The SBCN Small Biz Podcast

Linda Ockwell-Jenner interviews Kevin Trujillo, a mortgage agent, about his fulfilling career pivot from accounting. He explains that he finds fulfillment by combining financial expertise with relationship building, emphasizing that helping people guides his decisions. Linda reinforces this message, stressing that authentic networking and trust—not just sales—drive success in business. They discus...

Linda Ockwell-Jenner and Opeyemi (Yemi) Okunbor discussed the importance of financial planning, particularly for immigrants and young adults who may not receive adequate guidance. Yemi explains her business, Experior Financial, which helps individuals, families, and businesses build a stronger financial foundation through protection, debt strategies, and long-term planning. She highlights a common...

SBCN Co-Founder and host of the Small Biz Podcast Linda Ockwell-Jenner interviews Janet Benedict about her new "Diaries" project, which empowers seniors to share their life stories and wisdom. Alongside her 'Diaries' partner Will, Janet uses Substack to publish free, short stories from the senior community. The initiative preserves valuable memories and nostalgia. Janet plans to compile these stor...

Linda Ockwell-Jenner hosts Chris May, who discusses Service IQ, his consulting firm for small trades businesses. Chris helps owner-operators map their workflow and information flow to identify inefficiencies, risks, and opportunities. The pair discuss how implementing small process changes saves massive time and boosts profit. Chris emphasizes that networking and authenticity drive his success, ad...

Joining Linda Ockwell-Jenner this week... Ian Inglis, a RE/MAX agent and SBCN Member Expert discusses the current state of the real estate market, primarily focusing on the impact of the unusually prolonged winter on the spring market. He notes that the typical spring surge hasn’t materialized due to severe weather conditions and broader global events impacting buyer confidence. While entry-level...

Glenn Poulos, the president of ProgUSA, joins Linda Ockwell-Jenner on the SBCN Small Biz Podcast to share tips for growing small businesses. He emphasizes four key areas: showing up creates opportunity, building relationships over transactions, protecting margins, and consistently bringing value to the conversation. Glenn stresses the importance of understanding a client’s needs, advocating for sp...

Peter Piluk, from Creative Minds Accounting, discusses his networking journey over 30 years, emphasizing its crucial role in his business success. He highlights two key networking types: connecting with potential clients and building relationships with industry peers. Peter shares anecdotes, like securing a major software development contract through a referral from a network administrator, demons...

Linda Ockwell-Jenner interviews SBCN member expert: Peter Piluk, Creative Minds Accounting's founder, on small business tax tips. Peter emphasizes the correct tax order: current payroll taxes first, followed by HST, then income taxes. He warns against common mistakes like claiming non-eligible expenses (e.g., clothing) and stresses the importance of keeping digital and physical receipts. Peter sha...

Ashley Griffin, our Member Expert, and a network specialist operating under the company Griffcomm Inc. in Canada, discusses Voice over IP (VoIP) with SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner. VoIP, essentially a technology replacing traditional phone systems, allows for internet-based calls. Initially developed in the late 1990s, it faced challenges due to slow network speeds – around 10 megabits per...

One of our podcast experts, Peter Piluk and SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner discuss the increasing use of AI in accounting, particularly for small firms like theirs. Peter explains how he and his wife use AI for research, refining financial tasks, and even proofreading his LinkedIn posts – which are surprisingly successful. He highlights AI’s strength in following rules, like accurately posti...

Andrew Leith, an SBCN Member expert, joins SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner. He emphasizes the crucial connection between company culture and revenue, comparing it to personal well-being – a negative mindset hinders performance. Andrew highlights the importance of fostering a positive environment through focusing on people, processes, and products, ensuring employees feel valued and have a voi...

The SBCN’s Linda Ockwell-Jenner and Ashley Griffin from Griffcom discussed VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), explaining their importance for small businesses, particularly those with remote workers. A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection between a device and an office, protecting data when accessing it remotely. While VPNs have been around for decades, mobile VPN technology has become more pr...

In this episode of the SBCN Small Biz Podcast, host Linda Ockwell-Jenner interviews entrepreneur Glenn Poulos, who shares his experience transitioning from a 15-year Canadian business to a new venture, Prog USA, in Florida. Glenn emphasizes the mindset of an entrepreneur – prioritizing ideas and ownership over rigid processes – and offers practical advice like focusing on a minimum viable product,...

In this Small Biz Podcast episode, realtor Ian Inglis joins Linda Ockwell-Jenner to provide an update on the Canadian housing market as of January 2026. He notes a 6% price decline in 2025, driven by increased inventory and explains that condo prices saw a sharper drop. Ian forecasts a relatively stable market in 2026 with potential price increases in the second half of the year, influenced by ant...

Andrew Leith, the founder of Octant Executive Advisory Group, discusses his business focusing on revenue strategy and leadership development, stemming from his corporate experience in rapid scaling software companies. He emphasizes the importance of understanding diverse thinking styles, particularly neurodivergent individuals, and encouraging leaders to truly empower their employees by allowing t...

This episode underscores the critical need for proactive communication between small business owners and their accountants, moving beyond just tax season preparations. It emphasizes thorough vetting of potential advisors, particularly in the age of AI, and highlights the value of a trusted, ongoing advisory relationship. The conversation stresses regular check-ins, practical advice like scheduling...

In this episode, Ashley from Griffcom highlights the critical need for small business owners to understand their IT infrastructure, specifically emphasizing the importance of robust firewalls and smart technology investments. He strongly advises against purchasing inexpensive retail laptops, recommending instead durable, higher-quality models like Lenovo corporate, which offer a better long-term r...

This episode of the Small Biz Podcast introduces Ian Inglis, a realtor with Remax, providing the first in a series of ongoing updates on the housing market in Waterloo Region, Ontario. He discusses current affordability challenges, noting factors like interest rates, prices, and consumer confidence impacting the market. He highlights a buyer’s market with 70% of sales below $750,000, and addresses...

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is joined by Wendy Rovers of Redefining Relationships, who helps people understand what is important in their relationships and how the mind works.

Get ready for a partner-ific conversation! Linda and Dave Ockwell-Jenner, the dynamic duo behind SBCN, spill the tea on what makes a successful partnership. With over two decades of experience watching partnerships come together (and sometimes fall apart), they're sharing their top tips for making it work! Join our hosts as they dish out the secrets to building a strong, lasting partnership - whet...

Linda Ockwell-Jenner welcomes back Tom Reilly on today’s episode of the SBCN Small Biz Podcast. Tom and Linda discuss the difference between Influence and Persuasion.

Andrew Leith, President & Founder of Octant Executive Advisory Group joins SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner. Andrew has had a distinguished career in sales roles and his journey brought him to realize the differences in leadership for neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. His work now helps leaders enhance their impact through better understanding the individuals in their teams.

SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner is joined by Tom Reilly from Reilly Sales Consulting to talk about non-verbal communication. There so much that’s ‘unsaid’ that we can pick up on to help understand those who we’re interacting with.

SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner is joined by a new SBCN member, April Patterson. April runs a bookkeeping and tax preparation business with a special focus on helping neurodiverse business owners find less stress in the numbers. April discusses her family’s personal experience with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how these play into her a...

Ashley Griffin, IT expert, owner of GRIFFCOMM (and fellow Brit) joins SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner in today’s episode. We hear Ashley’s early days of getting into the computer and technology field, and how he brings a fair and honest approach for his customers.