The Finance Cafe

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Amal Assad, Entrepreneur & Business Consultant, to discuss her top tips for helping entrepreneurs with their ongoing financial management including saving, taxes, subscriptions & more, backing up your financial/proprietary data, and budgeting as a business owner. Amal is a CPA with over 20 years of experience serving small business owners with thei...

In this episode, Shauna will sit down with LuAnne Morrow, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP to discuss what intellectual property is, how to protect your IP, and why it’s important. Learn about the difference between a patent, trademark, industrial design, copyright and trade secret, and everything you need to know about protecting them in your business. As a lawyer of over...

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Anna Sinclair, an award-winning entrepreneur, early-stage investor and CEO of Total Mom Inc, to discuss the important conversations women entrepreneurs should have when entering into business with a partner, considerations to make when choosing a business partner, key people to connect with when starting your business, and much more. Anna produced Canada’s...

In this episode, Shauna will sit down with Milena Radakovic, a Canadian Ambassador of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization of Canada. With Women's Entrepreneurship Day taking place on November 19th, we will be discussing what WEDO Canada does, why it’s important to celebrate women entrepreneurs, key items to consider when entering entrepreneurship, many resources that are available, and m...

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Brooke Harley, Founder & CEO of ClassRebel, to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about fundraising. ClassRebel is building a new breed of education company – modern skillsets – taught live – affordable to all – available to all. Before launching ClassRebel, Brooke Harley raised $32 million for her VC fund from 50 consumer industry founders,...

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Brianna Blaney and Aria Hahn, Co-founders of Pocketed, to discuss what entrepreneurs and business owners should know about accessing grants. Pocketed’s mission is to eliminate financial barriers for businesses. They thrive on simplifying access to capital. Thier user-focused platform was built to make funding your business a smooth, intuitive journey. In t...

In this episode Shannon will sit down with Meryl Kaye De Leon, the Founder & Managing Partner of PERA Growth Hub, a financial services and consulting firm based in Vancouver, BC. They will be discussing what access to capital really means & why it’s one of the biggest barriers for entrepreneurs, how gender and other identities play a role in accessing capital, common forms of financing and...

In this episode Shannon will sit down with Amy Siu, Manager of the Entrepreneurship Center at BDC, to discuss what you should be looking for in a banker as an entrepreneur, how to build a relationship with a banker, the 3 C’s of credit, what to know about accessing loans, and more. Be prepared for your next meeting with the bank by listening to this episode! Amy Siu’s Chinese name is Yin Ling, nam...

In this episode Shannon will sit down with Karen Bird, Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities, to discuss the important role our business plays in our financial future. Karen will share insights and advice on the importance of aligning our personal and business financial goals, why being financially independent is vital for our health & wellness, gender differences when it comes to mo...

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Ellen Rogin, Speaker, Money Expert, and NYT Bestselling Author, to discuss how gratitude can impact not only how we live our personal lives but also how we run our business. Ellen will be sharing insights into how gratitude relates to our decision-making, our money mindset, and our overall happiness, along with giving tips on how you can start your own gra...

In this episode Shannon will sit down with Tara Adams, Founder of Abridge Consulting and Workplace Mental Health Specialist to discuss how our financial wellness and mental health are connected, why it’s so difficult to talk about money, why financial stress is found to be higher in women than men, what mental wellness warning signs to look out for & tips for building financial wellness as an...

In this episode Shannon will sit down with Stephanie Fontaine, the Regional Director for Canada and the US at WEConnect International, to discuss the importance of inclusive supply chains, connecting access to capital for women-owned businesses, barriers women-owned businesses face and how we can drive change to move the needle. WEConnect International is a global organization whose mission is to...

In this episode Shauna will sit down with Taheera Fidaali, Founder, Tula CPA, to provide tangible tools & actions women entrepreneurs can take with respect to rising interest and inflation rates along with tips to prepare for a recession as a small business. They will be discussing the implications these situations could have on a small business in an easily digestible way while giving key ins...

In this episode, Shauna sits down with Alicia Fowler to discuss setting goals for your business and how to set your business up for success as we head into Q4. Alicia is the owner of MOD Accounting & Tax, a feminist online accounting firm supporting impact-driven business leaders in accounting, tax, fractional CFO, and back office services. She shares her key tips for setting business goals an...

In this episode, Shannon sits down with Danièle Henkel to talk about her career in entrepreneurship. Shannon gets personal with Danièle, who shares her journey from humble beginnings to entrepreneurial success. From talking about money mindset to building resilience, to financial growth and growing into a multi-million dollar success story, Danièle will leave you inspired and ready to embrace all...

In this episode Shauna sits down with Shelvie Fernan & Victoria Celi , the Co-Founders of Fly and Fetch to talk about how they are optimizing technology to provide up to 80% cheaper and 2x faster international shipping. Fly and Fetch is a start-up company based in Edmonton, Canada with a mission to provide affordable and reliable international shipping, by hiring travelers to transport package...

In this episode, Shannon sits down with Indigenous entrepreneur, Moirae Choquette, founder of Tomato Wheels to talk about how she’s creating a lifestyle brand, rethinking the wine space, and introducing Tomato Wheels Lambrusco.  Moirae Choquette is an Indigenous Entrepreneur, on a mission to use business as a force for good.  Three areas of strength drive her work as a leader in the mark...

In this episode, Shannon sits down with Lori Suba and Laurae Spindler of Scout Real Estate to talk about the ins and outs of leasing a bricks and mortar space.  Shannon, Lori and Laurae discuss what you need to look for in a lease, how a landlord assesses you and your business, the financial considerations you need to consider before signing on the dotted line and their best tips for finding...

Have you ever thought of buying a business? In this episode The Finance Cafe co-founder and podcast host, Shannon Pestun, explores another avenue to entrepreneurship.  According to her guest, Elizabeth MacRae, buying a business is an excellent career path option for people in the small business space and an investment path that can be a real avenue to financial freedom.  MacRae shares ho...

On top of the day to day tasks of running a business, entrepreneurs need to stay on top of bookkeeping and accounting.  In this weeks episode, co-host Shauna Frederick, talks to Cloud Accounting Specialist and Founder of Accounting by Sal, Sal Razai to help you understand how it impacts your business and all the right questions to ask. Shauna and Sal discuss the difference between an accounta...

In this week's episode, The Finance Cafe's, Shauna Frederick is joined by Road Coffee Co. founder and CEO, Alisha Esmail.   This episode is jam packed with feel good inspiration and practical insights for every women entrepreneur. Shauna and Alisha talk about the connection between financial literacy and confidence.  Alisha shares how that confidence empowered her to pitch her business s...

In this episode co-founder of The Finance Cafe, Shauna Frederick, talks with fellow CFO, Winnie Leung of Moneris Solutions, about the importance of simplifying the numbers, including tips and advice for things to consider when looking for a payment/merchant provider and how it can benefit your business.    For the majority of women entrepreneurs ,the impetus to go into business is born b...

In this delicious episode, Co-founder of The Finance Cafe, Shannon Pestun sits down with Lori Joyce to talk about her company Betterwith . What it’s like to work with co-packers, the challenges of raising capital and why she chose to pursue a crowdfunding campaign.  We love Lori’s openness to share her story, her experience, her wins, losses and dreams for the future.  Lori Joyce has ove...

Women-owned businesses are behind some of the most innovative, game-changing products and services on the market, driving industry trends, reinventing product categories and changing the way the world embraces entrepreneurship. But despite their impact, barriers continue to persist.  In this episode, Shannon , co-founder of The Finance Cafe , sits down with Dr. Wendy Cukier of the Women Entre...

The full and equal participation of women in the economy is not just the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do. Studies show that by advancing gender equality and women's participation in the economy, Canada could add up to $150 billion in GDP. Only 16% of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are owned by women, and the Government of Canada is working to change that. The government i...