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Olympic bobsledder on a Wild Tea Kombucha ride

Emily Baadsvik · prairies

Emily Baadsvik

Episode

Emily Baadsvik is a Maritimer who now calls Calgary home. Over the course of the last seven years, she...

Key takeaways

  • Deep market research and discovery before launching is crucial—ask everyone, understand your market thoroughly, and don't just jump off the cliff without preparation.
  • Setting boundaries for sleep, healthy eating, and knowing when to disconnect is essential because you will miss out on family time and relationships if you constantly put work first.
  • Cash flow is the biggest challenge in entrepreneurship, and without deep pockets or access to capital, bootstrapping becomes exhausting and limits your ability to grow and scale.
  • Breaking business down into attainable steps rather than trying to go from zero to one hundred makes challenges more manageable, similar to how athletic training builds incremental progress.
  • Networking with other business owners and being willing to ask for help opens doors to mentors, resources, and the realization that everyone faces similar challenges like supply chain and staffing issues.

Transcript

Full transcript page · Interactive episode

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Countless Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, I'm Mario Toniguzi with Calgary's podcast.
[00:09] SPEAKER_01: Joining me today is Emily Baudsbick, who is founder of Wild Tea Kombucha.
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: I said that right, right?
[00:17] SPEAKER_01: Didn't I?
[00:17] SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah.
[00:18] SPEAKER_00: Co-founder Wild Tea Kombucha.
[00:20] SPEAKER_01: Okay, super.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: And who is your other co-founder?
[00:25] SPEAKER_01: Is Bridget Forreal.
[00:26] SPEAKER_01: Okay, super.
[00:27] SPEAKER_01: Tell me, first of all, Emily, what do you guys do?
[00:32] SPEAKER_00: So we manufacture Kombucha when we have three separate lines.
[00:36] SPEAKER_00: So we started off with the typical fruit and infused line,
[00:39] SPEAKER_00: which is cocktail inspired.
[00:41] SPEAKER_00: And we really wanted to make Kombucha fun.
[00:43] SPEAKER_00: So we thought, hey, instead of just ginger Kombucha,
[00:46] SPEAKER_00: let's promote that people can mix it with booze
[00:49] SPEAKER_00: or make a salad dressing or a smoothie.
[00:52] SPEAKER_00: And then after a bit of time, we noticed a gap in the market.
[00:56] SPEAKER_00: So we launched Kombucha sodas, which are low sugar,
[01:00] SPEAKER_00: and they were kind of a response to my dad, who likes to drink coke.
[01:04] SPEAKER_00: And I was like, dad, if I make a coke Kombucha, will you,
[01:07] SPEAKER_00: will you drink it?
[01:08] SPEAKER_00: Who's like, try me?
[01:09] SPEAKER_00: So the Kombucha sodas were born.
[01:12] SPEAKER_00: And then most recently, we just launched with the hard Kombucha cider.
[01:16] SPEAKER_00: So it's 5% alcohol, 1 gram of sugar.
[01:19] SPEAKER_00: And it's a nice crisp alternative to, you know,
[01:23] SPEAKER_00: busy or white flour any of those.
[01:25] SPEAKER_01: So for the people out there that aren't fully aware of it,
[01:29] SPEAKER_01: can you describe and explain what Kombucha is?
[01:33] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[01:33] SPEAKER_00: So Kombucha is fermented tea.
[01:36] SPEAKER_00: And the simplest way to describe it is the way you make yogurt.
[01:39] SPEAKER_00: You take milk, you add bacteria, and it transforms into yogurt.
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: It's the same way you make Kombucha.
[01:44] SPEAKER_00: You take tea and sugar, you add bacteria,
[01:46] SPEAKER_00: and it turns into this fermented Kombucha.
[01:50] SPEAKER_01: OK.
[01:51] SPEAKER_01: And what are the benefits of Kombucha for people?
[01:56] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[01:56] SPEAKER_00: So Kombucha has had a wide variety of properties.
[01:59] SPEAKER_00: It's full of amino acids.
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: It's full of B vitamins.
[02:02] SPEAKER_00: It has a great source of vitamin C.
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: And using the premium ingredients that we do,
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: we try to give functional benefits to the fruits and the adaptogen
[02:12] SPEAKER_00: herbs that we use.
[02:13] SPEAKER_01: OK.
[02:14] SPEAKER_00: It's basically a tool in your toolkit.
[02:16] SPEAKER_01: And tell me a little bit about the history behind it.
[02:19] SPEAKER_01: How it all began?
[02:21] SPEAKER_00: So while tea started in 2015, it was kind of a response
[02:24] SPEAKER_00: to a bit of a midlife crisis.
[02:26] SPEAKER_00: I was like, what am I doing with my life?
[02:29] SPEAKER_00: And I started selling at the firmers market in Cochrane
[02:33] SPEAKER_00: and in Beirves Spa.
[02:34] SPEAKER_00: And then Snowball to August September, that's what I meant.
[02:38] SPEAKER_00: Bridgid, and that's when it really transformed from just
[02:40] SPEAKER_00: a firmers market stall into a business.
[02:43] SPEAKER_00: And then from there, it's just been a very accelerated.
[02:47] SPEAKER_00: We were part of our lead Dickinson's district ventures.
[02:50] SPEAKER_00: We were part of the Calgary tap program.
[02:53] SPEAKER_00: We were on Dragon's 10.
[02:55] SPEAKER_00: And so we've been fortunate to be involved with a number
[02:58] SPEAKER_00: of the services that Calgary offers and over it.
[03:02] SPEAKER_01: How did you get initially introduced to Kombucha?
[03:06] SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's an interesting story.
[03:08] SPEAKER_00: My massage therapist from when I did Bob's lead
[03:10] SPEAKER_00: was a added Kombucha drinker.
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: And she grew up on the Sunshine Coast.
[03:15] SPEAKER_00: So she was much more hit than I was.
[03:17] SPEAKER_00: And she's like, you should try this.
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: It's good for you.
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: It's good for your gut.
[03:21] SPEAKER_00: And when you basically eat chicken broccoli and rice
[03:23] SPEAKER_00: for every meal, you're always looking for options
[03:26] SPEAKER_00: to help shake things up.
[03:27] SPEAKER_00: And so that's where the love affair began.
[03:29] SPEAKER_00: And then it just kind of, I thought, hey,
[03:31] SPEAKER_00: maybe I can make this on my own.
[03:33] SPEAKER_00: And then I started giving it away as gifts.
[03:36] SPEAKER_00: And then here we go.
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: Business started.
[03:39] SPEAKER_01: All right, super.
[03:39] SPEAKER_01: You mentioned Bob's lead.
[03:40] SPEAKER_01: Let's talk a little bit about that.
[03:43] SPEAKER_01: Talk to me and tell me a little bit about your Bob's
[03:46] SPEAKER_01: lead career.
[03:46] SPEAKER_00: Yes, I was fortunate to be part of the women's national team
[03:50] SPEAKER_00: from 2010 to 2014.
[03:52] SPEAKER_00: And I was proud Bob's lead breakman
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: for a number of various pilots, including
[03:56] SPEAKER_00: Kaylee Humphries and Jenny Chiquetti.
[03:59] SPEAKER_00: And I got to go to Sochi in 2014 as the alternate spare.
[04:04] SPEAKER_01: Oh, OK.
[04:05] SPEAKER_01: And how did you get involved in Bob's lead?
[04:07] SPEAKER_01: Like you're from the Maritime's originally, right?
[04:09] SPEAKER_00: I am.
[04:10] SPEAKER_01: OK.
[04:11] SPEAKER_01: So how did you get involved in Bob's lead?
[04:14] SPEAKER_00: Well, I grew up playing rugby.
[04:16] SPEAKER_00: And so my love affair with rugby
[04:18] SPEAKER_00: came to a brief or a quick halt in 2010
[04:21] SPEAKER_00: when I developed some severe body issues.
[04:26] SPEAKER_00: And then I went from hitting people to hitting things.
[04:31] SPEAKER_00: And there was an ID camp, just an open camp.
[04:34] SPEAKER_00: They said, anyone who wants to try out, come try out.
[04:36] SPEAKER_00: And then luckily, I was able to put up
[04:38] SPEAKER_00: some of what have decent numbers.
[04:40] SPEAKER_00: And they encouraged me to stick around
[04:42] SPEAKER_00: and the rest is history.
[04:45] SPEAKER_01: So like that, maybe describe the Bob's lead experience.
[04:49] SPEAKER_01: Just as as an aside, years ago, when
[04:52] SPEAKER_01: I was a sports reporter at the Calgary Harold, right?
[04:56] SPEAKER_01: I got to go down the Bob's lead run.
[05:00] SPEAKER_01: I was in the middle.
[05:02] SPEAKER_01: So there was the breakman and the driver, I guess,
[05:05] SPEAKER_01: are called, right?
[05:07] SPEAKER_01: And then two of us, who
[05:08] SPEAKER_01: are nobody's in the middle.
[05:10] SPEAKER_01: And oh, my gosh, I always say to people,
[05:13] SPEAKER_01: I'll never forget that experience.
[05:15] SPEAKER_01: It was the most exhilarating experience
[05:19] SPEAKER_01: I've ever had in my life, but probably
[05:21] SPEAKER_01: the most frightening experience I've ever had in my life.
[05:24] SPEAKER_01: What was it like for you when you first went down?
[05:27] SPEAKER_00: Oh, the first time I went down, I peeped my pants.
[05:29] SPEAKER_00: It was very confusing.
[05:31] SPEAKER_00: I was like, what's happening?
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: What is this?
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: What is this thing called G-Force?
[05:35] SPEAKER_00: And all of a sudden, my body just shut down.
[05:38] SPEAKER_00: And then I got to the bottom and I was like, oops.
[05:41] SPEAKER_00: And then it becomes addictive, like you said.
[05:44] SPEAKER_00: So I think you get used to it.
[05:46] SPEAKER_00: You start to appreciate the sport.
[05:48] SPEAKER_00: And you really start to love
[05:51] SPEAKER_00: healing the track, knowing where the turns are.
[05:54] SPEAKER_00: And each track becomes very different
[05:56] SPEAKER_00: for different types of people.
[05:58] SPEAKER_01: You know, there was that one thing that you go up
[06:02] SPEAKER_01: and kind of curve and around.
[06:04] SPEAKER_01: What was that curve called?
[06:06] SPEAKER_00: That's a prize.
[06:06] SPEAKER_00: So that's during for school.
[06:08] SPEAKER_00: And so it means you go in a full 360.
[06:11] SPEAKER_00: And each track, it's part of the requirements.
[06:13] SPEAKER_00: Just like how each sport has their own
[06:17] SPEAKER_00: specific specifications.
[06:18] SPEAKER_00: In Bob's lead tracks, you have to have a form of a prize
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: a linear track.
[06:22] SPEAKER_01: Oh, OK.
[06:23] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, that was scary.
[06:26] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[06:26] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's calcress a bit of a corner one to four
[06:30] SPEAKER_00: is very slow.
[06:31] SPEAKER_00: And then all of a sudden, reality kicks in.
[06:33] SPEAKER_00: And you're like, oh crap.
[06:34] SPEAKER_00: I can't get out.
[06:37] SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
[06:38] SPEAKER_01: So being an athlete and rugby and Bob's lead,
[06:43] SPEAKER_01: what do you think you learned as an athlete
[06:46] SPEAKER_01: that's helped you out in business?
[06:49] SPEAKER_00: Oh, so many things.
[06:50] SPEAKER_00: I think sport has definitely been a great foundation
[06:52] SPEAKER_00: for me in so many ways.
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: Specifically, accountability, time management,
[06:58] SPEAKER_00: communication, how to be a team player,
[07:01] SPEAKER_00: how to be a great and effective leader.
[07:03] SPEAKER_00: It also opened the doors for my second education.
[07:06] SPEAKER_00: So I was able to complete my master's
[07:08] SPEAKER_00: because of the game plan program with the COC.
[07:12] SPEAKER_00: And it's just it singlehandedly gave me the confidence
[07:15] SPEAKER_00: and the reassurance that I knew I can handle it.
[07:18] SPEAKER_00: If I was able to break business down into steps
[07:20] SPEAKER_00: that were attainable instead of just trying to go
[07:23] SPEAKER_00: from 0 to 100, then it was much more of a unique framework.
[07:28] SPEAKER_01: Oh, OK, then.
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: And when you look back at being an entrepreneur,
[07:33] SPEAKER_01: what would you say the biggest challenges were?
[07:37] SPEAKER_01: Or maybe still are?
[07:41] SPEAKER_00: Well, this morning, it's the rain, thus this.
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: Some of the biggest challenges I think
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: are obviously number one is money in cash flow.
[07:51] SPEAKER_00: And if you do not have deep pockets or at least people
[07:55] SPEAKER_00: with deep pockets in your inner circle,
[07:57] SPEAKER_00: it can get very tiring and hard to bootstrap
[08:01] SPEAKER_00: after so many years.
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: And I think that without money or without the necessary cash flow,
[08:08] SPEAKER_00: it really, it's limited in your ability to grow and scale.
[08:13] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I think that cash flow is obviously one of them.
[08:16] SPEAKER_00: And then two, it's just being able to pay to have
[08:19] SPEAKER_00: the appropriate team people surrounding you,
[08:23] SPEAKER_00: to give you the knowledge and the structure that you require
[08:26] SPEAKER_00: to really like ask the league of business.
[08:28] SPEAKER_01: OK, then.
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: And what's, when you look at being an entrepreneur,
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: what kind of things do you enjoy about it?
[08:38] SPEAKER_00: I love the variety.
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: I love that I get to set my own schedule,
[08:42] SPEAKER_00: despite that I work for.
[08:43] SPEAKER_00: I love that it leads it on my time.
[08:46] SPEAKER_00: And I really love knowing that today I was a plumber.
[08:50] SPEAKER_00: And then I'll be a shipping and receiver.
[08:52] SPEAKER_00: And then I will go on to be a CEO.
[08:55] SPEAKER_00: And then I will do health and safety.
[08:56] SPEAKER_00: So it's always varied.
[08:59] SPEAKER_00: And I've met so many amazing people in small business,
[09:03] SPEAKER_00: community, specifically in Calgary.
[09:06] SPEAKER_00: That's the reason for being an entrepreneur.
[09:07] SPEAKER_00: It's that the people make business.
[09:10] SPEAKER_00: When you go to a market collective,
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: or when you go to any of those gatherings of sorts,
[09:16] SPEAKER_00: that's where you get really connect and share stories
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: and help each other, lift each other up.
[09:24] SPEAKER_01: If you were giving advice to somebody who came to you
[09:27] SPEAKER_01: about what should you do to be an entrepreneur?
[09:33] SPEAKER_01: What piece of advice would you give to people?
[09:38] SPEAKER_00: Take up drinking.
[09:39] SPEAKER_00: No, I'm sick.
[09:40] SPEAKER_01: Drinking some kombucha.
[09:42] SPEAKER_01: I was going to say, I was going to say Sam Buka.
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: It said so somewhere.
[09:46] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[09:47] SPEAKER_00: I think this healthy stress management
[09:51] SPEAKER_00: and being able to set boundaries.
[09:54] SPEAKER_00: First and foremost, doing your research
[09:56] SPEAKER_00: and really knowing your market and asking anyone and everyone
[09:59] SPEAKER_00: and really doing a deep discovery before you just jump off
[10:03] SPEAKER_00: that cliff.
[10:04] SPEAKER_00: And then as you go down the rabbit hole,
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: being able to set boundaries, whether it's with sleep
[10:09] SPEAKER_00: or healthy eating or working out or knowing
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: when to shut off your phone and just trying to be able
[10:15] SPEAKER_00: to keep your world in a tight box as much as possible.
[10:19] SPEAKER_00: Because the thing is that you will miss out on family time,
[10:23] SPEAKER_00: you'll miss out on relationships
[10:24] SPEAKER_00: if you keep putting work first.
[10:26] SPEAKER_00: So it's about coming up with a healthy balance.
[10:29] SPEAKER_01: So it's going to ask you, like I forgot to ask you
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: at the beginning.
[10:32] SPEAKER_01: So where can people find this kombucha?
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so on our website, wellteacambucha.com,
[10:40] SPEAKER_00: we're also sold in a number of lovely locations
[10:43] SPEAKER_00: throughout Canada from the small independence
[10:46] SPEAKER_00: like community and Blushlane, the larger conventional
[10:49] SPEAKER_00: like so be safe way and save on.
[10:51] SPEAKER_00: And again, on e-commerce sites like well.ca.
[10:55] SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay, then.
[10:57] SPEAKER_01: And what are your thoughts and plans for the company
[11:00] SPEAKER_01: in the coming years?
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: Great question.
[11:04] SPEAKER_00: Well, our goal right now is still to a recover from COVID
[11:07] SPEAKER_00: because that really took a toll.
[11:09] SPEAKER_00: But then be just to really focus on the alcoholic kombucha
[11:12] SPEAKER_00: and the kombucha sodas and trying to explore new markets
[11:15] SPEAKER_00: with some of our new innovation and new packaging formats.
[11:19] SPEAKER_01: Okay, super then.
[11:21] SPEAKER_01: Now obviously being an entrepreneur is a very busy time,
[11:25] SPEAKER_01: you're on call and basically 24-7.
[11:30] SPEAKER_01: What do you do besides the work?
[11:34] SPEAKER_01: Like, what do you do to relax and that work life balance?
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: Oh, you talk about the time.
[11:41] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I try to be active as much as I can
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: whether it's biking, mountain biking,
[11:48] SPEAKER_00: or in the wintertime cross-country skiing.
[11:51] SPEAKER_00: I'm limited to the activities I can do
[11:53] SPEAKER_00: because of the number of concussions I've sustained
[11:56] SPEAKER_00: going through the gym as much as possible.
[11:59] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's just going for a walk
[12:01] SPEAKER_00: and just trying to do something.
[12:02] SPEAKER_00: And obviously reaching out to friends
[12:04] SPEAKER_00: and making sure that you hang out
[12:06] SPEAKER_00: and hang out with those friends.
[12:07] SPEAKER_00: And spending time with my boyfriend and my cats
[12:10] SPEAKER_00: and a crazy cat lady.
[12:13] SPEAKER_00: Secretly a dog person, but now has three cats.
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: And I really enjoyed just doing different forms of art
[12:21] SPEAKER_00: and cooking, just decompressing and letting go
[12:24] SPEAKER_00: and not having to think about anything,
[12:26] SPEAKER_00: but what's in front of me?
[12:27] SPEAKER_01: All right, this is going to be an odd ball question,
[12:29] SPEAKER_01: but tell me about your background in terms of
[12:34] SPEAKER_01: where he came from in the Maritimes.
[12:35] SPEAKER_01: And what do you think, you know,
[12:39] SPEAKER_01: what kind of foundations of coming
[12:42] SPEAKER_01: and being raised in the Maritimes?
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: Do you still carry with you today?
[12:47] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm a proud new Brunswicker
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: through and through I grew up right on the border
[12:50] SPEAKER_00: to Calisbee.
[12:52] SPEAKER_00: It's called St. Stephen, New Brunswick
[12:53] SPEAKER_00: for famous for Canada's first chocolate bar,
[12:56] SPEAKER_00: the Palo Mine.
[12:57] SPEAKER_00: And where Canada was founded was Samuel Deshamplay.
[13:01] SPEAKER_00: What am I gracious for?
[13:03] SPEAKER_00: I mean, the community I grew up in was kind
[13:05] SPEAKER_00: and it was genuine and the community really did raise
[13:09] SPEAKER_00: everyone.
[13:10] SPEAKER_00: It was a town of only 5,000 people.
[13:13] SPEAKER_00: And I think that often the people
[13:15] SPEAKER_00: or the specifically the athletes of Maritimes
[13:19] SPEAKER_00: often get discouraged because we don't have
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: the same opportunities and we have to travel further
[13:23] SPEAKER_00: to go to the big city.
[13:25] SPEAKER_00: But I do think that there is a lot of undiscovered talent
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: in the Maritimes and just the vibe
[13:33] SPEAKER_00: is just much more chill.
[13:35] SPEAKER_00: It's my dream to eventually move back to the East Coast.
[13:37] SPEAKER_00: I just want to, I mean, the mountains are nice,
[13:39] SPEAKER_00: but it's not the ocean.
[13:41] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, what brought you here?
[13:43] SPEAKER_00: Oh, a boy rugby.
[13:48] SPEAKER_00: Why did I stay rugby, Bob's,
[13:53] SPEAKER_00: boys.
[13:56] SPEAKER_00: But no, my family is still all back
[13:59] SPEAKER_00: in New Brunswick and Montreal.
[14:00] SPEAKER_00: So I do try to visit as often as possible,
[14:03] SPEAKER_00: but COVID did put a damper in that.
[14:06] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, how did you survive through COVID?
[14:10] SPEAKER_00: Oh, hope in a prayer.
[14:13] SPEAKER_00: We really, like we, well, our marketing person at the time,
[14:18] SPEAKER_00: what was very crucial.
[14:21] SPEAKER_00: She single-handedly created our website
[14:23] SPEAKER_00: or e-commerce site in a weekend.
[14:25] SPEAKER_00: Great when March 2020 was at its full, you know, sway.
[14:29] SPEAKER_00: And we tried to create an e-commerce site called
[14:33] SPEAKER_00: the Friend Wildty Community Challenge
[14:34] SPEAKER_00: just to open it to, you know, all the small businesses
[14:37] SPEAKER_00: that we were friends with because everything
[14:39] SPEAKER_00: that we were used to had been shut down.
[14:41] SPEAKER_00: And then just trying to come up with new ways
[14:43] SPEAKER_00: to hit different markets that we're doing well.
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we thought about Trady Creek's
[14:49] SPEAKER_00: Skolby Toilet Paper, but it just, it wasn't hot still.
[14:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the old, the old, the, you know, overused phrase
[14:59] SPEAKER_01: right, of the pivot.
[15:00] SPEAKER_00: You know, it's true though, you've had the pivot.
[15:03] SPEAKER_00: And I think like we're gracious for the partners
[15:05] SPEAKER_00: that stay with us.
[15:06] SPEAKER_00: I will call a lot of the vendors who worked with our gone.
[15:10] SPEAKER_00: And so it's just been about reinventing
[15:12] SPEAKER_00: and trying to find new markets.
[15:14] SPEAKER_01: What do you think as a business person,
[15:16] SPEAKER_01: an entrepreneur you learned through this last two years?
[15:23] SPEAKER_00: I think communication, due diligence,
[15:27] SPEAKER_00: networking as much as possible.
[15:29] SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of great resources out there
[15:30] SPEAKER_00: with like obviously the government of Alberta,
[15:32] SPEAKER_00: whether it's their trade commissioners
[15:35] SPEAKER_00: or their government grants.
[15:37] SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of tools out there.
[15:38] SPEAKER_00: You just have to know how to navigate it.
[15:41] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's true.
[15:43] SPEAKER_01: And over the years, you know, when setting up the business
[15:46] SPEAKER_01: and doing the business that, where have you turned,
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: like you turned to for advice, whether that's a people
[15:54] SPEAKER_01: or whether that's books and resources,
[15:58] SPEAKER_01: where do you look for mentorship, I guess?
[16:02] SPEAKER_00: We had a lot of mentors that we met
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: through district ventures that have stayed true.
[16:07] SPEAKER_00: And we've also acquired new business coaches
[16:11] SPEAKER_00: and new different, I guess specialists in their field.
[16:16] SPEAKER_00: And then also just being able to talk
[16:19] SPEAKER_00: to the other business owners
[16:20] SPEAKER_00: and being able to understand that we're all
[16:23] SPEAKER_00: having supply chain issues.
[16:24] SPEAKER_00: We're all having current board issues, right?
[16:28] SPEAKER_00: And also the professors from my school,
[16:30] SPEAKER_00: like I was obviously bringing up my own work problems,
[16:33] SPEAKER_00: being like, how do I do this?
[16:35] SPEAKER_00: And so as long as you're willing to ask,
[16:38] SPEAKER_00: people are willing to help.
[16:39] SPEAKER_00: You just have to know how to communicate.
[16:41] SPEAKER_01: What school was that and what did you take?
[16:44] SPEAKER_00: Oh, it was through Queens and University,
[16:47] SPEAKER_00: the Queens Cornell partnership,
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: called the Executive MBA.
[16:50] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[16:53] SPEAKER_01: Okay, super then.
[16:54] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so and where did you go to university before that?
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: Oh, I went to Mount Allison University back in St. Brunswick.
[17:03] SPEAKER_00: Some of the proud Mount T.
[17:06] SPEAKER_00: Play, did you play rugby?
[17:07] SPEAKER_00: I played rugby there, yeah, yeah.
[17:09] SPEAKER_00: It's where I really like discovered my passion for rugby.
[17:13] SPEAKER_00: And that's I think when I, you know,
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: you leave the fish bowl that is the Maritimes
[17:17] SPEAKER_00: and you're like, I'm gonna make the national team
[17:19] SPEAKER_00: and then you go out west and you're like,
[17:20] SPEAKER_00: oh, my Jesus, they're so big.
[17:22] SPEAKER_01: So.
[17:24] SPEAKER_01: So tell me why, why rugby?
[17:27] SPEAKER_01: What was the appeal of that sport to you?
[17:31] SPEAKER_00: I am not one that is blessed with grace.
[17:34] SPEAKER_00: I know that when I was in my mom said
[17:36] SPEAKER_00: that she put me in ballet when I was five or six
[17:39] SPEAKER_00: and the teacher told her nicely,
[17:43] SPEAKER_00: this is not for her.
[17:46] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I have ADV.
[17:49] SPEAKER_00: So I think that, you know,
[17:51] SPEAKER_00: the impulse, the activity and the being able to,
[17:54] SPEAKER_00: a million miles a minute, my brain's always working
[17:57] SPEAKER_00: and I think that just rugby was like,
[17:59] SPEAKER_00: the way to describe it is just a beautiful chaos.
[18:01] SPEAKER_00: Like I love that you did get to hit people
[18:03] SPEAKER_00: and I love that it was also about the finesse and the speed.
[18:06] SPEAKER_00: So in all honesty, like watching Super Bowl
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: versus watching the World Cup,
[18:10] SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's like hands down,
[18:12] SPEAKER_00: full of rugby, it's way better and way more exciting
[18:15] SPEAKER_00: and way faster.
[18:17] SPEAKER_00: So.
[18:18] SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
[18:19] SPEAKER_01: Last thing I'm going to share with people
[18:21] SPEAKER_01: and it's just part of our conversation
[18:23] SPEAKER_01: we had prior to starting record this,
[18:26] SPEAKER_01: being an entrepreneur.
[18:27] SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm not sure when this is going to air,
[18:30] SPEAKER_01: but we're taping this at this moment on June 14th
[18:34] SPEAKER_01: and Calgary has just been inundated with rainfall, et cetera.
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: So tell me how you spent your morning as an entrepreneur.
[18:44] SPEAKER_00: Yes, so this morning I came to work dressed
[18:46] SPEAKER_00: in appropriate wear with makeup on
[18:48] SPEAKER_00: knowing that you're having this interview
[18:49] SPEAKER_00: and I got to our office and there's water everywhere.
[18:53] SPEAKER_00: It's flooded, so I spent all morning mopping
[18:55] SPEAKER_00: and wiping and being a plumber
[18:58] SPEAKER_00: and just completely drenched.
[19:00] SPEAKER_00: So I had to change and wipe everything off quickly.
[19:05] SPEAKER_01: Just a life of an entrepreneur, right?
[19:07] SPEAKER_00: Life of an entrepreneur, yeah.
[19:10] SPEAKER_00: But it's, I don't think our building,
[19:12] SPEAKER_00: I think it's a tar and roof from the 70s.
[19:15] SPEAKER_00: I don't think it was meant for a men's amount of rain.
[19:18] SPEAKER_00: We're not, we're not Vancouver.
[19:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
[19:22] SPEAKER_01: All right, super Emily, I appreciate you taking the time
[19:24] SPEAKER_01: to do this.
[19:25] SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Mario.
[19:26] SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for your time.
[19:27] SPEAKER_01: All right, super.
[19:28] SPEAKER_01: That was Emily Baud's Vic, who is a co-founder
[19:31] SPEAKER_01: of Wild T. Combootcha in Calgary.
[19:34] SPEAKER_01: I'm Mario Toneguzi with Calgary's podcast.
[19:37] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining us today.