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

This past June, Tara McMullin, Founder of the What Works Network gathered the global community of small business owners to talk about the ways that money shapes our businesses, our lives, and our communities in the Money & The New Economy Virtual Conference.  I was invited to join a panel with other women led-businesses, Lauren Caseli, and Susan Boles to talk about our money mindset and belief...

Every business owner shares one key trait. Despite what you may think, that key trait isn’t determination, intelligence, or even creativity.  So, what is it? Resourcefulness.  Growing a business means you have to search for answers and solutions in every possible place. That’s exactly what Ceata and Garrett Lash have done to build their company, PuffCuff.  In this week’s episode, I interview the c...

How do you turn an idea into a bestselling product?  There’s no straightforward path to success, but there are a couple essential tools you need in your back pockets. Among them? Strategy and financing.  Entrepreneur Lauren Picasso relied on multiple types of financing—along with her passion and business intelligence—to launch her brand.  Today, I interview Lauren about her company, Cure Hydration...

What does it take to create powerful change? To disrupt an entire industry? To improve the lives of people in every corner of the globe?  The simple answer: innovation. The more complicated answer, however, is a mix of innovation, strategy, adaptability, experimentation, and commitment to social change.  That’s what entrepreneur and innovator Brandi DeCarli tapped into when she set out to disrupt...

What do you need to start a successful business? Is it business experience, determination, or financing?  Neige and Pippa Blair would argue it’s passion. If you’re passionate about the products and services you put into the world, everything else just details.  Today, I talk with the two sisters and entrepreneurs about what it takes to launch an idea, grow a company, and survive difficult times. Y...

This week I talk with CEO and innovator Kim Aitken about how business owners can prioritize profit and social change. We discuss what it takes to finance capital-intensive businesses, how women entrepreneurs can take advantage of community financing opportunities, and why exporting can help you grow your business. Kim Aitken is the founder and CEO of Aitken Frame Homes and Aitken Innovations Inc....

This week I chat with the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, about the importance of expanding opportunities and resources for women business owners. We discuss the Canadian government’s funding initiatives and goals in the wake of COVID-19, why women entrepreneurs have faced more challenges during this pandemic, and the importance of pushing...

This week I talk to Toni Desrosiers about the balance between creating a solid revenue stream with maintaining strong social values and financial approach that is best suited to your business. We also discuss the responsibilities of receiving grant money, the journey of finding a market for your product, and how employees' equality has played a key role in the company culture at Abeego.  Toni...

This week I talk with entrepreneur Emily Kerr about debt financing during the COVID-19 crisis. We discuss why women business owners have historically resorted to using personal resources to grow their operations, how cash flow plays a role in business growth, and how you can take advantage of bank loans if you’re struggling during a crisis.  Emily Kerr is a successful entrepreneur with a passion f...

Karen Fournier is COO of Fundingportal, Canada's leading grant services, and solutions provider. Prior to joining Fundingportal's founding team, she was a parliamentary reporter in Ottawa and a weekly columnist for the Financial Post. Karen now works with hundreds of companies every month, primarily in the advanced R&D sector, to get funded.  Don’t miss to listen to my conversation w...

Rachel Hersh is the Sales Director, North America for Prestige Capital. She has over 20 years of experience as a financial executive in the areas of commercial finance, factoring industry, and business development. Rachel has a successful track record of industry competence, familiarity with commercial finance industry aspects, and working with hundreds of companies. From start-ups to high-growth...

Laura Didyk is Vice President and National Lead Women Entrepreneurs at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). In this newly created role, she leads the bank’s national strategy to support Canadian women entrepreneurs and ensures that strategy is integrated across the entire bank. BDC is the only Canadian financial institution devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs to help create and develop...

Starting from April 24, 2020, many financial institutions are accepting the application of the Business Development of Canada (BDC) Co-Lending under the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP).  This bonus episode helps you to understand the details of this program, so you have the basic knowledge when you speak to the financial institution.  In this bonus episode,  I shared the following:  1....

Jennifer Cooke is the Corporate Lead for Women in Trade at Export Development of Canada (EDC). In her role, she is focused specifically on helping more women entrepreneurs export to grow their business. Working directly, as well as through key partners, EDC is offering specialized trade knowledge, facilitating trade with financing and insurance, and providing connections to enable companies to go,...

What Key Questions Do I Need to Ask Before I Enter Into A Business Debt Agreement? A question being asked by one of the listeners of Her CEO Journey: The Business Finance Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs. Far too often, small businesses enter into debt financing without asking these 7 questions. Instead of surviving, their business is buried under the mountain of debts.  Debt financing can help you...

Wendy Cai-Lee is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Piermont Bank, a next-generation bank that focuses on accelerating growth for entrepreneurs. It is the first bank to open in New York State since 2008. As a successful entrepreneur and executive, Wendy has 25 years of management and business-building experience in commercial and consumer banking, mergers & acquisitions, and cross-bo...

Carol Normandeau is an Executive Vice President, Advice and Service at Libro Credit Union. She participates in the development of corporate strategies and provides leadership on Libro’s Community Banking, Business Banking, and Wealth Management Strategies. This includes the overall owner advice, coaching, and service experience at all Libro locations across southwestern Ontario, including the Cont...

Christine Chang spent 25 years in the alternative credit sector at companies such as Charles River, Credit Suisse, and New York Private Bank & Trust, prior to becoming the CEO of 6th Avenue Capital, a company that truly understands the importance of alternative credit and provides secure and equitable access to capital to entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses. 6th Avenue Capital helps...

As of April 20, 2020, these financial institutions are accepting the application for Export Development of Canada (EDC) Loan Guarantee under the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP): Scotiabank , National Bank of Canada , Bank of Montreal . If you are a business client of these financial institutions, then reach out to your business account manager.  In this bonus episode,  I shared the fol...

Kathryn Schifferle is the founder and CEO of Work Truck Solutions and Comvoy. She founded Work Truck Solution in 2012, a cloud-based solution to help automotive dealers stock and market the right work truck online, and meet work truck buyers' needs. It serves over 800 dealers across the U.S. and is growing rapidly. Comvoy is the first and only structured, searchable marketplace for work-ready...

*UPDATE - A change in the eligibility criteria* As of April 16, 2020, organizations will need to demonstrate they paid between $20,000 to $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019. When this podcast was released, an organization that paid a total payroll in 2019 between $50,000 to $1 million . On Thursday, April 9, 2020, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Pro...

With billions of dollars offered by the government in the US and Canada, do you know what your company’s needs are? Which government program or combination of programs best suited for your company’s needs? Should you apply and take this financing program? Before you take the money from any of this financing program, answer a list of questions in this bonus episode. I shared the following: 1. Canad...

Jill Earthy is an entrepreneurially minded leader who believes diversity drives innovation and recently, she was recognized by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion award as a Community Champion, by Business in Vancouver as an Influential Woman in Business and by WXN as one the Top 100 most powerful women in Canada in 2019. She is Principal of Risery, a boutique advisory firm advancing t...

Kathryn Petralia is the President and Co-Founder of Kabbage, leading global financial services, cash-flow technology and data platform for small businesses. Before co-founding Kabbage, Kathryn spent nearly 15 years working with large and small companies focused on credit, payments, and e-commerce. After graduating from Furman University with an English degree, Kathryn pursued her interest in techn...

As entrepreneurs, it’s expected there will be times where everything is going well and times where we are dealing with a high degree of uncertainty and fear of a decline in revenue, profit and cash flow.  It doesn’t matter if you are a large, medium or small business, you will learn, in an uncertain situation, a CEO must understand the business financial numbers to figure out new strategies to dep...