Mission Critical with Lance Chung

This episode of Mission Critical is presented in partnership with Mastercard and explores what it really takes to turn a small-business dream into something real. What does it take to build a successful consumer brand in an industry that has been slow to innovate? Rachael Newton, founder of Nixit, joins Mission Critical to share how she went from a 14-year career in law to building a Canadian peri...

This episode of Mission Critical is presented in partnership with Mastercard and explores what it really takes to turn a small-business dream into something real. What does it take to turn an unconventional idea into a successful business? On this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Dylan Kwacz, founder of Ballooms, the Toronto-based creative brand redefining balloon floristry throug...

This episode of Mission Critical is presented in partnership with Mastercard and explores what it really takes to turn a small-business dream into something real. What does it take to build a successful Canadian small business while staying true to your values? On this special episode of Mission Critical , Lance Chung sits down with Trisha Pitura, co-founder of MINI TIPI, the Gatineau-based textil...

This episode of Mission Critical is presented in partnership with Mastercard and explores what it really takes to turn a small-business dream into something real. What does it take to build a Canadian small business when you're self-funded, wearing every hat, and navigating a world of tariffs, supply-chain disruptions and constant uncertainty? Samantha Ong, founder of Toronto-based Joeydolls, know...

What happens when the goalposts for success keep moving, and you decide to stop chasing them? In this episode of Mission Critical , Grammy Award-winning Canadian recording artist Alessia Cara reflects on a decade in the music industry and the lessons she's learned about building a career on her own terms. From navigating an industry that has fundamentally changed to letting go of perfection, trust...

If your customers are changing, your business has to change too. In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Adam Minster, managing partner of Food Dudes and co-founder behind Toronto restaurants RASA and SARA, to unpack what happens when an entire market shifts (and how smart business owners adapt before it's too late.) As rising costs reshape the restaurant industry and consumers b...

What does it take to create an entirely new product category—and convince customers to change habits they've had for decades? In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Jayme Jenkins, co-founder of Everist, the Canadian beauty brand behind the world's first shampoo, conditioner, and body wash concentrates. What started as a mission to reduce waste in the beauty industry evolved into...

What does it actually take to build a modern consumer brand in today’s economy? In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Bathorium founder Greg MacDonald to unpack the real mechanics behind scaling a premium wellness business — from handmade bath bombs in a Toronto condo to becoming one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. Greg shares tactical lessons on brand positioning, customer loyalty...

What does it take to turn a simple product into a category-defining brand people obsess over? In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Mandy Wolfe, co-founder of Mandy's Salads, to break down how she and her sister transformed a tiny salad counter hidden inside a Montreal clothing store into one of Canada’s most recognizable lifestyle food brands. But this conversation goes far be...

The wellness industry is exploding. But with that growth comes saturation, noise, and a hard truth: most brands won’t last. In this episode of Mission Critical , Thom Tullo—founder of Face Pilates and Aman Spa—breaks down how he built a performance-driven wellness brand in one of the most competitive categories today. From creating “addictive” client experiences to navigating product development,...

What happens after Anthony Bourdain puts you on the map? In this episode of Mission Critical , Benedict Lim, co-founder and culinary director of The Lunch Lady, breaks down how a single moment of global attention became the foundation for a real, scalable business. Originally a humble street food stall in Vietnam, The Lunch Lady became a culinary landmark after Bourdain featured it on No Reservati...

In this episode, Lance sits down with startup founder, investor, and housing advocate Liam Gill to unpack a provocative idea: What if Toronto’s housing crisis could be solved by everyday citizens? Drawing from his background in startups, venture capital law, and policy advocacy, Gill makes the case that Toronto is one of the only cities in the world where nearly every major challenge can be solved...

What if the future of the Canadian pantry isn’t about what we eat but, rather, how we understand each other? In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with Jannine Rane, co-founder and CEO of Zing Pantry Shortcuts, a fast-growing Canadian brand rethinking how we cook, eat, and connect through food. What started as a pandemic side project—born out of the all-too-familiar question, “What...

Canada has world-class talent, capital, and infrastructure—so why are we producing fewer entrepreneurs than we did 20 years ago? In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with Rachel Zimmer, co-founder and CEO of Simple Ventures, to unpack the paradox at the heart of Canada’s innovation economy. From declining entrepreneurship rates to the realities of “brain drain,” Zimmer offers a ca...

On this episode of Mission Critical, Lance Chung speaks with Meghan Chayka, co-founder of Stathletes, about the rise of sports analytics, the future of AI in hockey, and what it means to build a category-defining company in a rapidly changing industry. Chayka explains how Stathletes grew from a startup focused on hockey data into a major sports technology company powering teams, leagues, media, an...

For decades, conversations about inequality have focused on income. But according to Colin Lynch, co-founder of the Black Opportunity Fund, the deeper issue is wealth (and who has access to capital.) In this episode of Mission Critical , we explore the economic infrastructure required to close Canada’s racial wealth gap. Colin shares how the Black Opportunity Fund was built to scale impact by dire...

At 21 years old, Brandi Leifso was living in a women’s shelter in Vancouver with $15 and a laptop. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Evio Beauty and the author of Fearless Choices . In this episode of Mission Critical , Brandi shares the unfiltered story behind building Evio Beauty from a shelter safe house to building a booming beauty empire. But this conversation goes deeper than entrepreneur...

Toronto is known as a city of film festivals. But for nearly 30 years, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival has done more than screen films. It has built a cultural home. In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with Deanna Wong, Executive Director of Reel Asian, to explore what it really means to steward a platform that shapes how Asian stories are told, funded, and rem...

Worth Knowing is your shortcut to the Canadian small businesses shaping culture and changing how we live. In this episode, we spotlight Hetta , the Vancouver-based furniture brand founded by the team behind Sundays. Grounded in tradition and designed for modern living, Hetta creates timeless pieces meant to grow with you—and eventually be passed down. Inspired by the old English name Etta , meanin...

At a time when immigration is dominating headlines across Canada and the United States, the real story often gets lost: immigrants aren’t a threat to the economy; they are a critical component of it. In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with Nouhaila Chelkhaoui, Founder and CEO of Scale Without Borders, the largest network for immigrant tech talent in North America. From arriving...

Worth Knowing is your shortcut to the Canadian small businesses shaping culture and changing how we live. In this episode, we spotlight Alter, the Toronto-based sauna and ice bath studio at the center of the growing contrast therapy movement. Built on the belief that intentional discomfort builds resilience, Alter is redefining modern wellness through heat, cold, and community. As recovery culture...

In this episode of Mission Critical , Lance sits down with April Hicke, CEO and co-founder of Toast, the platform transforming how companies hire, retain, and empower women in tech and beyond. April shares her journey from a corporate career to launching a social enterprise that has helped women secure over $25 million in cumulative salary increases, proving that purpose-driven business and profit...

What if the most powerful way to disrupt an industry isn’t by adding more, but by removing what doesn’t belong? In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Jay Klein, founder and CEO of The PUR Company, to unpack how a single, “unsexy” decision (that is, eliminating aspartame from chewing gum) helped build one of the world’s leading better-for-you brands. Founded in Toronto in 2010,...

Prenups aren’t just for the wealthy or planning for divorce—they’re tools for everyday couples to communicate, protect, and plan for the future. In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Amanda Baron and Aimee Schalles, the lawyers and founders behind Jointly, a digital platform that makes relationship agreements accessible, practical, and approachable. Amanda and Aimee share how J...

Rami Atallah is the CEO and co-founder of SSENSE, a technology platform that focuses on nurturing emerging talent while simultaneously championing today’s most powerful and established luxury brands. What started as part of his computer engineering graduate thesis, Rami founded SSENSE alongside his brothers, Firas and Bassel, to address the needs of the new generation of consumers. They wanted to...