Amplify Your Business

Amplify Your Business Edmonton Global

For Episode 170 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Chris McLeod, the Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications at Edmonton Global. An experienced leader and active community volunteer, Chris has a strong track record of bringing people and ideas together. He has an impressive portfolio and expertise in economic development, community-building, marketing, strategy, and business engagement.
 
One of the ways in which Chris strives to bring people and ideas together is by curating and developing events where the two can converge, such as Forward/Slash, happening on September 28 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. The event will bring together leaders from the political, business,  academic, and Venture Capitalist communities to help them see the possible future of the Edmonton Region in the industries of hydrogen, food & agriculture, life sciences, artificial intelligence, and global supply chain. 
To learn more, visit the Edmonton Global and Forward/Slash websites, or check out their respective social media platforms listed below.
 
Edmonton Global: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.
Forward/Slash: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.
 
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Can you tell us a little bit about the Forward/Slash event and what you’re trying to accomplish with it?
3:33 - How do you manage to gather all of these people together for an event like Forward/Slash and keep them focused?
4:28 - How long has Edmonton Global, as the regional economic development organization been around?
7:59 - Do you get a sense of urgency for the Edmonton Region to stay relevant on a global scale in some industries?
10:46 - Can you walk us through what Forward/Slash is and what it’s about, who should be there, and where they can get their tickets?
16:00 - Can you give us an example of de-risking to encourage investment?
18:16 - How can people get tickets to the Forward/Slash event?
19:08 - Outro

Amplify Your Business Willful

For Episode 169 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Erin Bury, co-founder and CEO of Willful, a death tech business. Death tech is an industry that strives to push the way Canadians deal with death into the digital age. It’s moving from paper-based processes like drafting wills, estate planning, estate executing, etc., into the online world. Willful, as a business, sits firmly in the pre-planning stages of death: drafting wills, getting power of attorney documents, and building out other plans that will help families when their loved one passes away, and ensures that their voice is heard after they’re gone.
 
Last year, Erin and her co-founder Kevin went in front of the Dragons on Dragon’s Den Canada, seeking a $500,000 investment, which they successfully secured.To learn more, visit the Willful website.
 
00:00 - Intro
00:54 - What is death tech?
01:27 - Where does Willful fit into the death tech industry?
01:49 - How are you revolutionizing this aspect of end-of-life planning?
03:50 - Do you see the older demographic adopting these online practices easily?
06:03 - Does Willful have an area where it can hold passwords for the family of loved ones to access their online footprint once they pass?
07:20 - Is Willful a useful tool for entrepreneurs?
09:02 - How old is Willful?
10:35 - I understand that you were on Dragon’s Den?
11:45 - Did you secure a deal with the Dragons?
12:22 - Can you tell us about the experience of being on Dragon’s Den?
14:40 - How much of an advantage have you received by having the Dragon Michelle Romano on board?
15:37 - How much consulting do you get from Michelle Romano?
17:21 - In your opinion, what are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your entrepreneurial journey?
20:13 - Can you talk to me about cap tables and term sheets?
25:52 - What do you think are the keys to your growth over the next three to five years?
27:42 - How did you secure a partnership deal with CIBC?
29:19 - What was the intention behind approaching CIBC for a partnership, rather than a fintech company?
31:22 - Do you currently have any plans to expand beyond the Canadian marketplace, and what are your challenges going to be there?
32:34 - How can people connect with you?
33:19 - Outro

Amplify Your Business Fit + Fierce

For Episode 168 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Kelsey Vickers, the co-founder of Fit + Fierce. Fit + Fierce is a program run by two friends, Kelsey and Danielle, for young girls in grades 4 to 12 (this year, Fun + Fierce was developed for younger girls in grade 3). The program aims to provide school-aged girls with the support system, information, and wellness that many young girls find themselves needing at such a difficult age.
 
Fit + Fierce is an award-winning company, having secured the Mentorship Award from the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction presented by the Alberta Chamber of Commerce earlier this year for their work in mentoring young girls and teaching others to mentor.To learn more about how to get involved with Fit + Fierce or even license their program to start your own, visit the Fit + Fierce website.
 
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - What are three things you think every entrepreneur should know?
01:58 - What inspired you to get into this business with your partner?
03:14 - When you started this business 11 years ago, what was your initial plan?
03:54 - What is the age group of those enrolled in your classes?
05:00 - Tell us a little bit about winning the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction Mentorship Award.
06:39 - What inspires these girls to come back month after month?
08:03 - Why was it important to have a very well-rounded program for these girls?
10:03 - If you could write pre-entrepreneur you a letter, what would you say?
10:54 - Are you planning to franchise Fit + Fierce?
12:06 - Has the need for this type of program for young girls changed since COVID?
12:36 - Has your program changed from pre-COVID to today?
13:19 - What would you define success as?
14:34 - From a business model standpoint, is this the same type of business model as a regular gym, where it’s so much a month or year for membership?
15:20 - Where do you want your business to be in three years?
16:31 - What does your planning process look like?
17:31 - What are the biggest barriers to achieving your goals?
19:00 - How can people who may want to license your program or have their daughters join it, how can they connect with you?
19:42 - Outro

Amplify Your Business AlignVR

For Episode 167 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Alex Rossol, the co-founder and CEO of AlignVR. AlignVR is a soft skill assessment tool, used for employee hiring or training. Employees are given VR gear and enter into a series of puzzles that they must work together on to complete. In this episode, Alex wows Lance with his revelation that when you’re 90% done on a project, you’re about halfway to the finish line.
 
Alex goes on to talk about how VR is changing both the in-office and remote work hiring landscape. Gone are the days of awkward interviews and overspending due to miss-hires. With AlignVR, you can learn how potential hires will act in the workplace, whether they have leadership potential, and how they handle obstacles and conflicts before you spend the money on hiring them. To learn more, visit AlignVR or visit their Instagram to see a video of a teambuilding exercise in action.
 
00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Can you explain to me three things that you think every entrepreneur should know?
07:22 - What is AlignVR inspired you to create it?
09:45 - Walk me through the use of AlignVR by hiring managers.
12:53 - Are these VR scenarios created by your company or are they licensed from somewhere else?
17:01 - When you put job candidates into the virtual reality scene, who joins them?
20:34 - How long have you been in the VR industry?
26:50 - What has been the biggest challenge in going from creating VR escape rooms to AlignVR?
33:09 - If you could write your past self a letter, what would it say?
40:27 - What future opportunities do you see for AlignVR as hardware for VR headsets gets cheaper and the technology gets better?
42:42 - How can people interested in AlignVR get in contact with you?
43:55 - Outro

Amplify Your Business Zero Point Cryogenics

For Episode 166 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by John Davis, the CTO and Co-Founder of Zero Point Cryogenics, a company that manufactures dilution refrigerators. Dilution refrigerators are the method of continuously cooling below one kelvin. In fact, Zero Point Cryogenics refrigerators cool to around ten millikelvin - which is roughly -273.14 degrees celsius, just 0.01 degrees shy of Absolute Zero.
When most people hear the word “cryogenics,” they tend to think of body preservation, but Zero Point Cryogenics’ focus is on quantum technology, including quantum computers.
To learn more, visit the Zero Point Cryogenics website or follow them on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter for some cool cryogenic info.
 
00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Why would you need a refrigerator that cools to ten millikelvins?
02:40 - What is the market size for a business like this?
04:12 - What does your competitive landscape look like?
06:41 - What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
09:18 - If you could write your pre-entrepreneurial self a letter, what would you say?
11:20 - Where did you get the expertise to understand the market and the customer base?
14:04 - In terms of supply chain management in the area of quantum computing, how important do you think Zero Point Cryogenics is going to be in this industry?
18:15 - Now that you’ve made your first sales, how will the direction of the company change or shift?
20:35 - What are your next steps on your path to grow Zero Point Cryogenics?
22:23 - Are you facing any challenges in regards to recruiting?
25:11 - If someone had given you 1M or 10M pre-commercialization of Zero Point Cryogenics, what would you have done differently?
26:31 - How can people contact or connect with you?
28:18 - Outro 

Amplify Your Business Headshop.com

For Episode 165 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Matt Hampton, the founder of Headshop, and the Director of Client Engagement at Envoy. During our conversation with Matt, he explains to us what pushed him to start Headshop.com, how things have changed since he bought the domain more than two decades ago, and where he gets his entrepreneurial inspiration.
Though originally, Headshop dorm decor for the college stoner, in the wake of cannabis legalization in many states across the US, they’ve pivoted their products to the realm of cannabis accessories.
To learn more, visit the HeadShop website or follow them on Instagram.
 
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - What do you think are the three things every entrepreneur should know?05:05 - What is Head Shop, and what inspired you to start it?
10:00 - How was the evolution of the term “Head Shop” changed the way you market your business?
18:14 - How have you translated the typical head shop feel into a digital shop, and what do you wish you could have done sooner?
22:49 - Tell us about pivoting from a product brand to a lifestyle brand.
27:34 - Do you think there may be opportunity to move into the psychedelics space as regulations are beginning to change?
32:12 - How do you manage the risk potential of having a cannabis business with how volatile the political landscape surrounding cannabis is currently?
38:26 - Where do you go for entrepreneurial inspiration?
48:47 - How can viewers connect with you or Head Shop?
49:27 - Outro

Amplify Your Business Signature Guest Dennis Geelen

For today's episode of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Dennis Geelen, the founder and Chief Difference Maker at Zero In. Zero In is a boutique consulting firm that helps businesses conquer indifference in whatever way that looks for them - whether it be indifferent customers who don’t want to buy products or indifferent employees who aren’t passionate about their work.
 
Zero In helps businesses fight indifference by increasing customer retention, improving customer experience, and teaching them to build a passionate work culture of innovation that allows their employees to adapt, learn, and develop better ways to serve their clients. When you build a passionate work culture, you make your employees passionate about the work that they’re doing, which, in turn, conquers customer indifference as well. If your team is passionate about your product or service, your customers will be, too.
 
Aside from Zero In, Dennis has just released his fourth book, the Accidental Solopreneur, which launches on September 6th. He also teaches a course about learning the steps he took to become a successful solopreneur called the Solopreneur Playbook: 6 Steps to Freedom. Listeners of our podcast can get a 25% discount for this course by entering the promo code tvzvajc.To learn more, visit Zero In.
 
0:00 - Intro
1:05 - Three key things every entrepreneur needs to know.
3:46 - The transition from corporate to entrepreneurship. 
6:52 - Were you able to build your niche from your corporate experience?
8:57 - How did you decide on your niche and how would you describe it?
10:46 - Becoming an author: What problems are your books solving?
13:04 - What was your breakthrough moment?
16:54 - How long did it take you to gain momentum?
20:43 - Launching into Solopreneurship.
23:26 - What challenges did you face becoming an author?
25:00 - Advice for anyone wanting to write a book.
27:12 - What can we learn from your Solopreneur Playbook course?
29:50 - The 6 Steps: Course overview
36:50 - Is there a strategic reason for deviating from your original niche?
39:18 - When would you advise changing niches?
41:53 - How do we find your courses and connect with you?
42:57 - Outro

Amplify Your Business Punchcard Systems

For Episode 163 of Amplify Your Business, we’re joined by Sam Jenkins, the managing partner at Punchcard Systems. Punchcard is a tech startup that focuses on being your all-in-one software company. Whether you’re looking for a digital workplace, web or mobile apps, dashboards, marketing automation, systems integration, or need innovation for your website, portals, intranet, or IoT, Punchcard systems does it all. They call themselves a Startup-as-a-Service, offering custom software builds that transform how you live and work.To learn more, visit Punchcard Systems online via their website, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
 
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Tell me three things that you think every entrepreneur needs to know.
05:03 - What inspired you to create Punchcard Systems, and what does your company do?
07:45 - What inspired you to be in the tech space?
11:52 - What do you do to cultivate company culture?
16:29 - How do you facilitate the sharing of stories from your employees and your clients?
18:15 - Can you explain to me your onboarding process with so many remote employees?
22:28 - What keeps you up at night?
27:51 - How do you balance out cost and revenue?
32:42 - What kind of growth are you looking at in the next 12 months?
35:46 - What obstacles are you facing as you work towards this growth?
39:32 - How do you develop a competency for risk, understanding, and mitigation?
44:01 - How can people get in contact with you?
44:36 - Outro