Business

Learn how Elle AyoubZadeh operates a local business with global vision and mission

Elle AyoubZadeh is Zvelle Founder and Creative Director. Elle is a bold, ambitious Canadian entrepreneur, and a woman of colour who has founded a local business with a global mission and vision. She has had the grit to persevere in the finance industry as a woman and visible minority, and later dive into the world of entrepreneurship challenging us to rethink how fashion should portray female beauty and achievement. Zvelle has enjoyed commercial success and Zvelle’s shoes have been spotted on public figures from Sophie Trudeau to Bella Hadid.

This year Minister Chrystia Freeland purchased Zvelle shoes to wear to budget day. Read more at Toronto Star.


Stay subscribed and hit the bell icon to be notified of our upcoming podcast with Commissioner Matthew Boswell of the Competition Bureau.

Hear about competition and marketing rules every business should know.

Click here to learn more about creating an effective compliance program.


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Les petits gestes comptent!

Gabriella Gerbasi est Directrice Marketing et Vente USA chez WATERAX depuis presque 8 ans. Gabriella vient tout juste d’être transféré aux Etats-Unis afin de développer le réseau de distribution de l’entreprise dans le marché Américain en préparation au lancement de la MARK-3 Édition Watson, une nouvelle pompe à incendie portative qui va changer la façon de combattre les feux de forêt pour des décennies à venir. Gabriella a toujours été motivée par la mission de WATERAX dû à sa passion pour les océans et la plongée sous-marine, car lorsqu’un arbre brûle le CO2 retenu depuis des centaines d’années et libéré dans l’atmosphère ce qui a un impact direct sur les océans en changeant le pH de l’eau et en causant la perte de coraux et la perturbation de l’écosystème marin.

WATERAX est une PME montréalaise de plus de 120 ans et d’environ 50 employés, spécialisée dans la fabrication de pompes à incendies portatives pour les pompiers forestiers. Le but premier est de lutter contre les feux qui ravagent les forêts à travers le monde, et ainsi protéger les communautés, ressources naturelles et de sauver des vies.


Restez abonné et cliquez sur l’icône de la cloche pour être avisé de notre prochain podcast avec le sous-commissaire Anthony Durocher du Bureau de la concurrence Canada.

Découvrez les règles de la concurrence et du marketing que toutes les entreprises devraient connaître.

Apprenez-en plus à http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/fra/h_04456.html


Les entrepreneurs sont l’épine dorsale de l’économie canadienne.

Pour soutenir les entreprises canadiennes, abonnez-vous à notre chaîne YouTube et suivez-nous sur Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn et Twitter.

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Helping entrepreneurs realize their full potential by developing the person behind the title

Terri-Ann Richards (www.terriannrichards.com) helps entrepreneurs and leaders realize their full potential by developing the person behind the title.

Leadership transformation and true life success begins on the inside first.

She is a 16+ year serial entrepreneur, starting in business at just 18 years old.

Terri-Ann has built six-figure businesses, bought, sold, and partnered in over 8 companies, all while raising two beautiful children.

She is a Graduate of the Wallace McCain Institute’s, Entrepreneurial Leaders Program, Certified by MHS as a EQi-2.0 Emotional Intelligence Assessor and Facilitator, Certified by the William Glasser Institute in both Choice Theory and Reality Therapy, a Certified Personality Dimensions Trainer and Facilitator, and a Certified Coach.

TA’s superpower is cutting through fluff, finding tactics and hacks in developing the full human, maximizing potential, and showing leaders how to leverage their unique superpowers.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Annabelle Mastalic went from trained nurse to interior designer in pursuit of her passions

Based in Calgary, Alberta – Annabelle Mastalic officially launched ADM Interiors in May of 2019. With 17 years of experience as a trained nurse, Annabelle transitioned to interior design, leaning into two of her passions, a love for minimalism and a life-long fascination for design.

Because of her background, she brings a unique lens in her approach to designing spaces that are both beautiful, but also take her client’s health and wellness needs into consideration. Through her medical training, she is able to identify solutions and prompt conversations with clients to consider how they can bring wellness to the forefront of their homes and designs.

She is the first designer in Alberta to become a Certified Living In Place Professional (CLIPP) from the Living in Place Institute (Living In Place focuses on making all homes accessible to people of every age and ability, including helping seniors to age in place) and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) from the National Association of Home Builders. Both designations enable her to identify and offer solutions for home accessibility, comfort, and safety in every home.

Annabelle’s timeless aesthetic and ‘less is more’ design approach/philosophy, focuses on removing daily burdens to create functional spaces that allow people to live with ease, comfort and beauty. Her designs are inspired by three core values – wellbeing, minimalism, and bringing the homeowner’s story to the forefront of the designs. Especially as we have spent more time at home over the past year, she is passionate about designing homes that are beautiful, meaningful, and are spaces where we can live well and thrive.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Paula is a storyteller and tells us about the importance of PR, social media and brand strategy

A respected entrepreneur and communicator, Paula Worthington is the founder and principal of Worthington PR & Story, a Calgary-based communications agency specializing in public relations, social media and brand strategy.

She launched Worthington PR & Story in early 2018. The agency’s current client roster includes a who’s who of Alberta businesses, including Calgary Co-op, ATCO, University of Calgary Properties Group and Parks Foundation Calgary.

Worthington PR & Story services include public relations, strategic communications, media relations, media training, issues management, social media strategy, project management, content writing, influencer campaigns, event management and marketing.

The agency also supports changemakers, social enterprises and charities in the community through an agency division called Noble Arrow Projects. Current clients include the Women In Need Society, Paul Brandt’s #NotInMyCity anti-human trafficking movement and the Quinterra Legacy Garden.

Paula is a storyteller at heart. Occasionally, you can find Paula travelling the globe as a notable freelance writer and photographer, with her work appearing in national newspapers and magazines. The yellow arrow in her logo was inspired by her travels (on foot), following a little yellow arrow several hundred kilometres across Spain. She never forgot the power and importance of having wayfinders in order to accomplish our goals.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Building a sustainable, competitive, and resilient world with technology

Jenelle Sobey is motivated to build a sustainable, competitive, and resilient world and believes the tech sector enables and scales those solutions to achieve that.

Jenelle is a co-founder and CEO at RIDDL, a tool that tracks, manages, and measures ESGs, impact investments, and quantifies returns.

Partner and former Managing Partner of Code + Mortar (norex.ca), an interactive web and invention firm, globally recognized by the Webby’s (the Oscars of the web). Code + Mortar was acquired by Revolve Marketing in 2020.

In 2017, Jenelle was recognized as the National Emerging Leader in ICT and was awarded St Francis Xavier University’s Young Alumna of the Year (2017). Jenelle received Digital Nova Scotia’s Power IT Up Next Generation Award (2016), was recognized as one of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s Change Agents of the Year (2015). She has been recognized as one of 21 emerging leaders in New Brunswick by 21inc (2013) and one of 20 in Atlantic Canada by 4Front (2014).

Jenelle holds a Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation, University of Waterloo (2014), Masters of Arts in Political Science, University of New Brunswick (2011), Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, St Francis Xavier University (2008).


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Why the Lightning Network is key to scaling bitcoin trading

Shone Anstey brings 20 years of experience in building complex technologies and software within search, analytics, and data centre operations. Engaged with cryptocurrency since 2012, Shone has acted as technology lead for an industrial Bitcoin mine and Bitcoin mining pool, and is a Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator. Shone is the CEO and Co-founder of LQwD, the first publicly traded, pure play, purpose-built bitcoin company that’s focused on solutions that power the growth of the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

In this podcast, we highlight three key ideas:

  1. Why Bitcoin is like the ‘reserve currency’ of cryptocurrencies
  2. The Lightning Network – what is it and why it is important to scaling cryptocurrency trading
  3. Like E-mail was the first use case of the internet, transaction exchanges are the first use case of cryptocurrency…and there is so much more to come!

Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Sustainability and the workplace with Melanie Chin

Melanie Chin is the Brand & Community Manager for CIBC SQUARE, Toronto’s new international standard of community, providing an elevated environment for all to thrive through work, wellness and sustainability. Chin leads the marketing, communications, branding and programming direction for the development. Prior to joining Hines and the CIBC SQUARE team, Chin worked at Midway in Houston, TX, a real estate investment, development and management firm, as a Senior Marketing Coordinator managing the marketing programs for multiple developments. Throughout the years, Chin has worked with a number of global brands such as Kia, Nike, the NFL, and the Houston Rockets to create unique experiences. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Building a Hardware & Software Company as a Non-Technical Founder

Serese Selanders’ journey as a tech entrepreneur has been anything but typical. Serese spent 20 years in the financial services industry, the majority of those years as a senior executive. However, life threw her a curveball when her parents went through major health challenges. Despite having no technical background, she invented ORA, an innovative, wearable personal safety alert device. Two years ago, Serese launched her second company, SolusGuard. SolusGuard helps employers protect employees who work alone or in dangerous situations with a suite of hardware and software safety solutions. Listen in to find out how SolusGuard helps organizations keep their employees safe and the unconventional path Serese took to get here.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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Lessons from a serial tech and marketing startup entrepreneur

David Alston is a repeat tech and marketing startup entrepreneur, founder and coach at Marketswell Solutions’ CMO Accelerator program, a former volunteer Entrepreneur in Residence for the New Brunswick Government, cofounder of Brilliant Labs, an advisor to many startups in the Atlantic region, Radian6’s former CMO and Salesforce.com’s former Marketing Cloud Chief Adoption Officer.

David received KIRA Award’s Industry Champion for 2015, a Forbes top 50 CMO in social media, co-winner of a 2014 EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Atlantic Canada, 2015 winner of Entrepreneur of the Year and co-winner of Enterprise Promotion for the Atlantic Region from Startup Canada and the winner of the Greater Saint John Community Foundation’s 2018 Community Service Award.

David is the past co-chair of LivingSJ, a movement to support and create a path for all those living in poverty in his home city, a member of BCAPI and a former board member with his regional United Way.

David currently sits as an independent director on the board of Envision Saint John: The Regional Development Agency, as a commissioner on the board of Saint John Energy, and as an advisor on Venture for Canada’s national advisory board.

David has been involved with two social impact documentaries, Code Kids, which followed the journey to get coding back in the classroom, and The Millennial Dream, a documentary questioning whether the values of “The American Dream” have now been replaced by those more aligned with the passions of the Millennial generation.

David has been a mentor at NomadicMentors.com where he has keynoted and advised close to 50 startups in countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece.

David, his wife, Mary-Gwen, and team also own and run a treetop aerial adventure park in Dominion Park called TimberTop Adventures, one of the largest of its kind in Canada and which is currently the number one ranked aerial adventure park in Canada on TripAdvisor. Their latest adventure is the creation of Climb 1884, soon to be NB’s newest and largest indoor rock climbing gym built inside an historic church erected in 1884 with heights up to 42 feet.


Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy. To support Canada’s businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn and Twitter.

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