CanadianSME Small Business Magazine June 2022

ISSUE NO. 43

JUNE 2022

CANADIANSME Banking partner

Adrianne Fekete Her passion for helping others heal and grow led to her certification by Tony Robbins, as a Results Life Coach® All Images, trademarks, service marks and logos referred to or appearing in this magazine are the property of their respective owners.

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Our June issue is officially here and we are very excited about all the great content we have included in this month’s issue! We strive to be Canada’s top magazine in providing exclusive insights, strategies, and advice to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Our mission is to include the best of the inclusive interviews and top business insights from reputable industry experts. Our team works very hard in delivering the most valuable content to our readers to ensure that you stay up to date on all the latest business trends. Empowering small and medium-sized businesses is our prime goal.

This issue features interviews and advice from industry experts and succession planning. Learn “How to Find Hidden Savings and Offset Rising Business Costs” by RBC and “Why Business Coaching is a need nowadays?” by Roula Badis, Founder of Roula Badis Coaching. Learn more about “Finding Stability in Your Business-Critical Technology” by Atillio Commisso, Co-founder and President of CG Technologies. Learn what the future of internships is by reading this exclusive article by Riipen and “How can employers address staff’s concerns about Hybrid Work and support them better?” by Chandrashekar LSP, Canadian Evangelist, Zoho Corp. And read our exclusive interviews such as Adrianne Fekete's Passion for Helping Others Heal and Grow and many more.

Resilience, Recovery and Reinvention! The CanadianSME Small Business Expo in the association with Caary Capital is coming on June 29-30 and we can’t wait to see you! Join us at the Biggest Gathering of Canadian Small and Medium Enterprises on Wed, June 29th, 2022, 9:00 AM – Thurs, June 30th, 2022, 4:30 PM EDT. This virtual trade show has been primarily organized for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises.

We, at CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, understand that during this time after pure chaos, small and medium-sized businesses need more support than ever before. These articles provide insights into the tools and resources available and 2022 financial trends to keep top of mind this year. We hope that this month’s issue will help give you the knowledge and information you need to stay ahead in the market.

Don't forget to subscribe to our magazine to get the latest trends and stay up to date on all of our events

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Editor & Publisher Shaik Khaleeluddin (SK) Consulting Editor Shiraz Siddique Creative Design Cmarketing Inc Client Manager Maheen Bari Social Media Cmarketing Inc Sales Abdul Sultan Shaik Photography Deposit Photos Web Cmarketing Inc

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IN THIS ISSUE Canadiansme small business magazine

23

HIRE Technologies Launches Pulsify + HIRE Program SIMON DEALY Director and Chief Executive Officer, HIRE Technologies Inc

26

Flood control – a new way of thinking

30

How EVS is Making an Impact Here in Our Canadian Backyard.

Richard Gurberg President - Creatium Equipment

Sebastien Petro, COO of EVS Canada

32

Digital Health: Its Potential to Modernize Benefits and Improve Member Health Outcomes Colleen Adams Manager of Health & Digital Product Solutions for Medavie Blue Cross

34

How David Masson and Darktrace Are Helping to Keep Our Online Information Safe Director of Enterprise Security at Darktrace

42

Marie Chevrier - An Innovative Woman Entrepreneur in Tech CEO & Founder at Sampler

Adrianne Fekete's Founder and CEO, Star Quality Private Investigations

44

Edilou Canedo - A ‘Jewel’ of an Entrepreneur to Watch Founder at CUCHARA

49

Stephany Lapierre - A Dynamic Woman Entrepreneur to Watch Founder and CEO of Tealbook

IN THIS ISSUE Canadiansme small business magazine

21 Cloud-Based Cryptomining Attacks are the New Battleground for Cyber Attacks

15 How to Find Hidden Savings and Offset Rising Business Costs

19 The future of internships are Remote

36

Why Business Coaching is a need nowadays?

IN THIS ISSUE Canadiansme small business magazine

62

51

How can employers address staff’s concerns about Hybrid Work and support them better?

The current state of Canada’s online shopping and e-commerce industry

66

John Kay on innovation and a people-first approach to business post-pandemic

28 How Dr. Power Launched His Medical Device Startup, An Inside Look at The Process

40

Strategies That Help You Balance between Work and Life When Working Remotely

News OCC looks forward to championing economic growth with the 43rd provincial government ECONOMIC GROWTH

York Entrepreneurship Development Institute Announces Giveaway for Toronto Collision Conference

“Competing ideas are at the heart of democracy, and we would like to commend all party leaders and candidates who put their names forward to serve their communities during this provincial election. I would like to extend my gratitude to resigning leaders Andrea Horwath and Steven Del Duca for their leadership and service to Ontarians.

New survey shows no relief from rising costs for businesses ahead of BOC rate announcement: Canadian Chamber of Commerce

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

We are very excited for YEDI to be a part of the 2022 Toronto Collision Conference,“ says Marat Ressin, President and Professor at the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute. “Not only is it great to see everyone come together after the last two years, but it is a great opportunity to celebrate North American Entrepreneurship and Tech advancements.

BUSINESSES

“The top obstacles for Canadian businesses continues to be rising input costs, difficulties hiring workers, and supply chain challenges. Rising costs remain by far the number one obstacle for Canadian business right now,” said Tapp. “These cost pressures will continue to fuel inflation, which will add further pressure for the Bank of Canada to continue raising interest rates at a super-sized pace in their attempt to bring inflation under control,” he added.

Cloud at Work Partners with Sage Canada as Strategic Cloud Hosting Provider; Launches Toronto-based Data Center CLOUD TECHNOLOGY

“Cloud at Work has a proven track record in providing our U.S. customers with reliable, secure, high-performance cloud hosting, which is why our Canadian customers should be delighted with today’s news,” said Daniel Oh, Country Manager (interim), Sage Canada. “With their SaaS knowledge and Sage product expertise, Cloud at Work’s new data center will better serve our customers with Canadian data residency needs.

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News The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan addresses the TrueNorth Business Development Forum ECONOMY

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan), attended the TrueNorth Business Development Forum, hosted by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce.

Interac e-Transfer use surpasses one billion transactions in the last twelve months PAYMENT

Canadians have long embraced Interac e-Transfer to send money, but recent rapid growth may demonstrate that the service has achieved a new relevance as Canadians return

to the shared experiences that may have been out of reach in the earlier stages of the pandemic,” said Anurag Kar, AVP at Interac Corp.

Canadian Marketing Association announces new chair, three new board members MARKETING

Three dynamic marketing leaders are joining the board this year: Isaac Adejuwon, chief executive officer and founder, Metricsflow; Laura Pearce, country director,

marketing, Google Canada; and Scott Pinkney, senior vice-president and executive creative director, Publicis Canada.

EY recognizes 15 Atlantic businesses in annual entrepreneur program BUSINESSES

EY Canada is honoured to announce the regional finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year® 2022 Atlantic program today. Selected by an independent panel of judges, 15 businesses have been recognized for transforming our world through unbounded innovation, growth and prosperity.

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Exclusive Chat with

Founder and CEO, Star Quality Private Investigations

Small Business When someone is as driven, passionate, and fiercely independent as Adrianne, owning a business is a natural career choice. Adrianne is one of the first women to venture into running fully licensed, private investigations and security businesses in Canada; and certainly, the lady with the longest tenure in the role to date. She has led her agency to success repeatedly as a straight-talking, transparent, and compassionate leader committed to ensuring safety and uncovering compelling evidence that reflects the truth.

And, supporting individuals as they were forced to face it and the impact it brought into their life. In 2020, Star Quality Private Investigations was the proud receipt of the RBC Small Business of the Year Award. She credits this recognition to her dedication to helping others, her intense work ethic and her entire team.

Adrianne began her career as a Public Relations Specialist in the Music and Film Industry. She worked for the industry’s most creative professionals who quickly identified her broader scope of capabilities and guided her experience and success beyond public relations to executive protection. Rising quickly to the challenge resulted in her working alongside some of the most legendary celebrities; individuals like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bono, Samuel L. Jackson, and Colin Farrell to share a few.

Adrianne’s potential as a savvy businesswoman and multi-talented force within the industry made her the ultimate choice to manage executive protection for two World Tours with The Rolling Stones, The 360 Tour with U2, Suicide Squad, Canadian Idol, The Molson Indy, WWE, the G8 and G20.

Her ever-present passion for helping others in their personal growth and achievement led to her certification by Anthony Robbins as a Life Coach. It is the combination of her background in public relations, executive protection and life coaching with her fearless mindset and business insight that culminated in Adrianne stepping into a male-dominated industry; and launching Star Quality Private Investigations.

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Over the last two decades, Adrianne has been a pioneer within the private investigation industry, tackling the under-serviced and emotionally charged sector of clients facing child custody, divorce, infidelity and all other family law matters. She established successful investigation programs, surveillance protocols and case management procedures, ensuring business success and growth year over year since she launched her business. Her compassionate, relatable nature is evident in supporting all her clients with life coaching services.

Optimizing the expertise and skills found within the law enforcement industry, Adrianne chose to focus on hiring former and retired detectives and executives from police departments across Canada for her investigative team. Not only did this ensure business success right out of the gate, but she was also able to expand her business quickly to include corporate fraud investigations, risk management and security sectors over the years.

Small Business What's your top strategy for success?

As an entrepreneur, I credit my commitment to following my inner voice over the outer influences, for my achievements.

What is the most rewarding work you do?

Adrianne pioneered the private investigation industry, tackling the under-serviced and emotionally charged sector of family law which encompassed life-changing journeys such as infidelity, relationship, divorce, child custody, divorce, youth wellness, addiction and mental

health. Her passion for helping others heal and grow, led to her certification by Tony Robbins, as a Results Life Coach.

For over two decades, Adrianne has also served as a certified Results Life Coach to thousands of

individuals as they navigated through life-testing,

difficult moments. Her expertise continues to evolve, in part, to her amazing clients, who allow her the honour of guiding them on their personal path of

healing. “I have supported women who were told they could not do it because of gender, parents of missing children, Fortune 500 CEOs who are extremely empty in their personal lives, a

wife/husband whose partner has been unfaithful, families struggling to stay committed to loved ones with mental health issues, and the individual who

loves an addict, to name a few. I have helped thousands of outstanding individuals change their lives, regardless of their situation. Today they have a deeper understanding of themselves, as well as how to handle situations that are within their control. Adrianne's personal and professional rewards stem from the mission to have clients view their most difficult obstacles as a gift of redirection.

“Finding their truth and changing their narrative one word at a time, is life-changing,” says Adrianne.

Acknowledging the increased burden on mental well-being was the first step. SQPI expanded its selection of community programs and outreach for financial contributions that focused on providing support to the most vulnerable. By building new relationships with organizations desperate to broaden their mental health programs and help more community members, it was obvious SQPI needed to contribute.

“It was the right decision. A decision that proved to return countless, intangible benefits to both the team and the company, becoming a motivation that drove team commitment even deeper,” Adrianne says.

Small Business If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?

Who in your life has had the biggest impact on you and why?

I would like to be remembered as a trailblazer for women, establishing success in non-traditional careers.

The person who had the biggest impact on my life is my Dad. He always told me that anything was possible, regardless of gender. He taught me how to be an integral, trustworthy person, the value of family, the importance of good money

What does the word empowerment mean to you?

management and a lot about business. The tragic loss of my father when I was 20 years old, taught

Living life authentically, with a gift of grace for others, while delivering what lights your soul on fire to the

me to live in the moment, and spend time with those you love.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your life? What was your life like before learning it? What was your life like after learning it?

“A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none.”

world. That is full empowerment.

One of the most important things I learned in my life

is that everything is temporary. When you are going through hard times, this too shall pass. When you are young and going through the best times of your life, this too shall pass. Before learning this, I was often in survival mode. This meant I missed the moments, what I refer to as golden nuggets of joy. After learning this, my whole world changed.

My motto is love what you do and do what you love. This is a golden rule for every aspect of my life. When something doesn’t feel right in your gut, that’s because it’s not. Listen to your body, she knows what is best for you. When I am conflicted, I ask myself, “If this was your last day on earth, would you be doing exactly what you are doing today?” If the answer is heck no, I immediately change it regardless of the obstacles. Living in gratitude and in the moment, is key.

~Marilyn Monroe

Small Business What’s next for Star Quality Private Investigations?

Although SQPI will continue its efforts in our client support initiatives, it appears we were successful in leaving no stone unturned. As a result, this initiative, in conjunction with our communication initiatives, will return to ongoing research and development activities to ensure we remain on the leading edge of client support.

Growing our market shares in both corporate investigations and security services are firmly on the SQPI business radar as we ease back into a 'post pandemic' environment. The growth of SQPI's

Life Coach services was an unplanned success that grew from the increased pressures carried by so many of our clients over the last few years.

Management quickly recognized the alignment of this coaching service with supporting clients as

they face the compelling truths of their lives. This is translated into future growth in offering Life Coaching services.

Is it true you have a one-year waitlist to coach with you personally?

“Yes, and it has been my personal challenge to work towards having no list at all,” Adrianne responded.

Adrianne, who is a certified Results Life Coach by Tony Robbins, is committed to working with even more people as she moves ahead in a different direction with this sector of growth in her business.

“I have had the privilege of working with such amazing individuals, some whom want to share their journey to aid others through similar obstacles. They were forced often into unexpected, life-changing truths and situations, ultimately staring the truth down with such grace and dedication. The next chapter is currently being written to answer the needs of clients wanting a safe space to share. Without giving away the season finale…imagine a team of supporters who have experienced the same or similar personal/professional struggles, achievements, and losses,” shared Adrianne Fekete.

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SQPI is on the front line of people's stories. Stories wrought with negative impacts on one's mental health. This insight provides confirmation that there is a need for further support beyond the compelling truth found in private investigations. For this reason alone, Adrianne’s passion for supporting the healing process with individuals on a larger scale is now being implemented.

“My focus will be on empowering others in their efforts to face personal truths and write new chapters. Committed to the mentality that we are all in this together and no one gets left behind, all topics of experience will be open for coaching. I look to champion the tough stuff with people on an even larger scale than currently found inside my business. I am in a position, and honoured, to have the opportunity to uplift, heal and provide knowledge to others on a much larger scale,” added Adrianne.

If you could be any superhero, who would you be?

Batgirl of course!!!!

What's something people seem to misunderstand about you?

That I make everything I do look easy. It’s not. It’s frickin’ hard work. I’m up earlier than most and

always strive to be the hardest worker in every situation. Nothing I have done has ever been easy.

It is steeped in sacrifice.

If you could teach the world one thing, what would it be?

YES ... you can!

Between inflation, wage increases and rising interest rates, it costs more to run a business for most owners these days. To offset this trend, businesses have to either increase revenue or decrease expenses. Here are five ways to find hidden savings and maintain profit margins in today’s environment.

By: Diane Amato Feeling the pain of rising operating costs? These ideas can help you counterbalance the economic climate and discover efficiency in your day-to-day business.

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Reduce Your Costs When goods, services and labour have become more expensive, it’s time to take a hard look at what your business is spending money on and determine where you can cut back. Look at both your fixed and variable costs as you search for areas to trim.

A Look at Variable Costs: Inventory. Are you being as efficient as possible with your inventory management? Watch out for waste that may be eroding profits or excess inventory that is sitting too long, taking up space.

Supplier terms. Your suppliers may offer incentives for early payment. If you’re in a position to pay ahead of schedule, consider taking advantage of this opportunity. Bartering for products and services can also help with cash flow.

Operating expenses. When was the last time you really looked at your utility bill? Can you become more energyefficient to bring it down? Do you have an internet plan that gives you the best bang for your buck? What about your cell phone plan, give your employees may be working off-site? A quick call to providers can often result in lower monthly plans and/or greater efficiencies.

It’s also worth taking a look at your bank statements – consider an annual review (or earlier touch point) with your banker, as the way you use your account may qualify you for savings you’re not aware of.

Supplier costs. Given rising costs of goods, materials and labour, you may wish to move away from fixed-price contracts, so adjustments can be made as costs fluctuate.

Subscriptions. Run through all the publications, tools and programs you’re subscribed to and figure out which ones you’re making good use of. See if there are any you can discontinue or even suspend for a time.

Labour. If you’re finding it hard to attract the right talent, try to avoid paying a premium in this inflated labour market.

Consider outsourcing when possible while investing in key employees and critical contractors.

Marketing. The best advertising is often word-of-mouth.

Consider organic, low-cost marketing activities that can boost referrals, as well as targeted social media programs.

A Look at Fixed Costs: Office space. If your in-person workforce has been reduced as a result of a remote and/or hybrid work model, consider downsizing to cut down on rent payments. Alternatively, consider sub-leasing part of your space or try renegotiating rent with your landlord – it’s a commercial renter’s market in many areas right now!

Equipment. Look for ways to reduce costs by sourcing gently used vehicles, computers or trade equipment.

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Assess Your Credit Cards and Loans

Your credit card can be a very useful payment vehicle – but should not be used to store debt. By paying your credit cards on time, you can save on interest costs.

Also, try to maximize your card’s potential. If it offers rewards points, consider using it for both everyday and larger purchases (providing you pay it off before the end of the grace period). You can turn those rewards into equipment, travel, staff incentives and more. The same applies if you have a cash-back card.

If you have loans on the books, work with your account manager to see if it makes sense to renegotiate the terms to reduce repayment amounts or even pay them off sooner to be rid of this monthly expense.

Go Digital

More than ever, technology is a business owner’s friend. If you’re using old systems or hardware, you could be spending time you don’t have to do business on slow technology. Cloud computing and eCommerce platforms can replace labourintensive processes – from ordering to tracking to selling.

Keep in mind, that your team is a great resource as your employees work on your systems every day. Ask them if they see opportunities to increase efficiency and save money – and reward them for their input!

Utilize Tax Credits

Tax credits can reduce the amount of tax you pay on your taxable income. While they may not have an immediate effect on your bottom line, you’re sure to notice them come tax time. Unlike tax deductions, which are only worth a percentage of their total worth in tax savings, a credit is worth the full amount of its value. If you receive a credit worth $250, for instance, you will save $250 on your return.

The Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments all offer tax credits. Here are a few examples: Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC): The PSTC is a refundable tax credit earned through eligible Canadian labour expenditures for a given film or video production.

Apprenticeship Job Creation Credit: The AJCTC is a non-refundable credit employer can claim on their individual income tax return when hiring an apprentice.

Research and Development Tax Credits: R&D tax credits allow businesses to deduct R&D expenditures from business income, provide an investment tax credit or lower personal income tax.

At the same time, be sure to keep track of tax deductions that can affect your tax bill. Take a look at our five easy steps to help you organize your tax filing and appropriately apply deductions.

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Tap Into Free Money

Non-repayable government grants can give your business a financial boost to help you expand, create jobs, launch environmental initiatives and more. There are thousands of grants available in Canada every year – but it can be a tricky landscape to navigate. Take a look at these tips for applying for government funding.

Consider other ways to leverage business freebies, such as free logo and design tools, website builders, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools, invoice generators and more. There are many no-cost resources available to business owners online.

It’s also worth checking for value-added partnerships with the companies you do business with. RBC, for example, offers services beyond banking that provide access to useful products and services – often with valuable discounts – to help clients save as they run and grow a business.

If you’re finding that running your business has become more expensive than ever, you’re not alone. Many owners are feeling the crunch of the economic and global factors that are affecting everything from supply chain to labour to the cost of borrowing. By getting creative, taking a close look at your operating costs and leveraging the support of your partners, you can find savings that can more than offset the cost of doing business today.

This article was originally published on RBC’s Discover & Learn blog.

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The future of internships is Remote The ways that we work and do business have changed, in many ways permanently, over the pandemic. For small and mediumsized business owners already stretched thin by capacity challenges and the need to build back from pandemic losses, the prospect of recruiting, training and managing new talent can seem an especially daunting task in this new environment. However, what seems like a barrier may in fact be an opportunity for SMEs to grow in new and unexpected ways.

The good news for talent-seeking SMEs is that the candidate pool in Canada has never been more educated or highly skilled. In 2019, we reached an all-time high of 73% of Canadians aged 25 to 34 with a postsecondary qualification, a staggering 14% increase since 2009[1]. Yet the pandemic has disrupted the campus-to-industry talent pipeline. Many students saw their work placements and internships stalled or cancelled altogether. Networking events and conferences were less frequent, and many new graduates shifted to a hybrid or remote job search.

What this means is that there are many students out there eager for opportunities to gain real-world experience, and they are willing to forego traditional internships in favour of more innovative, remote working models.

[1] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211004/dq211004ceng.htm

We recently learned about a new program designed to help connect SMEs with top student talent from across the country.

The Level UP Program, created by Riipen during the height of the pandemic, offers businesses the opportunity to host flexible work placements for students, which can be completed at a distance. Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning initiative, the program is completely subsidized for participating businesses, with students receiving their compensation directly from Riipen.

For the hosting SME, this model helps reduce the capacity strain associated with traditional internships, while boosting productivity and increasing access to innovative thinking.

The project-based nature of the program allows SMEs to direct student efforts towards a specific business goal, and there are no limits to the number of projects a business can put forward.

Unlike traditional in-person, four-month internships, the Level UP model is projectbased and flexible. A student or team of

The program has proven popular with SMEs and students alike. Since the program’s launch last year, Level UP has delivered more than 6,000 fully subsidized remote student

their experience and gain mentorship. It provides them with access to high-

Owing to the success of the pilot project, the federal

students can complete their 80-hour project from anywhere, and take advantage of these opportunities to grow

demand opportunities and career prospects they may never have

considered before while building realworld experience and the entrepreneurial mindset coveted by employers and recruiters.

Another advantage is that businesses are not limited to their geographic region. They can select the best candidate or candidates that meet the needs of their project, wherever they are located. When it comes time for recruitment, businesses can hone in on these new networks to scale up and potentially expand into new markets.

placements in companies and organizations across the country. The waitlist alone had over 20,000 businesses and students wanting to take part.

government has greatly expanded the funding of the program to allow for an additional 18,000 remote

placements over the next two years. This is an incredible opportunity for small and midsize business owners to access smart, diverse, and fully subsidized student talent that can help support the productivity and the long-term growth of their organization.

Businesses and students interested in participating in the Level UP program can visit Riipen’s website for more details on how to apply: https://www.riipen.com/levelup.

Greg Young VP Cybersecurity at Trend Micro

Greg is the global Vice President for Cybersecurity for Trend Micro, a 7000 employee, and a $2B security product company.

Greg is one of the earliest pioneers in cybersecurity for Canada, with over 30 years of experience in the field.

At Gartner, for 14 years he was Research Vice President and was the lead analyst for network security, threat trends, and cryptography where he authored more than 20 Magic Quadrants and was Conference Chair for many Gartner Security Summits.

Greg headed several large security consulting practices and was CISO for the federal Department of Communications. He served as chief security architect for a security product company, was a commissioned officer in the military police working on the computer and technical security and counter-intelligence, and received the Confederation Medal from the Governor-General of Canada for his work with smart card security.

Greg is the industry co-chair for the Canadian Forum for Digital Infrastructure Resilience (CFDIR), a Federal government public/private collaboration supporting critical infrastructure and a member of the CFDIR Supply Chain Assurance working group. The Government of Barbados cabinet recently appointed him as a pro-bono advisor and member of their CyberSecurity Working Group. Greg is co-host of The Real Cybersecurity Podcast.

He mentions too often that he was an extra in 2 episodes of Airwolf.

Can you please share your journey with our audiences as an experienced professional in IT and cybersecurity for product companies as well as the private and public sectors?

I started in the field of what we now call

Cybersecurity, 33 years ago. I have worked for a vast variety of industries including military, government, consulting, and product companies. I also have 14 years of experience as a Gartner analyst.

What do you have to say about the Cyber Risk Index (CRI), released by Trend Micro which says that Canada has a moderate cyber risk level compared to North America?

It makes sense. Canada has advantages in terms of our banking system, how we receive our internet services and our overall business culture regarding risk. Although, Canada has a very high level of technology adoption, making us more vulnerable in some ways.

Small Business Despite Canada being prepared to handle cyber risk, why do nearly three-quarters of Canadian organizations think they’ll be breached in the next 12 months?

These views aren’t inconsistent. There’s a trend of over-optimism about the level of risk in organizations, often due to a dated view of the threat. For example, very few

SMEs I speak with have considered the issue of breaches for the purpose of crypto mining. As for the 12 months, I think that is reality creeping into the assessment, with the rate of breaches it is reasonable to

expect a breach. It’s the “I’m a great driver, but the rate of car accidents in my town is exceptionally high”.

As Ransomware and botnets are among the factors to top the list of key concerns, what are the negative consequences that organizations face after a breach?

Double-ransoms are a big item. That is when there is a ransom demanded for unencrypting the machines and a ransom for not releasing sensitive data. Another concern is

that other ransom groups do not respect the payment. It is highly common for multiple ransomware groups to breach a single company, each demanding their individual ransoms.

The most interesting outcome is coming to grips with the systemic problem that led to the breach and fixing it, rather than just patching the one vulnerability that was exploited.

What are the strategic tips that you would like to recommend to the organizations to reduce their risk levels?

What is your opinion about Canadian organizations being most worried about security risks in relation to mobile/remote employees? What are the possible solutions to this problem?

My mantra for businesses is a patch, backup, and look.

It’s a rational concern. Business networks

official aspects of your IT but the unofficial parts (shadow IT), and gathering telemetry that is non-traditional.

Following these three priorities, the steps include engaging

are more difficult to attack than home networks. Given that remote workers are equipped with fewer security barriers and

limited IT support, mobile/remote employees make for a better target to gain access laterally to companies.

We need to change the psychology that remote workers deserve less: it only increases the risk to your business.

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Have a reliable process for ensuring software is updated/patched, have a backup regimen that not only backs up what is really important, but itself is safe from

being encrypted by the ransomware, and look for things.

Looking for things means having visibility into not only the

and positive security education, moving to more modern security architectures, better securing open source and

cloud components, and automating more of your security.

How will you describe your journey as a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in multiple industries?

With roots in professional services and a love for bringing like-minded people together to build great organizations, my career has been one of steady evolution. Originally from Australia and now based in the United States, I've had the good fortune to hold positions that have allowed me to travel the world, opening businesses in countries spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. This foreign

viewpoint has helped me appreciate the benefits of diversity in high-performing teams, and I'm enthusiastic about the possibilities for my present role as CEO of HIRE Technologies.

SIMON DEALY Director and Chief Executive Officer, HIRE Technologies Inc

Senior Executive with a wealth of achievement in operations, finance, strategic planning, M&A, business development, and company start-ups.

With over 20 years of seasoning across a broad spectrum of industries and multiple countries, Simon has proven experience to identify strategic issues, dramatically improving sales, administering the organization, raising capital, and improving processes.

Having served in many C-Level roles, and as a Management Consultant, he enables corporations to have a well-thought-out and executed business strategy and financial plan, take calculated risks that allow the business to embrace change, and possess a good understanding of the competitive landscape and the client’s needs.

Simon excels at incorporating these disciplines within organizations to create a culture of continuous improvement. By nurturing a collaborative culture, he has shepherded companies to the next level, no matter if they are in start-up, rapid-growth, harvest, or turnaround mode.

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What would you like to say about Pulsify + HIRE, a value-added distribution program designed to accelerate organic growth within its portfolio companies launched by your company?

The Pulsify + HIRE program is a value-added distribution program that aims to drive organic growth within our portfolio companies while simultaneously addressing HIRE's three primary emphasis areas: value, solution expansion, and flexibility.

The program unlocks an exclusive distribution channel by incorporating HIRE's Pulsify tool into every engagement across its brand portfolio, adding value to the company's service offering. Our portfolio companies deliver more to their customers by widening the value chain and increasing the trusted advisor relationship we have with our clients.

HIRE's clients can get Pulsify for free when they use HIRE's staffing and search services. Pulsify is a cloud-based people management platform centred on data analytics, real-time feedback, predictive analytics, and the Net Manager Score™. Pulsify enhances the capacities of highperforming people managers at all levels of seniority and in all industries.

As HIRE Technologies believes in investing and shaping the future of human resource management by leveraging technology, is it successful in achieving its aim?

While some organizations have been a part of the

conversation for years, others are just beginning to realize the future of recruiting may look very different than it does today. Recruiting has always been about connecting people with opportunity, but the ways in which we connect those dots are changing rapidly.

The talent acquisition industry is currently being forced to

reckon with some major disruptions. The first is the talent shortage. For the first time in decades, there are more job openings than there are people to fill them. This is

Pulsify offers a streamlined, consolidated, and cloud-based solution to assist managers in answering these questions.

especially true in industries like tech, where the demand for skilled workers far exceeds the supply.

Pulsify can tell you who's at risk of leaving,

The second disruption is the changing nature of work itself. Thanks to technological advances, we no longer live

leaders in defining and communicating their objectives and expectations.

and work in silos; instead, we are constantly connected to a global network of colleagues, customers, and partners.

And as more companies embrace remote work, employees are no longer tied to a single location.

The third disruption is the war for talent. With so many

companies vying for the same pool of top talent, the competition to attract and retain the best employees is fiercer than ever.

how long they've been unhappy, and what's making them unhappy. The program assists

Managers can then work with their teams to achieve organizational objectives. Our

manager augmentation tool shows executives where their processes are succeeding and where they are failing. It also indicates which objectives are at risk of being overlooked.

Across the board, Pulsify can assist in

How efficient is your SIMPLE, PERSONALIZED, and PREDICTIVE process in helping people achieve maximization in team management?

Managers need an easy and intelligent process to help answer key questions about their team and organization.

Questions like…

I wonder if any of my top performers are at risk of leaving?

How do I figure out which goals are most at risk before it's too late?

Am I giving my team an outlet to be heard and really trying to action what they are saying?

Am I aligned with everyone on my team and know how to deal with tough situations?

Is my team getting the feedback needed when it is the most impactful to their growth

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answering the "who and why" questions. With

managers unable to be everywhere at the same time, knowing the team's strengths and shortcomings is critical.

How is Pulsify different? What tools does it have to make jobs easier and more rewarding?

Pulsify is better team management. Pulsify's Manager Augmentation™ tool always knows how the team is doing, and where they need to go and provides guidance on how to get there.

Managing people is difficult but managing a hybrid or remote team is considerably more difficult. A remote environment makes it even more critical that managers be excellent at supporting high-performing teams.

Small Business So how do managers deal with the fact that they can't see their team? How do they keep track of goals using Zoom or encourage Slack users to share ideas or encourage folks to keep going? When they're left to their own devices, they feel like they're winging it. Hence, Pulsify was created and why it is a best-in-class system providing managers: Proven management best practices Continuous guidance, feedback, and support Individual and team transparency Actionable and predictive analytics Implement immediately yourself Instructive content

What is your opinion about your company contributing to redefining the future of talent acquisition? Are you able to achieve success through it?

HIRE’s focus on redefining the future of

talent acquisition is driven by its ethos of leadership, which is bringing together highperforming industry leaders to leverage their knowledge across multiple disciplines, industries, and geographies. HIRE therefore manages to be a driver in the effort to redefine the future of talent acquisition in three steps.

The first step is to embrace data-driven recruiting. In today’s world, data is king.

Recruiting is no different. By using data to identify the right talent, assess candidate fit, and predict performance, companies can make better hiring decisions and find the needle in the haystack.

The second step is to focus on the employer brand. In a war for talent, the employer brand is the secret weapon. By investing in employer brands, companies can differentiate themselves in the marketplace and build a strong talent pipeline.

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The third step is to invest in technology. The right technology can help you automate repetitive tasks, identify the best candidates, and streamline the hiring process. By investing in the latest recruiting technology, companies can make their recruiting process more efficient and effective.

By embracing data-driven recruiting, focusing on employer brand, and investing in technology, companies can be drivers in the effort to redefine the future of talent acquisition.

Richard Gurberg is the Flood mitigation specialist and President of Creatium Equipment. Water Management, Sandbagging & Flood Prevention Specialists serving Canada Coast to Coast.

Richard Gurberg President - Creatium Equipment

How would you describe your journey with more than 30 years of experience in the business field?

Varied and dynamic. Started in the auto window tint and accessory world and never imagined by midlife I’d be

claiming to be a seasoned businessman with experience in such varied products and services as garment manufacturing and distribution, vacation rentals, business analytics software and flood prevention and water management equipment. The most interesting aspect of the journey is having learned that as different as each product and business is, there are some very major similarities that exist between all of them.

Flooding is a natural process that cannot be prevented, but what are the ways to reduce the damages caused when it happens?

While we clearly cannot stop the flooding, what we can do is recognize that being prepared for flooding provides us with at least a chance of protecting our communities, both people and property.

Individuals and municipalities now have a

pretty good idea as to where the lower laying lands are, where the water tends to come from (whether river and lake overflow, mountain snow run off, swamps, lagoons and other poor drainage areas). The challenge of

course is to protect these areas, best we can, in advance of the flooding.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to plan, plan, plan.

Too often we get calls smack in the middle of a flooding event with requests for equipment that is needed yesterday. These calls come in simply too late as time is needed to produce and ship the products.

Having what is needed, in case (and before) it is needed it, puts a community miles ahead.

Creatium carries a variety of products designed to help Canadians face this challenge, each with its own pros and cons.

Small Business

Sandbagging Machines:

How does Creatium support companies and inventors in developing ideas? What is your expert opinion about this?

Interesting question! I would not say we have contributed much to new product development. What we do is work with our suppliers to come up with innovative uses for the existing products. Each environment is unique and requires a concerted effort to consider each product and where and how it will be used, sometimes even in a combined solution (ex: Aqua Barriers with Sandbags filling gaps at one end butted against a concrete wall).

What impact does the flooding have on the environment? What are the preventive measures to reduce the effect?

Mostly destruction of infrastructure, but also disruption to wildlife, ecosystems, river,

stream and water pollution, landscapes and in the most extreme case, human lives. The products listed in (2) are all designed to reduce the impact on the environment caused by flooding.

We also study all other products on the market and evaluate

them to see if they might complement our assortment of products offered (this is how we grew from offering only Sandbag machines to the current assortment). There are quite a number of substandard and difficult to use, or costineffective products out there….so we have chosen very carefully which to include or not.

As your company operates in between human, design, engineering, architecture, production, and marketing, what do you think are the advantages of operating in these fields?

What are some of the best practices used by the construction industry for flood prevention and/or water management? Are they able to succeed in them?

Also interesting question. The company evolved after witnessing the challenges, difficulties and human suffering experienced

The construction industry does not typically get involved with flooding. The industry does often however require dewatering equipment, which is needed specifically to provide work crews with a dry work environment in areas where water prevails (dams, bridges, canals/culverts, roadways, pipelines, marinas/piers, waterfronts, etc).

1 - That the logistics required to manually fill sandbags with volunteers are difficult, stressful, ineffective, and exhausting.

The most popular solution for these companies is the Aqua Barrier cofferdams as they can be transported to any location, configured and filled as needed, and when the job is completed, simply emptied, rolled up and reused again for the next construction project.

during the 2017 and 2019 flooding in Quebec. And the human side of that very real experience highlighted 2 things very clearly:

2 – That the entire concept that the people in flooded communities most affected by flooding, pumping water out of their basements, suffering sleepless nights watching the waters encroach their homes, etc.. are expected to be the ones to “volunteers” to make sandbags to save their own homes and business, is ludicrous and even cruel and unfair. (this drove our motto to become: “There has got to be a better way”).

And then of course to bridge the gap, it comes down to education…letting people know these products exist. And this is achieved through marketing. Lots and lots of marketing. And so, in a way, Creatium may supply all types of equipment, but the biggest challenge is to educate the affected communities and make sure they know that there is indeed a better way. In this way, well-executed and effective marketing is probably the most important thing we do.

When did you start your journey as a vascular surgeon and CMO of Front Line Medical Technologies? Please share your experience with our audiences.

Surgeons have the privileged position of seeing first-

hand which tools work well and which ones don’t when operating on patients. Combine this with the fact that my job as a vascular surgeon is to manipulate blood flow and I figured I was in as good of a position as anyone to find a better way to control bleeding, especially for non-vascular surgeons. I truly believe that simplifying medical devices to accomplish

complex procedures is key to treating more patients with fewer complications; You can’t always have a vascular surgeon immediately available for every major

Dr. Adam Power

Parekhto from Front Line Medical Technologies and the COBRA-OS was born. Fast-forward 5 years and this

Dr. Adam Power joined the Division of Vascular Surgery as an assistant professor in the fall of 2012 at Western University. After obtaining his medical degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Dr. Power attended McMaster University for his general surgery residency.

During his residency at McMaster, Dr. Power also received a Master of Bio-Science Enterprise (MPhil) degree from the University of Cambridge, UK. He then headed to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, for a Vascular Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Power's research interests include innovation and medical device development.

hemorrhage, but you can have better medical devices available. I, therefore, teamed up with my invaluable partner, co-founder, and biomedical engineer, Dr. Asha

little device is helping to save lives all over North America and soon, the rest of the world.

What was the motivation behind the creation of the world’s smallest device used to control bleeding: the COBRA-OS, which envisions saving lives everywhere from the battlefield to the ER, to the OR, and beyond?

When I was in surgical training, I vividly remember patient bleeding to death in front of me and I had to open his chest (Resuscitative Thoracotomy) and clamp his aorta to try and save his life. It unfortunately failed but it left me always wanting to find a better way to control bleeding. Becoming a vascular surgeon opened my eyes to minimally invasive endovascular surgery (manipulating wires and catheters through the body’s vascular system to perform procedures remote from the access site), which provided the foundation to come up with the COBRA-OS.

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer Front Line Medical Technologies Inc.

Small Business When you are accessing blood vessels through the skin, the size of the device matters immensely to reduce complications and simplify procedures.

The COBRA-OS is the world’s smallest REBOA (Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta) device and can amazingly accomplish

the same thing as clamping the aorta through the chest but instead through just a tiny IV-sized sheath in the groin.

How effective are these Health Canadaapproved and FDA-cleared devices in saving more lives as it is less invasive and helps in reducing complications?

We have had the incredible opportunity to work with some of the pioneers of REBOA, who got great patient results even with older technology.

However, they all agree that lowering the profile is key to reducing complications, especially when

this tool is being used in less experienced hands. I am obviously biased but having used all available REBOA devices myself, the COBRA-OS is the smallest, fastest, and safest bleeding control device on the market. It is also the most cost-

effective, which is very important to us in lowering all of the barriers to hemorrhage control worldwide.

The unique Safety Shoulder Reservoir being incorporated into the device, how helpful it is in preventing aortic rupture during inflation?

As a vascular surgeon, I would never have been able to look my colleagues’ in the eye if we didn’t incorporate some additional safety mechanisms into the device to help prevent complications.

After all, vascular surgeons are usually the ones called if there are any major complications with REBOA. The Safety Shoulder Reservoir is one of those innovations and helps to prevent the aorta and the balloon from rupturing when the balloon is accidentally overinflated. We have done multiple animal studies and have yet to damage an aorta despite massive overinflation, while competitive devices all rupture the balloon or aorta at much lower inflation volumes.

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With the COBRA-OS being the smallest in size, how can it contribute to saving the time of the typical REBOA procedures that usually take between five to 10 minutes or longer?

During REBOA procedures with older technology, you

first access the blood vessel with a needle and IV-sized sheath but then go through an additional procedure to upsize the opening in the vessel to allow larger devices to be inserted and advanced up to block the aorta. The COBRA-OS removes this step and therefore speeds up the procedure immensely. In our first-in-human study, we were able to accomplish this in just over a minute, compared to almost ten minutes in other studies.

What's your opinion about the use of this device in multiple situations, including noncompressible torso hemorrhage in trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage?

The COBRA-OS allows you to temporarily turn off the tap to the lower body’s blood supply to preserve flow to the brain and heart. Once bleeding is controlled, you can turn the tap on again. There are a variety of bleeding applications where this is a useful strategy, as mentioned. However, there are even non-bleeding applications where increased blood flow to the brain or heart can be extremely beneficial. One of these applications is in non-traumatic cardiac arrest. The COBRA-OS can make cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) more effective at achieving the return of spontaneous circulation and we have been encouraged by the early use of our device in these situations. There are multiple trials forthcoming that will hopefully pave the way for the COBRA-OS to help patients literally come back to life after dying from cardiac arrest.

What inspired and motivated EVS Canada to partner with First Water? And what are you hoping to accomplish through this partnership?

EVS started Nayka, a line of water filtration systems with the ambition of building a brand that did more. We knew that we would provide great water solutions, equipment and services

but wanted to ensure that we (and our customers) could feel good about the brand they were supporting. We couldn’t think

of a better way to do this than for the brand to make an impact directly in our local communities. I think it goes without saying that everyone deserves access to clean drinking water. As such,

Sebastien Petro COO of EVS Canada Sebastien Petro has over 20 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry-leading companies in the United States, France and Canada as a business manager, brand and business developer. Today, he is the COO of EVS Canada, a premium beverages solution offering Nespresso Professional coffee, nunshen tea, and Nayka water to offices, hotels, and restaurants that look to ‘bring good’ to their customers, employees and guests through an exceptional experience.

“Within our company, we have consistently demonstrated genuine care and a high sense of responsibility towards our employees and business partners. However, over the years, we were still missing a way to connect with our community, which has been the driving force behind building a water brand that gives back to local communities, specifically through a partnership with Water First, an organization focused on giving indigenous communities access to clean water.”

During his spare time, Sebastien loves to spend time with his family, teaching his daughters any new sports, travelling to surf or snowboard destinations with his friends, and exploring the surroundings of his new home base in Vancouver.

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we decided to put our support behind an organization that has the goal of making this a reality here in our own backyard in Canada - and Water First does just that.

How is Water First working to address the main issues indigenous communities in Canada face when it comes to accessing clean water?

Although this cause is close to our hearts at EVS, we have

referred to our partners at Water First.

“One of the most fundamental challenges in Canada today is the lack of sustainable access to safe, clean water for Indigenous Peoples. Every community’s experience and relationship with water is unique. Due to the complexity of the water challenges faced by Indigenous communities, an integrated approach involving multiple solutions is critical for long-term sustainability. Nobody understands this more than the people who live there.

Though existing staff are doing an amazing job with available resources, many Indigenous communities in Canada have identified the need for more young, qualified and local personnel to support solving water issues – independently and for the long term. However, there is a lack of locally available opportunities for young adults to gain the required relevant skills and experiences.

Infrastructure and technology alone cannot solve the water crisis; having enough skilled people to operate and maintain the systems is also critical.”

Can you tell me more about how your company is helping Water First achieve its goal of providing access to clean water for Indigenous communities?

We support Water First through our Nayka giveback program. With every machine we sell or rent to a customer, a proceed of the sale goes directly to Water First NGO to further their initiatives. We also take every opportunity to raise awareness of this issue and the work that Water First is doing.

This includes actively speaking to our customers, communities, and social followings as well as using our platforms (such as this one) to raise overall awareness.

What do you see as the future of the beverage industry? Do you think there are any areas in the beverage industry that still need to be explored?

I think a lot of the trends that we’ve seen emerge over the past few years are only going to increase in importance. One we’re certainly seeing is the importance of personalization and the ability for customization. People are looking for unique experiences with food and drink, tailored to their taste preferences. We expect to see more

customizable menu items where everything from coffee roasting level to sugar level can be adapted to suit the individuals' preferences.

Secondly, people are more cognizant and particular about what products we consume and are looking to our diets not just to satisfy taste preferences, but to also benefit us from a health standpoint. I see these personalization and health trends intersecting to a point where food and beverage can be tailored to suit individual taste preferences as well as individual health goals/needs.

What advice would you give to a small business owner who is looking to grow his/her business? How do you recommend small businesses stay organized and efficient?

I’m a big believer in transparency. When you are a small organization every employee’s role carries a lot of weight. To be aligned and work towards a common goal, everyone needs to understand the situation at hand. For the most part, I try and be as open as possible with our team. It helps them understand the

decisions being made and gives them the opportunity to assess how their role can help the organization meet future goals.

Additionally, it’s really important to hire people who believe in what you’re doing and who align with your organizational values. When people truly care about

the work, it’s so much more rewarding for them as well as fruitful for the business.

Lastly, It's boring but true. Have a strong financial plan.

When did you start your career? Describe your journey as the manager of health and digital product solutions at Medavie Blue Cross?

Since graduating from university in 2001, I have been growing my career in product development with a focus

Colleen Adams Manager of Health & Digital Product Solutions for Medavie Blue Cross Colleen Adams is Manager of Health & Digital Product Solutions for Medavie Blue Cross. Colleen plays a lead role in strategic partnerships and product development across group business with a focus on solutions that leverage technology and industry trends. Colleen has championed digital health as a tool to modernize benefits and improve member health outcomes while supporting plan sustainability. She has a strong background in marketing and channel development and has worked with some of Canada’s leading healthcare companies. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with distinction.

on innovation in health care. I am curious by nature, I have always been drawn to big challenges, and am relentless in my drive to find solutions that push the

status quo. I joined Medavie Blue Cross ten years ago

with a focus on wellness products which eventually grew into a leadership role overseeing all health benefits and building our digital product solutions team. Today, my role focuses on building short and long-term strategic product roadmaps to continuously hone our value proposition, deliver industry-leading solutions and help transform the delivery of health care for our members.

As the pandemic era has undoubtedly increased the need for mental health support, what do you have to say about the latest Canadian mental health benefit trends?

According to our latest data, mental health has become one of the fastest-growing and leading causes of disability claims in Canada. In 2021, Medavie Blue Cross saw a 34 percent increase in paramedical mental health benefits spending. This is a trend that we think will continue to increase and, in my opinion, is a good sign. It means more people are taking a proactive approach to their health, choosing to engage in self-care and opting to help themselves build resilience, overcome obstacles and deal with life’s challenges by accessing the mental health support they need.

Small Business Why are the mental health benefits more popular among young Canadians? What is making them choose these benefits?

Benefit claims for the services of a psychologist or other mental health practitioner are becoming more popular with younger Canadian plan members, according to our data. This trend doesn’t mean they’re more likely to deal with mental health distress, but rather shows increasing acceptance by Gen Z and Millennials in accessing mental health supports when they need them. In fact, according to a recent poll, conducted in March 2022, more than four-in-five Canadians (84 percent) aged 18-34 said mental health benefits – including in-person counselling and/or virtual therapy – are important to them. This trend shows us that the stigma around seeking mental health support isn’t as dominant as it once was, and people are getting the help they need, where and when they need it.

With the services of a psychologist or other mental health practitioner becoming more popular among younger Canadian plan members, what is your opinion about destigmatizing mental health supports and making it ok to ask for help?

Early findings of a five-year study through the Observatoire sur la

santé et le mieux-être au travail (OSMET), sponsored by Medavie Blue Cross, show that more than one-in-three working Canadians are experiencing some form of mental distress. This data shows

those dealing with mental health challenges are not alone and it’s important for employers to establish accessible and effective

support in the workplace. We want to continue to destigmatize mental health and empower and equip people to make their mental health a priority.

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How do you think the offering of robust mental health supports for employees will help businesses in this new normal world?

As businesses adapt to a new normal and a changing work environment, so too should benefit plans. For an organization, this means offering a wide range of mental health services and supports through a combination of traditional and newer options, such as in-person therapy plus virtual alternatives like internet-enabled Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

(iCBT), pharmacogenetic testing, mindfulness programs and so on.

By providing a flexible and inclusive mental health benefits package,

organizations can play an important role in their employees’ overall health and wellbeing.

What specific advice do you have for the young Canadians who are creating awareness of mental health benefits?

We’ve made great strides when it comes to raising awareness of mental health benefits, but there is still work to be done. I would encourage young Canadians to continue their efforts in shifting the narrative about getting help and understanding it’s okay to be not okay. They can lead the way for other generations and play a pivotal role in the normalization of mental health awareness in the workplace.

Director of Enterprise Security at Darktrace David Masson is Darktrace’s Director of Enterprise Security and has over two decades of experience working in fast-moving security and intelligence environments in the UK, Canada, and worldwide. With skills developed in the civilian, military, and diplomatic worlds, he has been influential in the efficient and effective resolution of various unique national security issues.

David is an operational solutions expert and has a solid reputation across the UK and Canada for delivery tailored to customer needs. At Darktrace, David advises strategic customers across North America and is also a regular contributor to major international and national media outlets in Canada where he is based. He holds a master’s degree from Edinburgh University.

How would you describe your journey with over two decades of experience working in fast-moving security and intelligence environments in the UK and Canada?

It has been an extremely interesting, fascinating, and (at times) deeply worrying journey, as the intelligence needed for national security has expanded in terms of quantity and sophistication, as well as the overall speed of operations and investigations. But this has occurred because the threat to national security has likewise expanded. Our interconnectedness has been a source of innovation and improvement in the quality of life worldwide but has also allowed threat actors to increase the scope of what they can exploit to further their aims.

You can be physically far from a threat yet find yourself amid an attack with one click of a mouse.

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What do you have to say about a recent warning from the Five Eyes that showcases Russian statesponsored and criminal cyber threats to critical infrastructure?

Until the very recent past, that intelligence would have been confined to the national government. Now, the Five Eyes nations have set a new precedent in their willingness to disclose intelligence. They have done this to combat other nation-states' misinformation, disinformation, and malformation, and it has been a successful approach. We should all bear in mind that our national security agencies directly tell us about threats to our critical national infrastructure. These institutions sustain the most crucial systems that support our modern way of life; organizations should heed these warnings.

Small Business What, according to you, will be the impact of the war on critical global infrastructure? Is there a risk of increased cyber-attacks?

As Russian state-sponsored APT actors can exploit MFA protocols and known vulnerabilities, what are the measures through which organizations can safeguard themselves?

Even before Russia invaded Ukraine,

Organizations must start deploying AI technology that gives them

was sped up by COVID), this means an increase in what we need to protect

situation. It isn't about using AI to replace human beings, but augmenting security teams to give them a defensive advantage.

there was an ever-increasing expansion in the innovation and scope of cyber-threats. As we develop digital transformation (a transformation that would have happened regardless but

and the threats we face. While we hope there will be a quick resolution to the war in Ukraine, we are already seeing

the necessary visibility to ensure threat actors cannot hide anywhere inside their digital infrastructures. Attackers might get in, but their actions will quickly be seen and disrupted at machine speed. This technology allows humans to stay dominant in the defence game and still bring their critical thinking to the

the impact the war has caused in unexpected economic and societal

changes worldwide. The disruption caused by the war has now compounded the disruption caused by the pandemic, and supply chain difficulties and uncertainty are affecting the markets.

How can we prevent targeted social engineering and spearphishing campaigns that are among the top infection vectors for ransomware?

Let's all take a deep breath and accept that we will not be able to stop someone altogether from executing a cyber-attack. But, at the same time, let's accept that we can do a lot to stop threat actors in their tracks and reduce potential damage. One essential prevention technique is to focus on further education around our interconnected world and safety advice for human beings. When allied with solid technology that can deal with the scope, complexity, and speed of cyber-attacks, this education can help organizations be more cyber secure. If in doubt, do not click on the link!

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What specific tips would you like to give to the organizations to protect their digital assets from these cyber-attacks?

1. Stick to the basics.

2. Pay attention to warnings from your government.

3. Use innovative technology capable of finding, stopping, and investigating threats, regardless of the threat's scale, complexity, novelty, and speed.

4. Educate your people.

5. Patch and update as quickly as possible.

6. Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

7. Have a response plan and practice it – and be ready to disclose what's happened. Former U.S. President Eisenhower once said, "Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable!"

8. Finally, have offline backups so you can restore quickly.

Why Business

Coaching is a need nowadays?

Roula Badis Founder of Roula Badis Coaching

With the rapid change and the new era of technological

Main reasons to partner with a business coach:

trap of adapting someone else’s vision is more likely to happen. It is becoming harder for entrepreneurs to be themselves and to be brave enough to peruse their own visions. it is also harder to select the right course of action to attain goals to be persistent and continuously motivated and able to motivate others. Moreover, they can become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the business’s requirements which would result in burnout, procrastination losses and eventually failure.

1. Know yourself more as a human being than as an

development combined with the massive amount of information we are processing every day, the possibility of getting lost with many details and of falling into the

entrepreneur or a leader 2. A clearer and purposeful strategic vision 3. An action plan that works 4. A coherent and motivated team, with higher commitment, work ownership, performance and achievement 5. Organizational efficiency and effectiveness 6. Achievement while in an atmosphere of energy

Our main goal is to move fast forward achieving our objectives the soonest we can-this is the “WHAT”however, the “HOW” is as important, especially in business. That is why the guidance and the wake-up call of that objective, skilled, and expert third party would make the journey to success smoother and much more fruitful.

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and joy and with less stress possible.

7. Overcoming blockages, glass ceiling and selfdestructive habits of leaders and entrepreneurs.

Studies have shown that companies that work with coaches have seen major improvements in work performance, leadership efficiency, time management, and more.

Small Business

When you partner with a business coach, you’re committed to focusing on the future of your company by narrowing down what changes you can make to your business today. Whether your company growth has stagnated, you need help fostering leadership skills in your management team, or you’re losing customers and can’t understand why a business coach can guide you through a solid action plan that makes your goals achievable with action-driven strategies.

At the heart of a business coach’s focus is you: what do you want? What is this business means to you? Where is it now and where do you want it to go? That’s where business coaching comes in handy.

A business coach works with CEOs,

executives, and entrepreneurs to help them narrow down their vision for their company and improve on the areas that may be affecting their potential.

Many top-brand companies utilize the

The first task in our coaching partnership is to establish your

primary objective for the business. Increased revenue is generally the main goal that drives CEOs and entrepreneurs to hire a business coach. But the path to achieving that goal is usually very unique to you and your organization. The assessment stage is an essential part of the process, where we narrow down and

refine your vision to ensure that it lines up with your personal core values.

Once we’ve narrowed down your objectives, we will then help you rank the needs of the business by providing you with the tools to understand what aspects of your company need to be improved in order to drive that vision forward. For example, you may discover that low company morale is affecting your sales team’s motivation to reach out to potential customers. By spending time to build stronger leadership skills within your management team, your sales force will be more motivated, which will lead to greater revenue.

Ultimately, a business coach is trained and experienced to help you focus on what you already know you need to do and provide organizational tools that make your path to success straightforward and attainable. It’s normal to get lost or sidetracked along the way. A business coach keeps you accountable by assigning regular tasks and by checking in to ensure your continued focus, willingness, and commitment.

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strength and skills of a business coach to help improve productivity, foster stronger leadership, and ultimately, increase company revenue.

If your company is suffering in some aspect—such as slow or stagnated growth, high attrition rate, disorganization, or poor customer

loyalty—a coach helps you take ownership of these issues by developing an action-oriented strategy combined with the right mind set that prioritizes your needs and holds you accountable as you take each step toward meeting these objectives I’m Roula Badis, and it is my greatest pleasure to offer my business coaching services to you, your executives, and your team. As a business coach, I can guide you toward your business objectives by using powerful techniques to identify what is it that you really want, the barriers that are holding you and your company back, and the actions to commit to in order overcome these barriers.

By Marina Copeland

Focus On Where You’re Generating Income

There are so many ways to

The first step in getting your business running smoothly should

concentrate on your business.

However, not all of those ways are going to yield positive results or help you to grow your venture. The trick is to put time and effort into a proper setup to save yourself more time and effort down the line.

We’re looking at the five areas that you should concentrate on now if you want to ensure your business continues on a positive trajectory.

Yes, they all require your time to get set up, and yes, you may feel like you’re neglecting other important areas in your business while doing so. However, once these processes or concepts are in place, you’ll have more time to focus on those other important areas.

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always be to do a critical analysis of where your income is coming from. This includes everything from the marketing areas that are leading to the most sales to the products or services that are selling the best.

Take your time to go through each step in your business: marketing, sales team, customer experience, after-sales support, and any other facet that’s involved. Look at which areas are really providing value and impacting your bottom line in a positive way. If, for example, a certain avenue of marketing is not resulting in leads and sales, then it may be time to stop going down that road.

Alternatively, you can look and see if there are simple fixes you could make to bring that avenue up to scratch.

By doing this critical analysis, you’ll see how you are making money and where you are losing it. You can then make a plan to focus your efforts on the areas that are positive, discarding those that just aren’t working, and fixing those that can be.

In the long run, you’ll know that you’re focusing your energy in the right places and not spreading your business efforts too thin.

Small Business Avoid Jumping From One Idea To The Next Debbie Allen calls this “Squirrel Syndrome”, where business owners jump from idea to idea without seeing any one of them through to completion or giving them the attention they need to get off the ground. In essence, you behave like a squirrel—darting back and forth and second-guessing decisions and thoughts.

This is incredibly dangerous for the business owner and their business.

This kind of behaviour leads to you being unfocused and struggling to see things through. It’s easy to get like this because you

want to find the next big idea that’s going to help your business. But you aren’t sure which of your thoughts is going to be the one. It’s also easy to become frantic about your ideas and goals because you aren’t able to accomplish anything when you switch between ideas.

In order to do this, you need to set up a proper system for financial tracking. You can use accounting software designed for small businesses or you can hire a bookkeeper or accountant. You also need to set up a schedule for yourself to review your figures regularly. This is one investment of your time that you won’t regret.

Customer Experience Should Always Be A Priority Your customers are how your business succeeds. This means that the customer experience has to be one that will keep them coming back and get them to recommend your business to others. Remember, customers now have the greatest power to promote or denounce your business that they’ve ever had, thanks to social media and online reviews.

The most important thing you can do here is to actively

listen to your customers and give them what they want. Set up regular customer surveys and ask questions that will help you to grow. Then, take the time to use that feedback to make changes that are being asked for.

The trick is to have a system in place for your

ideas, projects, and goals. Start with setting the goals for your business. Then you can look at your business ideas and categorize them according to how closely they align with your

goals and how well they’re going to help your business.

From there, set up projects around those ideas and goals, including a realistic timeline for those projects. As you get new ideas, you’ll know how to analyze and categorize them properly, meaning you won’t end up dropping past projects or plans to work on the new idea unless it’s an idea that’s critical to business success.

Set Up Proper Financial Tracking Keeping a close eye on business finances is mission-critical for any business. You need to be able to see at a glance how you are faring daily, weekly, monthly and yearly in terms of your income, expenses and your budget. With this information at hand, you can look for trends in your business and ‌m ake fairly accurate predictions and forecasts for your revenue and profits.

Automate As Many Processes As Possible Automation has become a major part of the way people do business these days. This includes chatbots on your website or social media, email and text marketing journeys, automated inventory systems, and so much more. As your business grows, you’re going to want to include automation to help ease the load.

The issue is, that in order for automated systems to be effective, they need to be set up properly and deployed correctly. If you can’t trust the system to work properly, you’re going to spend a lot of time fixing mistakes and making changes. If you’re putting a chatbot on your website to answer customer queries, you need to invest in a decent AI and ensure it’s tested properly. A poor chatbot experience will make customers very unhappy. The same goes for marketing journeys in email and text, you don’t want your customers to feel like they’re getting spammed.

Investing In The Future By shifting focus to these five areas of your business, you can invest your time in a way that will pay off down the line. While some say that you need money to make money, you also need to spend time to save time.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, the

Set a Schedule and Stick to It

normal business hours have taken a back seat, as has the prospect of working onpremises. Instead, professionals often work

When you have the flexibility to work from anywhere, it

routines have been upended, most people have reported that their work-life balance

lack of work-life balance.

from home and, in many cases, they have to work around their families. As their usual

has worsened when working from home.

There’s a higher level of flexibility when

working remotely, but this flexibility sometimes increases pressure. For example, if you work at odd hours or don’t meet with your colleagues every day, you may feel pressured to spend more time online and work than you would otherwise in the office. And without colleagues reminding you to eat lunch, take breaks, or leave for the day, remote workers may work extra hours and not have as much free time as they normally would.

In this blog post, we will provide some useful tips on work-life balance for remote workers. Whether you are a remote work pro or you are new to working from home, these useful tips will help you stay productive at work while still making time for your family, friends, and personal interests each day.

sometimes feels like you need to be online and available at all times too. And when you work on a different schedule than the rest of your teammates, that flexibility can sometimes create a

If you’re working remotely, try to set a schedule and stick to it.

This is helpful for your team and your work-life balance. This

way, your teammates know exactly when they cannot and can reach you, and you can plan your activities outside work, wake up and go to bed simultaneously, and work a manageable number of hours.

If things come up regularly that require you to log in early or stay online longer than those hours, that might be a great nudge for you to alter your work hours so that you’re available during those times, but still, make sure to keep your time to recharge.

Use Communication Tools to Show Your Online and Offline Status Once you have established a daily schedule that works for you and your team, use a variety of tools to publish that schedule so that your teammates in different time zones and locations are aware of and respectful of that time.

Make Plans for Your Post-Work Hours to Eliminate or Curb Work Fatigue When your living and working space is the same place, it can be difficult to truly make yourself step away from work at the end of the day, even after you’ve closed your desktop or laptop and logged off. Sometimes there may be no reason to sign off at a particular time if you are already working from home.

To support your work-life balance, if you work from home, you can set your particular communication tool availability not to receive notifications before or after a specific time of the day and you can specify your working hours in Google Calendar so that you automatically decline events that

If you’re a remote worker looking for a bit more work-life balance, plan your off hours to that end and stick to it. Whether the plans include attending a training class or happy hour drinks

with friends or family, you are more likely to log off and quit work if you need to be somewhere at the end of your workday.

Work in a Space That’s Separate from the Rest of Your Home

take place outside of your regular schedule.

And by posting your hours, your co-workers will be mindful of your private time and may

Just as you prepare for a productive day working from home,

rather than sending a barrage of texts in the middle of the night or early in the day when

Working from home is quite more distracting than working when you are in the office. For one, you are not alone, with no co-

email you or make an appointment with you

you are working.

Use Personal Activities or Errands to Take Breaks Throughout the Day One of the finest perks of working from

home is increased productivity. Without travelling, walking around the office, or chatting in the office, you can invest more time getting your work done. However, the monotony of solitude that comes with remote work can often be lonely and can make you feel like you do not have time to yourself when you are working.

Instead, you can run personal errands to balance work and life, to break up your day when you need to get away from your computer or desk for a few minutes. This allows you to take breaks from work that is still productive and help you complete personal tasks so you can spend your time offline cooking, relaxing, or exercising instead of rushing around to run errands like you would have to if working in an office.

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choosing the right workspace can set you up for a productive day.

workers to encourage or motivate you to stay busy and productive. On the other hand, your home offers more things to carry out than your office. Working from your bed or couch, where you usually watch your favourite sitcoms or shows, can

get you distracted half the day. If you’re working from your dining table covered with laundry that needs washing, you can do this instead of working.

Instead, work from a neat space in your home specifically designed for work. Perhaps this is your home office, the desk or the lobby of your beautiful apartment building. You should pick a spot where you can be productive and keep that space separate from the rest of your home so you can unplug when you’re done.

The Key Takeaway While these tips might seem simple to execute, how often do we implement them? While you might feel like you have to work insanely hard to prove your productivity, coping with stress has been associated with physical health issues, as well as mental health problems.

The underlying aim is to create structure in your life that permits you to enjoy working while optimizing your health and happiness over the long term.

An Innovative Woman Entrepreneur in Tech CEO & Founder at Sampler Here is a sure sign of a true entrepreneur, someone who detects a broken system and bends backward to build a completely new one. Such is the case with the founder and CEO of Toronto-based Sampler, Marie Chevrier.

Marie Chevrier, originally from Montreal, Canada, is a

young entrepreneur who began her advertising career at J. Walter Thompson in Toronto. From there she had the opportunity to work at a venture capital firm based

in New York City. Just after a few years, she returned to Toronto to combine her passion for technology and marketing.

Thus, Marie went into digital marketing, then into venture capital, and shifted to New York to learn about building tech companies. With all the lessons learned, she founded her first startup there and when that worked, she finally moved to Canada to found Sampler.

Marie Chevrier used to be a brand ambassador for several brands in her career and had a flair for linking brands with customers by leveraging digital media brands such as websites and magazines. Trusting her gut instincts, Marie started Sampler small, but she made it grow into a thriving digital business, transforming the way Consumer Products companies distribute their samples.

Besides being the founder and CEO of Sampler, Marie Chevrier is also a committed advisor to Technology and CPG Startups like ScoutCanning, co-founder of RetailTO, as well as a member of the RetailTomorrow Advisory Board ((a company devoted to strengthening and growing Toronto’s retail ecosystem).

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Customers love to get free samples. But there is something illogical associated with the trueand-tried marketing technique. Years ago, major brands used to hand out free product samples on grocery stores, street corners, and pharmacies without really thinking about who actually was getting the samples and how that would translate into a purchase.

Marie Chevrier, when she was a brand ambassador, used to hand out product samples to passers-by while she was a university student. But soon she realized the problem with this marketing technique and realized there should be a better way to strategically use the power of free product samples.

Small Business Most organizations have ownership somewhere in their values, but very few have efficiently built a culture to encourage, maintain, and grow a strong sense of ownership among employees and plenty of transparency at work. Marie Chevrier has managed to successfully build this culture in her company, Sampler.

After eight years, Marie launched Sampler in 2013, with a mission to make product samples more measurable and targeted, turning customers into die-hard fans. In the present day, Sampler is a leader when it comes to digital product sampling, partnering with major brands

She believes transparency and ownership at work are vital for Sampler since it keeps everyone on their toes and also let employees know what managers are responsible for. Marie’s hope is that her culture of ownership and transparency drives the team forward through the progressive vision she has for Sampler.

around the world to send digital product samples via their platform. Marie Chevrier’s Sampler is the first

technology in the market that helps brands target accurate customers and measure the overall impact of the sample on purchase.

The result? She got the opportunity to partner with major industry giants such as The Body Shop, and

Garnier, as well as a global client list that seems to be growing by the day.

Since then, Marie Chevrier has reached more than 50 million customers in 24 different nations with clients such as Pepsi and L’Oreal and transformed her company, Sampler, into one of Canada’s rapidly growing startups.

Marie Chevrier’s Sampler helps brands

distribute their product samples to accurate people, turning customers into buyers. It is a sort of CRM for product sampling. Brands can access their app and create robust offers for distributing digitally to consumers.

By bringing the sampling over the web, brands harnessing the power of Sampler can create more measurable and targeted sampling campaigns, by ditching the ageold method of handing out samples in grocery stores and street corners.

For more information regarding Sampler, you can scroll through their official website and explore more.

As early as the application phase, Marie checks the candidates to see how well their attitude fits the company as a whole and not just their role. In order to do so, Marie tried Plum.io, which is an AI-enabled platform where one enters the person they want, the applicants fill out a profile, and the AI-enabled platform matches them to one of their open positions, ensuring that they are the best fit for the company who has the capability to bring success in the coming times.

The holy grail of any business is that every employee behaves like an owner and goes the extra mile for the betterment of the organization.

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For more such amazing features on Canadian women entrepreneurs, do not forget to subscribe to our CanadianSME Small Business monthly magazine.

Founder at CUCHARA The fashion sector has seen a major shift toward sustainability in recent years. Still, careful consumption has been a part of the spirit of a Toronto-based jewelry brand, CUCHARA, since its inception. Edilou Canedo, in 2014, made her first jewelry piece, a necklace using materials from an old silver spoon from her collection, and the robust brand came into being.

Her passion project – Cuchara, became a tangible and real Edilou was raised in Victoria B.C.

Canada, and shifted to Toronto to study fashion at George Brown College. The two different environments – the easygoing, nature-packed island and the diverse, crowded city, provided Edi with a one-of-a-kind lens to get creative.

Edi’s extensive conflicts have resulted in a clever and sophisticated design style, born left-handed but forced to transform into right-handed. She is inspired by the city, beach, the ’90s (grunge, hip-hop, and punk) and everything the earth offers to the being.

Edi’s career has come together organically. She foresaw this and also anticipated her path would lead to where she is right now would not be true.

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business after she realized that jewelry and accessories are the things and the sector she was the most passionate about. After years of a part-time job in hospitality, Cuchara has been Edi’s permanent job, and she is very lucky to have been doing it and knows that her jewelry has the power to bring joy to people.

Edilou Canedo, a creative and innovative person, loves fashion, thrift, sewing, and accessories. After completing her graduation from Uvic, she took a six-month trip to Southeast Asia. She met a lady who was a textile designer. Little did she know that her career and story motivated her to pursue her creative career.

Cuchara’s beginnings started in 2010 when Edilou and a friend of hers created necklaces from collector’s old silver spoons, thus the label’s name. Her brand has evolved to include heavy chains, rare gemstones, and matte and bright pearls. Her jewelry can be defined as playful and edgy. Every piece of jewelry is exclusively handmade to bring originality and flair to the wearer.

Small Business

Jewelry has always been an essential part of human life. Long before necklaces, rings, and bracelets were fashion accessories, jewelry was worn to symbolize various aspects of wisdom, life security, social status, wealth, etc. And since jewelry is more accessible than ever, CUCHARA brings meaning to each of its pieces by creating jewelry that’s not only made with care and love but also designed with its ethical responsibility to Mother Earth at the vanguard.

They are very committed to their brand identity and want their customers to feel a part of their journey.

They don’t claim to be fashion designers or marketers who know everything. They continuously learn from their peers through trials and errors. Cuchara only releases something that they as consumers, would be

attracted to, so they don’t make things just because it is the market trend or because everyone else is wearing it. If people browse the extensive collection, they will find everything from delicate necklaces to chunky rings; all pieces are handcrafted, one-of-akind, and never produced in masses.

Recently, Cuchara has updated and revisited its ‘Brand Board’, a mood board consisting of texts, images, and colours. This made them reflect on their core values while modernizing their aesthetic.

Edilou Canedo wants young girls to work hard

since she finds many young girls today have a laid-back attitude and want to get results

without putting in the kind of effort needed to achieve goals. They need to be prepared to lose sleep and get uncomfortable to achieve their goals efficiently.

Also, Edi wants young girls to learn the ins and outs of the industry they want to be a part of.

Then, they should figure out their weaknesses and strengths and surround themselves with people who have the power to bring the best version of themselves.

For more information regarding Edilou Canedo and her brand, Cuchara, you can simply scroll through their official website and learn more.

For more information on amazing women entrepreneurs in Canada, subscribe to our monthly CanadianSME Small Business magazine.

I am Andrea Zackary, a loving mother of five

Around the same time, my daughter was being

qualifier in track and field. I’m considered an Oral deaf and a mentor in my community.

her with parents who were deaf.

beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful loving husband. Raised in a mixed and athletic family, I was a former Deaf Olympian and a World Championship

I began losing my hearing at the age of 6 but still

pursued my studies and quite comfortably completed high school and college. Also, I worked in the hospitality sector as a receptionist, but suddenly became completely deaf when I was 25, and due to it, I lost my job. I hold a diploma in Hotel & Restaurant Management and have worked in the hospitality sector for a decade.

After suddenly losing my hearing and sending innumerable resumes and interviewing for jobs, I found that no one was willing to hire me. Raising a young daughter at home and my career ahead, I knew kneeling was not an option and made what would be my first pivot: I planned to go back to school and train as a Personal Support Worker in the Deaf community to help seniors.

I graduated and instantly found a job at Bob Rumball Organization caring for deaf seniors for four years. I later realized that I didn’t belong here.

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bullied at school for her mother being deaf. My daughter needed to know that she was not alone.

She had to know that there were other children like

That was the inspiration I needed. An idea was brewing that would begin as a side hustle to

provide a permanent solution I saw in my community that eventually developed into an award-winning business. I’ve always wanted to do more for the community and took a leap of faith and set my foot in entrepreneurship by founding DEF EVENTS & BEYOND in 2014.

In the present day, DEB (Def Events & Beyond Inc.) is on a mission to build connections between the deaf/hearing impaired communities within the GTA through family-friendly and inclusive social events.

My slogan for the business is “Play, Laugh, Socialize, and Bring Diverse Communities Together.” I have quite successfully managed to fill this gap between numerous communities.

Since DEB’s founding, I have been featured on CTV News. I have received a Young Professional of the Year Award, a Brampton Accessibility in Business Award, and a Brampton Board of Trade Top 40 Under 40 Award.

Small Business I have also featured among more than 1,000 other successful women entrepreneurs in the WEKH‘s (Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub) See It. Be It. Database.

But none of my successes came without obstacles and challenges. So, with no previous business experience, I decided in 2016 to pursue further education in marketing, entrepreneurship and business planning.

I enrolled in a series of free workshops and business seminars through the Brampton Entrepreneur Center. But for me, attending these courses needed access to an ASL interpreter.

Unfortunately, the Entrepreneur Center did not have the money to furnish me with interpreters most of the time, and even though I went to the courses, I missed out a lot.

My colleagues offered to take notes, which they willingly shared, but I could’ve gotten so much more out of the program with the apt support.

Fighting and advocating for accessibility have

been on my radar ever since. And while I say things are slowly improving, having access is still a major concern for the Deaf community.

With that in my mind, my aim for DEF has

developed into something much bigger than an events business. My goal is to create a Deaf Hub that would be a multi-purpose space for parties, social events, meetings, and a coffee shop where deaf people like me can meet, work, and feel connected.

In the meantime, I’m working to figure out what my events business will look like in a post-COVID world. Unfortunately, as with many in the events industry, DEF has proven to be a major roadblock.

The pandemic has hit us in full, and I have not had any events for two years apart from my relaunch, which I moderated in autumn 2021.

I used the pandemic as a chance to work on my business, redesigning my branded materials and reformatting my business model to include a membership platform. I have also co-created a calendar planner associated with Leah Riddell, a local deaf educator and artist.

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In January 2020, I gave birth to my 5th daughter, so in a way, the pandemic also gave me the chance to take care of my business at home. However, my biggest lesson over the last two years is that I learned to have patience.

In the year 2020, I also had the opportunity to enter the Rise Up Pitch Competition for black women entrepreneurs across Canada and win in the category of Business Services. It was a rich experience for me and a good

experience for Rise Up to learn about the importance of accessibility. I know I’ve been turned down by competitors in the past when I’ve addressed my needs.

Still, they’ve been willing to accommodate and have been consistently positive throughout the entire experience.

To be ready for the pitch, I had to spend a lot of time

with my interpreter. I just wanted him to know who I am and what my style is so that comes across in my presentation.

The Rise Up Pitch Competition, first launched in 2021 by the Black Business & Professional Association, de

Sedulous Women Leaders, and CASA Foundation for International Development in 2021, is an opportunity for Black female entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses for the opportunity to raise thousands of dollars in funding to win resources and awards. This competition assists female entrepreneurs who enter the competition and results in Canada’s biggest study of black female entrepreneurs.

Small Business I’m not afraid to spearhead the way, and I hope my groundbreaking work impacts and motivates future entrepreneurs. I serve as a founding member of Black Deaf Canada, a not-for-profit organization that my other four Black Deaf Women and I are working to establish.

Everything I do, I do with hopes of motivating my daughters. They have accompanied me through failures and successes and supported me. As a result, two of my daughters have already launched their small businesses, following in my footsteps.

All of the challenges I faced as a Black woman building my

own business were compounded by my disability. Full disclosure: many of the entire deaf community organizations

are managed by deaf white people, so I have never quite felt like I belong. I feel like I had to work harder to get these organizations to realize me. Honestly, most of my recognition came from the hearing community in opposition to the deaf community.

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I hope my story helps someone feel seen, empowered and understood. My diagnosis has beautifully shaped my career and life but not controlled it. I never let it get me down. My life’s beautiful and fulfilled. I’m a

mother of five and married to a supportive and loving husband. I lead a respected Canadian company that I revamped amid a global pandemic. I work with some of the finest people. And I’m deaf, and it is a part of who I am.

A Dynamic Woman Entrepreneur to Watch Founder and CEO of Tealbook Being an entrepreneur, you must demonstrate the capability to steer leadership and innovation if you want to succeed. It is time to learn how to use these qualities and take your business to a new level. We are proud to feature Stephany Lapierre, the founder and CEO of Tealbook, a robust technology company harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver smarter procurement approaches.

Stephany Lapierre is originally from Quebec, and

her native language is French. At 18, she left Quebec to study English and has never returned.

She came from an entrepreneurial family and knew it would be a part of her life.

At 18, she began her first company and did corporate events and productions. In 2007, she started her second company, strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm. This company developed organically, backing more than 100 companies ranging from fast-growing companies building their first procurement function to Fortune 100 companies.

The prime focus on her customers was on speed, scale, and efficiency. Unfortunately, as she put systems and tools in place, more data islands emerged, preventing leadership from having good quality data and visibility while burdening teams who spend too much time collating supplier information.

As cloud technologies became increasingly accepted, Stephany knew there was a way to build a platform that could enhance data for all.

What Drove Stephany to Launch Tealbook and How Did Her Supply Chain Journey Start?

Before Tealbook, Stephany Lapierre spent a decade building a prosperous strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm fully focused on large-scale sourcing optimization projects. Having witnessed failed implementations of enterprise software solutions, she was convinced that these errors and frictions weren’t caused by the system itself but by the shortage of top-notch data available.

She couldn’t imagine how data problems could be solved by adding more software to complex companies. And more software created the opposite effect, disconnected, duplications, silo and static information, lengthy processes, costly services, and more.

Small Business One question haunted Stephany: What was the cost to the business of bad supplier data? Whichever way she looked, the costs were immense (millions of dollars to the company).

She could see the solution clearly, but she

spent nine years piercing it and mustering up the courage to do something. Finally, in 2015, the market began to transform, and cloud technology was adopted by every software vendor claiming that cloud software is going to digitize the procurement process. Stephany couldn’t see how different systems needed portals and services.

Machine Learning (ML) was still young, but she found a CTO who brought her vision to life.

Stephany used AI and ML to proactively build supplier information without the need for third-party services or requiring suppliers to

About Stephany’s Dedication to Build a More Diverse and Inclusive Supply Chain The supply chain sector is traditionally male-dominated, but it is also rare to see a female founder and CEO at the helm of an AI-powered tech company. Stephanie firmly believes that being a female founder is a great competitive advantage to hire top talent.

At Tealbook, they are committed to building a diverse unit.

Her company has a 50/50 gender ratio on their board, the general workforce and leadership. She believes that various teams perform exceptionally better with a wide range of opinions, perspectives and experiences.

As a business leader, she feels that she needs to build core values and define the kind of company that employees will

be proud of, work for and ultimately have on their resumes.

Thus, Stephany Lapierre incorporates teamwork, transparency, delight, and the willingness to win as the four major themes to unite and motivate her employees.

maintain and update portals. Thus, it proved to be game-changing.

The journey to build and develop Tealbook

How Did Stephany Find Her Voice Being a Supply Chain Leader? How Can Aspiring Female Leaders Find Theirs?

autonomously improve data for any provider

It was a series of moments for Stephany Lapierre. Previously

has been challenging as she has created a new platform category that can across the globe.

Today, Tealbook is regarded as the supplier data foundation that beautifully optimizes

companies’ investments in software, suppliers, and people. She works with Fortune 500 companies across numerous industries, including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, higher education, technology, and financial services.

she thought other people had the answers or somehow knew better than her since they have built a technology-enabled company before or had more tech expertise and experience.

But, as she listens to others and accepts feedback openly, she has learned to trust her instincts – something every female leader needs to do.

Stephany believes that people should master their instincts since it usually provides the confidence and courage to realize where people are exactly where they should be right now.

They should make sure they ask about the vision and meaning of the company and its function. And also people should look for a company and a team that embraces people’s contributions and stays well ahead of the curve.

For more information regarding Stephany Lapierre and her company, Tealbook, you can scroll through their official website and learn more.

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For more such features on women entrepreneurs in Canada, do not forget to subscribe to our monthly CanadianSME Small Business magazine.

online shopping and e-commerce industry How will you describe your journey as a product growth and analytics professional with a passion for using the intersection of data, engineering, and marketing to fuel business results?

I began my career in analytics. I was passionate

about bringing new ideas to the table and started actioning on insights myself through marketing.

Later on, I moved into a growth and product role

and eventually moved to lead multi-disciplinary teams, first at 500px and then at Shopify and Koru (a venture foundry and early-stage fund founded by the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan). I would

describe my journey as always taking opportunities that allow me to make an impact, regardless of the discipline of work.

Sylvia Ng is the CEO of ReturnBear, Canada’s first end-to-end returns solution. As a product growth and analytics professional with over 18 years of experience at the intersection of data, engineering, and marketing to fuel business results, Sylvia has helped lead ReturnBear since late 2021.

Sylvia is a proud Ex-Shopify General Manager, where she led a multi-disciplinary team to scale Shopify’s Channels products and org for nearly three years.

Sylvia currently serves as a General Manager at Koru, a Toronto venture capital and private equity foundry led by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to drive innovation among their portfolio companies. In conjunction with her current role, Sylvia is the founder of Amidira, a Toronto-based startup helping patients and caregivers fight cancer through gift boxes and lifestyle content. Sylvia is an active speaker at tech industry events such as Women in Product, SMX, and Big Data Toronto, being named 1 of 21 Best Growth Hacking Blogs to Follow and one of Inspiring Fifty’s Most Inspiring Women in Canadian STEM in 2018.

What is your opinion about ReturnBear’s new announcement of national expansion which makes retail returns easier for Canadians with new package-free drop-off locations at premier malls, enhanced product offerings, merchant partners etc?

Ecommerce has boomed with COVID, and so has returned. Online shopping spiked, but Canadians were left with few options for returning their order in an easy and convenient way. Not to mention, returns are notoriously bad for both retail bottom lines and the environment. With ReturnBear’s national expansion, we are giving Canadian consumers a choice to drop off returns along their commute lines, which not only creates efficiencies for retailers but is better for the planet too. It’s very exciting to work with merchant partners like California Cowboy and Franc who are similarly aligned on a vision of creating great consumer experiences while simultaneously being earth-friendly.

Small Business What are the problems faced by Canada’s online shopping industry, and what are the measures taken by ReturnBear in solving them?

The Canadian population is very geographically dispersed which means the shopping industry here faces high shipping costs. Canadians are often subjected to extended shipping times, delays on money back through returns, and limited drop-off locations. By expanding our return drop-off network, ReturnBear is leveraging existing consumer commutes for returns, which saves retailers a lot of money. ReturnBear also does quality assurance and dispositioning on behalf of retailers, so that they get ready to sell the product back into their forward fulfillment faster.

For retailers, however, it is becoming increasingly costly to find and retain customers online, especially with recent iOS tracking and Facebook ad changes. Retailers, both big and small, will need to continue to find efficiencies and work with partners like ReturnBear to increase ROI.

What is the technology behind ReturnBear being the industry leader? What are the newly added features that are helping in predicting the future of retail?

ReturnBear is the first end-to-end reverse logistics solution in Canada that ties a national drop-off network with a comprehensive software platform. The technology allows retailers to manage return operations and analyze and monitor return trends with a merchant admin app.

Retailers can also offer self-serve package-free drop-off and exchanges and returns to their Canadian customers through a tablet application that allows for the efficient intake of returns at brick and mortar locations.

Why do you think the increase in online shopping will continue in 2022? And what impact will it have on both big and small store owners of Canada?

Canadians quickly adapted to using technology due to the pandemic, and these new consumer behaviours will continue to persist in 2022. Additionally, in 2022, Canadians will continue to seek and demand online shopping.

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What would you like to suggest to the business owners who are badly affected by the increasing retail returns?

Lean on existing technology resources and don’t try to take on the problem yourself. Twenty years ago, no solutions existed for eCommerce websites. Retailers had to build their own platform to provide their services to interested customers However, now the eCommerce software industry is fully developed and has proven that retailers should leverage the existing tech instead of trying to build without expertise. The same is now happening for returns. So don’t reinvent the wheel; let ReturnBear help you!

How we can better manage

in the Workplace by tapping into the Power of Microbreaks and Mental Stretching Dr. Mary Donohue CEO of the Digital Wellness Center (DWC) Dr. Mary is the author of the best-selling book Message Received and a Columbia Business School Lang Center Innovation Fellow. When she is not working, she is a volunteer, yogi, runner, mom, and overall nerd. And for a brief shining moment she will never forget, she was a Supreme with Miss Diana Ross.

Dr. Mary Donohue is CEO of the Digital Wellness Center (DWC). Recognized as North America’s leading proactive mental health and digital psychology expert, she has reframed wellness as a communication issue.

Dr. Mary’s work has allowed organizations to identify and measure the symptoms of stress among their employees and treat those symptoms before they result in employee burnout. As co-author of the DWC’s artificial intelligence that gamifies the reduction of stress, Dr. Mary is empowering individuals, leaders, and organizations to be proactive about positive mental health, rather than reactive. Her innovative technology is contributing to wellness by mitigating emotional exhaustion in organizations including Microsoft, Walmart, American Airlines, TD Bank, Bank of Montreal, OLG, and Kaiser Permanente.

Recognized by peers, prime ministers, and Queen Elizabeth, Dr. Mary was honoured as one of 18 Outstanding Women in Tech and named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in America by Diversity MBA. Her work has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, Financial Post, and on-air for all North American major news networks.

What’s your inspiring story behind being North America’s leading proactive mental health and digital psychology expert?

I am so passionate about my work because I’ve almost died three times because of it. I feel like I was put on this earth to make a difference, and I’m not sure how much time I have left so I might as well love every minute of my work.

I’m reminded of this passion for my work every night before I go to sleep because of one man, a cardiologist.

After a few hours of fantastic care one time in the emergency room, I was moved into the cardiac care intensive unit at the hospital. It was 4:45 am, normally a time I get up for a run. I was told no water, and no food, because we were waiting for the next steps in my care, which would be a heart operation. There was only one problem I wouldn’t go to sleep. The cardiologist whom I believed had just saved my life came and told me to go to sleep. I said no. He asked me why and I told him I was afraid I was going to die if I went to sleep, and I didn’t really want to die. Without batting an eye, he said you won’t die, I am here, the nurses are here and you are hooked up to so many machines we know what your entire body is doing.

Small Business In the same way my cardiologist gave sanctuary the DWC will give you rest to get your energy back by establishing meaningful boundaries between your personal life and the digital marathon battling for your attention.

As we have been largely communicating digitally, digital fatigue has become an emerging issue that leads to poor mental health. What do you have to say about this?

Digital fatigue is THE emerging issue that causes poor mental health. We are all suffering from screen stress syndrome. Our eyes are exhausted, we have more headaches, and we are exhausted. Why, because we now consume as much data in a single day as an average person from the 1400s would

He created a sanctuary for me. He stayed

with me until I fell asleep for a short time. It was a good rest.

As I recuperated, I knew I needed to create a sanctuary for people like me. Technology has evolved how we communicate at work.

And, while convenience has improved, many of us are still establishing meaningful boundaries between our personal lives and the digital marathon that is battling for our attention. Without these guardrails, the never-ceasing communication stream of emails and instant messages threatens us with anxiety, burnout, and even stress.

I call high performers who know they need guardrails, digital athletes. Every day the never-ending communication stream we face is like running a marathon. This volume of digital information, if not balanced properly, threatens us with burnout and anxiety or death. I wanted to create a micro-sanctuary, that included guardrails, for brief periods of rest that reboot and reset the brain, as I had experienced.

From our beta testing of the Digital Wellness Center (DWC), I realized that if we married AI and microbreaks together using the structure of a workout like Peloton, we could create content therapy to recharge and reboot the brain.

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have in an entire lifetime. We are digital athletes and the internet treadmill we are running on is set to the highest pace.

Today, over 90% of employees believe their HR team should be providing a better digital mental health culture. And there is good reason to listen to them. A recent study in Harvard

Business Review revealed that mental health is causing high attrition rates. Due to the volume of messaging, team members slip into an unsustainable 24/7 digital work culture.

The result?

Sixty-eight percent of Millennials (50% in 2019) and 81% of Gen Zers (75% in 2019) have left roles for mental health

reasons, both voluntarily and involuntarily, compared with 50% of respondents overall (34% in 2019).

The groundwork for the Digital Wellness Center began in 2018 when we saw this happening. More and more of our clients were leaving amazing jobs they loved because they were overwhelmed and had no tools to deal with it. Great hires were just walking out the door, entrepreneurs were just closing shop and going to work for someone else.

My research demonstrates that the tools everyone needs today for their mental health and wellness are ones that create balance. The balance between work and life outside of work makes for a more productive and fulfilled life, in or out of the office. This fall, we will launch our Stride™ program (MyStride.co) to help you reach your optimal state of flow. To hit your stride is to find that equilibrium where effort is matched with pace in a sustainable way. It’s a step toward a goal; one of many that collectively adds up to your race. We know you can’t get your employees to stop their digital race – truth is, over 82% of adults can’t put down their phones – but you can give them tools to make their race a little easier.

Small Business How is technology negatively impacting our mental health at work? Why do we feel so tired after too much time on email, on virtual calls, etc.?

Technology is negatively impacting our mental health at work because of time on screens. Our culture has taught everyone that they have to lean in rather than lean out and take care of themselves. All of us working today, but particularly Gen X and older Millennials, have been taught to feel guilt for relaxing.

If you run hard every day what’s going to happen to you – you’re going to hurt yourself. Every athlete knows you need to pace your running. We are not pacing ourselves at work we can’t find our cadence, because it’s not built into our cultures.

Senior team leaders spend at least 11 hours per day emailing and in virtual meetings and then we have to start work. This time on task and the overtime to do our work leads to depression, chronic anxiety, and burnout not to mention the physical costs, including heart attacks in relatively young people, diabetes, and digestive ailments.

The cost of mental health is an unrealized liability. And it is a liability that can be easily reduced according to research that began in 2013. 80% of people report they feel they have no work/life balance, 30 days after using Digital Wellness Center that feeling drops to 67% Subscribers, report, feeling better, sleeping better, getting more done and having more time for themselves.

Mental health problems cost the Canadian economy $50

billion yearly or 2% of Canada’s 2020 gross domestic product.

Research indicates that workplace safety incidents have increased by 198% throughout Covid. This is the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that over 80% of employees burned out.

Burnout is a risk. It affects retention, critical thought, ethical decision-making, and productivity.

Direct costs of mental health include healthcare costs, including psychological care benefits and drug costs as well as income support, including short- and long-term disability claims. Indirect costs include absenteeism, presenteeism (i.e. attending work while unwell but with reduced productivity), and as mentioned earlier, employee turnover. According to recent research presented to the Canadian Armed Forces, the median yearly ROI of $1.62 has been observed amongst companies with less than three years of establishing workplace mental health programs. Companies with programs in place for three or more years had a median yearly ROI of $2.18.

30 days is all it takes to reduce this liability.

While technology plays a big role in our work, what are some scientifically proven ways that we can manage the mental exhaustion that comes from working online and remotely for hours?

To manage the mental exhaustion that

comes from working online and remotely for hours, it’s all about delivering wellness where it matters through technology, which means on your phone, your laptop or your tablet.

People are app exhausted, that’s why we push training to you via email, no log in just one click and you are good to go. We are like a coach, but we bring the training session to reduce exhaustion and build work/life balance.

Practicing digital wellness isn’t as simple as limiting screen time, we need to use our screens and devices to help heal with content that is designed to promote and measure good mental health.

Small Business The research found that 30 minutes a day of mindfulness increases grey matter in the hippocampus (the part of the brain that plays an important role in memory and learning). But research also found that most of us won’t spend 30 minutes a day relaxing. We feel guilty. Our research, with subscribers, indicates the same benefits to the brain including increasing grey matter in the hippocampus is achieved in 9 minutes a week because of our

scientific approach to content creation and production. Most people will give themselves 3 minutes a day to relax almost everyone will find 9 minutes a week for themselves. That’s why we are a runaway success story.

The DWC uses neuroscience to define how we can take brief moments to recharge. These

moments are called microbreaks. Based on the principles of digital psychology, they are specifically designed to slow down the brain and allow it to rest. In the same way, a smartphone tracks your running performance, we offer employees tools to track their good days and bad days. And when they have too many bad days, we alert them to help decrease the emotional drain they’re likely feeling. We’re like a stretch before a run; we reduce the risk of injury.

Your phone/computer can be therapeutic it just takes 30 days and 9 minutes a week to find work/life balance.

What are microbreaks and mental stretches?

Microbreaks are 30-second puzzles, movements or aha movements delivered via email or customized through MyStride.co.

Microbreaks are designed to be a daily digital habit.

The look and feel of a microbreak are more boardrooms than an ashram. We recognize that many wellness enthusiasts would advocate for less screen time but we lean into it. We’re not about “unplugging,” but more about how to better spend your time on devices to maximize your virtual employee potential and personal wellbeing.

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They are the first preventive mental health exercise.

Microbreaks unlock a process known as “transient hypofrontality,” which occurs when you mentally disengage from work-based tasks and allow your brain to recover.

Research has shown corporate high performers and entrepreneurs feel guilty when they relax so we recommend everyone start at 3 times a week. We use the best animators, directors, producers, and writers in the world to produce and deliver 30-second to five-minute microbreaks to ease the

body and reboot the brain. Though these breaks are short they drive a disproportionately powerful impact on positive mental health.

How effective are microbreaks taken throughout the workday at keeping you engaged, productive, and happier?

We all know that if you run you need to stretch, and microbreaks are stretches for your brain.

To stay engaged, productive and happier during your day, we’ve discovered that even a few minutes three times weekly of mental stretching gives workers the mental energy to overcome exhaustion in their day. The average knowledge

worker spends approximately three hours a day on email. The University of California Irvine found that “the longer one spends on email in an hour, the higher one’s stress for that hour.”

In our research, we observed the progressive use of

microbreaks reduced the emotional drain of work that typically negatively affects performance and productivity. We found that for all organizations, excluding manufacturing, people who

took 3½-minute microbreaks three times a week reduced the emotional drain of work and reported having more good days than bad. The results included better self-assessed mental health, better sleep, and 30 more minutes of stress-free time daily. That’s something my cardiologist could really get behind.

About the Digital Wellness Center

At the Digital Wellness Center (DWC), we use neuroscience to define how we can take brief moments to recharge. These moments are called microbreaks. They are specifically designed to slow down the brain and allow it to rest based on the principles of digital psychology. In the same way, a smartphone tracks your running performance we offer employees tools to track their good days and bad days. And when they have too many bad days, we alert them to help decrease the emotional drain of a bad day and provide long-term insights into good and bad days. We’re like a stretch before a run, we reduce the risk of injury.

Nathan Liao Founder of CMA Exam Academy

As a business owner, you likely want to do whatever you can to keep your company’s finances in check. This is why it’s imperative to work with an accountant that

also help you better budget for next month’s initiatives and project future sales and profits. That all said, if your current accountant doesn’t share

bookkeeping tasks to an accountant at a firm, you want to ensure that the person you entrusted your business’s finances to is doing the best job possible. That said,

You Find Many Inaccuracies in Your Financial Statements

you can trust and count on to maximize your enterprise’s financial health. Whether you have an inhouse bookkeeper or you outsourced all of your

are you wondering if you hired the right person for your business's accounting needs?

In my experience as the CEO and founder of CMA Exam

Academy (a Certified Management Accountant exam review program) and as a CMA myself, I know how important it is to work with an accountant who truly has your business’s best interests at heart. You wouldn’t want to continue working with an accountant who isn’t doing the best they can to boost your bottom line! That said, here are some telling signs it’s time to find a new accountant for your company.

They Don’t Provide Financial Statements Each Month As the company owner, you will need to make critical decisions all the time to move your company forward. How would you be able to make the smartest, most informed decisions for your company if your accountant is not regularly providing you with a Profit & Loss Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet Statement, and other crucial financial documents each month? Knowing exactly what is in these statements will give you an accurate picture of profit margins, company expenses, and how much cash is available for big business purchases.

You need to analyze these statements each month to locate areas in the business that may be draining overall profits. Looking over these statements will

these financial documents every month, it may be time to look for a new one.

Say your accountant does provide your financial

statements each month, which is ideal, but you notice a ton of inaccuracies in them. Shipping costs

are not correct, the amounts of certain client invoices are way off, payroll amounts are all wrong… all of these inaccuracies will lead to a false depiction of profit margins and the company’s overall bottom line. It also shows that your current accountant is doing a sloppy, careless job or they just don’t have great attention to detail, which is

paramount for handling any company’s finances. So if you notice all kinds of errors in your statements, it would be in your best interest to consider finding a new accountant.

They Don’t Regularly Reconcile Your Accounting Books To optimize a company’s financial health, an accountant needs to reconcile the books (ie. compare bank statements and journal entries, bank deposits and withdrawals in the accounting ledger, etc. to ensure everything is consistent) on a regular basis. If they don’t, they can easily forget to record a recurring monthly expense when setting up the next month’s budget. Also, your accountant may not even realize that an invoice hasn’t been paid yet or they will just guesstimate what a transaction was when writing journal entries, which could be way off from the actual amount (leading to an inaccurate financial picture).

Small Business They Take Way Too Long to Get Back to Your Questions This is a big one. When running a business, there will likely be instances when you have a critical question for your accountant that must be answered right away. Maybe you need to know if you have enough leftover budget to pursue a promising new sales strategy. Or, you might need to quickly verify if you were overcharged when purchasing bulk raw materials to produce your company’s products. Whatever the case may be, does your accountant take forever to get back to your emails/calls or do they simply not reply to some of them? Not only is this incredibly frustrating, but also it can cause you to miss out on business growth opportunities.

Don’t you want to know that your accountant wholeheartedly values your business? That they truly care about helping your company grow and succeed? I bet. Yes, your accountant could just be insanely busy, as we all are, but there is no reason why they

can’t send a quick email to let you know that they will be able to fully get back to you a little later. So if your current accountant takes forever to get back to your questions, it may be time to start looking for a new one.

They Don’t Document Expense Receipts Accurately As a company owner, you likely have a ton of expenses that you write off every tax season. These could include the costs of your products’ packaging supplies and shipping, bulk raw materials, digital marketing costs, project management software, billboards and other advertisements, business dinners, and the list goes on. It is your accountant’s job to ascertain that all of these expenses’ receipts are properly documented. This will be vital in the event that your business is audited by the IRS — having proper documentation of all the receipts will make the audit much more streamlined and a lot less stressful.

Therefore, if your current accountant doesn't properly record these receipts, it is time to start looking for a new one. Trust me, the last thing you want to happen is for your business to be audited and you realize that your accountant didn’t bother to record any of your receipts. This could lead to hefty fines and worse.

They Don’t Help With Financial Analysis The accountant you hire needs to be the finance expert for your business — they should be giving you an in-depth analysis of your accounting books and statements to help you fully understand your company's financial health, overall costs, and profit margins. This financial analysis is so pivotal for keeping you informed on the current state and potential future of your business’s finances, which will help you make sound business decisions.

Therefore, if your enterprise’s current accountant doesn’t help with any financial analysis at all — they only keep the books

updated and call it a day — it’s time to find a new one. I recommend looking for an accountant who makes a point to walk you through each statement at the end of the month and show

you areas in the business to cut costs, allocate more budget for, etc. This will help you run your business much more efficiently.

To Wrap It All Up As a business owner, you will want to entrust your company's

finances to the best accountant possible. It’s time to find a new accountant if your current one doesn't provide financial

statements every month, do monthly reconciliations of your business’s books, or help with financial analysis. Other telling signs that it’s time to find a new accountant are if they don’t help with financial analysis and you find a lot of inaccuracies in your books. Start looking for a new accountant now if any of these signs apply to your current one

About Nathan Liao Nathan Liao is the founder of CMA Exam Academy, a top Certified Management Accountant exam review program. As a CMA and CMA coach, Nathan mentors accounting and finance professionals in over 80 countries to earn their CMA certification in as little as 8 months. The unique review framework in CMA Exam Academy has proven to be the key to his students’ outstanding success in attaining their dream of earning the Certified Management Accountant certification. www.cmaexamacademy.com

How to Create an Atmosphere Where Put First for Employees How will you describe your journey as a leadership development consultant and best-selling author?

I began my career as a manager and then director of human resources in the construction and manufacturing industries. I noticed how poor leadership in those organizations negatively affected my well-being and my performance, as well as the overall corporate

culture. I created my own leadership development consultancy to make it easier for everyone to be an extraordinary leader who elevates those they lead.

I work with client organizations that want my help to improve the leadership impact and

Michael Timms Founder of Avail Leadership Michael Timms is a leadership development consultant, author, and speaker specializing in succession planning and creating accountable cultures. His latest book How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability has been praised as “the ultimate guide for embracing accountability as a leader!”

development of their managers. One of the first things I do is help them establish a common

definition and description of leadership for their organization. They then use this as the criteria for promotion to leadership positions.

To accomplish this, I work with management

and non-management focus groups to reverse engineer their success stories to identify patterns of behaviour that led to those successful outcomes. Although the highest impact leadership behaviours differ somewhat between organizations, one leadership competency comes up in virtually every focus group I facilitate accountability.

I have been researching, writing, and speaking about how to create a culture of accountability ever since. My latest book, How Leaders Can Inspire Accountability is the first of three books in the Creating Accountability Series.

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Small Business Since access to mental health resources has become more important, isn’t it also necessary for organizations to create an atmosphere where mental health is put first for employees?

Unless organizations articulate and promote a “people-first” philosophy in their organization, the default philosophy will be profit first, customers second, products and services third, and employees a distant fourth priority. This is the way most business owners today think of their business. However, this is not a sustainable model. Nothing else matters in a business if employees aren’t physically or mentally well.

None of the other business goals can be met until employees’ needs are first met.

Employers with a people-first mindset give

employees a noble purpose to strive for instead of trying to motivate them with financial incentives. The best managers regularly ask employees what is taking up most of their

1. Agree on Expectations. When relationships fail, it’s usually because one or both parties feel the other is not meeting their expectations. The first step toward building a foundation of trust is to agree on the most important things each party needs from the other to be successful and enjoy their work.

2. Meet Regularly One-On-One. Schedule time each week to meet individually with each of your direct reports to ensure that the work is being done well and that the people doing the work are doing well.

3. Request Feedback and Accept It With Gratitude. One of the quickest ways to increase mutual respect and trust with another person is to ask them for advice on how you can improve.

4. Don’t Blame. Nothing kills trust quicker than blame.

Instead of asking “Who did this?”, ask “Where did the

process break down?”

5. Admit Mistakes. The courage to take accountability for problems is the price of leadership and is quite possibly the most powerful way to earn the trust and respect of others precisely because it is so difficult.

emotional energy at work and at home to identify ways the manager can modify employees’ work arrangements to reduce their

How do kindness and accountability contribute to creating the most engaged and successful work cultures? Does it help in the success of the organization?

their strengths and life goals.

Creating a culture of accountability is kindness. It means

Workplaces like this do exist but they don’t appear spontaneously. These priorities and behaviours need to be articulated and modelled by the CEO and other executives before the rest of the managers will follow suit.

blame when things go wrong, and creating psychological safety by requesting feedback and admitting mistakes.

This is the kindest workplace I can think of.

emotional strain. The best managers also ensure that the employee’s work is aligned with

As building trust among employees is one of the keys to the success of the organization, how do you think leaders can do so?

The typical answer to this question is to follow through on your commitments. However, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t already think they follow through on their commitments, so that’s not particularly helpful advice.

Here are five high-impact behaviours all managers can do to increase trust among those they lead.

setting your people up for success by clarifying expectations, meeting with them regularly to support them in their work and personal life, resisting the urge to

Small Business I remember one time that a team member in my consultancy accidentally deleted a survey template. We didn’t have another copy saved, so my assistant and I felt frustrated and annoyed with this employee. Instead of blaming her, we asked ourselves, “How did we contribute to the problem?”

On putting our heads together, we realized that there were no safety protocols in place to protect these templates. A simple solution was to create a folder to store copies of all our templates to prevent that mistake from reoccurring. Had we not taken accountability for that

problem, we would have likely taken it out on this employee which would have

undoubtedly been a

distressing (and unnecessary) conversation for her.

What are the mistakes that leaders make that lead to their failure in the company?

The three most common mistakes leaders make that lead to dysfunctional corporate cultures and poor results are:

Accountable workplaces are the most psychologically

1. Blaming other people or circumstances for problems and permitting others to blame.

2. Failing to admit how they have contributed to the organization’s problems.

3. Focusing on fixing or firing people instead of focusing on fixing processes.

safe organizations.

They get the right results more often as everyone focuses on

Nobody will demonstrate accountability to a higher degree than their leader does. Leaders set the upper limit of accountability for their organization. The best leaders discipline themselves to set the supreme example of accountability by modelling the three habits of personal accountability:

what is wrong and how to fix it rather than who is wrong.

1. Don’t Blame. Blame kills accountability.

2. Look in the Mirror. Acknowledge your part in the problem.

3. Engineer the Solution. Fix processes, not people.

The more leaders model accountability, the more employees will feel safe to emulate them, and the better the organization will perform.

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How can employers address staff’s concerns about

and support them better?

Chandrashekar LSP Canadian Evangelist, Zoho Corp.

Chandrashekar (LSP) is a Zoho

evangelist committed to creating and spreading awareness of Zoho.

He cut his teeth in the software domain with the WebNMS division of Zoho and has journeyed with the company at its crucial pivot points.

LSP is based out of Montreal and holds a masters degree in information systems and applications.

Across Canada, support for ongoing remote work in some form

of hybrid work model has remained high, with a majority of the Canadian workforce stating they support them moving forward.

And the benefits have not been limited to the workforce, as hybrid work has driven great cost savings for businesses in terms of real estate and other expenses that are no longer necessary or are severely reduced by remote work.

Yet, many are hearing legitimate concerns from their staff and there is a prevailing sense that it is not hybrid/remote work itself that concerns workers, but rather the ways their employers have used it and the support their employer provides.

With the right strategy - and clear communication between your management team and your workforce - employers can ease these fears and create a hybrid work environment that benefits all involved, no matter where they work from.

Small Business Communicate Value Of Hybrid Work

Provide Opportunity To Everyone

Too often, major changes in business strategy or working models are met with resistance from an unwilling workforce, with a lack of communication from management to outline the value of the changes being a key reason why staff can be hesitant to adopt changes.

The divide between hybrid/remote workers and those who are unable (or prefer not to) to work remotely is not only limited to the flexibility of their schedule, role, and location but is also being widened by the difference in career opportunities.

In fact, recent research from McKinsey that aimed to pinpoint the major friction points in

For those who are able to work remotely, many feel they are missing out on considerable advantages that are being offered to employees who are able to take

hybrid working models pointed to the fact that employees who feel included in communication are five times more likely to report increased productivity.

Business leaders who are able to keep this in mind and provide open lines of communication with their team about the value of these changes - including the cost savings, the expansion of talent pools, and increases in

productivity - will find that it will have a major impact on building employee trust and policy buy-in.

Provide A Level Playing Field

advantage of in-office collaboration, including job mobility and raises.

And yet, on the flip side of that coin, in-office workers are pointing to the ability of remote workers to relocate wherever they choose, including moving to areas with lower costs of living or moving closer to family or

community, which millions of Canadians have already taken advantage of.

While this dilemma is not as easily solved as some of the other issues at play here, at Zoho, we have found a

solution to this issue by providing smaller satellite offices away from the urban centers, where new talent can be onboarded with some face-to-face engagement, and existing, once-remote and now hybrid employees can

One of the largest concerns about hybrid work

collaborate with colleagues who live in the same general region or location.

remotely and those whose roles don’t allow for remote work due to logistical constraints.

We have dubbed this philosophy “transnational localism” and our team has viewed this as a huge advantage in improving our employee experience for all, remote workers and in-office employees included.

models that is commonly being expressed by employees is the divide that is being created between employees who are able to work

And while those logistical constraints aren’t likely to be going away anytime soon, there are ways that business leaders can manually build choice and flexibility into all employee’s roles, with strategies like providing paid time off, flexible work schedules, salary adjustments, and company mobility options for all workers, including those whose roles keep them from working remotely.

By providing this type of unification - with costs that can be offset through savings from a hybrid work model - business leaders can democratize the employee benefits that many feel they are missing out on, and bring a new level of unity and community among your workforce that many feel is being undermined by hybrid work.

Trust Is Essential Everything we have outlined above will help business leaders create a level playing field for all their employees - both in terms of flexibility as well as career opportunities - but without trust between your workforce and management teams, your hybrid work models will fail to provide the support your team needs to increase their productivity, collaboration, and overall well-being.

By providing that trust and a level playing field for all, your organization will be ready to remain productive and collaborative, no matter what the future brings.

Within the last few years, it has become

Here are tactics you can implement to upskill and reskill your employees:

debate as to what exactly has contributed to this shortage, there is no

Gather Data

increasingly difficult for Canadian companies to find the right talent across numerous industries. While there is some

doubt that it continues to be a persistent thorn in the side of many progressive businesses who feel hindered by the inability to hire enough people with the right skills. Thankfully there are several ways employers can deal with the labour shortage, but one of the most effective methods is investing in upskilling and reskilling new and existing employees.

From the likes of Amazon to MasterCard, progressive companies are taking advantage of aggressive training programs to stay competitive in their respective industries and using these programs to alleviate their own worker shortages. While there are numerous benefits of upskilling and reskilling your workforce. Upskilling and reskilling enough employees across your organization ultimately lead to increased productivity, promotes flexibility, as well as improves retention rates.

Before your company can plan and execute a successful strategy

around upskilling, you’ll need to gather the right set of data about the people currently working for you. That involves a fairly comprehensive process of understanding each employee’s current skill set, learning style, career ambitions, and yet-to-bediscovered abilities. You should be able to quickly identify employees that are more willing and able to reskill and upskill than others. Once you have your data set, you can align it with your business goals and needs, thereby painting a clearer picture of where upskilling and reskilling efforts should be focused.

Invest in Technology and Automation Another point of important corporate introspection will be the work required to identify whether your company is doing a variety of “busy work” in areas that are not moving the needle. It’s during this evaluation that you’ll likely uncover a variety of opportunities to replace various low-level, low-skill tasks with automated software, hardware, or a combination of both. This process should help free up some resources to give your employees the time and space to begin their upskilling and reskilling journeys.

Small Business Create a Career Pathing Program

Adjust Hiring Strategies

One of the best ways of introducing reskilling and upskilling programs into your organization is through the creation of a career pathing program. This program will allow eligible employees to visualize a longer-term path for their careers if they choose to chart a course for their professional development. These programs usually lay out specific timelines and required training

While tailoring your reskilling and upskilling program towards your existing employees will likely take precedence, it’s important to think about it holistically. It’s also important to make some adjustments to your hiring strategies. To develop an environment of willing and continuous learning within your organization; your hiring strategies

for advancement within the company and explain how individuals can move through the ranks.

However, part of developing a successful program involves having a dedicated learning and training budget. We’ll talk about where you may need to spend money to create a successful program a little later in

should involve hiring workers whose skill sets are broader than you’re accustomed to hiring.

Additionally, a focus on bringing in new employees that demonstrate the ability and willingness to learn new skills will pay great dividends down the line.

this article. Still, it’s important to keep in mind that any investment you make in reskilling or upskilling your employees will have a substantial ROI in the form of retention and lowered overall hiring costs.

Provide the Right Resources Perhaps the most crucial aspect of running a successful skill-improvement program within your organization is offering your

employees a copious set of resources. This can include: • Researching, curating, and providing access to the right mix of free and paid professional training resources and knowledge acquisition channels.

• Developing an easy way for employees to join and participate in the program and access all associated resources.

• Setting up an internal mentorship scheme to facilitate the transfer of higher-level skills to the less-experienced workers.

• Slowly, and with specific intent, adding new tasks and responsibilities to existing roles to encourage staff to embark on journeys of learning and the development of new aptitudes.

• Giving employees the time and space required for learning.

Look for External Opportunities A good strategy for finding talent with the right skills in a challenging labour market is to develop those skills in potential employees before they ever step foot through your door. Many companies are taking aggressive steps to partner with local colleges and universities to offer co-op programs along with brand new reskill and upskill training to those just starting or changing careers.

For more workforce insights and talent acquisition advice, we encourage you to visit www.lrostaffing.com to get in touch with one of our experienced recruiters.

JOHN KAY ON INNOVATION AND A PEOPLE-FIRST APPROACH TO BUSINESS POST-PANDEMIC

Describe your leadership experience (i.e. What have you learned and what skills do you bring after serving as senior executive positions in both public and private sectors for the past twenty years)?

I’ve learned that Peter Drucker was right when he famously said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can have the best

product or service in the world. But if you don’t have an organizational culture that inspires your team, your great product is useless. People are the lifeblood of any organization.

What skills do I bring after 20+ years? The ability to bring an organization together around a common purpose, along with learning how to balance between financial performance,

strategy and keeping people at the center of the organization.

Another skill is the ability to design a workplace that is truly inclusive - regardless of race, colour, religion or cultural background.

John Kay CEO of Realize Strategies Over the last twenty years, John Kay

As many organizations predict a shortfall of leaders in the next five years, how can they inspire existing leaders and their employees to generate their best work?

Leaders are going to need to make a significant investment of time and energy in listening to employees, being responsive, flexible and innovative in responding to the needs of employees, and in modelling a different vision for workplace culture and norms. Leaders are also going to need to ensure that every employee understands how their work contributes to the organization’s goals and strategy, and be transparent about every aspect of the business - including (and especially) its financial performance.

On that note, the worst mistake any leader could make would be to adopt the attitude Elon Musk conveyed about requiring Tesla workers to return to the office or consider themselves to have been terminated. Musk’s message basically says, “I don't care about anything that matters to you. You’re required to show up, shut up and do what you’re told to do”. In a hot labour market, that is a recipe for employee exits on a major scale.

has held senior and executive positions in both the private and public sectors, and supported projects spanning social services, real estate, insurance, finance, food and beverage, education, arts, tourism, and more. As a Principal Consultant at Realize Strategies, John assists executive clients in driving sustainable, transformative organizational change through strategy, governance, culture, and business model innovation. As CEO of Realize Strategies, he supports and empowers his team in unlocking their potential and creativity to strengthen and support their clients.

John serves as chair on several nonprofit and co-op boards across the country, and seeks inspiration in people-centred businesses locally and abroad.

Small Business In a post-COVID world, where the business operations have changed significantly, what is important for evolving and shifting mindsets that support organizational transformation and growth?

The key to evolving and shifting mindsets lies in the need for leaders to be nimble, innovative and responsive to the changing realities of the workplace and the increased options that employees have in a rapidly evolving economy and labour market. I would say that leaders would do well to learn about and embrace the principles of human-centred design to rethink their approach to organizational transformation and growth. Human-centred design teaches us to put people at the center of decision-making, whether it's about product design or organizational structures.

What is your approach to building resilience for an organization dealing with adversity and managing risk?

There is a lot of talk about retention and recruitment lately, with many people leaving their jobs or seeking out better options. What can employers do to improve their retention rates and overall employee satisfaction?

There is no one size fits all solution.

Compensation and benefits are one factor.

Flexible work arrangements are another. Many employees are stressed about the cost of living, especially in major urban centers.

Employers need to look at what they can do to remain competitive in their compensation practices. They also need to be a lot more flexible about allowing employees to work remotely. Another thing employers should consider is to invest in professional development and training.

I build resilience by being honest with my employees

about the realities in which we operate. We talk openly and regularly about our financial position, the big opportunities and challenges ahead of us and how we

might respond. We talk regularly about our culture and our needs as individuals in a professional service business where our people are the product. We also talk regularly about risk, in particular the amount of

calculated risk we’re willing to take to move our business forward. We put a risk lens on everything we do. But we also engage in these conversations regularly to ensure that we’re able to respond quickly and nimbly to potential adversity.

The right leader plays a crucial role in an organization’s success. What tips can you share to help organizations find the right leaders that help their businesses advance?

Organizations need to spend a lot more time thinking about their employer's value proposition. When a company has an open position, it’s selling a product (the position) to a market (candidates) who usually have options to choose from. If you want to find the right leader, you need to be very clear about what makes your company a great place to work and you need to be very clear about the kind of leader you need for this phase of your company’s lifecycle.

The research shows that investments in professional development pay off in increased employee retention, engagement and productivity.

Tell us about RealizeU, your new subscriptionstyle, multidisciplinary educational leadership platform recently launched by Realize Strategies.

Who is this program for, and why should they take it?

The real value of RealizeU is hands-on practical

RealizeU is primarily designed for two key markets: emerging and established leaders in purpose-driven

leaders. As noted above, we know that professional development creates higher levels of employee retention, engagement and

organizations and new board members. We found over the years that many of our clients, particularly nonprofits and social enterprises, struggle to find professional development programs that help their people learn both functional skills as well as the skills needed to carve out a distinct competitive advantage in today’s market - innovation, design thinking, strategic performance management. We’ve also found that many new board members struggle to understand their role and how to approach it from a practical standpoint.

Many governance training programs are either very focused on frameworks or legal duties. We saw the need to create a program that equips directors to focus on the most important governance issues, such as strategy, risk and financial governance.

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training that can be applied in the workplace.

We’re building out a larger certificate program

that will give learners a final project focused on a need in their organization. We believe this will make RealizeU unique and highly valuable to

productivity. This is one of the key selling points of our program. RealizeU will be valuable to any new manager in any SME, whether non-profit or for-profit and we encourage interested leaders and board members to reach out for more information or to learn more online!

Impactful waves that cause temporary or permanent change aren't anything new, especially in the technology sector. However, the rapid pace of change has been intense and furious when it comes to the evolution of business technology.

Atillio Commisso, the co-founder and president of CG Technologies, a leading managed IT solutions company serving the greater Toronto area, has made riding

Atillio Commisso Co-Founder and President of CG Technologies

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is how quickly waves can sweep in and upend daily life. Whether it is a wave caused by rising Covid infections forcing businesses to suddenly shutter their doors and staff to work remotely or a wave of cyber strikes targeting particular businesses, SMEs of all shapes and sizes have been impacted by rising and waning disruption and variations in day-today operations.

69 - CanadianSME - June 2022

the waves of technological changes his business. He started CG Technologies in 1996, back when business technology such as the corporate network was just

beginning to hit the mainstream, the computer server was a new concept, and the sneakernet was being consigned to the dustbin of history. There were no viruses, no concerns about malware. The biggest challenge for SMEs was maintaining the stability of the local area network and the connections from the PCs to the server.

However, over the last 30 years, multiple technology advancements brought a new set of challenges to his business and every other SME. Still, the seasoned professional in IT solutions believes today's technology wave isn’t any worse than the past.

“We are in the middle of one of those waves of change as we move from companycentric networks to cloud-centric networks, but the pace of this wave compared to any other previous wave is about the same,” said Commisso.

Instead, he sees stability as the biggest challenge for today's businesses, particularly in maintaining mission-critical IT infrastructure and services. "The connection with the company server is now dependent on, for the most part, low-cost Internet connections and the uptime of a group of cloud-based partners which combine to make up the modern corporate network," Commisso explains.

Small Business Operational stability has never been more evident than when the pandemic hit Toronto businesses in full force in March 2020. Even if businesses were lucky enough to already have a remote desktop environment, peripheral devices such as printers and scanners needed to be provisioned for the remote worker. Companies without managed IT services didn't have it so easy, scrambling to get equipment for staff, implementing a remote work model, and training staff while still getting the job done.

With a wave of cyber threats on the rise, having a skilled managed IT service partner to maintain the business's tech environment can help evolve the business security posture and reduce the risk profile. It can be the difference between operational stability and failure.

Maintaining operational stability for your businesscritical technology is possible if you have an IT service partner who can advise you on the best solutions, implement them correctly, help support you, and work with the various providers when the inevitable challenges arise. Rather than simply going with a provider that offers break-and-fix services, today's businesses need more sophisticated IT-managed solutions that empower staff to be as productive as Companies with a trusted IT service provider like CG

Technologies could maintain mission-critical stability and avoid severe disruption through the pandemic.

CG Technologies’ clients, including manufacturers, health care providers, non-profits, financial services firms, accounting firms, law firms, and cannabis

possible and protect and enable a competitive

advantage. "If your IT partner approaches their managed services offerings properly, then it's in their best interests to see you have the fewest problems

possible, so your interests are now aligned with theirs," added Commisso.

retailers, realized the power of investment in a managed IT partner who maintained operational

stability and provided 24-hour support during those critical times.

In addition to providing mission-critical stability because of a rising wave of infection, CG Technologies has expertly supported businesses through potentially devastating cyber attacks.

"We had a client that was transitioning to us from their previous IT service provider when the business was hit with an encryption virus just as we were starting to take over their service during the middle of the pandemic. Our solutions design specialists, customer liaisons, and remote support people worked together to move the business to a work-from-home model because of the lockdown, unlocked their data after the cyber attack, and then redesigned their IT systems to minimize the impact of future cyber threats. It was a very stressful time for them, but we helped get them through it, and they're now back to humming along just fine," recalled Commisso.

The new normal in a post-pandemic may be here, but change will only continue to disrupt business operations. Whether it be future lockdowns caused by a virus, technological advancements, or cyber threats, SMEs need a Managed IT Service partner like CG technologies to help them ride any wave successfully and maintain the stability of business-critical technology.

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