The Karmali Exchange

As you head into a new fiscal year, take a moment to refocus on what really drives your business forward: your financials. In this special episode of The Karmali Exchange, we’ve compiled five standout moments to help you kickstart your fiscal mindset and lead your business with clarity and confidence. From margins to metrics, these leaders share how understanding your numbers shapes better d...

Joseph “JD” Dubois has lived through two serious motorcycle accidents, but instead of walking away from riding, he leaned in and built a business around it. In this episode of The Karmali Exchange, JD shares how resilience, passion, and “throttle therapy” inspired him to create Freedom Biker Tours - a company that’s as much about authenticity and brotherhood as it is...

What does it take to build a chocolate empire from a condo kitchen? Jake Karls, co-founder of Mid-Day Squares, joins Faisal Karmali to share the raw and emotional journey of scaling a startup from 50 handmade bars a day to over 135,000. Building a business with family brought both joy and tension and Jake quickly realized that success meant more than just strong numbers. It meant strong relationsh...

Adrienne Furrie cracked the code. While competitors chase every trend, she built something different - a trusted beauty brand that puts people first and grows sustainably. In this episode of The Karmali Exchange, discover how a childhood moment with a purple crayon became her business blueprint, why staying in Calgary was her secret weapon (not Toronto or Vancouver!), the "permission to grow" mind...

Andrea Mandel-Campbell joins Faisal Karmali for a deep dive into why so many Canadian companies, especially small and homegrown businesses, have never even thought about expanding beyond our borders. They talk about the red tape, the lack of a global mindset, and how our own policies and attitudes are holding entrepreneurs back. If you’ve ever wondered why Canadian small businesses struggle...

On this episode of The Karmali Exchange, Wendy Bélanger, a serial entrepreneur and international hair fashion designer, discusses the importance of customer experience in the service industry. She emphasizes that pricing should reflect skill level, demand, and the unique value provided. Wendy's salon offers a high-end experience, including a welcoming team, personalized service, and attenti...

In this episode of The Karmali Exchange, host Faisal Karmali speaks with Judy Wilkins-Smith, author of Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint, about how inherited patterns from our DNA shape our personal and financial lives. Judy shares insights from The Hidden Laws of Money, revealing how unconscious beliefs about wealth are passed down through generations and influence financial success. She also exp...

What happens when brilliant minds come together?  Creativity explodes! In this episode, we’re diving deep into the power of collaboration with my guest Catherine Bell, Founder/Author of The Awakened Company. We explore how working with others can spark fresh ideas, fuel innovation, and push boundaries like never before. Whether you're an entrepreneur, creator, or business leader, master...

Welcome to BraTopia: the largest luxury lingerie and swimwear company in Calgary. Whether you're totally comfortable being surrounded by all things lacy, or if (like me) you blush just walking through the doors, this episode has something for everybody. I talked to Founder & CEO Colette Hamon about breaking down your customer's psychological barriers, responding to negative reviews, the 'Ozemp...

Let’s face it . . . there’s a lot of shady shit out there. Enter the Better Business Bureau. For over 100 years, they have empowered consumers to find companies they trust. Their stamp approval is only given to businesses that show the highest commitment to integrity, ethical business practices, and customer service. But at a time when finding a trustworthy business is only a Google search away, i...

“Entrepreneurship sounds sexy, but it’s a learning process.” - Zahra Al-Harazi, founder and CEO of Skillit, author, speaker, and consultant. And there’s no guidebook. You’re going to love this guest. Zahra is an immigrant to Canada who established herself as one of the most powerful female entrepreneurs in this country. We talk about key competencies for entrepreneurs, what true grit really means,...

Meet Dr. Bill Cherniak, Emergency Room Physician and CEO & Founder of Rocket Doctor. He's the future of healthcare. In his words, "It took a global pandemic to pull medicine kicking and screaming out of the dark ages and into the 21st century." Now, his virtual platform connects patients to physicians . . . right from the comfort of their own home. We talk about pioneering a new way to do busi...

A recent survey says that 75% of business owners are optimistic about the future of their business. But if I’m being honest . . . I’m not sure if I buy it. In this episode, I sit down with Andreea Bourgeois, Director of Economics with CFIB, to discuss the future of business and how to actually measure optimism. We talk about the COVID benchmark, going with your gut, and getting creative about runn...

Going green is all the rage . . . but is it everything it’s cracked up to be? It’s a question I wanted to ask Jess Douglas, CEO and Director of Green Impact Partners Inc., in the latest episode of The Karmali Exchange. His answer? “If you do the right thing profitably, you can do it for a long time.” Our conversation covers a lot of ground including the importance of education, how to challenge th...

What does it mean to be a 'Keeper of the Brand'? It means looking out for opportunities to promote your business. It means being good at crisis management. It means protecting your company through the good and the bad. In this episode, I talk to PR expert Paula Worthington about communicating your company's values, responding to criticism, and the dos and don'ts of building your brand. See omnystu...

What are the issues that matter to entrepreneurs? Carbon tax. CEBA loans. Universal basic income. And who better to talk about them than Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the CFIB? So if you feel like the government is giving business owners the stick without the carrot, listen to this episode to find out what to do about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can you learn anything about running your business from a charity? The fact is that charities and non-profits are some of the most entrepreneurial and innovative organizations out there. They have to think outside the box when it comes to generating the funds they need to achieve their mission and serve our communities. That's why I'm excited about my guest, Sharon Hapton. Sharon is the founder an...

Finding your purpose as an entrepreneur. It’s easier said than done. But purpose is one of the 5Ps that separate the business owners who make it from the ones who don’t. Who better to talk about it than the founder and CEO of Purpose Investments, Som Seif?  Som is one of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs in the financial service industry. Before he turned 40, he founded a successful company, was forc...

'Calm down' . . . 'Don't let your true feelings show' . . . 'Don't let emotions cloud your judgement' . . . As business owners, we hear stuff like this all the time. These kinds of comments make it seem like emotions are a weakness. But the fact is business owners aren't robots. We're thinking, feeling, physical people. Take one of those elements away and you're not seeing the whole picture. As my...

I had the amazing opportunity to speak at CN! Magazine's Annual Mental Health Summit. I got vulnerable in a conversation with Jade Alberts and Tyler Chisholm about my struggle with imposter syndrome, learning to take care of myself so I can take care of others, and finding that elusive balance between giving and receiving help. Thank you so much to Krista Malden for organizing the event and inviti...

Had the pleasure of talking to Mike Cottingham of Razor Sharp Consulting and it was an amazing conversation. We talked about how he turned his side business into his full time job. We also took comments from YOU, the audience, and chatted about it See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can have an innovative idea. You can have passion. But if you're not getting paid, you don't have a sustainable business. If you want to learn how to make it even easier to get paid, this episode is for you! I talk to Leo Bailey, Client Partnership and SMB Director at Interac Corp, and David Nagy, Founder of eCommerce Canada, about what they're doing to help business owners navigate the world...

Who is Catherine Bell? Catherine Bell is the author of The Awakened Company. She was awarded the Nautilus Book Award in Business and Leadership and became a best seller just one week after its release. As CEO and founder of her consulting firm, Catherine works with companies all over the world. She was named as one of the top 10 "innovative CEOs revamping the future" by Inc. Magazine and uses her...

Picture this: you hire a temporary replacement for you maternity leave and you love your new hire. But your staff is divided. Some of them like the new hire, some prefer the old ways of doing things. Your employee is returning from maternity leave but you don't have the budget to keep both of them... We chatted about this at the last Exchange x Joydrop event and it was incredibly insightful.  See...

Working with people is not black and white. In the last Exchange x Joydrop event, we got into an AMAZING discussion about what it means to work with your employees and manage performance.  It's so important to stay curious about your employees. When there is a staff member who isn't performing, sometimes we have to look at ourselves.  Shashi Behl , Founder, Joydrop Leona Moser , HR Director, Forwa...