This Commerce Life (Phil Chang / Kenny Vannucci)

Phil and Kenny talk small business and knowing when to size up, and when to quit. They talk about two brands - one that's growing but too ambitious, and the other that's been working hard at it, but should probably choose another path.

Phil and Kenny are also looking for listeners to chime in. What do you want these two to talk about? Is there something you're working on?

Check out Tout De Suite: https://www.toutdesweet.ca/

Find Jeanette here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanettemillertout/

"People want real tangible holistic frameworks for healing" Angela and Yarrow Willard talk about Harmonic Arts, how they became a national brand, and the shift from being a small business owner to a business leader. 

Find out more about Harmonic Arts here: https://harmonicarts.ca/

Find Yarrow here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yarrow-willard-b0b09839/

Find Angela here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-willard-9a92a611b/

Check out their webinar page here: https://harmonicarts.ca/pages/webinars

Thank you to our sponsor - Fieldagent Canada. Find out more about Ratings and Reviews here: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/ratings-and-reviews

She's designed snowboards, shoes and wanted to open a restaurant. Sonya Laurenssen talks about taking over Jusu and the brand's origin story.

You can find Hearts & Carts here: https://canadian-podcasts.com/podcast/hearts-carts

Find Sonya here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonya-laurenssen-983946b/

Shop Jusu here: https://getjusu.com/

Find Fieldagent here:  fieldagentcanada.com/360    or email Jeff and his team at client@ca.fieldagent.net

Parachute Software rolls out a new menu ordering platform that's simple to use and cost effective. Calling all restaurants - a profitable way to do take out!

To check out Parachute Software: https://www.parachutesoftware.com/

Check out their ordering page here: https://order.parachutesoftware.com/order/

You can find David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlinton/

Businesses need to adjust to Covid and an extended period away. More importantly, they need to adjust to the fact that shopping behaviour won't be the same again at all. The guys talk about changes that could happen and how retailers should think about changing their business models.

Check out Parissa Labs here: 

https://parissa.com/

Find Fardad here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fardadm/

Phil and Kenny try a new format - they talk about an article written by the @RetailProphet on paid loyalty (article is here http://Thscommercelife.shortcm.li/HZdRqs) and how that could apply to small business. They also talk tradeshow season and what to think about, how to be ready.

To find out more about the Nooks:  https://thenooks.ca/

The Linkedin Page that she doesn't want you to check out: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenimrie/

Covid retailing continues. A retailer/wholesaler/distributer comes on. Struggles of government subsidies, rent subsidies and how to adapt without precendent.

Domenic Bruzzese of La Grotta Del Formaggio came on the show to talk about retailing during Covid, and how to adjust for a new normal

https://www.linkedin.com/company/lgdf-wholesale/?originalSubdomain=ca

Now 4 stores, and making ice cream - Sarah and her husband Adam are rocking chocolate on the Rock.

Check out Aunt Sarah's Chocolate shop here:

http://www.auntsarahschocolate.ca/

Find Sarah here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rochacewich-686b061/

Finding innovative ways to pitch a buyer a new product. Philly has a new mic and sounds like Kermit the frog (with a cold)

Kenny talks about pitching a product with a different angle.

*apologies for Phil's voice this week. He was using a new mic - and he really sounds like a full frog in his throat.
(he didn't buy it at full price - never pay full price)

Comeback Snacks, Emily O’Brien’s evolution from convict to entrepreneur is a story about lessons learned, resilience, determination, forgiveness and how to take a bad situation and turn it into endless positive opportunities.

She talks about taking a bad situation, turning this into an opportunity, and creating a social enterprise that could also provide reintegration opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.

Connect with Emily here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-o-brien-b628a4132/

Shop Comeback Snacks here: https://comebacksnacks.com/

Long time "rock" of the retail industry...Alan Bates comes up, we talk career progression and Philly drools (as usual) over Daiya's new lineup of products.

You can find Chris here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-bailey-4130958/

You can find Daiya here: https://daiyafoods.com/

Drool over Daiya's food lineup here: https://www.youtube.com/user/daiyafoods/videos

Phil and Kenny talk Walmart and Amazon and holiday shopping and what bricks and mortar can do to keep sales from going online completely. They share a laugh about going from being "against" Walmart for most of their careers to now celebrating some of Walmart's successes.

We were inspired enough to put this episode in the same week as another game changer. (see prior episode about Kelly Pigeon and Dresst)

Green Planet Wholesale is the supplier of equipment, a new kind of garden store. We were inspired to here where they're going, and how they've approached this growing and emerging segment of the market.

To find Green Planet Wholesale click here: https://www.mygreenplanet.com/

To find Mark, his Linkedin is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-walman-082a6830/

The Youtube channel we were talking about is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7no6ZJE1_PK756fpWy70lw

As mentioned in the podcast - Ange and Scott at Intuity Performance are hosting a Leadership Cohort. 

Check it out here: https://www.intuityperformance.com/whole-person-leadership

Check out CHFA West here: https://chfa.ca/en/Events/chfa-2022-events

Shoot us a note if you're going - name, booth number, email : thiscommercelife@gmail.com

Devin Powell, GM @ Pulp & Press North America stops by to talk juice, the business of juice and how he went from a home services company to making cold pressed, raw, organic juices that use only the highest quality Canadian ingredients. 

Find Devin here:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/devinpowellpp/

Shop Pulp & Press here: https://www.pulpandpress.com/

We finish the year with the fabulous Kyla King, CEO and Founder of Rad Jamz. She's a  Red Seal Chef that leaned into her love for jam.

You can find Kyla here: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kyla-king-32911b2a9

If you want to check out Rad Jamz, you can head here: https://radjamz.co/store/

use coupon code: PK20 for a discount!

Thank you to LGDF Wholesale for sponsoring this episode: www.lgdf.ca

Guest episode. In honor of #smallbusinessweek Kent comes on the show and Kenny and Phil get super excited about cash flow, out of stocks, assortment planning.

The famous Linda Webb makes her debut. First of many (we hope) Tips on what you need to do to get to production. Linda Webb talks through ingredients, packaging, order quantities, and all sorts of things that first time product people encounter.

check out Celadon house here: https://www.celadonhouse.ca/

We brought her back to talk about her! Cheryl Grant, the founder of Vitality comes on to talk about her journey. 

Last time she was on, she spent a lot of time talking about Save our Supplements. We wanted to make sure we got a chance to talk to Cheryl about Cheryl. We're glad we did. We talk about work life balance, taking time for oneself, and what it takes to "unplug"

To find Cheryl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylgrant25/

Shop Vitality here: https://www.vitality.ca/

Seriously, wtf is content and how do we do it?? Kenny conquers the mic, Phil gives away his batch of Mama Vannucci's biscotti to Linda. Building content involves following the data. Call outs: Jim and Laurie at Shopland Health (https://goo.gl/XE35if), Laura Dunkley @lauraldunkley, @jaykana that runs Modern Mississauga Magazine, and Diego Cortes @edge.

Karen Danudjaja the founder of Blume comes by to talk about startups, not knowing retail and celebrating wins. We were pretty excited to talk to Karen - she's an incredible founder with a wonderful outlook on how she wants to approach her business.

Find Karen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-danudjaja-8275682a/

Shop Blume here: https://itsblume.com/

Make sure you sign up for CHFA here: https://chfa.ca/en/Events/chfa-now

Phil and Kenny are all over the place this week. They talk Penny Profit vs lowest price, Mary Meeker's Internet Report, the lonely life of an entrepreneur and Google's Adword review policies.

Mary Meeker's Internet Trends Report can be found here. http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

Celebrating small business month, releasing a special episode with Christina Santini from CFIB.  92% Canadians said they love having small businesses in their community, but only 13% do most of their shopping at small businesses

Christina Santini from Canadian Federation of Independent Business  talks about influencing goverment policy, helping small businesses  and fighting for a CEBA extension. 

Connect with Christina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-santini-711ba5222/

On CEBA, fighting for an extension while providing information on refinancing for those who will need it.

• New CEBA Provisions -  https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/ceba-update
• CFIB’s CEBA Petition – https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/petition/national-petition-ceba-loans
• NDP Petition in the House of Commons: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4624 (Closes December 5th)
• Tips if refinancing - https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/tools-resources/financing-options-ceba-loan

On payroll taxes, here is a link to resources, as well as to a report that speaks to all the payroll taxes that exist across the country and their impacts: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/2023-payroll-tax-deductions

Link to our Cybercecurity Academy, as well as Webinars and Qs&As on the issue: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/cybersecurity

It is October. Small Business Month. Our #SmallBusinessEveryDay campaign is on! Resources to promote small businesses and shopping local are included below.

• https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/celebrate-small-business
• Toolkit for business owners: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/celebrate-small-business/toolkits
• Big Thank You contest open October 30, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET: https://www.smallbusinesseveryday.ca/big-thank-you-contest. Small business supporters can enter the weekly draw by visiting SmallBusinessEveryDay.ca and leaving a thank-you note to their favourite small Canadian business. The winners— one supporter and the business they thanked—are announced every week. The winning businesses will receive a $2,500 cash prize sponsored by Interac Corp., a one-year CFIB membership and a Big Thank You box. Small business supporters can also win $1,000 cash to shop local and a Big Thank You Box that includes small business products from every province and territory.
• Small retailers’ local contributions report: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/research-economic-analysis/small-retailers-local-contributions

Membership benefits and how to become a member: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/en/membership-benefits or https://members.cfib-fcei.ca/en-ca/join-now

Jennay Oliver is a fourth-generation farmer,  that runs Paynter's Fruit Market in Kelowna. Her great-grandfather started the farm in 1919.  We need more farmers in this country. 

check out Paynter's here: https://www.payntersfruitmarket.ca/

Find Jennay here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennay-oliver-131420b3/?originalSubdomain=ca

Thank you to Peter Boyd for connecting us.

Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring this podcast. www.fieldagentcanada.com

We talk to a long time fan, first time caller, Mark Stirling about a brand's perspective on COVID-19. We talk through things like allocating inventory, manfacturing as fast as possible, and how to manage customers that might be unhappy with out of stock situations.

To find Mark:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-stirling-a3038511/?originalSubdomain=ca

We talk to Kurstin Leith and Christine about helping brands, how to know when you're ready for expert help like Agency Brand Management. 

Find Kurstin Leith here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurstin-leith-68832131/

Find Christine De Biasio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-de-biasio-1444a914/

Check out Agency here: https://agencybrands.ca/

Where do you leave your laptop? Social Isolation and the impacts on work balance. The guys talk about how things change, experiential marketing in new times. If you're a business and you're trying to get out marketing messages, now is a good time.

Alain (Alan) teaches us a few things about the cooking industry, talks about his first job at Canoe. With the pandemic, he gets laid off and winds up making creme brulee. 

Alain could use some help here - so if our audience can help out, he could use a contact for some jars at a better cost. Reach out to us at @thiscommercelife or thiscommercelife@gmail.com or contact Alain directly at @crystalcr3me

To check out his Instagram and order creme brulee:

 https://www.instagram.com/crystalcr3me/

The BlogTo article: 

https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2021/01/coconut-ube-creme-brulee-toronto/

She'd never made  guacamole before. While mashing the avocados, Dyana saw a bottle of Aji condiment, a speciality in Colombia and South America. The rest, they say is history. 

Talk to Nicholas here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-gonzalez-biagi-7b3193101/

Shop for Dyana's Aji Sauces here: https://www.ajigourmetproducts.com/

We head to Africa to learn from "Fats" Diamini, Founder of Maneli Foods. We get a crash course on building a brand in South Africa and the joys and challenges of running a global brand. 

To find Nhlanhla "Fats"

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhlanhla-dlamini-0671531/

Maneli Foods is here:  http://manelipets.com/

Would you rather be right than rich? Tazz talks about providing the opportunity for retailers to get out of their own way. Ex-retailer Tazz Latifi is one of our favorite people and she comes on to talk about now sharing her experience with other retailers and helping them find profitability. 

Find Tazz here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tazzlatifi/

Websites, merchandising and experiential oh my! Philly and Ken be their ADD selves and range on a series of topics. Philly talks about research and how finding facts to build a plan isn't different from small companies to big companies. They talk website builders and style guides. They talk CRM - https://www.zoho.com, https://www.hubspot.com/, https://www.marketo.com, https://www.zendesk.com/

WWLD turns the podcast upside down. Laurie needs coaching, Kenny drops wisdom, Philly is speechless.
In all seriousness, Laurie gets coached - we have a full discussion about skills, when to discount your skills, and how to approach balancing work, money and loving what you do.

Dinner with Christos. The founder of Aelo, talks about their new launch, Limoncello and how this one is special. He also talks about how he thinks about flavours, and keeping Aelo special. 

Check out Aelo here: https://www.drinkaelo.com/

Connect with Christos here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christos-kalaitzis-b7942378/

Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/

We're excited to go to CHFA West - head to https://www.chfanow.ca/vancouver/

Kenny and Phil record live for the first time in 115 episodes. They do a walk through of an aisle at Global Pet and tell you what they see, and then talk about how the show went.

If you're looking for our presentations, head to the bottom of the page at www.retailphil.com

Kenny sounds different, Philly talks about new startups that he's working with. They talk Global Pet, WWLD, coming up to episode 100

Something a little bit different. We had this discussion at the end of recording the next podcast, so it seemed logical to put this out before the next podcast. (Make sense?) Facebook. The cost of personal data, #deleteFacebook. Kenny and Phil and special guest Lia Olla talk about Facebook's gaffes and what it means to them.

EPISODE 100! We celebrate our milestone with our first "WWLD" (What would Laurie Do?) The Guys also talk end of year prep, making sure that you end the year with great holiday sales. Fitting new products into planogram timing with major accounts, what to think about, when to prep.

Find Gavin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-mah-712a0041/

Shop Finlandia at : https://www.finlandiahealthstore.com/

Alicia and Jeff Lahey talk about their journeys - from moving to natural and organic and searching and finding sustainable packaging, their knack for unbelievable timing - to producing a wonderful chip in a bag was compostable. Oh...and they're in every major grocery in Canada already.

Find Alicia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-lahey-3019b954/

Find Jeff here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laheyjeff/

Shop for Humble Snacks here: https://humblechips.ca/

The boys "plan" an episode. This episode is all about Kenny and Phil. The new "About Us Episode"

Shnane has arrived. Vive Social in the house, the boys talk PR, social and digital representation, and what small/medium businesses should be doing on awareness.

You can reach Shnane and Vive Social at info@vivesocialpr.com or https://www.facebook.com/vivesocialpr/ on Facebook.

She takes risks. She loves learning  and she's made a  habit of sharing her wins and mistakes. Bro-Dough founder Erica Rankin comes on to talk about learning CPG and selling a product that she loves.

Find Erica here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabrodough/

Shop bro dough here: https://eatbrodough.com/

Make sure you subscribe to the This Commerce life Podcast at www.thiscommercelife.com 

Thank you to CHFA for sponsoring this episode. If you're a retailer, sign up at https://www.microspec.com/reg/CHFAE2023/

Jared  talks about: being a dad, an ex-CPG founder, relationship builder, researchers & strategist. We do not talk about him being a really tall guy

Find Jared here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredkligerman/

Subscribe to our emails to stay connected to more things: www.thiscommercelife.com

He's a CPA by training, but he was employee #2 with Choices.  It turns out that retail stuck, and now Arif Ahmed runs two stores, and has ambitions for more locally focused, community driven stores. 

Get in touch with Arif here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hwmarif/

Sign up and subscribe to our newsletter at www.thiscommercelife.com

Know your customer...really. Do you have buyer personas? Looking after the basics to ensure you know who you're building a plan for. Philly talks about buyer personas and how critical they are to building plans and knowing where and when to execute your plan. Calling out Linda Webb to come on the show, and a shout out for Rachel Farewell and This Commerce Life's new kickass socials. www.rachelfarewell.com

Happy New Year. Philly talks about Mexico, and the retail scene and then we get real serious about investment and where to spend cash to grow a business.

We get a chance to talk to the guy who might make the best butter we've ever tasted. Bill van Nes talks about his transition to organic farming and the establishment of his creamery, St Brigid's butter. Wondering about the dairy industry? Heard about the milk quota but don't know what it is? Bill talks about this. We learn a ton about the dairy industry. 

shop St Brigid's Butter: https://www.stbrigidscreamery.ca/

Find Bill Van Nes here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-van-nes-a7902b24/

We take a tour of Pealow's Your Independent Grocer with Brian Pealow. We're blown away by his focus on local, and helping the community out. Surprise surprise, he knows Peter Boyd. 

Pealow YIG is here: https://www.yourindependentgrocer.ca/store-locator/details/1734

Find Brian here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-pealow-b-b-a-h-130a844a/ 

The guys talk about working while on vacation. Do it or don’t do it? How to do it to remove stress and still get a vacation. Philly talks about email automation and how to go about setting up. The guys give Linda new job. Phil explains SEO in layman terms, and spills the beans on how Kent Fenwick is a voodoo magician at SEO.

She got fired from being an admin assistant job, but rocked a sales job.  She wondered if she was going to sell olive oil forever.  Instead, she built Hive, the merchandising company that helps brands be visible and standout on shelf. 

To find Amanda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandakenny01/

Check out Hive Naturals : https://www.hivenaturals.ca/

Talk to Pareen and her team at Salud here:

https://saludbrandmanagement.com/

A fullplate - Philly talks about the ups and downs as a contractor. The evolution of freelance - when you start choosing who you work with, and what happiness looks like.

Rochelle teaches us about kombucha. Phil meets Oprah. 

MotherLove Ferments is a Kelowna-based business that is dedicated to creating healthy and tasty ferments. We had a great talk with Founder Rochelle to learn more about their story.

Shop MotherLove here: https://www.motherloveferments.com/

Find Rochelle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelle-minagawa-7617491a5/

We're on a roadtrip. We get some real feedback on wine in the Okanagan valley, and the BC Fruit Grower's situation.

If you're curious what we're doing, head to our instagram to check out where we are and what we're doing.

Thank you for Paul Martin from Peter's YIG, Avi and Binne from Farming Karma and of course, to Peter Boyd, Peter's YIG for setting all this up.

Philly loses his sh*t. Kenny helps him vent, they talk about lost opportunities, and what to do when a PR opporuntity happens. A standing offer to our listeners...Philly wishes his wife a Happy Birthday

She pretty much grew up in the industry and didn't know that there was anything else in the world.

From listening to her mom on early morning radio shows and helping to pack boxes from a young age, she's got retail in her blood. 

Caitlyn Vanderhaeghe, President and CEO at Kidstar Nutrients dishes on growing up in a retail family, and her own search for a solution, not finding one, and building one. 

You can find Caitlyn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlyn-vanderhaeghe-134486101/

Shop Kidstar here: https://kidstarnutrients.com/

A what? A dacquoise + macaron = Dacaron. Jimmy Kim talks about their journey to bring the Dacaron to Canadian consumers. 

Find wonderful Dacarons at: https://www.earthlingfoods.ca/

Talk to Jimmy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-kim-8219838b/

Vote for Jimmy here: https://www.bcfbawards.com/vote

Make sure you sign up for CHFA here: https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto/

An early pioneer to the natural products industry in Canada. Michael Theodor's story has some intrigue and lots of ingenuity and straight up sweat equity An industry icon comes on the show. We take a little longer to get thru his story, but such a compelling story nonetheless. If you've ever eaten Rice Dream, Jason, Blue Sky, Lightlife, KIND Bar, Silk, Annie’s, Blue Diamond, Yogi Tea (and many more) - Michael brought those flavours to Canada for tasting. 

Find Michael here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-theodor-3299848/

Michael's company website is here: http://www.mtconsulting.ca/

You can find Denise here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-c-wong-cpa-ca-2a28519/

Check out Denise and DSquared: https://www.dsquaredgroup.ca/

Z0vV6hVtJxt60pZ9Kkmx

You can find Viren here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virenmalik/

If you've never had Ethical Bean Coffee, you can find them here: https://www.ethicalbean.com/

There's always time to talk about coffee. Founder of  Smoking Gun Coffee Brandon Liton talks about moving from social work to roasting coffee.

Connect with Brandon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-litun-739b242b0/

Find the cafe and Smoking Gun products here: https://smokingguncoffee.com/

To find Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-higgins-4424761/

Propel Natural Brands: http://www.propelbrands.ca/

The guys talk about elevating their game, and figure out Kenny's "why." Philly talks about finding more balance, losing weight and getting better focus.

Phil's been listening to this podcast - https://www.jimstengel.com/the-cmo-podcast/
If you're a Director of Marketing, the only marketing person in your organization or a CMO, we'd love to hear from you.

The guys have a big announcement at the end!

The cannabis industry has been a hot topic for awhile. Michele Rebiere talks about the opportunities and challenges, and the knuckleheads wander in with some OTC frustrations and hopes and dreams for this category. #michelerebiereforprimeminister

If you're wondering what it takes sometimes to break into a new regulated industry, this episode is for you.

Find Michele here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-rebiere-7252764/

Find Pacific Brands here: https://pacificrimbrands.ca/

20-25 years with a single company, and structured out...these folks are facing steep challenges. Trevor has some suggestions on how to find your next career change. 

To find Trevor:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevoratmacdonaldsearchgroup/

https://www.macdonaldsearchgroup.com/headhunter-in-vancouver

Buy Neil's Real Deal here: https://www.neilsrealdeal.com/our-sauces

Rochelle Minagawa, Founder of MotherLove Ferments jumps in to talk about the ending of the year, and what comes next for the business. 

Check out Motherlove Ferments here: https://www.motherloveferments.com/

Find Rochelle here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelle-minagawa-7617491a5/

Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast. https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/

First zoom, first podcast. Tim (Timmie)  Moorhead comes on to talk pharmacy, pharmacy pharmacy. Tim runs a Pharmasave in Trail BC, and we talk about his career in retail, the difficulty of hiring these days and out of stocks. Kenny and Tim talk the old days, and changes in the town and how it affects retail. 

Find Tim here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-moorhead-657b0033/

Shop Pharmasave Trail here: https://pharmasave.com/trail/

The founder of Two Bears talks about doing things that you love versus doing what everyone expects of you. What happens when you do? Coffee - cold cofee, hot coffee, oat milk, oh my! FRESH ROASTED COFFEE. ON REPEAT. 

Check David out here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/twobearscoffee/

Shop Two Bears: https://www.twobears.ca/

ps - I love their coffee spot. If you're around, message me, I'll meet you there. (this is Phil)  195 Norseman St Unit 16, Toronto

Kenny talks about being useless and Phil bestows him the title of 'Retail Badass' Kenny abolishes the term 'retail mark-up' and Phil talks about his crazy sleep patterns

Kenny forgets Phil. Phil gets ready for school, Cathy gets her house back. The importance of building the retail equation, Amazon buy box, seller central and buyer central

Founder of Manitoba Harvest, Mike Fata comes on to talk about his remarkable journey to making hemp mainstream again.

Mike talks about how he began looking at hemp, his incredible struggle to bring hemp back to mainstream, and how he's giving back now.

To reach Mike, you can find him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manitoba-mikefata/

Danny Ferraro talks about a lifetime of retailing - his and his family's passion for serving the consumer and finding the best products.  We explore what it was like to try and keep retail open and available during Covid, and Danny gives us insight on what kind of mindset it takes to make sure you look after staff and consumers like family.

Check out Ferraro Foods here: https://ferrarofoods.ca/

Sku rationalization, marketing messages, Google Ads and seasonal businesses. The guys are all over the place today. Plug for Satya Organics and Patrice's wonderful ezcema cream.

Our guest, Kelly Ison talks about the importance of strategy and vision, and lessons learned. Kelly and Kenny pick on Phil's corporate ways. They talk about Einstein Pet's success, and what's next. To find out more about Einstein Pet, head to https://www.einsteinpets.com/

Einstein Pets is proud to be a sponsored perk for "Pet Fooled 2.0", the “Pet Fooled” sequel. The campaign and fundraising perks for purchase can be found here: https://igg.me/at/Yu-X8hDTGFk/x/18621731

Mayumi Bae and her siblings are committed to bringing Asian inspired, innovative plant based products to market. Their newest product Noods, surprised us at CHFA East. In case you want to check out their food offerings in person, head to their cafe - the Plant Based Workshop

find Mayumi here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayumi-bae-b735b1277/?originalSubdomain=ca

their cafe is here: https://plantbasedworkshop.com/

If you're interested in microground tea, head to www.oldgrowthbeverages.com

We decide we don't like Kent that much. (too smart, too talented etc. etc.) More love for Linda Webb, Rachel Farewell. Philly and Kenny try and figure out what to call themselves (not agency...but what? a node? a connector? something fancy please) Start the year with the right audience. Does your marketing plan match your consumer?

Kenny under the weather. Philly talks about travel, Kenny gets fixated on "experiential"

Tamales are an ancient dish from Mesoamerica, with about 500 variations in Mexico alone, differing by region and ingredients. Generally, almost anyone who has tried one, smiles when they reminisce about having a coffee, hot chocolate with a tamale. We're smiling ear to ear - Nadia Toledo plus talking about tamales is a win/win!

Check out Nadia's tamales here: https://www.antojosysabores.com/

Find Nadia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiatoledo/

Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast. You can check them out here: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/drive-trial

David Giffin shares his journey in establishing a hemp business.  We talk about the challenges of  hemp - the launch of the Earthli brand, addressing marketing challenges and consumer misconceptions about hemp.

Find David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-giffin-899947163/

Find Earthli foods here: https://earthli.ca/

Kenny wanders through Big Sky Country and gets a new sound. We talk small town businesses and the benefit of having someone with a different point of view. Phil gets excited about Flexday

Cedar Valley founder Ameen Fadel talks about how he got started at 16 and how he and his family have built a national business

Find Ameen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameen-fadel-48175514b/

Shop Cedar Valley here: 

She found me with one of her buttermilk biscuits in my mouth. Dawn Chapman owner and CEO of Toronto's Lazy Daisy's Café and inaugural winner of WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Food Industry Award, presented by Skip

Check out Lazy Daisy's Cafe: https://lazydaisyscafe.ca/

Thank you to our sponsor Fieldagent Canada: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/

Check out Sprout World here: https://sproutworld.com/

Connect with  Michael Stausholm here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstausholm/

To become a Patron of the show: https://www.patreon.com/join/thiscommercelife/

To contact us: https://www.thiscommercelife.com/tclabout

or email us at thiscommercelife@gmail.com

Who wins? Kenny or the microphone? Content strategy and how to reach a wider audience. We go deep on promotional spend, and knowing when to jump in with your Customer.

Free plugs to Luciano Scatozza, Sandra Milligan, MBEC and Askuity....just for being wonderful people!

Pareen Hassanally is the Founder & Managing Partner of Salud Brand Management.  She talks about helping brands find their footing, how she represents brands and how she sees retail today. Pareen and Phil commiserate about being Kenny's friends.

Find Pareen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pareen-hassanally-02a522b/

Find Pareen's company Salud Management here: https://saludbrandmanagement.com/

shop Old Growth Beverages here: https://oldgrowthbeverages.com/

"What the hell does Scott do?" A few firsts. First time caller, long time listener, and Kenny was his first retail buyer to call on in Canada. Scott has had an advantage of being in our living rooms for almost 5 years. Scott Miller finally gets to explain what he does for a living. 

Connect with Scott here; https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottcameronmiller/

Sign up for FoodPro here: https://www.bcfb.ca/events/foodpro23-thrive-conference?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsor&utm_id=BCFB_FoodPro

Buy OGB here: https://oldgrowthbeverages.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsor&utm_id=OGB

She's not a baker. She's an entrepreneur. Jenna Ross and her Co-Founder saw a need and decided to jump in. As tourist season arrives in the Maritimes, you'll find her lighthouse shaped shortbread cookies all over Nova Scotia.

You can find Jenna here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjennapoirierross/

Shop for cookies here: https://nscookieco.com/

shop for our favorite tea here: https://oldgrowthbeverages.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsor&utm_id=OGB

Find Matt LeBeau here: https://www.lebeauexcel.com/?utm_source=TCL&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=pdcstspnsr_lebeau&utm_id=pdcstspnsr_lebeau

Philly talks about not doing things that aren't in his wheelhouse, and that prompts a discussion about what to do when you need to change what you're working on. Kenny talks about adapting for change, the guys confirm that they're not normal. Ken picks on Philly.

It's not about fear, it's about being aware.  Mike Nunn from TLC Solutions walks us through the threats we face today in the world of Cybersecurity whether from a business stand point or personal.  Mike chats with the Knuckleheads and goes through how we can do a better job and make some relatively easy changes to how we view and protect our data online.

check out Mike here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikednunn/

check out Mike's company here: https://tlcsolutions.ca/

Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter at www.thiscommercelife.com

We meet up with the remarkable Winnie Hsu. Founder of Vision2Reality Foundation & CEO of NexGen Accounting takes a few mins  to catch us up on her amazing journey from having no skills to running an organization to help people start their dreams.

Find Winnie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winniehsu-v2rf/

Check out Vision2Reality here: https://www.v2rf.org/

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter www.thiscommercelife.com

To find out more about Yellofruit: https://www.yellofruit.com/

To reach Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkinnear/

This one was burning a hole in our pocket. Cristina Bardorf comes on to talk Negroni, Lowgroni, (Low-Proof Negroni) 

If you're celebrating a Dry January, this episode with Cristina and the knuckleheads talk about Lyre's and the growing non-alcoholic spirits segment.  Cristina talks about her time growing up at J&J, and her journey to this new emerging category. 

You can find Cristina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinabardorf/

Shop Lyre's here:  https://lyres.ca/

"Why can't I have a craft (non-alcoholic) beer with my friends?"

Diagnosed with Crohn's disease, having a kid made him give up alcohol. Being mocked and derided for asking for non-alcoholic choices at bars and restaurants made Ted Fleming make his own. 

check out Partake here: https://drinkpartake.com/

Find Ted here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-fleming-4370199/