Boiling Point Podcast

The Mighty Introvert   Introducing Luis Vazquez and TheMightyIntrovert.com What type of person do you think of when you think of an entrepreneur? Most likely you think of a boisterous visionary type who stands out from the crowd. While this is often how we characterize entrepreneurs, this isn’t always the case. Many entrepreneurs would consider themselves introverts who would much rather an evening of quiet contemplation than an evening of schmoozing at a networking social. Sadly, many entrepreneurial-minded introverts never take the first steps to pursuing their own business because there is so much interaction in starting a business and with the selling process. Today’s Boiling Point guest is out to smash the misconception that introverts cannot be successful business people; they just need to go about things a different way. Luis Vazquez calls himself a s creative hustler but is also a freelance developer, a former break-dancer, and an introvert who helps other introverts to shine with his website, The

Be Motivated by the Challenge   Introducing Heather Moyse Have you truly challenged yourself lately? So many of us go through our daily lives and make excuses why we can’t take ourselves to the next level. Maybe we are just being lazy, have fears that we won’t live up to our dreams, or assume we are not good enough. Sometimes we just need to be motivated by someone that has done something extraordinary to kick-start our own challenges. Someone like two-time Olympic gold medalist Heather Moyse. You would be surprised to find out that Heather wasn’t always so driven. She admits that her athletic prowess had more to do with genetics than dedication. Though she played three varsity sports in university, you wouldn’t have ever seen her in the gym lifting weights in her spare time. What Heather did enjoy was a challenge, which is just what happened when at the age of 27 she was given the opportunity to go to the Olympics just five months after being introduced to the sport of bobsledding. Find out how her chall

The Business of Brainstorming   Introducing Marilyn Barefoot and Barefoot Brainstorming Children have a natural ability to be creative. You give a kid a box and she will imagine it as a million different things. At some point though a lot of us seem to misplace this creative ability to make random associations, but this skill is so important to so many professions, including creative entrepreneurs. This week’s Boiling Point guest is an expert in retraining your brain to become more creative once again. Marilyn Barefoot is the head of Barefoot Brainstorming based out of Toronto, Ontario. Marilyn spent almost 30 years in the creative aspects of advertising and during that time noticed that in most agencies there was no process to being creative. Now Marilyn is helping companies all around the world by tapping into the creative abilities of their employees. Check out this episode of the Boiling Point to see how you can get your creative juices flowing.   In this episode Previous BP guest, Monica Adair f

Positivity and Transparency   Reintroducing Jake Rothschild and Jake’s Ice Cream  Social media can be an incredibly powerful force for good, but often it is used to spread vitriol and to create a platform for unconstructive argument. Many are looking to tune out the negativity including this week’s Boiling Point guest, Jake Rothschild. Jake was a previous guest of the Boiling Point and had introduced us to his amazing Joyscream, possibly the world’s healthiest ice cream. Like many Americans, Jake has many reservations about the USA’s current political environment, the division of its people, and the negativity and arguments he sees being spread online. As a man who knows how to get people’s attention, Jake is trying to change the conversation online by spreading positivity and by being transparent. Jake has decided to remain apolitical for the foreseeable future but wants to promote the good news that is still out there. One great example of this was a Facebook page he created to follow his journey to l

The B Corp Bank   Introducing Craig Ryan and BDC Financing is a big deal for entrepreneurs, but so often the charter banks just don’t “get” entrepreneurs. Luckily for Canadians, there is an option out there that is exclusively for entrepreneurs and they really do “get it”. That bank is the Business Development Bank of Canada and their director of social entrepreneurship, Craig Ryan, is our Boiling Point Guest this week. The BDC was created by the federal government with the purpose to support entrepreneurship with special attention to small and medium sized businesses with loans, investments, and advising. The BDC is not just the bank for entrepreneurs but is also a B Corp and a great supporter of the cause. Check out this week’s episode of the Boiling Point to see how financing your social venture can be accomplished with the BDC.   In this episode We meet Craig and hear about how he and the BDC helped spread the message of “The Millennial Dream”. We hear about the purpose of the BDC and why that pu

Put Up or Shut Up   Introducing Janice MacPherson and Pomodori Pizzeria We have all had the experience to being unsatisfied and it isn’t a great feeling. For some of us though, being dissatisfied can be the catalyst to creating something great. Take this week’s Boiling Point guest, who would end up ordering local fast food in order to get something on her table, but would often end up complaining to herself about what she received. Instead of just accepting what she got, she decided to “put up or shut up” and get into the fast food business for herself. Janice MacPherson is the co-founder of Pomodori Pizzeria in Rothesay, New Brunswick along with her husband and previous BP guest, Steve Goddard back in 2008. Prior to Pomodori, Janice was running an independent internet service provider in British Columbia named Net Idea Telecommunications, which offered ISP services to people in Nelson, BC.   However, after becoming pregnant with her second child, she decided to move home to the Maritimes and work for the

From Break to B Lab   Introducing Joyce Sou and B Lab It seems we all live busy lives. We all have obligations and commitments that take up our working and non-working hours and often this leads to a lack of time to sit back and reflect. As our Boiling Point guest this week could tell us, taking some time away from your daily grind can help you reassess your situation and put you on a completely different path. Joyce Sou went to business school and didn’t really know what she wanted to as a career path. At the time, she decided to take the path of least resistance to become an accountant and later an auditor in consumer markets. Though she credits her experience in these roles for developing her leadership skills, she knew that her current career path wasn’t what she wanted to do long term. After getting married, Joyce and her husband decided that they were going to take a break and had a sabbatical year to travel around the world and as an unintended consequence she learned a great deal about social ente

Collaboration over Adversarial Relations   Introducing George Chmael II and Council Fire It is always great to work in a collaborative environment but sometimes there is a belief that such environments cannot be achieved. So often instead of thinking of ways that everyone can work in concert, groups take an adversarial stance where the result makes one group a winner and another the loser. Today’s guest believes that more often than not and even in contested situations there is still a way to work together to achieve a result that everyone can be happy with. George Chmael II is the president and chief sustainability officer at Council Fire, a Maryland based small sustainability consultancy, which has been running for 17 years and works on projects all over the world. Council Fire operates at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social issues and uses an approach of collaboration because, “together we are smarter than any one of us alone.” A great example of their collaborative approach is whe

He Wrote the Book   Introducing Ryan Honeyman and LIFT Economy With increasing interest in B-Corp companies, many are left wondering how to learn more about the craze and how they can get involved. To this purpose, this week we have Ryan Honeyman from LIFT Economy who is also the writer of “The B Corp Handbook”. Ryan is no stranger to the B Corp movement. In 2011, he started his own solo consulting firm focusing on making companies more sustainable and soon he heard rumblings of the B Corp movement and was impressed at its ability to measure and manage social and environmental impact. The trouble was explaining what B Corps were in a 30 second elevator pitch, so for those who wanted to know more he wrote “The B Corp Handbook”. Today, Ryan is a partner at LIFT Economy, which is an impact-consulting firm that seeks to create, model, and share locally self-reliant economy for the benefit of all life. Ryan is also a podcaster for Next Economy Now and is currently fundraising for a Best for the World/B Corp a

Inspiring a Region   Introducing Karina LeBlanc and the Pond-Deshpande Centre We here at the Boiling Point Podcast spend a lot of time discussing triple bottom line businesses, but the question becomes where can I find out how to get involved in this emerging sector of socially minded businesses? This week’s guest has just the organization for you to check out. Karina LeBlanc is the executive director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre based out of the University of New Brunswick. Entrepreneurs Gerry Pond, Jaishree Deshpande, and Gururaj Deshpande founded the centre with a mission to act as a catalyst to grow and support a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada. Beyond this, the Pond-Deshpande Centre seeks to simulate young people (and young-minded people) to become active and engaged change makers and leaders in the emerging business-for-good ecosystem. When Karina came on board as the executive director, she already had experience in the Fortune 500, startup, and non-profit spa

WTF – Willing to Fail   Introducing Brian Scudamore, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and O2E Brands Sometimes great businesses are developed out of necessity, like when you need to make enough extra cash to pay for college. This is the situation that this week’s Boiling Point guest, Brian Scudamore, found himself in and the result is a group of businesses that have revenue of a quarter billion dollars. Brian is the founder and CEO of O2E brands, a collection of four businesses that focus on home services including: 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, YOU MOVE ME, and SHACK SHINE. When Brian was 18 years old, he needed to find a way to pay for college. He was in his car in the drive thru of a McDonald’s one fateful day when he noticed an old, beat up pickup truck that was hauling junk and thought that would be a great way to pay his way. In his travels he noticed the same type of beat up pickup with junk in the back in every city he went to but there was no brand leading the way. In 27 years, Brian has created that brand

Cutting Through the Noise   Introducing JP Shoiry and Republik If you spend any time on social media it would seem that everyone is out there trying to deliver a message. For those of us who are on the web trying to market a product or a service it can be difficult to cut through the noise so that our post gets noticed. When you need your message to stand out above the rest your best route might be to get advice from someone like today’s Boiling Point guest. JP Shoiry is the chief of content strategy and a partner at Republik, a digital brand editorial agency specializing in social media, content, and influencer marketing. JP and his partner acquired Republik a little while back and have since repositioned the company toward content and influencer marketing. JP knows that in a world that anyone could potentially be a content marketer in order to cut through the noise you need to be valuable to your audience and you need to understand the type of content you are working with and how best to promote it thro

Cooperative Banking   Reintroducing Richard Vaillancourt and Omista  No customer likes to be treated like a number, but no doubt you have experienced a lack of personal service if you have a relationship with many large organizations. It is impersonal with low interaction, often you are left on hold for a number of minutes if you called in, and sometimes the experience is down right unfriendly. If the previous examples sound familiar and it relates to your bank, perhaps you should give a credit union a try.  Richard Vaillancourt is the CEO of Omista Credit Union in New Brunswick, which manages assets of over $300 million. What sets places like Omista apart from your traditional chartered bank is a focus on community. In fact, Omista keeps all of its activities local and New Brunswick based. Omista’s commitment to community has gone even further by subscribing to a triple bottom line by becoming a B Corp. When you consider that Omista offers a carbon copy of the services offered by traditional banks it mak

Resiliency Rewarded   Reintroducing Shawn Smith and Gene Fowler It has been said that nothing worth doing is easy. Resiliency is an important component of an entrepreneur’s toolkit but it also one of the hardest to maintain. Two former guests that have been able to show resilience in the face of adversity are back with us today to show where their patience and hard work have got them. Shawn Smith, the founder of Don’t Dis My Ability and Gene Fowler, the founder of Loogaroo Animation and Games struck up quite the friendship not so long ago that ended up helping both of them. For Shawn, Gene’s mentorship and guidance helped him through the start up of his business. In turn, Shawn set up coaching at Gene’s business. Both men found difficulties navigating their businesses, but have found greener pastures due to their resilience. Shawn has recently been nominated for the Start Up Canada Resilient Entrepreneur Award being presented later this month. While Gene has rebuilt his company from bankruptcy to become

Get Moving   Introducing Matt Forgie and Forfitness & Athletics Most of us have had that ache in the lower back and many come to the realization that it is probably time to see the chiropractor for a “crack”. However, maybe taking this reactionary stance to pain is the wrong approach. Instead, the better option could be to be proactive and to start moving well. If this is the case, then maybe Matt Forgie is the chiropractor and strength coach for you. After completing, a degree in organic chemistry and then another degree as a biologist, Matt decided that he wanted a job where he could interact with people on a daily basis. He decided to follow the path of both of his parents to become a chiropractor. However, what makes Matt’s practice different then your typical chiropractor is that he takes a movement based approach that focuses on making your body function is better ways. In the same way we brush our teeth to avoid having to see the dentist more often, Matt’s exercise based approach gets you moving to

Change in Tempo   Introducing Dylan Berry and Smash Haus Music Group One of the industries that have changed quite a bit over the last few decades is the music industry. No longer do we wait in lines at the local record store because for the most part all of these stores have disappeared. Now artists seem to emerge from the Internet to become huge stars and a computer program can replace entire orchestras. One person who has seen the decline and reemergence of the industry is this week’s Boiling Point guest. Dylan Berry is the owner of Smash Haus Music Group and Filthy Fidgets and the host of Bompop TV, a radio/podcast program focusing on emerging artists. Dylan is an award winning music producer and entertainment entrepreneur whose work spans both artist production and media licensing. His work can be heard on many of your favorite television shows such as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. He also does the musical branding for 20 major network channels. Dylan has built a 360-degree media and

Mass Communication   Introducing Jim Kokocki and Toastmasters We all know that effective leaders need also to be effective communicators. However, public speaking can be one of the most prevalent fears out there. In fact, up to 75% of people have some degree of glossophobia. So how does one who wants to be an effective leader learn the skills and ease the anxiety around communication.  Jim Kokocki is the immediate former president of Toastmasters, a global organization that seeks to improve the speaking skills of its members through exercise and practice. Jim wasn’t always a seasoned speaker though. He remembers a time when he was working in IT and two engineers approached his desk and noted that he was a pretty smart guy but he had nothing to say in company meetings. Through Toastmasters, Jim was able to gain confidence speaking in public and the skills even changed his career path. Toastmasters isn’t just for those who fear public speaking though. Their clubs also help those who are just not effective

Local First   Introducing Jayne DeMerchant & Scott Williams and Taylor Printing We have all heard the expression, “buy local.” Many of us make the effort to go local and it often means a better quality product and sometimes means a few extra dollars. However, beyond a few buying decisions how can we encourage local collaboration amongst businesses and a real “union” of local purchasing? This week’s guests, Scott Williams and Jayne DeMerchant came up with a unique way to encourage business to work together in New Brunswick. Scott and Jayne are executives at Taylor Printing Group in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The printing moniker may be a bit misleading, however, as they are more of a communications company that offers printing as well as web based products, email campaigns, SMS marketing, and much more. Scott and Jayne are big proponents of supporting local and they came up with an idea to do just that. A few months back, Scott came up with an idea to have a 24 piece puzzle where each piece would corresp

A Culture Designed for All Introducing Joe Brewer and Evonomics Looking back through history you could find many examples of capitalism running amuck. There are even recent examples of those with money and power abusing those with less.   This week’s guest sees a massive global change coming and hopes he might be able to inspire a cultural design.  Joe Brewer is the co-founder and editor of Evonomics magazine, a research director for TheRules.org and a coordinator for the newly forming Cultural Evolution Society. Joe is a complexity researcher and also an evangelist for the field of cultural design and he hopes to see a transition in society to sustainability. Check out this episode to see why we are where we are in society, how things could change and what that would take in a very interesting episode of the Boiling Point.   In this episode Greg tells us how he sold his cottage with national exposure by “hacking the system”. Greg describes Joe as the ultimate culture hacker. Joe tells us how he bec

You Can Be That Someone  Introducing John Harthorne and MassChallenge  Sometimes you could wait so long for someone else to solve a problem and not even realize that you could be that someone. This week’s Boiling Point guest, John Harthorne had the epiphany that he could be that someone to accelerate start-ups. John knew for a long time that the prospect of launching a start-up was something he was passionate about. However, after graduating with an MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007, he had a student loan to pay off. He decided to take a job as a Strategy Consultant and he would use any hefty bonus cheques to pay off the loan and then dive into a start-up. Unfortunately, when the bonus cheque came, so did the great recession of 2008. Talk about bad timing; the stock market had crashed and it was hard to find capital. John knew the solution to climbing out of the recession would be investments in start-up companies that would create jobs and help build the economy. He wished someone was out