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Coaching & Consulting

Kimberley and Stephen Lafreniere headshot
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Investing in a franchise does reduce entrepreneurial risk but it does not guarantee success

August 18, 2025 Coaching & Consulting, Investment 0:35:29

Stephan and Kimberley Lafreniere are growth-oriented and insight driven senior executive with a track record of success in developing and implementing strategies and tactics to drive profits in the retail sectors.

Stephan has held progressively senior roles within the planning, merchandising, and branding disciplines at iconic Canadian retailers including Canadian Tire Corporation, Hudson’s Bay Company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., and Sears Canada Inc. Kimberley has an equally impressive retail career after working for iconic brands like Sears, HBC, and Sobeys, loving what I do every day. Building that new program and watching the guests fall in love with it is a thrill.

In 2021 Stephan and Kimberley invested in a Schooley Mitchell franchise. Schooley Mitchell is the largest independent cost reduction consulting firm in North America, with offices from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada. On average, they reduce essential business service expenses by 28% and have delivered over $540 million in documented savings to our clients to date.

Stephan and Kim are passionate about saving money for their clients and helping them grow their business. Schooley Mitchell delivers expertise to companies of all sizes from all industries, offering a broad range of services aimed at reducing costs and

All Schooley Mitchell fees are self-funded from the savings generated. If savings aren’t found, our clients don’t pay – a truly risk-free and mutually beneficial model.

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Helping Veterans Succeed in Business and Beyond

August 15, 2025 Coaching & Consulting 0:31:47

Joe Blanchard is a results-oriented Senior Executive. He runs VeCATS to assist Soldiers and Veterans transition into Corporate Canada with the right skills to be successful. VeCATS provides a 4 Step Process for veterans 1. Soft-Skills, 2. Hard Skills, 3. Internship, 4. Job Placement. And his primary focus today is to help Veterans move into the entrepreneurial sector successfully. Joe is a former veteran and has travelled the military, corporate and entrepreneurial roads. A proven performer Joe moves easily from vision and strategy to implementation and follows through. He is an innovative and strategic thinker, with sound business judgement and proven analytical, troubleshooting, and critical thinking abilities.

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Cut Costs & Grow Fast: Shaun Stratton’s Strategy

July 15, 2025 Coaching & Consulting 0:25:00

Shaun Stratton has spent his career as an expedition leader, international leadership consultant, professional speaker, and bestselling author. He is the founder of the International Vegan Film Festival and World Tour. In 2022, he joined the Planted Expo as an account manager, overseeing vendor and sponsor relations for Planted’s Toronto Expo, helping to maximize service quality while minimizing spend. This is what led him to his current entrepreneurial role as a Business Optimization Specialist at Schooley Mitchell. Shaun combines his prior entrepreneurship, leadership development, strategic sales knowledge, and consulting experience into a role where he is able to directly impact businesses’ bottom lines. Shaun believes every business should pay the right rates, receive the right services, and have the peace of mind from knowing your business is running as efficiently as possible.

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Cut Costs, Boost Profits: Top Tips for Entrepreneurs

July 4, 2025 Coaching & Consulting, Finance 0:23:23

The newscast for entrepreneurs is all about savings. With all the talk about tariffs and the like, it seems that margins will take a hit. So for entrepreneurs the news is, how can we increase savings to offset lower margins. Today, we’re going to meet Mike Deboer, who is Franchise Development Advisor for Schooley Mitchell, a partner of Canada’s Entrepreneur and the leading cost reduction experts for entrepreneurs to use in Canada. Then we can go into the Top 10 reasons to manage your overheads and the proven benefits of doing this.

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Transforming Youth Mental Health Through Mentorship & Community

June 30, 2025 Coaching & Consulting, Health and Wellness 0:16:56

Jamie Conroy is the beating heart of Orenda, an Alberta-based non-profit organization that promotes the mental health and well-being of youth, families, and individuals through a range of mentorship programs, workshops, and retreats. With a Bachelor of Education and 12 years of experience, Jamie has worked with youth and communities across various projects — from the Inspired Youth School Project to the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, as well as the NHPCA, the Chamber of Okotoks, CBE, and the Foothills School Division. She is also certified in yoga and life coaching, and brings both depth and versatility to guiding people and building systems that make a lasting, positive impact. Guided by the principle of challenging and loving simultaneously, Jamie develops family- and community-driven programs that prioritize trust, safety, and connection. Through Orenda, she is helping create a world where personal and collective transformation, youth and family development, and community-building thrive.

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Helping transform the workplace

May 27, 2025 Business, Coaching & Consulting, Education, General 0:19:52

Sam Jenkins is the managing partner of Punchcard Systems, a digital transformation studio focused on transforming people, workplaces, and communities through technology. He has always believed that enriching people’s whole selves serves as a cornerstone to creating a better community. That’s why his entrepreneurial journey started as Co-Founder and CEO of Wellnext, a software startup focused on building technology for workplace wellness, and later as one of the founding team members of Startup Edmonton.

He has provided leadership and expertise to several organizations, including the boards of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Awards Foundation, as well as held governance roles with the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Sam’s commitment to his community led him to being named one of Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 by Avenue Magazine (2012), and in 2013 the University of Alberta recognized him with the Horizon Award as an outstanding young alumnus. Currently, Sam serves as Vice Chair of the Winspear Centre for Music, and is leading the facility’s 40,000 square foot expansion, including new performance venues, classrooms, and creative spaces.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samjenkins/
https://www.instagram.com/samjenkins/

#TechForGood #DigitalLeadership #StartupCommunity #YEGBusiness #SocialImpact

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What makes a good leader

May 22, 2025 Business, Coaching & Consulting, Education, General 0:24:11

Andrew Brooks, CPA, ICD.D, BBA
Executive Leader | Fractional CEO | Board Director | Strategic Advisor |Speaker

Andrew Brooks is a respected executive and strategic advisor with extensive experience leading organizations through transformation, growth, and transition. As the founder of Had To Holdings Ltd., he provides fractional CEO and executive advisory services to companies across Canada and internationally.

He began his relationship with Waiward as a fractional CEO before becoming its President and CEO, and has held similar leadership roles with the Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association and Flint Transfield Services.

Andrew’s early international experience in Nigeria helped shape his global perspective and culturally informed leadership style.

Today, he serves as Vice Chair of the Calgary Drug Treatment Court, a board member of The Future of Energy Global Summit and a director of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, where he supports corporate and economic development with cross-cultural collaboration.

As a public speaker, Andrew regularly shares insights on energy, leadership, organizational alignment, and navigating change. Whether on stage, on a panel or in the boardroom, he’s known for his solid integrity, loyalty, steady presence, and his belief that “everyone has a story.”

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-brooks-leadership/
https://hadtoholdings.com/

#LeadershipMatters #FractionalCEO #BusinessTransformation #GlobalLeadership #EntrepreneurInsights

 

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Dating Disrupted: A Business That Brings People Together

May 7, 2025 Coaching & Consulting, Communications, Education 0:32:39

Kavita is one of the world’s top dating psychology coaches for men and the founder of Dashing Date. Based in Montreal, she brings over 13 years of experience helping men navigate modern dating with confidence and success. She’s the resident dating expert on Breakfast Television and has been featured in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, and Global News.

Phone: +1 (514) 967-7818
Website: https://go.dashingdate.com/home
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavitaajwani/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DashingDate/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dashingdate/

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A mission of helping women solopreneurs

May 2, 2025 Business, Coaching & Consulting, Communications, Tech 0:19:32

The combination of getting fired shortly after a failed marriage made Vera Ilnyckyj feel like a complete failure, purposeless, disconnected and stuck.

She’s grateful for this challenging time because it was the start of discovering her purpose – helping other women get back on track after a major life change.

Ultimately, it led Vera to leave her corporate job and step into her business full time. While she had no training on how to run a business and no formal plan, what she did have was a deep desire to help and inspire others, create belonging, and empower people to take action towards their goals.

A major learning that Vera has had as an entrepreneur is the realization that intense inner work is required to step into a new version of yourself. As a result, she’s developed tools, resources and practices that support self-trust, confidence, resilience, mindset and intuition, along with strategies to support discipline, consistency, goal-setting, marketing, sales and business growth.

Today, Vera’s approach combines the spiritual and the material in order to create impact and income. Her mission is to help women solopreneurs live a genuine, fulfilled and positive life through their business. Vera believes we’re not meant to be on this journey alone which is why she’s committed to uplifting others in community – through her mastermind success collective, in-person and online workshops, retreats, speaking, her podcast, blogs, videos or social channels.

Learn more about Vera and her work: www.createyourbestchapter.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createyourbestchapter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verailnyckyj/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@createyourbestchapter
Website: https://www.createyourbestchapter.com/

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Inside the Mind Behind Canada’s Boldest Tech Moves

April 16, 2025 Coaching & Consulting, Tech 0:36:30

Joel Semeniuk has spent over 25 years helping organizations spark change through innovation. My mission? Making business transformation faster, smoother, and more effective. Joel is all about building a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. As the Chief Strategy Officer at Communitech, he has the opportunity to reshape strategic direction, strengthen connections and help drive growth in Canada’s tech ecosystem. Joel has been part of some pretty cool initiatives like NATO DIANA and CAN Health, which help Canadian innovators tap into Canadian and global markets and opportunities. He also co-founded and scaled Imaginet in 1997. In 2008, he created an international venture studio targeting manufacturing, healthcare and transportation, partnered with accelerators worldwide, and advised a range of companies on adapting to fast-changing markets.

Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur!

Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don’t miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy.

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