Business Ownership
Bold(h)er: Inspired to Invent
When you think of an inventor, what comes to mind? Well, now think of a 19-year-old woman in first-year biomedical engineering at University. Lianna Genovese is an award-winning inventor. As she tells Lisa Bragg, she’s inspired by the people she’s helping. ...
Bold & Black: Pauleanna Reid
Name: Pauleanna Reid Business: WritersBlok Industry: Celebrity Ghostwriter and Journalist Tanya: Let’s get right into it. You speak often enough about your path to entrepreneurship. Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? Pauleanna: Absolutely....
Bold & Black: Valrie Grant
Name: Valrie Grant Business: GeoTechVision and Marlie Technology Park Industry: Technology Tanya: So, question one - what was your path to entrepreneurship? Valrie: I kind of got there a little bit around about. I was a senior manager in government. I'm a...
How To Start An Online Business
So you want to learn how to start an online business? While this used to be a novel idea, most businesses are now online businesses of some sort — but unfortunately, only 16% of Canadian businesses are owned by women. And despite an increase in female-founded startups...
How to Start a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
Starting a business can be incredibly exciting, and also incredibly daunting. There are so many things to consider, steps to follow, and it all rests on your shoulders. That’s a lot of pressure for new entrepreneurs or even seasoned pros. Thankfully, enough business...
13 Tips for Starting and Managing a Small Business
Managing a small business is not easy. Without the resources that large corporations have come to rely on to make business run smoothly (think HR departments, finance, legal, etc.), it can be difficult to learn how to start and manage a small business. Between...
10 Meaningful Sustainable Business Practices
What does it mean to be a sustainable business? And how can you easily adopt sustainable business practices into your day-to-day operations? Read on for 10 meaningful ways you can adopt environmentally friendly and sustainable practices for your business. It’s easy to...
Bold(h)er: Diversity, Inclusion & Equality
Sometimes the non-traditional path can get you where you need to go in life. That was the case for Shavonne Hasfal-McIntosh. Early on, Shavonne challenged family expectations and dropped out of university and college only to go back later in life to complete her HR...
Bold(h)er: Discovering Your Values
Keep. Throw out. Work on. Dionne Grayson, founder of Building Your Dreams says, we need to do that inventory from time to time to keep moving ourselves forward. As she tells Bold(h)er host, Lisa Bragg, there’s a life that you’re designed to lead, but you have to give...
Bold(h)er: Sustainable Beauty – More Than Just Skin Deep
Lisa Mattam named her business after the Hindi word for “intuitive” – Sahajan. Her beauty business is based on Ayurvedic traditions her family and generations before had used. They knew it worked, and Lisa set out to prove those claims with modern science. As she...
Bold(h)er: Swagger – Tap into Your Personal Power
Unleash everything you are and become everything you want – that’s a big statement, but that’s what Leslie Ehm promises you’ll gain if you develop Swagger. It’s not that bold, brash idea of the word that you used to have. Instead, as she told Lisa Bragg in this...
Bold(h)er: You Belong in the Room
A mentor can see in you what you don’t see in yourself. Vivian Pickard says her successful 40-year career at General Motors was thanks to mentors who took the time to propel her forward. As she tells Lisa Bragg, walking in as your highest self is the secret to...
Bold & Black: Christine Channer Auguste
Name: Christine Channer Auguste Business: The Channer Group Inc. Industry: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Management Consulting Tanya: So, what is the name of your company? Christine: My company is The Channer Group Incorporated. That is the parent. That's...
Bold(h)er: Evolving to Chief Enthusiasm Officer
Sink or swim was how Robin Howlings had to learn business and to become a manager. Then one day, someone told her, "everyone hates you… and they’re all going to quit.” Harsh, but as Howings tells Lisa Bragg, that was a transformative moment that not only changed her...
Bold & Black: Michelle Berry
Name: Michelle Berry Business: Shelley Delight/ Shelley Cares Foundation Industry: Food service/ food pantry Tanya: Where do we even start? I mean, you have like 4 companies. (Although I’m one to talk) you have the catering arm, you have the restaurant and you...
Bold & Black: Odeen Eccleston
Name: Odeen Eccleston Business: WE Realty Inc. | The Wiltshire Group Industry:Real Estate/Construction Tanya: I mean, we've talked about your path to entrepreneurship several times, so what was the foundation of your entrepreneurship journey? How's it going for...
Bold & Black: Ashley Bester-Barnett
Name: Ashley Bester-Barnett Business: Scents & Such LLC Industry: Retail/Home décor Tanya: What is the name of your company? Ashley: Scents & Such. Essentially, it's a candle company. Tanya: Very cool. What was your path to entrepreneurship? Ashley: I...
Bold & Black: Chantal Carter
Name: Chantal Carter Business: Love & Nudes Industry: Fashion/Apparel Tanya: So officially - what is Love & Nudes? Chantal: Love & Nudes is a brand that is a vessel for self-love. I developed the line of skin tone intimates in different shades of brown to...
Bold & Black: Laura Williams
Name: Laura Williams Businesses: Williams HR Law LLP; Williams HR Consulting, Inc. Industry: Law/ Human Resources Tanya: So, the first question, an easy one, what is the name of your company, and what does it do? Laura: I have two companies. So, the first one...
Bold(h)er: Encore – Opportunity from Disruption
Encore presentation. Originally aired June 2021. Your career is a long game. There are lessons, pivots, losses, wins and maybe some gaps. In this episode of Bold(h)er, BMO’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture Mona Malone and Dr. Talia...
Bold & Black: Jessica Yamoah
Name: Jessica Yamoah Business: INNOVATE INC Industry: Technology Tanya: All right, so what is INNOVATE INC? Jessica: INNOVATE INC provides awareness and access to underrepresented communities at the intersection of business and entrepreneurship as well as...
Bold & Black: Brittney King Brock
Name: Brittney King Brock Business: King Creative Group Industry: Music/ Entertainment Tanya: Hi and welcome! So, you are the Founder and Operator of King Creative Group. Tell us about your company. Brittney: King Creative Group is a multi-faceted entertainment and...
Bold & Black: Leigh Butler
Name: Leigh Butler Business: Akina Technologies Industry: Technology / Community Tanya: The first question is an easy one. What was your path to entrepreneurship? Leigh: Gosh, you think that's an easy question? Tanya: I mean, a simple question. Maybe not an...
Bold & Black: Lily Lynch
Name: Lily Lynch Business: Sankara | Online Multicultural Marketplace Industry: E-commerce/ Community Tanya: The first question - what was your path to entrepreneurship? Lily: So, my path to entrepreneurship was not necessarily expected or linear. Essentially, I...
Bold(h)er: Encore – Opportunity from Disruption
Encore presentation. Originally aired June 2021. Your career is a long game. There are lessons, pivots, losses, wins and maybe some gaps. In this episode of Bold(h)er, BMO’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture Mona Malone and Dr. Talia...
Bold(h)er: A Fate Worth Fighting For
Warning: this episode has content that may be sensitive for some listeners. Reinvention is one of the boldest moves one can do in life. Former professional fighter Lina Khalifeh can attest to this. Born and raised in the Middle East, she isn’t afraid of but rather,...
Bold(h)er: Opportunity from Disruption
Your career is a long game. There are lessons, pivots, losses, wins and maybe some gaps. In this episode of Bold(h)er, BMO’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture Mona Malone and Dr. Talia Varley of The Cleveland Clinic join Lisa Bragg to talk...
BMO Hosts Women Business Owners for Resilience Retreat
Paulette Jagers, Chief Inclusion Officer, and Sheri Griffiths, Regional President, Business Banking, recently hosted women entrepreneurs at the BMO IFL for a retreat focused on developing the skills and strategies needed to grow resilience in business and life. The...
Succession planning is key for small business owners
Nearly two in five business owners are wondering who will take over their business and how they will transition it to a successor. However, the majority of them do not have a formal plan to exit their business or preserve the continuity of the business upon...
Receiving an unsolicited offer to sell your business
Many successful business owners have had the experience of receiving an unsolicited phone call from someone offering to buy their business. On occasion, these unsolicited calls lead to a successful transaction, but more often than not the discussions go sideways for a...
Management Succession Planning
When we speak of “business succession planning” for private companies, some people think only of tax and estate planning, while others may only consider a transition in the share ownership of a business. While those are each important elements of succession planning,...
Proactive Human Resources Strategies
Human Resources is commonly becoming accepted as a strategic business partner, worthy of a seat at the highest levels of leadership within many organizations. With the advent of social networking, and new digital technologies, human resources specialists are now...
Five must-dos for entrepreneurs
Ready to launch your own startups? Make sure you know these five must-dos for entrepreneurs. Read more
Creating a Business Plan
What does a business plan look like? Here's how to write your plan and the key components to include. Read more
Building your business through social media marketing
Social media is a marketing gold mine for small businesses. And understanding the nuances of each social network can help you optimize your efforts and get the most bang for your buck. The best place to start is finding out where your customers are. Each site attracts...
What do I need to know about starting a franchise?
If you don’t want to start a business from scratch or buy an existing business, franchising may a good choice for you. Franchises employ over 1 million Canadians and generate approximately $68 billion in revenue every year.1 Franchising can reduce some of the risks of...
How to import goods into Canada and grow your business
It goes without saying that exporting your goods or services to another country or importing goods into Canada are great ways to grow your business. But with any great opportunity there are risks. So before you start to do business across borders, there are a...
Five common small business mistakes to avoid
It might seem like Arjun Kumar, winner of the BMO-sponsored AIR MILES®† For Business Small Business Achievement Award, has it all figured out when it comes to running a small business. But he didn’t get here without facing some adversity. Kumar, CEO at KAI...
Knowing your numbers matters
The more knowledgeable you are about where your business stands financially today, the more productive your conversations will be when you meet with your trusted advisors.