Toronto

Changing the planet, one grass-roots movement at a time

Teresa de Grosbois (say “de-Grow-bwah”) based in Costa Rica. Teresa is on a mission to change the planet, one grass-roots movement at a time. She is the #1 international bestselling author of ‘Mass Influence – The Habits of the Highly Influential’, which has been on the bestseller lists in 7 countries since 2015.

A 4x international bestselling author, Teresa teaches marketing courses around the globe to business leaders and entrepreneurs on how to create massively successful word of mouth campaigns. Teresa heads the international Evolutionary Business Council, a membership-based organization which empowers change-makers to create profitable, impactful businesses that have a lasting and transformational impact on the individuals that they serve.


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Tenacity is Important as a Startup Founder

Maximilian Birner, CEO and Co-founder of Boxhub, on the exponential growth in demand for shipping containers across Canada and the US. Boxhub is a digital marketplace that facilitates fast and easy buying and selling of intermodal containers for shipping, upcycling and repurposing for affordable housing, storage, retail, hospitality, logistics, or personal use. A graduate of LSE and UAL, Maximilian Birner is the Co-Founder & CEO of Boxhub. Max has had a varied career, starting off as an analyst at an asset management firm focused on ETFs, then co-founding two companies. Max also acted as an Ambassador in Europe for Founders Pledge, a global community of entrepreneurs and investors who have committed to leveraging their success for social good, helping them grow to 1,200 members in 30 countries. All this experience and altruism helped Max to conceptualise and create Boxhub alongside partner Philip Skov in 2019. The company is headquartered in Toronto and currently operates exclusively in North America.


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Invest in yourself to become an entrepreneur

Vanessa Iarocci CPA, CA, is an authentic and energetic leader known for her passion for education and innovation, which she brings to her role as CEO and co-owner at Brain Power! Vanessa earned her Bachelor of Commerce, CPA designation and was selected to complete a post-graduate certificate in innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Following this, Vanessa spent over two decades in increasingly senior positions at PwC and TD Bank Financial Group. She then honed her entrepreneurial skills as the CEO of a national school apparel company, where she led an innovative turnaround and growth strategy. Drawing on her 20 years of experience at some of the world’s leading firms and as a CEO, Vanessa has already lead instruction in exciting new courses at Brain Power that expose students to cutting edge business and investing concepts, including preparing them for the prestigious Wharton Investment Competition.


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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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If You’re Going to Spend the Time, Do it Your Way, with Your Own Style

Henry Rojas is a Sheridan College graduate in Architectural Technology. He started his career as an Architectural Draftsman and continued to grew his skills in various roles in the industry. He began to work with custom homes and progressed to designing and constructing commercial spaces and apartment buildings. He extended his passion by overseeing the development of apartment units. His company Rojas Empire of Design, founded in 2018, is based in Mississauga, Ontario in 2018.


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A former high school teacher is on a mission to create a unique, inspiring, community-based learning experience for young people

Adam Robb was raised on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Chonnonton Nations on fertile farming lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. After one year of university, it became clear that the learning he needed in life would be found with mountains, lakes, gardens, community centres and around campfires and not as much inside classrooms as he had once thought. He kept that realization in mind as he became a teacher himself. For the past 15 years as a high school teacher, Adam has since helped to create unique experiential education programs allowing for self-discovery for youth on Treaty 6, 7, 8 territories as well as the traditional lands of the Beaver, Cree, Ojibway, Secwépemc, Stoney, and Métis. The focus of these programs has always been about connecting youth to the land as a way of learning self-resiliency, problem-solving, risk-taking, relationship-building, history, technology, politics, science, economics and protocols from Traditional Keepers of knowledge. Adam has teamed up with other amazing educators to create learning programs that were recognized provincially (AB Education), nationally (EECOM, KF & CAGBC) and internationally (OECD & ILFI). The Howl Experience is the manifestation of all Adam’s beliefs about learning; it has to be experiential, community-based and focused on solving real problems and achieving real results. He is proud to be working alongside several past students on this project and of the many incredible past students out there making a real difference. Adam is most proud that he is able to do this work alongside his own amazingly insightful children and his inspiring partner.

Shawna Peddle is a partnership broker, collaborator, and convenor of like minds to address complex social issues. She has expertise in program design and implementation related to community resiliency, risk communication, environmental risk assessment, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. In her current role, Shawna oversees community investment programs and partnerships at Co-operators, a financial services co-operative, including corporate giving and volunteerism, the Co-operative Development Program, the Advisor Community Fund, and the Co-operators Community Funds. Shawna holds a Master of Forestry from the University of Toronto, and a Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto.

Learn more about Howl Founder Adam Robb, and how he helped to develop programming that allowed youth to grow and learn more than through traditional education at https://www.experiencehowl.com


Learn more about Co-operators holistic business solutions 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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RBC: The micro-entrepreneur economy survey

Don Ludlow, Vice-President of Small Business, Partnerships & Strategy, RBC, provides strategic oversight and leads a team that is responsible for delivering marketing-leading solutions, partnerships and client experiences that go beyond traditional banking to help Canadian entrepreneurs successfully start, manage and grow their business.

He also manages the development of RBC’s strategy for the broader Business Financial Services portfolio, including the group’s client experience, CRM, and data analytics strategies.

Don joined RBC in 2001 and has 20 years of experience within the financial services and banking sector. Prior to joining RBC, he served as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Army where he led soldiers on a number of domestic and international operations and worked in both staff and training roles.

Overview of Key Data Points

Led by the younger millennial and Gen Z generations, a ‘micro-entrepreneur’ economy is emerging across the country, as Canadians look to adapt to a changing landscape dominated by rising inflation and digitization

  • 74 per cent of Canadian small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs are motivated to start a small business or side-hustle due to the increasing cost of living – With this number rising to 84 per cent among Gen Z respondents
  • A strong majority (77 per cent) of current and aspiring entrepreneurs report that their chief aim is to create a source of income to support themselves – Millennials (86 per cent) are even more likely to cite this as their main reason for starting a business

Key factors supporting the emergence of the micro-entrepreneurship economy.

  • Emerging technologies allow them to reach new markets and explore new ways of doing business (47 per cent)
  • Being able to conduct their business or “side-hustle” online remotely lowers the overhead costs associated with starting and running a business (47 per cent)
  • Digital solutions reduce the efforts for administration and back-office aspects of running a business (42 per cent)

A shift in customer preferences is also creating fertile ground for small and micro-businesses.

  • 89 per cent of those surveyed agree that small businesses are able to provide products and services tailored to local needs
  • Another 72 per cent stated that they believe small businesses have the ability to innovate at a more rapid rate than larger organizations
  • Moreover, 71 per cent were more likely to support businesses with an active presence in their local community
  • For current and aspiring business owners, the rising preference and increased willingness of Canadians to shop local has contributed to their overall desire to become an entrepreneur, with 39 per cent of those surveyed stating that this shift has motivated and made it easier for them to start a business.

Read more on Newswire


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Starting a Company to Influence Culture

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone is the founder and current president and CEO of Profound Impact™️️️️️️ Corporation. Profound Impact is a tech company based in the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor whose digital platform supports alumni relations and digital communities focused on careers, research and academic connections. Sherry is a leader for women pursuing STEM careers. A mathematician, entrepreneur, innovator and philanthropist, Sherry has always been an advocate for women in STEM, pushing for them to assume a greater role in Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery. Sherry is a great spokesperson to address pandemic-related challenges facing women in STEM and can offer some valuable insights into how to overcome these challenges to position women as leaders in the nation’s economic recovery.


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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Profound Impact’s whose digital platform supports alumni relations and digital communities focused on careers, research and connections.

The importance of control and influence to software entrepreneurs

Dan Pronovost has 25+ years of experience in the software industry, as a developer, manager, and entrepreneur. Driven by results, tactical and pragmatic, always focused on execution: build it and ship it. Driftscape is a Canadian startup whose core product is a local discovery and travel app. More than 60 organizations use the app to share their stories and over 7000 points of interest, events, and tours across Canada.


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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The power of aliveness with Renée Safrata

Over the past 30+ years Renée Safrata has worked with thousands of companies and executives throughout North America and Europe, helping them to connect, adopt new behaviors, and become confident members of highly functioning teams. As CEO and Founder, she oversees Vivo Team’s full spectrum learning experience, develops leaders and teams through live, online training, coaching, and people analytics. Leading a well connected, remote-first team, Renée has the confidence and trust to work from anywhere—taking full advantage of the WFH model.


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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