Business Ownership
Bold & Black: Valrie Grant
Name: Valrie Grant Business: GeoTechVision and Marlie Technology Park Industry: Technology Tanya: So, question one - what was your path to entrepreneurship? Valrie: I kind of got there a little bit around about. I was a senior manager in government. I'm a...
How To Start An Online Business
So you want to learn how to start an online business? While this used to be a novel idea, most businesses are now online businesses of some sort — but unfortunately, only 16% of Canadian businesses are owned by women. And despite an increase in female-founded startups...
How to Start a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
Starting a business can be incredibly exciting, and also incredibly daunting. There are so many things to consider, steps to follow, and it all rests on your shoulders. That’s a lot of pressure for new entrepreneurs or even seasoned pros. Thankfully, enough business...
13 Tips for Starting and Managing a Small Business
Managing a small business is not easy. Without the resources that large corporations have come to rely on to make business run smoothly (think HR departments, finance, legal, etc.), it can be difficult to learn how to start and manage a small business. Between...
10 Meaningful Sustainable Business Practices
What does it mean to be a sustainable business? And how can you easily adopt sustainable business practices into your day-to-day operations? Read on for 10 meaningful ways you can adopt environmentally friendly and sustainable practices for your business. It’s easy to...
Bold(h)er: Diversity, Inclusion & Equality
Sometimes the non-traditional path can get you where you need to go in life. That was the case for Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh. Early on, Shavonne challenged family expectations and dropped out of university and college only to go back later in life to complete her HR...
BMO for Women Partners with Women and Gender Equality Canada
BMO for Women partnered with Women and Gender Equality Canada to produce webinars specifically for not-for-profit organizations that support women. Three key topics were identified as critical to these organizations: Financial Health, Strategic Planning and...
Is it time to grow your business?
What are some of the signs it’s time to grow your business, and, if it’s time, how do you undergo that expansion? Marg Hachey, Managing Director of GroYourBiz, and former owner of Duocom, shares the lessons she learned about business growth as an extremely successful...
Bold & Black: Christine Channer Auguste
Name: Christine Channer Auguste Business: The Channer Group Inc. Industry: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Management Consulting Tanya: So, what is the name of your company? Christine: My company is The Channer Group Incorporated. That is the parent. That's...
Bold(h)er: Evolving to Chief Enthusiasm Officer
Sink or swim was how Robin Howlings had to learn business and to become a manager. Then one day, someone told her, "everyone hates you… and they’re all going to quit.” Harsh, but as Howings tells Lisa Bragg, that was a transformative moment that not only changed her...
Bold & Black: Michelle Berry
Name: Michelle Berry Business: Shelley Delight/ Shelley Cares Foundation Industry: Food service/ food pantry Tanya: Where do we even start? I mean, you have like 4 companies. (Although I’m one to talk) you have the catering arm, you have the restaurant and you...
Bold & Black: Odeen Eccleston
Name: Odeen Eccleston Business: WE Realty Inc. | The Wiltshire Group Industry:Real Estate/Construction Tanya: I mean, we've talked about your path to entrepreneurship several times, so what was the foundation of your entrepreneurship journey? How's it going for...
Bold & Black: Cheryl Sutherland
Name: Cheryl Sutherland Business: PleaseNotes Goods Industry Personal Growth/ Retail Tanya: Question numero uno, what was your path to entrepreneurship? Cheryl: My path to entrepreneurship pretty much started when I moved to California because I wanted to...
How to Grow Your Business
Scaling a business is no easy feat. But with the right mindset, management and method, it’s something all entrepreneurs can accomplish. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for growing a business, there are things that any business owner can do to help their...
10 Meaningful Sustainable Business Practices
What does it mean to be a sustainable business? And how can you easily adopt sustainable business practices into your day-to-day operations? Read on for 10 meaningful ways you can adopt environmentally friendly and sustainable practices for your business. It’s easy to...
Bold(h)er: Beauty and Reconciliation
Cheekbone Beauty has its roots in a dream founder and CEO Jenn Harper had of little girls in lipgloss. In this episode, Jenn chats with Lisa about how she turned that dream into a successful, Indigenous-owned cosmetics company that gives back to its community, the...
Bold & Black: Ashanti Johnson
Name: Ashanti Johnson Business: 360.Mind.Body.Soul Industry: Fitness and wellness Tanya: Okay. I have my questions. So, the name of your company is 360? Ashanti: 360 Mind, Body, and Soul. Tanya: Love it. Love it. So, fitness and wellness. Tell me your path to...
Bold & Black: Roushelle Reign
Name: Roushelle Reign Business: Roushelle Reign Design Haus Industry: Branding/Graphic Design Tanya: Hi! I know the next 45 minutes are going to fly by because you are always so fun to chat with. Tell me about your path to entrepreneurship? Roushelle: I knew...
Bold(h)er: Opportunity from Disruption
Your career is a long game. There are lessons, pivots, losses, wins and maybe some gaps. In this episode of Bold(h)er, BMO’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture Mona Malone and Dr. Talia Varley of The Cleveland Clinic join Lisa Bragg to talk...
Bold & Black: Kimberlee West
Name: Kimberlee West Business: Kids Swag Industry: Retail/Children’s Goods Tanya: Let's get right to business: what was your path/journey to entrepreneurship? Kimberlee: Oh, that's a good question. I don't think people have asked me that. I would say that the...
Bold & Black: Marina Phillips
Name: Marina Phillips Business: Bébé Station™️/Station Bébé™️ Industry: Parental Services/Health & Wellness Tanya: Ok Miss Marina Phillips - tell me about your path to entrepreneurship. Marina: Gosh, you came out the gates hard. Path to entrepreneurship? I...
Bold & Black: Vivian Kaye
Name: Vivian Kaye Business: KinkyCurlyYaki Industry: Hair/Beauty Tanya: Because your time is money, let’s get going. So, what was your journey to entrepreneurship? Vivian: Well, it wasn’t a straight one that’s for sure. I wasn’t surrounded by entrepreneurs. But...
The Best Business Leadership Books
The success of a business, no matter the size, often depends on its leadership. Being in charge of a team can certainly be daunting at times. Even some of the greatest leaders look for a roadmap and turn to the world’s best business leadership books to guide them. For...
13 Tips for Starting and Managing a Small Business
Managing a small business is not easy. Without the resources that large corporations have come to rely on to make business run smoothly (think HR departments, finance, legal, etc.), it can be difficult to learn how to start and manage a small business. Between...
Bold(h)er: A Fate Worth Fighting For
Warning: this episode has content that may be sensitive for some listeners. Reinvention is one of the boldest moves one can do in life. Former professional fighter Lina Khalifeh can attest to this. Born and raised in the Middle East, she isn’t afraid of but rather,...
Bold(h)er: Opportunity from Disruption
Your career is a long game. There are lessons, pivots, losses, wins and maybe some gaps. In this episode of Bold(h)er, BMO’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture Mona Malone and Dr. Talia Varley of The Cleveland Clinic join Lisa Bragg to talk...
BMO Hosts Women Business Owners for Resilience Retreat
Paulette Jagers, Chief Inclusion Officer, and Sheri Griffiths, Regional President, Business Banking, recently hosted women entrepreneurs at the BMO IFL for a retreat focused on developing the skills and strategies needed to grow resilience in business and life. The...
Succession planning is key for small business owners
Nearly two in five business owners are wondering who will take over their business and how they will transition it to a successor. However, the majority of them do not have a formal plan to exit their business or preserve the continuity of the business upon...
Receiving an unsolicited offer to sell your business
Many successful business owners have had the experience of receiving an unsolicited phone call from someone offering to buy their business. On occasion, these unsolicited calls lead to a successful transaction, but more often than not the discussions go sideways for a...
Management Succession Planning
When we speak of “business succession planning” for private companies, some people think only of tax and estate planning, while others may only consider a transition in the share ownership of a business. While those are each important elements of succession planning,...
Things to Consider for a Business Partnership
A business partnership is an exciting undertaking, but it is very important to ensure that everything about that partnership is taken into consideration in the legal documentation. Casey Thomson, Owner of The Cheese Gallery in Thornbury, Ontario discusses her...
The Psychology Around Debt
Debt. Is it good or bad? Either way it is a fact of life. Every generation has had an impact on the next generations thoughts and beliefs around debt. Julie Sehl, Vice President of Financial Planning shares how you can use debt to advance your future and what you must...
Proactive Human Resources Strategies
Human Resources is commonly becoming accepted as a strategic business partner, worthy of a seat at the highest levels of leadership within many organizations. With the advent of social networking, and new digital technologies, human resources specialists are now...
Designing the Workplace of the Future: How Human-Centric Design Increases Productivity
When workplace design is human-centric, employees are happier, and companies often experience increases in attraction, retention, and productivity. Lynn Roger, the Global Head of Employee Experience and Workplace Transformation at BMO Financial Group, is passionate...
Five must-dos for entrepreneurs
Ready to launch your own startups? Make sure you know these five must-dos for entrepreneurs. Read more
Creating a Business Plan
What does a business plan look like? Here's how to write your plan and the key components to include. Read more
Building your business through social media marketing
Social media is a marketing gold mine for small businesses. And understanding the nuances of each social network can help you optimize your efforts and get the most bang for your buck. The best place to start is finding out where your customers are. Each site attracts...
What do I need to know about starting a franchise?
If you don’t want to start a business from scratch or buy an existing business, franchising may a good choice for you. Franchises employ over 1 million Canadians and generate approximately $68 billion in revenue every year.1 Franchising can reduce some of the risks of...