Retail

Supporting Staff for Success

Tammie Hunter was raised on Vancouver Island and as an adult lived in several communities around BC before settling in Nanaimo near her family. After exploring a few careers, she discovered later in life that being an entrepreneur is the most rewarding and engaging. She often says she wishes she had known what being a business owner was like earlier on in life.

As an artist she has had a very successful career selling her art in several galleries and art shows over the past 20 years. Since she started LegArt Apparel her art has taken a backseat. But she’s itching to get back into her studio to continue her lifelong dream of being a serious artist.

Tammie started LegArt Apparel in 2014. Since then, it has grown to be one of the top apparel companies in Canada in its particular style of clothing, mainly leggings. The company has grown from the original box of 100 pairs of leggings in the basement to over 4,000 pieces of inventory in a large warehouse and storefront in Nanaimo.

After almost 10 years in the industry, Tammie has gained much experience, having learned mostly through trial and error what it takes to be successful in the apparel industry. Through many ups and downs, hard work both mentally and physically, and learning with a team of dedicated employees and mentors she feels it’s time to implement an exit plan that will set her successor up for further success. The next three years will bring new challenges but she is up for it!


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The Importance of Defining Success with Krista Halliday

Krista Halliday is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to disrupt the brand ecosystem as we know it. Leading by example, Krista is focused on creating and supporting better products and building better brands that are led with purpose, integrity, and prioritize social good.

Krista is passionate about educating the everyday Canadian on their vital role in this eco-system, to challenge the norms and demand better of brands and retailers by using our purchasing power as leverage.

A daughter of a single mother from humble beginnings, Krista quickly learned the value of hard work and started her first job at the young age of 12. After University, Krista forged her retail experience at household brands including Revlon, Holt Renfrew, Rexall and Jarden Home Brands where she acknowledged a white space in the market – a need for experienced consultation that would help US and European beauty brands navigate the unique Canadian retail landscape.

At just 28 years old, Krista started her first company, Global Edge Brands based in Toronto, and grew it to be Canada’s leading retail and brand consulting company that worked with renowned brands such as the Honest Company, Disney, Nurtibullet and more. Maneuvering this male-dominated industry as a young female executive was no easy feat, and fortified Krista’s dedication as a woman-in-leadership advocate and supporter.

Now based in Hamilton, Ontario – Krista’s latest venture, Ray Management Group, was designed with the intention to support and create products that are led with integrity and prioritize social good. The team at Ray Management Group is responsible for major brand entrances to key retailers including Kristin Ess Hair and Hey Humans to Shoppers Drug Mart, Hairtiage by Mindy McKnight to Walmart, and Drew Barrymore Flower Beauty at Loblaws.

A serial entrepreneur gaining speed in the Canadian marketplace, Krista has leveraged her leadership, innovation and business prowess to launch three additional businesses in the last 5 years, greatly supporting the local Hamilton economy – Little Sprouts Daycare, Nest Coworking, and retail shop Luv La Vie, two of which have been nominated and won Readers Choice Awards 3 years running. With much more on the horizon, Krista is one to watch. This year, she is also the recipient of Hamilton Business Link 40 under 40.


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Purush Cannane is the king of upcycle, the bigger sister to recycling

Purushothaman Cannane (Purush) creatively combined his engineering skill, passion for solving environmental problems, and his drive to help vulnerable communities when he founded Greenii to create paper bags from clean waste papers such as newsprints, magazines, flyers, and brochures. Avoiding post-consumer paper in order to bypass the need for additional environmentally unfriendly chemicals and processes, he sources high-quality paper wastes from libraries, corporate offices, paper mills, flyer distributors, universities, and printing presses, offers employment to recently immigrated women or refugees, and has now sold thousands of carrier bags in Canada and the USA to replace single-use plastic bags.

Not stopping yet, Purush has gone on to invent equipment (Semi-automatic assembly, first in the world to swiftly process newsprints, and magazines into paper bags) to facilitate growth in production volumes, and is expanding into box packaging as well. While handmade bags may continue to form a part of the product offering, it is the raw materials used that ensure bags will always remain unique. He even affords customers the opportunity to convert their unused, expired marketing materials and paper products into new packaging products for use by themselves or another environmentally conscious and creative business.


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Un restaurant complet 3 mois à l’avance depuis 2015 voici un des succès de Vincent Chatigny de Chez Biceps B.B.Q

Encore à l’école de cuisine, Vincent Chatigny commence sa carrière en 1998 au Laurie Raphael ou déjà, les produits locaux sont mis à l’honneur dans un cadre gastronomique.

Six ans plus tard, il quitte pour travailler, entre autres, avec les italiens ou il se découvre une véritable passion pour une cuisine traditionnelle simple, savoureuse et un modèle d’affaire axé sur la passion et la performance. Par la suite, un passage à la Boucherie de la ferme Eumatimi ou il approfondit ses connaissances autant techniques que sur le métier de fermier en travaillant étroitement avec (feu) Mario Pilon, un éleveur bovin devenu boucher. Des stages en France, cours de nutrition, Vincent à aussi enseigné durant un an à l’école hôtelière de la Capitale.

C’est au cours de ses nombreux voyages à travers l’Amérique du Nord dans le cadre de l’émission Bouffe en Cavale, une série qu’il a coanimée pendant sept saisons sur les ondes d’Évasion, qu’il a développé un lien étroit entre son style de cuisine, le contact avec le produit brut et l’engagement social d’un restaurant.

C’est ainsi qu’en décembre 2015, il a ouvert Chez Biceps B.B.Q, ou les produits locaux sont mis en valeur dans un environnement fortement inspiré par la culture B.B.Q. du sud des États-Unis. Une carte des vins originale, des bières de microbrasseries et un grand choix de whiskys nord-américain côtoient le fumoir artisanal texan de 1 000 lb fonctionnant au bois d’érable.


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To build a business successfully surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and let your ego go by the wayside

A fourth-generation entrepreneur and an iconic Canadian brand, Gillian Stein tells us what it takes to be the fourth generation to continue Henry’s success and speaks out about mental illness.

It’s clear that people truly do like a physical shopping experience. The important part is embracing both. The digital experience is a really important part of the customer shopping journey. So you need to make sure that you’re digital. But you also have to be physical, and for Henry’s the key is: what’s the value proposition?

We have setup the Henry’s Foundation in support of mental health. Our healthcare system is really not set up for mental health care. It’s a real challenge right now. When it comes to mental health, talk to somebody. The most important thing is to start talking.


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Faire des achats sans devoir passer à la caisse, le modèle d’affaires de Olivier Roy cofondateur de Leav

Olivier Roy a fondé à 16 ans sa première compagnie en production vidéo, où il a travaillé pour de nombreuses entreprises, gouvernements et personnalités pour les aider à porter leurs histoires à l’écran. À 20 ans, frustré de ne pas pouvoir payer sa facture de restaurant directement sur son téléphone, il a cofondé Leav. La mission était simple : gagner du temps et améliorer le service.

En pleine pandémie de 2020, la petite équipe de Leav pivote de la restauration et se lance dans la vente au détail en ouvrant le premier magasin entièrement sans caisse au Canada. Depuis, Olivier est fréquemment invité à parler de l’avenir de la vente au détail et de sa solution pour aider les détaillants à gagner face à la crise de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre.


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.

Vous voulez rester au courant des derniers podcasts et actualités #entrepreneur? Abonnez-vous à notre newsletter bimensuelle.

Calgary-Based Entrepreneur is Changing the Way We Sleep

If you ask Lara Smith what led her to create Lusomé, she would tell you it was partly circumstantial, partly destiny.

She kicked off her 20-year career at two of the biggest fashion houses in the world – Ralph Lauren and Gucci – and quickly worked her way up as a senior executive at some of Canada’s largest retailers. There, she traveled the globe to discover and create innovative apparel solutions that would make a difference in the lives of consumers.

But it wasn’t until Lara watched her sister battle with breast cancer and the uncomfortable, long-term side effects that resulted from her treatments that she set out to find the most important solution of all – a solution to preventing overheating and night sweats in the clothing that is meant to make us feel beautiful. Lara looked throughout North America and Europe for a sleep brand with beautiful style and fabrics, but they were using 100% polyester and chemicals in the finishing process. Not to mention, their cooling technology never truly worked.

That’s when Lara decided to create her own solution, one that fuses beauty, comfort and science. Her vision came to life through Lusomé, a new pajama brand that promotes the health and sleep of its wearers through first-of-its-kind technology that stops night sweats before it starts.


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Offering an authentic gelato experience with family roots from Calabria, Italy

Dino Falvo is VP Business Development, Alberta-East for Mario’s Gelati and Director, Brand & Strategic Development and Owner/Operator of Amato Gelato Cafe. The two businesses operate together in providing authentic gelato to stores and restaurants across Canada as well as offering an authentic Italian experience in its cafes. The cafe brand is now ready for franchise opportunities across Canada.


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Making your life easy when you buy a car

Vivian Liu stumbled into the auto industry via a marketing competition back in 2015, from there she suddenly found herself in rural BC managing and consulting dealerships in sales and marketing as a District Manager. 7 years later, she has managed over 80 dealerships from BC to all the way to Saskatchewan on behalf of General Motors. In her tenure at GM, she was responsible for growing the Cadillac brand in the province of BC as well as managing partnerships in Vancouver, such as the PNE, Vancouver Giants, and luxury car shows. Today, Vivian has found herself deeper into the auto industry, more than she has expected, an executive at an auto tech startup as well as founding her own, Mae or Making Auto Easy.


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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Bringing La Dolce Vita to Canadians with Cool Italian Products

Gennaro Silvestri, President/CEO, Apé Canada and Tag Intercontinental, discusses some of the cool things his companies are bringing to Canada so people can enjoy la dolce vita. The Apé is the original Italian three-wheeler, an icon that continues to evolve while remaining true to itself. Presented to the general public as a concept on November 23, 1946 at the Milan International Cycle and Motorcycle Show, the Apé made its debut as a pre-production special in late 1947 and went officially into full-scale production in 1948. Known all over the world and with a unique cheeky appeal and unrivalled versatility, this vehicle is now approaching its 70th birthday. But the Apé is also an unexpectedly contemporary product that has sparked curiosity and won the affection of countless persons who express their involvement through events, projects, blogs, websites and many other initiatives. No other commercial vehicle in the world has as much history as the Apé. Through Tag Intercontinental, Silvestri sources quality products to reduce carbon footprints while inspiring entrepreneurs to pursue innovative business opportunities.


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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