Her CEO Journey™: The Business Finance Podcast for Mission-Driven Women Entrepreneurs

How do you know if your company is creating the difference it wants to be in the world? There’s a powerful quote by Peter Drucker, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” For a social impact business for whom the mission is paramount, knowing your impact is critical. Enter impact reporting: an impact report measures and tells your company’s story. It’s a powerful tool that can help grow s...

What does it mean to be a climate-positive company? Is it easy to become one? Aiming for a goal that seems unclear — or even detrimental — is hard. Many business owners tend to focus on profit. They keep their company running, create a great product, and have excellent sales. Why focus on the environment when it eats into profits? But as companies, we can do more. And what's more: being an en...

Your spending can change the world. How you spend your money makes a difference. Conscious consumerism, if done by enough people, can make huge leaps toward solving our current climate crisis. Businesses have the biggest impact on the climate, but consumers are the reasons behind their choices. We speak and vote with our wallets. Business-as-usual practices will persist if they see no benefit to c...

All business owners and humans living on the planet make an environmental impact. When the planet faces problems like climate change, we are also affected. It's up to us to be aware of the planet's struggles we face today and be part of an environmental solution. In this episode of Her CEO Journey, we invited Jenny Morgan, Market Development Manager of Tradewater, to share their solution...

Do you know what's in your beauty products? You may think of the active ingredients and their effectiveness in your beauty routine. Do you ever think about whether they have microplastics in them and how your packaging is most likely single-use? Most people think plastics are limited to things we can see — from plastic bags to plastic bottles. The truth is that microplastics are everywhere in...

Almost every product-based industry uses plastic — including the food industry. However, it also significantly contributes to pollution, harming the environment and humanity. As business owners, our decisions about how we run our business can help reduce our plastic footprint. Switching to plastic-free might be challenging, but it makes the world a better place. In this episode of Her CEO Journey,...

How can a business be both profitable and a force of positive change in the world? Most entrepreneurs think they need to choose one or the other. But this isn’t true! More and more businesses are seeing the possibility of doing both at the same time, without sacrificing profit for impact. One vital area of environmental impact is plastic waste. We produce 300 million tons of plastic waste every ye...

Is life without plastic really possible? With all kinds of plastics integrated into our daily lives, it’s impossible to never use plastic. So many people think living a plastic-free life rests on our individual shoulders, but what we really need is collective change.  If we can’t rely on just our individual efforts, where should we start? In this episode, Chantal Plamondon shares her journey of fo...

Many entrepreneurs believe building a profitable business is not possible without harming the environment. This is simply untrue. There is a way to create profit while also actively reducing your plastic, water, and carbon footprint. You can contribute by educating your consumers about more sustainable ways of living. In this episode, Anie Rouleau shares her journey as the CEO of Unscented Co. She...

Rural communities have a simple way of life. Many people living here focus on creating a better life for their families and community. However, they lack opportunities to gain financial stability and move to big cities to support their families. Fortunately, we can change this narrative. Businesses like Someone Somewhere work to create an economic, cultural and social impact on indigenous communit...

Peace is something valuable to have in the community. So many people experience having their peaceful lives taken away from them and struggle to rebuild their lives. From war and crime to family and personal matters, our peaceful lives can crumble at any moment. Fortunately, businesses can play a part in promoting peace in the community! In the second episode of our Christmas series, Susan Morriso...

Do you think a business can be both profitable and a force of positive change in the world? The answer is a resounding yes — you don't have to sacrifice profit or impact. Entrepreneurs worldwide have innovative ideas and products that meet the needs of different communities. However, businesses still need to keep an eye on your finances. Balancing profitability and making an impact is a chall...

What happens when the economy drastically shifts? Will your business survive? We’ve seen this in the wake of the pandemic where companies were forced to change or close.  This is where forecasting comes in. Most people think forecasting is future-proofing and predicting the future in some way, but that’s not the case. Instead, forecasting is a continuous process that allows you to know when you ne...

Are you a small business owner aiming to increase your positive impact on the community and the world? You likely already have plans for your company's growth. However, as you scale, the tools that served you as a smaller business won't be effective or sustainable. You'll need a better way to bridge your financial data and future business goals. That's where Financial Planning...

So you’ve decided to become a B Corp. Congratulations! You’re taking an important step in advancing corporate responsibility and sustainable practices. But before you dive in, you need to prepare. Becoming a business for good requires significant planning. However, the rewards are more than worth it! In this conversation, we discuss how businesses can prepare for the new BIA. We explore maximizing...

Maximizing profits doesn’t have to come at the cost of increased and negative environmental impact. In fact, environmentally friendly companies may find that they reduce costs and increase profit margins when they hit their sustainability goals. There are many paths to success, but for Claire Watkin, that means doing business different, and doing business better. Claire Watkin is the Managing Dire...

Investing in your workers is one of the smartest things you can do for your business. When you invest in your employees, you're investing in the future of your company. A well-trained, motivated workforce is essential to any businesses' success. By doing so, you're also investing in yourself. It can lead to increased profits, improved morale, and a better overall work experience for...

When you’re running a business, it’s tempting to view your employees as expendable resources. After all, you’re the one taking all the risks, so you should be the one calling all the shots. But if you want to create a sustainable business, it’s important to remember that your people are your most valuable asset. Susana Guerra of Legacy Vacation Resorts understood that valuing the talent and purpos...

One of the first things a leader will look for when hiring someone is their abilities. What are their skills? What level of education did they reach? Have they worked in a particular field before? These are all excellent questions to ask — after all, realizing your vision requires having the best talents on your team. But what are we really asking for when we interview a potential hire? When you l...

Any leader wants their business to become successful. If you’re running a mission driven business, you’ll want to drive social change, too. So you might focus on strategy and profit more than anything else. But what most people tend to forget is that there is a gap between strategy and results—and people are the ones who bridge that gap. In this episode of Her CEO Journey, Lisa Hannum from Beehive...

Many business owners worry about loss of profit because of the sustainable changes they may want to make. However, sustainability and profitability aren’t mutually exclusive. When you know your business, focus on the right factors and make the small changes towards creating a positive impact, you can achieve better business outcomes.  In this episode of Her CEO Journey, Cindy Bohlen from Riverwate...

So you’ve managed to grow your small business into a thriving enterprise. First of all, congratulations! But with greater success comes more responsibilities, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for you to manage everything on your own. Perhaps you're feeling overwhelmed with all of your duties. Or your business is going through a big project or shift. Or maybe you're having tr...

Many business owners wear all the hats, particularly in growing companies. Doing all the duties yourself seems like the best use of your time. After all, you know your company best, right? However, the truth is as your business grows, more and more things can slip through the cracks — especially if some of your duties are outside your field of expertise. In this solo Her CEO Journey episode, Chris...

You know what they say: if you want something done right, do it yourself. But what happens when you're so bogged down with the daily operations of your business that you don't have time to focus on long-term strategy? That's where a fractional CFO comes in—and it might be the best decision you ever make for your business. However, hiring a fractional CFO isn't a quick fix to yo...

As a business owner, you know there are a lot of important decisions to make, and not enough hours in the day to make them all. That’s why it’s crucial to have someone you can trust to help you make sound financial decisions for your business. Enter the fractional CFO. But don’t let the name fool you: a fractional CFO isn’t just for businesses that are struggling with their finances. In fact, ther...