When is an intrapreneur an entrepreneur?

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm Phil Bliss, Boundary and CEO of Canada's Podcast.
[00:09] SPEAKER_01: Come to you today for on Trondle.
[00:12] SPEAKER_01: Kathy brings over two decades of leadership experience in the retail industry to
[00:16] SPEAKER_01: the next door.
[00:18] SPEAKER_01: She's been growing the business across North America and has achieved a goal by pushing boundaries
[00:25] SPEAKER_01: to deliver measurable results and by disrupting the home care space.
[00:30] SPEAKER_01: Kathy has been recognized for delivering strong results in the business community across
[00:35] SPEAKER_01: North America.
[00:37] SPEAKER_01: Here are some of her achievements.
[00:39] SPEAKER_01: Nurse Next Door was awarded Canada's most admired corporate culture by Water Stillman
[00:44] SPEAKER_01: in 2015 and was ranked number 50 on Entrepreneurs Franchise 2018.
[00:52] SPEAKER_01: So Kathy, welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:57] SPEAKER_01: You know, before we get too deep in the conversation, I'd like, I always like you to tell us a little bit about yourself
[01:06] SPEAKER_01: what you do, how you got here basically.
[01:11] SPEAKER_01: You can do that.
[01:12] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so first of all, thank you for having me.
[01:15] SPEAKER_03: It's great to be here.
[01:18] SPEAKER_03: Kathy Thorke, I am the CEO of Nurse Next Door.
[01:22] SPEAKER_03: I have been with the organization for 10 years and I came out of the retail world and I started my career
[01:32] SPEAKER_03: actually back working for the app and I started as a sales associate and worked my way through various roles.
[01:39] SPEAKER_03: I ended up running Germany, came back around the Canadian organization, Gapagat Kids, for a few years and then we decided to move out to Vancouver.
[01:51] SPEAKER_03: And I brought my lay husband and kids and we moved to Vancouver and have enjoyed living in this great city ever since.
[02:03] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I found myself at Nurse Next Door.
[02:07] SPEAKER_03: Actually we were living in Germany at the time and I got a call from the founder and he said, you know, we're looking for a president
[02:13] SPEAKER_03: which you'd be interested in the role and moved back and we have not looked back since.
[02:20] SPEAKER_01: So what have you accomplished in the last decade?
[02:23] SPEAKER_01: You know, generally we're interviewing founders but today we're interviewing you as an entrepreneur.
[02:36] SPEAKER_01: What have you accomplished Nurse Next Door in the last decade?
[02:42] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well first of all I will give Ken Sim a lot of credit for recognizing that his skill set was you know, starting the company and building it to where it got to and then saying, you know what, I don't know how to scale this business.
[03:00] SPEAKER_03: And I want to bring in someone who has that background and ability to you know, take the business from small to medium and now you know, we're a large organization and that's really you know what we've done over the years is we've taken it from I you know, I think when I started there was 40 franchise locations and we are over 400 you know, we were across Canada's just started in the US.
[03:27] SPEAKER_03: Today we are in across North America, Australia, England and looking at various other countries also and you know, just in terms of you know, I think it's like we still have the essence of who we are and what we're about but it's really what we've done is scale this business from small to large and you know, we continue to grow and we can see how we can grow.
[03:57] SPEAKER_03: And see you know, as Ken would say, how can stay grows.
[04:03] SPEAKER_02: So in this entrepreneurial entrepreneurial sort of world, you know, what what do you see sort of this different about sort of a job and what you're doing.
[04:28] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, a job well to me when I hear job it's someone telling you what to do and I will say that across this organization the culture is very much about we own this company and we make the decisions about the success of this organization.
[04:57] SPEAKER_03: It's not it's not a job it's something that is deeply it's yeah it's we make decisions as though we are the owners of this organization every day.
[05:13] SPEAKER_01: What's been the greatest challenge you've faced in this sort of 10 X 10 year girls.
[05:20] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, the biggest challenge. I mean, you know, it's what do you want the culture to be right like what are you going to create within the culture so that the organization can thrive and people can thrive and that we have.
[05:42] SPEAKER_03: So that we build success.
[05:48] SPEAKER_02: But I mean, in this decade on journey, you've hit must have hit some walls.
[05:58] SPEAKER_01: Is there a process you used to go around them because obviously you've been able to do that.
[06:05] SPEAKER_03: So to go around them. Yeah, I think part of the mindset here is continuous improvement and so it's like we're never satisfied and we're constantly looking and saying okay, what can we do better.
[06:23] SPEAKER_03: So I think like hitting a wall it is it's not a wall is just oh the company grew and therefore we have to look at you know how we're doing something from a different perspective because what got us here won't get us there and you know that that's part of the fun of all of this is that we get to constantly be evolving and growing and
[06:53] SPEAKER_03: seeing how we can do things differently.
[06:56] SPEAKER_00: With over 700 episodes and 500 news articles where you go to source for all things entrepreneurship.
[07:03] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast comm subscribe now.
[07:07] SPEAKER_01: What are your most excited about in the business today.
[07:14] SPEAKER_03: I think that when you look at coming out of COVID,
[07:19] SPEAKER_03: while let me step back before COVID,
[07:22] SPEAKER_03: home care was seen as the second option for people.
[07:27] SPEAKER_03: And then you have COVID and just everything that happened.
[07:32] SPEAKER_03: And coming out of COVID is like, oh wow, people are saying,
[07:35] SPEAKER_03: you know what, I want to stay at home.
[07:37] SPEAKER_03: And it's just, it's the opportunity that we get to support people.
[07:46] SPEAKER_03: And that they want to stay at home and we get to help them do that.
[07:50] SPEAKER_03: And that's pretty awesome.
[07:56] SPEAKER_02: In terms of, you know, growing things and, you know,
[08:02] SPEAKER_01: we generally have, I mean, this is sort of a mentorship thing.
[08:08] SPEAKER_01: Is there any kind of particular, you know, let's say,
[08:14] SPEAKER_01: what's the best piece of advice that you've received that you kind of
[08:19] SPEAKER_01: keep in your back pocket that you use on a, you know,
[08:25] SPEAKER_01: on a fairly regular basis in terms of progressing the business?
[08:33] SPEAKER_03: I would say continue to be curious every day and have a learning mindset.
[08:39] SPEAKER_03: You know, we're never, we're never there.
[08:42] SPEAKER_03: And how do we continue to grow and learn and develop ourselves?
[08:49] SPEAKER_03: Like I, I always say I'm 100% responsible for, you know,
[08:54] SPEAKER_03: anything that happens.
[08:55] SPEAKER_03: So how do I look and say, what can I do better?
[09:02] SPEAKER_03: What can I learn?
[09:03] SPEAKER_02: What can I, yeah, how can I be a better leader?
[09:14] SPEAKER_02: What advice would you give to others who are looking to start a business?
[09:21] SPEAKER_01: And grow it like you have, but, you know, over the, over the decade that you've,
[09:27] SPEAKER_01: you've been there.
[09:28] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[09:29] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[09:30] SPEAKER_03: I mean, listen, you're only as good as the team that you have around you and
[09:37] SPEAKER_03: always look for people that are better than you.
[09:41] SPEAKER_03: And, you know, it's understand what you're good at, understand what you're not good at,
[09:46] SPEAKER_03: and be very, yeah, find people that are going to help the
[09:56] SPEAKER_03: organization thrive because they're bringing in a skill set that you don't have.
[10:04] SPEAKER_02: You know, where do you see yourself in the next five years?
[10:09] SPEAKER_03: You know, listen, this, this organization is constantly changing, evolving, growing.
[10:17] SPEAKER_03: And I want to be here making a difference in many lives across the globe.
[10:24] SPEAKER_03: And I know that we're going to continue to open in new countries and be able to bring
[10:31] SPEAKER_03: their next door and our philosophy of happier aging to countries that don't know what that
[10:42] SPEAKER_03: means.
[10:43] SPEAKER_03: And we have the opportunity to bring it and create something different.
[10:52] SPEAKER_02: You've done a few things.
[10:54] SPEAKER_02: I mean, I know you're a little bit, obviously, liking what you do now.
[10:57] SPEAKER_02: You know, if you could go back in time, what would you give your 20-something self advice
[11:08] SPEAKER_01: in terms of progressing through entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, whichever?
[11:18] SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's a good question.
[11:20] SPEAKER_03: So my 20-year-old self, I would say being bold, take chances, and you know, when it's
[11:34] SPEAKER_02: uncomfortable, do it.
[11:37] SPEAKER_02: Do it anyway.
[11:40] SPEAKER_02: That's a good one, life, only.
[11:44] SPEAKER_01: If you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing instead?
[11:48] SPEAKER_01: You'd be, you know, if this is the only thing you've done, you're on.
[11:54] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, I came out of the world of retail and I always say, when you get retail inside
[12:03] SPEAKER_03: you, it never leaves.
[12:07] SPEAKER_03: I love customer service.
[12:10] SPEAKER_03: I love sales.
[12:12] SPEAKER_03: I love being around people.
[12:14] SPEAKER_03: So I know that if I wasn't doing this, I would be doing something that involved those
[12:19] SPEAKER_03: things.
[12:21] Speaker UNKNOWN: Okay.
[12:23] SPEAKER_01: It's funny about retail.
[12:27] SPEAKER_01: It's definitely a mindset of some of the, someone else above my back and it's the same
[12:33] SPEAKER_01: kind of mindset.
[12:35] SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you're a big reader or a big listener, but what book or podcast you're
[12:41] SPEAKER_01: currently reading, I would recommend to the audience.
[12:45] SPEAKER_01: Well, I'll talk about my book.
[12:49] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can, just that way.
[12:51] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like I just finished my book.
[12:54] SPEAKER_03: It was a four-year journey and, you know, bold kindness.
[12:58] SPEAKER_03: And I'm very excited that, you know, it was, it was a journey and it is certainly putting
[13:07] SPEAKER_03: yourself into a vulnerable position of exposing the world to your thoughts.
[13:13] SPEAKER_03: But I'm excited to have it coming out now.
[13:18] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, so full kindness.
[13:22] SPEAKER_01: Why can't working people get it?
[13:24] SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
[13:25] SPEAKER_01: Right?
[13:25] SPEAKER_01: Where can people get it?
[13:26] SPEAKER_01: Is it going to be on Amazon or?
[13:28] SPEAKER_03: It's on Amazon.
[13:29] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's on Amazon.
[13:30] SPEAKER_03: It's an end-to-go.
[13:32] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's, it's, you can find it out there.
[13:37] SPEAKER_02: You were mourning or a night person?
[13:40] SPEAKER_03: I am a mourning person.
[13:44] SPEAKER_02: Interesting.
[13:45] SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
[13:46] SPEAKER_01: These are just some fun questions.
[13:49] SPEAKER_01: If you had to pick one word to describe yourself, what would it be and why would you
[13:54] SPEAKER_01: choose it?
[13:57] SPEAKER_03: The word that comes to mind is disciplined.
[14:01] SPEAKER_03: I, yeah, I work very hard.
[14:05] SPEAKER_03: I always have.
[14:06] SPEAKER_03: And I'm a very disciplined person and to think that that's why I've been able to achieve
[14:16] SPEAKER_03: what I've achieved.
[14:18] SPEAKER_02: What are you most excited about in your business today?
[14:26] SPEAKER_03: Just, just the opportunity that home care has in making a difference in people's lives.
[14:34] SPEAKER_03: It truly is something that, you know, when you look at the aging population and just, you
[14:44] SPEAKER_03: know, people want to stay at home.
[14:46] SPEAKER_03: They want to be able to live in their homes as long as they can and home care gets to
[14:52] SPEAKER_03: help people do that.
[14:54] SPEAKER_00: Stay ahead of the game with our expert tips and strategies that will help your business
[14:58] SPEAKER_00: thrive in a digital era.
[15:00] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast.com subscribe now.
[15:04] SPEAKER_01: What about the people side of it in terms of, you know, he said a retail.
[15:09] SPEAKER_01: I mean, what, I mean, home care, I think everyone sort of interested in is it, you know,
[15:19] SPEAKER_01: when you get home care is who's going to be coming to look after me?
[15:27] SPEAKER_01: How, you know, what, what's the kind of profile of that person that succeeds?
[15:36] SPEAKER_03: Well, I think what we focus on is actually understanding how the client is and what type of,
[15:43] SPEAKER_03: like, who do they, who do they want in their home?
[15:45] SPEAKER_03: What's the personality of the caregiver that they would like to have?
[15:51] SPEAKER_03: And I think that that's the difference.
[15:52] SPEAKER_03: I think when you look at typical home care that's out there, you just have someone showing
[15:58] SPEAKER_03: up, you know, and who that person is.
[16:01] SPEAKER_03: But we really take the time to understand who the client is, what they're looking for.
[16:06] SPEAKER_03: And then we're matching the caregiver to that person so that you can really build a
[16:12] SPEAKER_03: relationship because listen, that's not easy when you have someone, you have someone coming
[16:17] SPEAKER_03: into your home, your space, and you want to make sure that that is someone that you feel comfortable with.
[16:23] Speaker UNKNOWN: Okay.
[16:25] SPEAKER_02: What's keeping you all the night?
[16:29] SPEAKER_03: What keeps me at the night.
[16:32] SPEAKER_03: You know, I think it's just how do we continue to, you know, move this business forward
[16:41] SPEAKER_03: and at the same time understand, you know, like everyone talks about AI and what that's
[16:46] SPEAKER_03: going to do for home care.
[16:48] SPEAKER_03: And I don't know the answer to that.
[16:52] SPEAKER_03: And I think that it's those things that we just have to be comfortable in saying, you know,
[16:58] SPEAKER_03: what let's be curious, let's learn, let's understand it.
[17:03] SPEAKER_03: I think it's also how do we build partnerships because I know that home care,
[17:12] SPEAKER_03: for people to stay at home, you need other partnerships that support that also.
[17:21] SPEAKER_03: As an example, I think of pharmacy, you know, how do we build a relationship with pharmacies?
[17:29] SPEAKER_03: Because, you know, you need all of that to be able to stay in your home.
[17:34] SPEAKER_03: And I think that it's just having that openness and curiosity about what it takes for someone
[17:44] SPEAKER_03: to be at home and it's not just home care.
[17:49] SPEAKER_02: Interesting.
[17:50] SPEAKER_01: I mean, a little bit of a lady's that what you say on the top three things on what item,
[17:56] SPEAKER_01: your vision board right now in terms of futures.
[18:04] SPEAKER_01: Global.
[18:06] SPEAKER_01: It's not just not just the company, it's your vision board as well.
[18:10] SPEAKER_03: Oh, right.
[18:11] SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, listen.
[18:18] SPEAKER_03: So I, so three years ago, I lost my husband to cancer.
[18:25] SPEAKER_03: And I will say that I have been on a journey of creating what I call my version 2.0.
[18:36] SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, it's not necessarily the top three things.
[18:40] SPEAKER_03: It's how do I continue to go after life and not be afraid of doing things and trying things
[18:52] SPEAKER_03: and, you know, life is short and how do we step into being bold every day and not regretting?
[19:05] SPEAKER_04: Interesting.
[19:09] SPEAKER_01: I think, you know, one other thing is really, you know, what we, the Italian mind as well,
[19:20] SPEAKER_01: what's the absolute biggest challenge you face in your future?
[19:28] SPEAKER_03: I think it's time.
[19:31] SPEAKER_03: And, you know, how do you accomplish all the things you want to do?
[19:35] SPEAKER_03: And, yeah, time goes fast.
[19:39] SPEAKER_02: Interesting. That's a good one.
[19:42] SPEAKER_01: I think we, you're very precise.
[19:45] SPEAKER_01: We've covered most of the things that I wanted to do.
[19:51] SPEAKER_01: How can people get ahold of you?
[19:53] SPEAKER_01: There's some very good gems in there.
[19:57] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, listen, you can find me on LinkedIn.
[20:00] SPEAKER_03: You can find me on Instagram.
[20:05] SPEAKER_03: I would love to hear from people.
[20:07] SPEAKER_03: I love meeting people, talking to people.
[20:12] SPEAKER_03: There's so many great stories out there.
[20:14] SPEAKER_03: How do we just share and be human together?
[20:20] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for coming on, Canada's podcast.
[20:22] SPEAKER_01: It's been very, very interesting.
[20:24] SPEAKER_01: You're quite an end-apprising intro for an AC stuff.
[20:30] SPEAKER_01: Great.
[20:30] SPEAKER_03: Thank you. This is awesome.
[20:32] SPEAKER_01: Thank you.