Operations

Steve McEwen of My HSA explains health spending accounts, a defined-contribution alternative to traditional group benefits. Listeners learn how these plans work for incorporated owners and small teams, what administration and compliance involve, and how pairing an HSA with catastrophic insurance rounds out coverage.

Andrew Evans, founder of ROffice, discusses virtual assistants for financial advisors and other small practices. Listeners learn which tasks suit delegation, why clear processes and handoffs matter more than raw hours, and how outsourced support adds capacity without the fixed cost of a full-time hire.

John Stroud, CEO of AI Guides, discusses how generative AI can fit into businesses of any size, including one-person operations. Listeners learn where early wins tend to come from, why a basic strategy and guardrails should precede a wide rollout, and how AI shifts where staff time is best spent.

Cato Pastoll of Loop returns to tackle a stubborn problem: opening US bank accounts for Canadian businesses. He describes why traditional banks often require an in-person visit across the border, how a multicurrency card works, and what a bundled banking platform brings together in one place.

Currency specialist Shane Slater of FirmaFX explains foreign exchange from a business owner's perspective. He breaks down the real costs of converting currency, what hedging is and how it removes exchange-rate risk, and why hedging strategy depends on each business's margins and exposure.

Jason Pereira closes his five-part financial statements series with Part 5, on how passive income is taxed inside a corporation. He explains the 2018 rule change that raises corporate tax once aggregate investment income passes $50,000, and how mechanisms like RDTOH refund tax when income is paid out personally.

Part 4 of Jason Pereira's financial statements series focuses on cash management and working capital, the lifeblood of a business. He explains how net working capital is calculated, what it signals about operational efficiency, and how receivable payment terms affect how quickly sales become cash.

In Part 3 of his solo series on financial statements, Jason Pereira turns to accounting ratios. Listeners will hear how measures like the operating cash flow ratio, interest coverage ratio, and gross margin track a business's solvency, profitability, and efficiency over time and against other firms.

The financial statements series continues as Jason Pereira devotes Part 2 to the cash flow statement. He explains why this report is worth producing even though tax filings do not require it, what cash flow from investing activities reveals, and how liability duration affects working capital needs.

Part 1 of Jason Pereira's five-part solo series on financial statements basics. This opener maps out income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and ratios, and explains terms like capital cost allowance and EBITDA and why they matter when reading a company's numbers.

Marketing instructor David Pullara, whose experience spans Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Google, breaks down the value of brand. He distinguishes marketing from branding, explains why focusing on a niche beats trying to appeal to everyone, and makes the case for owning customer relationships instead of renting them from ad platforms.

Corporate financial planning and analysis takes centre stage with Tom Seegmiller, VP of FP&A at Vena Solutions. He discusses why COVID-19 made forward planning urgent for many companies, how finance teams manage finite resources like cash, and where planning software is headed next.

Employment lawyer Ellen Swan of Caravel Law covers HR law across the employee lifecycle, from hiring through termination. Listeners will hear what a probationary period actually is, how employees differ from contractors in the eyes of the law, and how pandemic-era cases complicated both.

Real estate lawyer Vic Gasparitsch raises concerns about Ontario's new personal real estate corporations. The episode explains what a PREC can and cannot do, how splitting income between agent and corporation creates accounting problems, and how simple the setup process currently is.

Mark Patterson of Magnet describes how small businesses can tap government programs and talent networks to grow. The episode explains why application processes deter many owners and how platforms like Magnet aim to level the field with larger firms that have dedicated teams.

Entrepreneur and coach Gil Petersil shares how business leaders can build stronger online and offline networks. The discussion covers why networks should evolve as your business changes and his view that giving knowledge away freely tends to bring value back.

John Vuong of Local SEO Search breaks down search engine optimization for small businesses. He covers how answering the questions your ideal customers are searching for drives good content, and how press releases, link placement, and guest posts amplify a website's visibility.

Mike Brcic, founder of Way Finders, explains how documented processes free up an owner's time. Listeners will learn why offloading energy-draining tasks matters, how checklists keep a business running smoothly, and what re-engineering a business around process looks like.

Riccardo Di Donato of Redberry Restaurants talks commercial real estate for business owners. The episode looks at why a lawyer's review of leasing contracts matters, how leasehold improvements can factor into rent negotiations, and what a continuous operating covenant can mean for tenants.

Chad Davis of LiveCA, an all-remote accounting firm, shares with Jason how his team built a fully distributed operation. Listeners will learn the phases of workflow development LiveCA worked through, why remote work is more about culture than technology, and practical tips for improving a remote team.

Josh Zweig, CEO of LiveCA, talks with Jason about outsourcing the financial operations of a business. Learn which functions, from bookkeeping to payables to payroll, an outside accounting firm can take on, and how outsourced processes can adapt as a company grows and hires.

Jason and Ryan Mallough of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business discuss what CFIB does and why small business owners might consider joining. Learn how the advocacy group is guided by its members, and where it is pushing governments on issues like family business transfers and construction disruption.

Scott Terrio, Manager of Consumer Insolvency at Hoyes Michalos, joins Jason to demystify insolvency. Learn what insolvency actually means, how consumer proposals work and who they apply to, and how business owners can think about protecting assets when finances go wrong.

Cato Pastoll, CEO of Lending Loop, talks with Jason about credit ratings and alternative lending for small businesses. Learn the five factors that drive a personal credit score, why keeping credit utilization low matters, and how alternative lenders evaluate a business.

Guy Anderson of Aligned Capital joins Jason to unpack Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan for business owners. The episode explains how the wage subsidy worked, which tax filing and payment deadlines were extended, and how interest rate cuts fit into the government's support measures.

Jason talks with Peter Merrick, author of The King of Main Street, about mentorship and grooming the next generation of business leaders. The discussion covers what makes a true mentor, why an aging population makes succession pressing, and how owners can find life beyond working on and at their business.