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

As business leaders, we bear the brunt of the stress and pressure that comes with running a company. So, many of us have the tendency to do everything on our own. However, running a business does not have to be this way. You won't be able to be an effective leader if you are overworked. Good thing you can ask for the help of a chief financial officer for your company.  Contrary to popular bel...

Your relationship with your investors shouldn’t end after you’ve successfully raised capital. It's vital to update them on the progress of your business. After all, they placed faith in you and your vision. Being proactive in letting your investors know where the money is going will build trust and strengthen investor relationships. You can do this by having a transparent and well-constructed...

As a startup company, you may choose to bootstrap your funding. In fact, some business owners find it more comfortable to do so, as was the case for Michelle Eichner and her first company. From bootstrapping her company to success, she talks about her journey to creating a financial model that works. According to Michelle, it is important to make well-researched assumptions and reasonable predicti...

There are lots of benefits to using a special purpose vehicle or SPV to raise capital. However, you undermine these advantages if you don’t familiarize yourself with its legal aspects. Handling legal affairs may be intimidating, but it is a necessary aspect of any business venture. If you want to utilize the full potential of an SPV, you need to know how to navigate its legalities. In this episode...

As a founder, you need to be strategic about your plans for startup growth. Capital raising alone won’t be the solution to your cash flow problems. Instead of focusing on this, you need to know if you’re building a sustainable and profitable business. Because no matter how successful you are at capital raising, it’s pointless if you don’t know how to deploy these resources. BoomStartup's Tara...

As a business owner, you need to raise capital to grow and scale your business. I always believe there are many different ways to raise capital. However, it is easy to get lost because of the various options. If you want to raise capital and get the flexibility to control outcomes, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) may be your answer. Today on Her CEO Journey, Katie Neilson discusses capital raising...

It takes hard work to move your purpose-driven business closer to your goal while ensuring that it’s sustainable. As you scale your business, you’ll realize that you need to be profitable to amplify your social impact mission. But before you think about capital raising, first and foremost, you need to understand why you need the extra capital.  In this episode, I discuss five misconceptions — and...

We all want what’s best for our company. However, our teams may execute things differently. Often, we see tension between our marketing and finance teams: our companies' creative and analytical branches, respectively. They may not see the eye-to-eye on the best way forward. Marketing may feel that finance is trying to cut their resources. In contrast, finance thinks that marketing is spending...

A website can be a bridge between your business and a potential client despite miles of distance. But people come from various walks of life — their abilities, needs, and wants all differ from each other. How can you pique their interest in what you have to offer?  Joining us is Alisa Herr, CEO of Unity Web Agency. Alisa starts by sharing her journey and struggles to start Unity. She aims to show...

Do you know what it takes to build a successful brand? Perhaps you're looking for some practical solutions, or maybe you're in the process of building a brand but have met roadblocks. However, if you're not actively thinking about building your brand, then it's time to start. In addition to meeting your sales goals, there's so much more you can do if you have a clear idea...

Can social impact and profit go together? Balancing the two is challenging, and many companies find themselves choosing one or the other. However, Ecosia shows that it’s possible. Ecosia is a green search engine, and they found a way to get their paid advertising revenue work for their social impact goals — planting trees in some of the harshest places around the world. In this episode, Ruby Au jo...

As a business owner, you need to understand that finance is interconnected with other business activities. A holistic approach to business finance in Toronto, Canada offers significant returns to your business. Moreover, to maximize growth, everyone in your team should be a finance ambassador. Your marketing team should know the return of investment for the growth strategies that they use. Effecti...

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “business finance”? Is it money or getting revenue and sales? That’s what many people commonly think; however, finance is more than just numbers. It is deeply tied to our purpose and operations, so much that your financial statements can tell you if your purpose and profit are misaligned. In this episode, we talk about viewing busin...

Growing a company goes beyond passion and creativity. Women of colour, in particular, are at a disadvantage when it comes to raising capital, especially in Toronto, Canada. Pushing boundaries means having confidence in your vision and understanding of financial numbers to provide investors with concrete answers about funding. Your financial numbers are not your enemy. By switching this mindset, yo...

Do you know where your business is going in a few years? Answering this question is crucial in equity crowdfunding and any capital raising. It’s not enough to know the past story (bookkeeping) and comply to pay your taxes every year. Financial forecasts are vital to show your investors that your vision is profitable and sustainable. But here's the tricky part: it's dynamic. You need to c...

Are you planning to scale your business? Perhaps you consider equity crowdfunding as a way to raise capital. While equity crowdfunding can help your business grow, first understand if equity crowdfunding can benefit your business. Furthermore, you have to be knowledgeable of the different sides of this capital raising, including the legal side.  In this episode, Julie Bogle, an attorney from the C...

As mission-driven female entrepreneurs, we know our companies inside and out. But do we know everything we need for growth? How much is your business worth? Can you really do everything alone? Do you have all the data you need? In this episode, FrontFundr's Jaime McNally joins us to share the processes FrontFundr's Venture team executes to help companies raise capital. She also discusses...

As frustrating as it may seem, the reality is female business founders are significantly underfunded compared to male founders. Equity crowdfunding helps build community and excitement around a business. In this episode of Her CEO Journey, Trieste Reading talks about effective marketing for equity crowdfunding. She introduces FrontFundr, a platform you can use to raise capital for your mission-dri...

What does it take to turn your business into a force for good? To start, you need to have a powerful mission. You also need to offer services and products that help people. And you need to make a profit to affect change. But that’s not all. You also need to incorporate sustainability into your business model and practices. Making your business more sustainable isn’t easy, but it is possible—especi...

What qualities do you need to make a difference in the world? Obviously, you need passion, motivation, and persistence, but you also need something else. Adaptability. To make a true impact with your business, you have to be prepared to adapt your mission and goals. That’s what Cory Ames and Annie Bright did with their company, Grow Ensemble. What started as a digital marketing agency for business...

Business owners are told we can’t have it all. You can’t give back and increase your profits. You can’t devote your attention to your customers and take good care of your employees. You can’t have a socially-driven business that actually makes good money. Right? Wrong. The truth is: your business can do it all. You can be a force for good and still grow your profits. All it takes is a little extra...

Why did you start your business? Were you motivated to make more money? Were you eager to explore a new career path? Or were you driven by a powerful purpose? If you built your business with the goal of creating positive change, becoming a certified B-Corp could help you on your mission. B-Corp companies are businesses founded on a larger purpose. They’re businesses that care about their impact. A...

There’s one tool every entrepreneur needs to maintain growth and success. It’s not a special skill or an expensive product or even a team of amazing people. It’s accessible to everyone—at any time. The tool is simply the willingness to keep learning . After creating 100 episodes for this podcast, I’ve learned an enormous amount about what it takes to succeed in business while also creating a power...

When you think about your business’s impact, you’re probably focused on the services or products you provide. But that’s not the only area where you have the power to make a difference. How you brand and market your business matters just as much as what you offer your customers. No one knows that better than Sian Conway, an ethical marketing strategist and founder of Ethical Hour, who’s changing t...

Does your business have a global impact? No matter how small your operation is—or how local—you have the power to make a difference on a global scale. You don’t have to change your mission, your customers, or even your location. You just have to be intentional about what you do with your time and money. That’s what Stacey Kehoe realized when she started her company nearly a decade ago with a goal...