mentor and a top-rated keynote speaker, Vladimer has dedicated his career to teach the decisive social and digital strategies to corporate clients. So, if you want to focus on networking or building a successful personal brand , then this is for you.

We sat down with Chris Smith, the CEO and President of Fitness World, leading 17 clubs across British Columbia. With an extensive 27 years in the industry, Chris's passion for helping people live healthy lives remains at the forefront of innovation. If you’ve been thinking about joining a gym or starting your career in fitness, this is your sign.

We sat down with Jason Kim, co-founder and CEO of Big Whale Labs, a zero-knowledge social protocol that offers increased privacy and security through branches of cryptography.

We sat down with BC-based interior designer Kendall Ansell, founder of Belle Construction. With the intention of making space for women in the trade industry, she discusses how Belle Construction helps women, what the response has been, and her support towards women-focused nonprofit organizations and networks.

We sat down with Morley Ivers and Michael Baruch, Co-Founders of Cookin, a Homemade Food Delivery Marketplace. The platform allows emerging and established cooks to turn their home kitchens into virtual restaurants to create community through their unique meal offerings. These passionate, Toronto-born co-founders speak about their exciting launch and vision, the delicious food experiences on offer through the app, and Cookin’s endorsement by chef Patrick Kriss of Alo Food Group.

We sat down with Amoye Henry, Cierra Madore, and Peta Ann Leon from Pitch Better, a market research building program that uses data and strategy to enable entrepreneurs and small business owners to scale. In our conversation, we discuss the influence Pitch Better has had on the Canadian entrepreneur landscape and what that means for Black-owned businesses.

Stephen discusses the implications of systemic racism, his lived experience, and the ways that businesses can work towards anti-discriminatory policies to create change in our communities.

As the Co-Founder of a community called "This is About Humanity" and the Founding Principal of the non-for-profit Poderistas, Elsa discusses how she found herself caring about the well-being of her community, the challenges fellow Latina women face, and how collective action paves the way for meaningful change.

For 15 years, Loren Shifrin has worked in the factoring business, garnering a sterling reputation before launching his own successful company, REV Capital, in 2017. In a few short years (and through the economic trials of the pandemic), REV Capital has grown into the largest factoring company in Canada, with aims to expand throughout North America. The 33-year-old shared the secret to his success, the lessons he learned as a young entrepreneur, and explained the basics of the lesser-known factoring industry.

Hailing from Western University’s prestigious Ivey Business School, fresh grads Jessica Miao and Chloe Beaudoin launched Apricotton, a revolutionary bra company for tweens, in 2020. Empathetic to young girls dealing with puberty, Apricotton offers age-appropriate styles of comfortable and adjustable bras to the under-served demographic, plus sisterly advice via the brand’s Gen-Z-friendly online presence.

Lauren Haw is a real estate professional with a multi-faceted  understanding of the industry. Having started by investing in the  brokerage company True North Mortgage in 2008 and successfully growing  it from Alberta to Ontario, Haw then launched the spinoff website  Ratehub.ca. In 2012, she then earned her real estate licence and sold  properties for RE/MAX and Keller Williams.

Changing legislative labour laws, fighting for the rights of non-unionized employees, and running a law practice with over nine specialized lawyers is all in a day’s work for one of Toronto’s top employment litigators, Bram A. Lecker.

With experience in the legislative, and judicial branches, he has acted as lead or co-counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He also advises corporations, non-profit organizations, and executives on their legal obligations and has active directorships on York Community Credit Counselling and the Economic Club of Toronto.

The Edge spoke with Lecker about finding work-life balance; managing mental health in the legal field; and what entrepreneurship truly entails. Listen on to hear the full story.

Cygne LaShae Swan: CEO of C Wright Aviation. 

To most people the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home. Cygne LaShae Swan is the first Afro-American woman to be in charge of an aviation company. A multi-faceted entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist,  She is also the founder and CEO of C Wright Aviation and Cygne Jets.

Star of Million Dollar Listing New York and Sell It Like Serhant, Ryan Serhant exhibits true entrepreneurial DNA. He knew he had to make it in one of the world’s biggest economic and business hubs, New York City, despite the pressures of big city life. And not just get by but thrive!

The Edge spoke with Serhant about his struggles while building his career and how he manages everything.

We have with us Curtis G. Ellis, a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of sales, call centre and marketing experience. He also holds a corporate training certification and has served as a trainer in AT&T and Sprint USA. Moreover, he has served in the capacity of the president of multiple sales and marketing corporations, bringing substantial results to the bottom line of these companies.

As the world opens up, we discuss the importance or marketing, and how you can get ahead today.

Dating back to the late 19th century, the Foster family was known for  hand-made running shoes, supplying world athletes like Harold Abrahams  and Erica Liddell. In later years, Joe Foster and his brother Jeff  decided to take the family business in a new direction, reaching a  global market and competing with big players like Nike and Adidas. Fast  forward to the 1980s, and Reebok became a global phenomenon with  Hollywood stars like Jane Fonda seen wearing the brand.

Foster’s recently published book, Shoemaker, tells a  powerful story of victory against all odds, revealing the hurdles of  developing a world-renowned brand and building an empire from the ground  up. Joe’s tell-all guides young entrepreneurs looking to grow a small  business into something sensational. Foster joined The Edge for an exclusive discussion into his entrepreneurial journey of establishing a presence in the global market.

When it comes to sound investments, wish fulfillment, and pivoting,  there’s no one better to talk to than Dr. Randal Pinkett. You may  recognize him as the fourth season winner of the hit TV show, The Apprentice,  but he’s accomplished much more since then. He’s better known as the  CEO and president of BCT Partners, a multi million-dollar management,  technology, and policy firm, based in New Jersey. Given the challenging  times of COVID-19 and the uncertainty it’s brought, the inspiring  entrepreneur made time to talk to The Edge about his own reflections, challenges, passion, and ways to stay motivated.

Scot Keith and his co-founders launched One Twenty-Three West in 2013 with humble beginnings in a small garage in Vancouver. Since then, the company has grown to be named Canada’s top Small Agency of the Year in 2020 by Strategy Magazine.

Focusing on a business model of “Low Overhead, High Talent”, Scot and his team focuses on hiring the very best and most experienced. All of this helps facilitate their desire to do great work with great people and have a great collective experience doing it. Listen on to hear his experiences in entrepreneurship.

Navigating the workplace is never easy, and it’s been made more difficult since the pandemic started. While bosses are just as overwhelmed as their staff, it’s important that they try to stay engaged with their team and focus on honing their emotional intelligence. That’s where emotional intelligence expert and entrepreneur Carolyn Stern comes in. A business professor at Capilano University in Vancouver, she’s also an accomplished emotional intelligence speaker and corporate trainer helping companies build high-performing teams. The Edge caught up with her to learn about the importance of emotional intelligence and what that means in a COVID-19 world.

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has shaken the world to its core. Every business, for the most part, has been impacted negatively with a decrease in revenue and customers. There are business titans who haven’t been touched by the pandemic, like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and then there are others like Dragons’ Den alum Michael Wekerle, who is feeling the strain of COVID-19, despite his wealth of knowledge and his years of acquiring monetary wealth, given his business acumen.

The old saying “childhood dreams do come true” has certainly held true for CBC’s prime time Toronto News anchor and veteran television journalist Dwight Drummond. Despite his humble beginnings growing up in the notorious Jane and Finch area and as a Jamaican immigrant to Canada, Drummond defied all odds, and emerged as one of Canada’s “Best Local Newscasters,” according to his prestigious Canadian Screen Award.

The Edge caught up with Drummond to chat about the impact of COVID-19, his personal challenges and the future of media.

Jamaican born Lee-Chin’s ambitions led him from modest jobs as a teenager, working as a hotel landscaper and cleaning the engine room of a cruise ship, to financial success a little more than two decades later.  Today, the Jamaican-Canadian is in rare company as a Black billionaire businessman and philanthropist who currently sits at number 1,063 on the Forbes list. He is Chairman and CEO of Portland Holdings Inc, a privately held investment company.

The Edge Leaders had the opportunity to ask Lee-Chin questions about his career, and in return, he offered his insight, life lessons, and bold suggestions for entrepreneurs.

Tareq Hadhad and his family’s story is by no means ordinary. It is a story of rising from rock bottom by relying on community and togetherness to move forward. While Hadhad was in his native Syria, his family’s chocolate company, Peace by Chocolate, became the second largest chocolate company in the Middle East in 2008, exporting to the entire MENA region and to countries like Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. The civil unrest in Syria brought it all to a screeching halt when the Hadhads lost their factory in a bombing. In Canada, which embraced them with open arms, they found the strength to rebuild their chocolate empire. Currently, headquartered in the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Peace by Chocolate now is stocked by countless retailers all over Canada and found in Foodland stores and Sobeys nationwide.