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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_03: It's VanCouver's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:12] SPEAKER_03: Hello everyone, I'm Angela Faye, Hub Builder and co-host of British Columbia's Podcasts.
[00:19] SPEAKER_03: Part of the Canada's podcast network, your source for great insights from entrepreneurs
[00:23] SPEAKER_03: from across Canada.
[00:25] SPEAKER_03: We talked entrepreneurs who are making it happen here so you can listen, discover, and engage.
[00:31] SPEAKER_03: And our guest today is a Melissa from ULU PR.
[00:35] SPEAKER_03: She's got a lot on the go so we're going to unveil that during those today's podcast,
[00:39] SPEAKER_03: but I want to give you a little intro.
[00:41] SPEAKER_03: In 2011, Melissa founded ULU PR, a communications and impact consulting agency, mandated to
[00:49] SPEAKER_03: champion socially innovative organizations that are making positive social and environmental
[00:55] SPEAKER_03: impact.
[00:56] SPEAKER_03: Since then, Melissa was awarded a top 30 under 30 marketing professional board, was
[01:01] SPEAKER_03: chair of communications for the Urban Land Institute of BC, played a key role in the
[01:06] SPEAKER_03: FACCANCE or campaign that earned her agency an international Stevie Award for Best Social
[01:12] SPEAKER_03: Good Campaign, and became Canada's first key art agency to become a certified B corporation.
[01:19] SPEAKER_03: With the belief that stories have the power to drive behavior and social change, Melissa
[01:23] SPEAKER_03: and her team embarked on an evolution of public relations, enter impact relations,
[01:29] SPEAKER_03: an organization dedicated to promoting the widespread practice of PR and communications
[01:35] SPEAKER_03: for positive impact that works with emergent change makers across North America.
[01:41] SPEAKER_03: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[01:43] SPEAKER_03: You have some New York roots, which is really interesting to me.
[01:47] SPEAKER_03: One best PR from in Vancouver in 2014.
[01:51] SPEAKER_03: You've got this gold Stevie winner in 2019, but there's a journey to get here.
[01:57] SPEAKER_03: Can you share your entrepreneurial story today?
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: Sure.
[02:02] SPEAKER_00: I came here about a decade ago and I was living in New York.
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: That's where I got my start in communications.
[02:09] SPEAKER_00: I went to school there originally from New Mexico.
[02:12] SPEAKER_00: That's where all my family is.
[02:13] SPEAKER_00: I always joke American by birth, Canadian by choice.
[02:16] SPEAKER_00: I'm a dual citizen.
[02:17] SPEAKER_00: I became a citizen last year.
[02:19] SPEAKER_00: It was very exciting.
[02:20] SPEAKER_00: I'm very happy.
[02:21] SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
[02:22] SPEAKER_00: But I started Yulu in 2011 after working for another communications agency here who sponsored
[02:30] SPEAKER_00: me when I first arrived.
[02:32] SPEAKER_00: And I really didn't think that I was going to start a business.
[02:35] SPEAKER_00: I was waiting for my permanent residency to come in.
[02:38] SPEAKER_00: And so I had a little bit of time off.
[02:41] SPEAKER_00: And I went back to New York and to New Hampshire and stayed at my friends cottage and just
[02:45] SPEAKER_00: kind of like, what do I want to do?
[02:47] SPEAKER_00: What do I want to go?
[02:47] SPEAKER_00: And then came back and still wasn't really sure and started doing some contract work.
[02:53] SPEAKER_00: And then I really liked the contract work and started getting enough contract work that
[02:57] SPEAKER_00: it turned into too much that I could handle on my own.
[03:00] SPEAKER_00: And I ended up making my first hire who's been with the company for seven years and
[03:04] SPEAKER_00: a fantastic company.
[03:06] SPEAKER_00: So when we first started building a client roster, we noticed that it didn't start.
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: Yulu didn't start as an impact driven agency.
[03:15] SPEAKER_00: But we noticed early on that half of our clients were nonprofits or socially beneficial
[03:22] SPEAKER_00: to some degree.
[03:23] SPEAKER_00: And we thought that that was really cool.
[03:24] SPEAKER_00: So we said, let's maintain this.
[03:25] SPEAKER_00: And so to hold ourselves accountable, we put it on our website.
[03:28] SPEAKER_00: We said we're a 50% cause-based agency.
[03:31] SPEAKER_00: And shortly after that, we started getting some positive feedback.
[03:35] SPEAKER_00: Clients were contacting us saying, oh, we see that you guys are 50% cause-based.
[03:39] SPEAKER_00: Where would we land in that?
[03:41] SPEAKER_00: And you could see that there was a desire for companies wanting to do good.
[03:44] SPEAKER_00: Over time, we started with working with more nonprofits, working with Black Cancer and
[03:48] SPEAKER_00: the Vancouver Farmers Market and doing a little bit of work, the Canadian BC Cancer Society.
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: We realized that there was best practices that we were able to take from these organizations
[04:00] SPEAKER_00: that were benefiting society and the environment.
[04:02] SPEAKER_00: And we were able to apply those tactics to our for-profit client.
[04:05] SPEAKER_00: And our for-profit clients loved it.
[04:07] SPEAKER_00: And they were telling us that's actually the greatest value add that we're getting from
[04:12] SPEAKER_00: Yulu is that you guys are providing some impact consultancy.
[04:15] SPEAKER_00: And it doesn't really feel like it's PR what you guys are doing.
[04:18] SPEAKER_00: But we kind of felt the same.
[04:19] SPEAKER_00: We love the impact consultancy side of what we do.
[04:23] SPEAKER_00: And it went beyond how to build a sticky PR campaign.
[04:27] SPEAKER_00: It was about how to look for ways to use your brand, your organization, your platform as
[04:34] SPEAKER_00: a platform to drive social, environmental change and benefit.
[04:39] SPEAKER_00: So we started talking with other agencies that were, we became a B-Corp.
[04:44] SPEAKER_00: After we became a B-Corp, we said, you know what?
[04:46] SPEAKER_00: This kind of work is too good to do anything else.
[04:49] SPEAKER_00: Let's make it a 100% mandate.
[04:51] SPEAKER_00: Wow.
[04:51] SPEAKER_00: So about three years into the business, we decided to go 100% any of the clients that we worked
[04:56] SPEAKER_00: with.
[04:56] SPEAKER_00: They didn't have to be a social enterprise or a nonprofit, but they did have to agree
[05:01] SPEAKER_00: to bring those on to help them be more socially beneficial.
[05:05] SPEAKER_00: So some of the clients that we've worked with that brought us on to do that social benefit
[05:10] SPEAKER_00: work like Live Nation, Red Bull, we do all the social impact communications for Red Bull
[05:16] SPEAKER_00: North America, Aldo Group working with one of their vegan line, launching a vegan sustainability
[05:22] SPEAKER_00: line.
[05:22] SPEAKER_00: So really focusing on that one area, they're still able to keep their agency of record.
[05:28] SPEAKER_00: But we are strictly focusing on how to not just make the company look better, but how
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: to make the company do better.
[05:34] SPEAKER_00: And so it's the interview process of the business process, the client's joke, and they say,
[05:41] SPEAKER_00: they feel like we're interviewing them sometimes because we're like, are you sure you're ready
[05:45] SPEAKER_00: for this because it's not always comfortable.
[05:48] SPEAKER_00: We have to, you know, do stay covered in your views with all of your team and we need
[05:52] SPEAKER_00: to really find out what you guys stand for, what's your social purpose.
[05:55] SPEAKER_00: And like, yes, we're sure.
[05:56] SPEAKER_03: I mean, I love that story because it's a common story.
[06:00] SPEAKER_03: It's a little bit of an accident launch printer.
[06:01] SPEAKER_03: I think the company evolves out of need and momentum behind a particular niche.
[06:09] SPEAKER_03: So if you could describe one to two ideal clients going forward, what would be the mission
[06:16] SPEAKER_03: that you would love to help sell or amplify for clients?
[06:20] SPEAKER_03: What results would you both love to see?
[06:25] SPEAKER_03: What impact would you both love to see?
[06:27] SPEAKER_03: And then honestly, what time and investment do would that ideal client need to make in
[06:35] SPEAKER_03: making sure that that impact is achieved?
[06:40] SPEAKER_00: So an ideal client for us today, when we first honed in and narrowed our focus on impact,
[06:46] SPEAKER_00: an ideal client was, oh, this client is perfect for us.
[06:49] SPEAKER_00: They are impactful.
[06:50] SPEAKER_00: They are doing all these cool things that we want to amplify their story because they've
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: got a story worth sharing.
[06:57] SPEAKER_00: But then our mentality has changed over time because we realize that we can actually have
[07:01] SPEAKER_00: more impact working with clients that don't have it figured out yet.
[07:06] SPEAKER_00: That are, that are, you know, their international on scope or national on scope.
[07:11] SPEAKER_00: And they have a very big audience base, consumer base, big influence on whether it be a market,
[07:18] SPEAKER_00: an audience group, a community policy change, that they have the ability to influence.
[07:28] SPEAKER_00: And they want to do it responsibly.
[07:29] SPEAKER_00: So that's one element of a perfect client.
[07:32] SPEAKER_00: It could be a brand.
[07:33] SPEAKER_00: It can be, you know, environmental solution to climate crisis, but they maybe are talking
[07:40] SPEAKER_00: too much in scientific jargon and they want to help bring it to layman's terms where
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: we can, you know, set some tangible keep guys not just getting funding, getting their
[07:51] SPEAKER_00: funding goals to help them advance their technology, but maybe we also want to help them have
[07:56] SPEAKER_00: a strong argument instead of petitions so that when they go and testify in front of
[08:00] SPEAKER_00: the Senate, they can have a really strong case to push for some policy change.
[08:05] SPEAKER_00: So clients with influence, clients that are serious about making an impact.
[08:10] SPEAKER_00: So it's really important that we have access to the top decision makers.
[08:14] SPEAKER_00: So you're not always going to have access to the CEO.
[08:18] SPEAKER_00: I have not met the CEO of Red Bull.
[08:21] SPEAKER_00: When we're working with Red Bull, North America, we're working with the top directors
[08:25] SPEAKER_00: in the marketing communications departments that are driving the social impact initiatives
[08:30] SPEAKER_00: and any of the decisions that need to ultimately be made.
[08:33] SPEAKER_00: We need to have access to those people because we really want to make sure that the leadership
[08:37] SPEAKER_00: team is bought in.
[08:38] SPEAKER_00: A leadership team isn't bought in.
[08:39] SPEAKER_00: It's not going to happen.
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: And then the rest of the team isn't going to be bought in either.
[08:43] SPEAKER_00: These would be kind of the two elements.
[08:45] SPEAKER_00: And we're industry, not diagnostic.
[08:47] SPEAKER_00: We work with everything from nonprofits, travel, hospitality, CPG, fashion, B2BB to see.
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter to us.
[08:59] SPEAKER_00: Really, it's just about do you have the ability to make an impact?
[09:04] SPEAKER_00: Let's help you really genuinely set up the framework for that.
[09:08] SPEAKER_00: And then the next part of your question, how long does that take?
[09:11] SPEAKER_00: Every company is going to be a little bit different.
[09:14] SPEAKER_00: A bit different, but going back to what I was saying earlier, but sometimes it's a little
[09:18] SPEAKER_00: uncomfortable for companies.
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: We really want to make sure that any of the organizations that are coming to us aren't
[09:24] SPEAKER_00: coming to us for PR.
[09:26] SPEAKER_00: We don't want them to come and have a social purpose strategy implemented because it looks
[09:31] SPEAKER_00: good.
[09:32] SPEAKER_00: And one of the ways of ensuring that it's not just for show is saying, okay, we're going
[09:38] SPEAKER_00: to do this work.
[09:39] SPEAKER_00: We're going to identify what you guys can stand for, how you guys can make a change.
[09:43] SPEAKER_00: And then we're going to put it in practice and demonstrate it for six to 12 months because
[09:48] SPEAKER_00: your social purpose is only good as the daily action, so they're supporting it.
[09:52] SPEAKER_00: Not as good as the words on your website.
[09:55] SPEAKER_00: So we want to make sure and we'll set up a team within to make sure that it's not just
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: the marketing team that's saying, this is what we stand for now, but we have somebody
[10:03] SPEAKER_00: from procurement, we have somebody from supply production, whatever it might be, marketing.
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: Call center, we want to make sure that there's stakeholders within the company that can go
[10:15] SPEAKER_00: back and say, this is what we stand for.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: This is the lens to which we operate and we communicate and we act.
[10:23] SPEAKER_00: And once they've been doing that successfully for a year and we do some check-ins.
[10:26] SPEAKER_00: And there's some time, there's opportunities where we can start talking about stuff and
[10:29] SPEAKER_00: weaving in some of that social purpose messaging.
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: We're not going to go out and say, this is what this company stands for now.
[10:35] SPEAKER_00: Because it's not about PR, it's about actually just doing anything.
[10:40] SPEAKER_00: Amplifying what they're actually inherently doing is help, right?
[10:43] SPEAKER_03: One thing that stood out for me in reading about Yulu is your metrics, right?
[10:48] SPEAKER_03: So the top metrics for you are social and environment impact.
[10:53] SPEAKER_03: So it's a personal question now.
[10:54] SPEAKER_02: Why are those two things important to you?
[10:58] SPEAKER_02: Is really, really heavy on me is the US prison system and prisoner form?
[11:05] SPEAKER_00: And I don't know if it's because I live in Canada now and I'm able to see the dumpster fire happening
[11:11] SPEAKER_00: down there with the private prison system and there's other big issues that are impacting my family.
[11:20] SPEAKER_00: But why is that so important to you?
[11:22] SPEAKER_00: People have asked me this question before.
[11:23] SPEAKER_00: I honestly, I don't know.
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: I just, people have asked, do you have a relative in prison or have you ever, have you ever been close to somebody that was incarcerated?
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: And I don't think you have to.
[11:36] SPEAKER_00: I think the fact that there's 65,000 people released from the US prison system every other week, it's pretty catastrophic.
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: And so there's, it trickles down to all these socioeconomic issues.
[11:50] SPEAKER_00: They can't find employment afterwards.
[11:53] SPEAKER_00: And so, and people treat returning citizens, formerly incarcerated people like second class citizens.
[12:00] SPEAKER_00: And so I, I don't know, I was that kid in school that my mom said, you know, don't say something if something is wrong.
[12:11] SPEAKER_00: My dad is to play Pink Floyd songs and there's this Pink Floyd song called The Turning Away.
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: There's about the Holocaust and like, if you don't say anything, then you're just, you know, being part of the problem and don't be part of the turning away.
[12:23] SPEAKER_00: So the kid of the playground being like, don't pick on that kid.
[12:26] SPEAKER_00: Like I treat that person okay.
[12:28] SPEAKER_00: And that wasn't always the popular decision.
[12:31] SPEAKER_00: I think that I probably isolated myself a little bit sometimes because I wouldn't just join in on the Goss.
[12:38] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I'm not sure why it pisses me off so much, but I do ask people, you know, if they're trying to figure out what career to go into or what they should do.
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: And they want to do something in the impact space.
[12:53] SPEAKER_00: I asked them what pisses you off.
[12:55] SPEAKER_00: Like what exactly is if you have more than anything.
[12:58] SPEAKER_00: And that's going to be the thing that is probably going to make you really, really stoked about what you're doing to some degree.
[13:04] SPEAKER_00: You're able to contribute to that.
[13:07] SPEAKER_03: So maybe that's the question I should have asked.
[13:10] SPEAKER_03: If we were to cut, no, no, no, no.
[13:11] SPEAKER_03: So Melissa, what really pisses you off?
[13:14] SPEAKER_00: The other thing that pisses me off is that we're spending a lot of time talking about.
[13:20] SPEAKER_00: Found the straw.
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: Don't use a straw.
[13:22] SPEAKER_00: It's important.
[13:23] SPEAKER_00: I carry a metal straw in my purse.
[13:25] SPEAKER_00: So I'm not saying that that's a dumb campaign.
[13:27] SPEAKER_00: I think it's wonderful.
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: Oh, we're not going to save the world by having reusable straws.
[13:33] SPEAKER_00: But we might save the world with the carbon tax.
[13:37] SPEAKER_00: And so there's certain topics that are not mainstream yet.
[13:42] SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the things that I would say pisses me off.
[13:45] SPEAKER_00: If we want to have a conversation about the climate crisis,
[13:48] SPEAKER_00: some type of conversation about solutions that can can really drive the change that we need.
[13:54] SPEAKER_00: And if we need that change, I personally believe that it needs to happen through policy.
[13:59] SPEAKER_00: The government needs to regulate it and make it happen.
[14:03] SPEAKER_00: And so there are a lot of things that consumers can do and people like you and I can do.
[14:08] SPEAKER_00: And that's great.
[14:09] SPEAKER_00: But we can also vote with our waltz in terms of what companies do we want to support?
[14:13] SPEAKER_00: What companies are performing responsibly?
[14:16] SPEAKER_00: And what companies are rolling up their sleeves and saying,
[14:19] SPEAKER_00: OK, I'm going to pay a voluntary carbon tax.
[14:23] SPEAKER_00: Even though we're not in the cap and trade market.
[14:25] SPEAKER_00: And I'm not required to meet these certain regulatory conditions.
[14:30] SPEAKER_00: I want to do it because I want to set an example.
[14:33] SPEAKER_00: But the part that pisses me off is just that that conversation isn't as mainstream as I'd like it to be.
[14:38] SPEAKER_03: So we share a lot of values.
[14:40] SPEAKER_03: OK, that's on your website.
[14:42] SPEAKER_03: And I would certainly encourage all of our listeners who go on to the ULO website,
[14:47] SPEAKER_03: which we'll share with you at the end, because you'll feel it.
[14:50] SPEAKER_03: You will feel an instant connection to your values.
[14:53] SPEAKER_03: So I want to compliment you on that one.
[14:55] SPEAKER_03: One I want to bring, ask you about specifically is creatively challenging the expected.
[15:00] SPEAKER_03: And my experience when this is inherent in what you do, right?
[15:04] SPEAKER_03: When you're when you do creatively challenge the expected,
[15:08] SPEAKER_03: some people bark or they feel threatened or you know, there's a guard up.
[15:14] SPEAKER_03: So I'm curious, how do you work to leverage creativity and challenge the expected?
[15:20] SPEAKER_03: And how do you determine if a client is really ready to work with you?
[15:25] SPEAKER_03: Because it's scary.
[15:26] SPEAKER_03: Once you once you start creatively challenging the expected, it's beyond comfort zone.
[15:32] SPEAKER_03: So you're there all the time working with clients.
[15:35] SPEAKER_03: How do you maintain your presence and profession and then working with and helping your clients get to that next level?
[15:44] SPEAKER_00: So sometimes an example of the expected, a good example of the expected is cutting a check.
[15:49] SPEAKER_00: So if we start working and doing purpose, like discovery work and impact discovery work with the company,
[15:55] SPEAKER_00: we'll ask for them to give us, we'll do an assessment of what kind of impact are they having so far.
[16:01] SPEAKER_00: And being really open to all of it and saying, okay, this is great.
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: You guys support this local soccer team. Great.
[16:06] SPEAKER_00: You guys donate.
[16:08] SPEAKER_00: You buy a, you know, a store on this Christmas tree over your great.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: Now let's have a conversation about what are the most pressing issues in our community?
[16:16] SPEAKER_00: Who is your community?
[16:17] SPEAKER_00: What's impacting them?
[16:19] SPEAKER_00: Now let's go back to the drawing board and think about, okay, how can you leverage your business?
[16:23] SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the company will say, well, we're not on a nonprofit.
[16:26] SPEAKER_00: We still have to do what we do.
[16:28] SPEAKER_00: I agree.
[16:29] SPEAKER_00: Let's think about how you can do what you do.
[16:31] SPEAKER_00: So if you are a real estate developer and you cut a check to a great cause Ivy League school,
[16:41] SPEAKER_00: you fund a real estate program within this school.
[16:44] SPEAKER_00: Well, one of the things that we might be discovering in our, in our processes that there's not a lot of diversity in your industry,
[16:52] SPEAKER_00: that there's not a lot of opportunities for people of color in your industry.
[16:56] SPEAKER_00: Well, there's a school.
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: There's a college down the street that is predominantly black.
[17:00] SPEAKER_00: So why don't we put our dollars that way and help some create some systemic change by providing opportunities and create some equity by providing some opportunities for these other schools.
[17:12] SPEAKER_00: So it doesn't have to be radical.
[17:13] SPEAKER_00: It just has to be thoughtful and it has to think, okay, well, yeah.
[17:18] SPEAKER_00: And then once we go through that exercise of saying, okay, this is what you're doing.
[17:22] SPEAKER_00: That's good.
[17:23] SPEAKER_00: Now let's explore how we can take your impact and how we can innovate it a little bit, how we can try to gale it.
[17:30] SPEAKER_00: Like I said, sometimes it's an uncomfortable process.
[17:32] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people within an organization have really close ties to a cause that they've been supporting and it's grandfathered in.
[17:39] SPEAKER_00: And like, okay, well, cutting checks is cheap guys.
[17:44] SPEAKER_03: So one thing I want to ask the greatest challenge facing the PR communications industry and just give me a sound bite on the evolution of impact relations.
[17:55] SPEAKER_00: So we have a no spend policy and we realized that we weren't alone and that there was quite a few organizations, communications agencies that were mandated to impact full.
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: And we're all driven communications and so we said, okay, well, we have a, we have an identity crisis and these people do too.
[18:14] SPEAKER_00: So we're not alone.
[18:15] SPEAKER_00: So we started talking with them and we said, you're operating under a false identity.
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: So do we?
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: Let's change that what should we call ourselves.
[18:22] SPEAKER_00: And so we did some focus groups and we reached out to about 70 different communications firms around North America, New York, Canada.
[18:30] SPEAKER_00: And so we reached out to agencies and we did some focus groups and came up with impact relations, a sort of identifying how we.
[18:37] SPEAKER_00: Where we sit and so if you look at the umbrella of communications, you've got government relations and investor relations and public relations and impact relations and you've got influence relations somewhere over there and possibly some community relations.
[18:51] SPEAKER_00: There's other ones also, but what we'd like to do with impact relations and what we're doing actually.
[18:56] SPEAKER_00: So we started about four years ago to impact relations.org and you can go on and read what the pledge is and it's basically asking communicators to pledge pledge to some responsible communication standards.
[19:11] SPEAKER_00: And we've had about 200 pledges.
[19:13] SPEAKER_00: We have, I think just shy of a dozen agencies signed on and we're in I think six countries now.
[19:20] SPEAKER_00: And we've got a lot of people who have been asked that we've got an agency, but UK we've got South Africa. We've got US Canada, Q. We've got Australia, Mexico.
[19:29] SPEAKER_00: And people are really excited about it. And then we've got some brands also that are saying, you know, just like you have communications and house at a brand.
[19:40] SPEAKER_00: We want impact relations and how set of brands.
[19:42] SPEAKER_03: And you give me a really good analogy as we were talking about the podcast is what is impact relations in comparison to say what's traditional financing versus impact.
[19:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we were versus impact the art.
[19:56] SPEAKER_00: So impact investing was was an inspiration and a benchmark for the development of impact relations because impact relation or impact investing is a relatively new industry.
[20:07] SPEAKER_00: It came out of investment banking. I think it's probably about 15 years old now, but people started hearing about it more about 10 years ago.
[20:15] SPEAKER_00: And now you can go to any university and study impact investing.
[20:20] SPEAKER_00: It needed its own industry because investment banking is investing and all of these things are impact investing is really focused on a different set of successful KPIs.
[20:30] SPEAKER_00: Yes, you still want to make money and we always make that really clear to our clients to we're not trying to turn any of our clients into a charity.
[20:37] SPEAKER_00: There is very good money to be had by doing the right thing.
[20:40] SPEAKER_00: And we can demonstrate that over and over and over again. So yeah, impact investing was was an inspiration for the population.
[20:48] SPEAKER_03: So you were in Vancouver, right? You've chosen Canada and Vancouver. It's your president.
[20:54] SPEAKER_03: I was going to say if we could talk a little bit about where you work, your favorite place is China town.
[20:59] SPEAKER_03: I live in Chinatown and I work in a gas town.
[21:01] SPEAKER_03: This is very gas town.
[21:03] SPEAKER_03: Both of which are right downtown, great energy downtown Vancouver. Could you talk a little bit about the benefits and the challenge of doing business in Vancouver?
[21:12] SPEAKER_00: Well, I love that we working gas town because we're in the thick of the downtown east side and I think it's pretty.
[21:21] SPEAKER_00: And so part of our orientation is for anybody that's even new to Canada. We have a lot of expats.
[21:28] SPEAKER_00: I think more than half of our team is immigrants including myself, but some one of the first things I talk about is how to treat the residents of the downtown east side with compassion and dignity.
[21:41] SPEAKER_00: They ask for something. You look at them and respond to the best way to isolate someone and I heard this in a talk once and it just sat with me and I really loved it.
[21:49] SPEAKER_00: If you don't make eye contact, the easiest way to make them feel like they're they're connected with humanity and it's not going to help them back.
[21:56] SPEAKER_00: So that's why we love working. That's one of the reasons why we love working gas town. The other reason is it's just a wonderful community.
[22:02] SPEAKER_00: We've been in our building for seven years. We have the rooftop patio that overlooks the trains and the water and it's really nice.
[22:10] SPEAKER_03: How many did you see?
[22:11] SPEAKER_00: 10 of you.
[22:12] SPEAKER_03: And are you all in the same space or are you do you have a remote team members?
[22:17] SPEAKER_00: We have a satellite in New York, which I mainly occupy that and go back and forth.
[22:22] SPEAKER_00: And we're opening a Toronto office in January, which is really exciting because we're actually getting a team built up there and.
[22:31] SPEAKER_00: Wow.
[22:31] SPEAKER_03: It's not going to be a satellite. It's going to be a.
[22:34] SPEAKER_03: It's funny because that's actually one of my questions. Do you envision setting up remote offices serving, you know, regional clients?
[22:40] SPEAKER_03: So obviously yes.
[22:41] SPEAKER_03: Do you know what? Anywhere else? Like if you could set up a dream location.
[22:46] SPEAKER_00: I don't have. Yeah. I mean, I don't really care about getting big.
[22:51] SPEAKER_00: I've never like, it's not about like how many offices we can have.
[22:54] SPEAKER_00: I think it's exciting to have an ace coast office because it helps us to have some coverage and it's going to be.
[23:00] SPEAKER_00: One of my core team members going and starting it. And so I know it's going to be good, you know.
[23:07] SPEAKER_00: I could have an office anywhere. I mean, people would probably throw a dart at New York on the map, but I lived in New York and.
[23:13] SPEAKER_00: And we have a satellite there and we do quite a bit of business there.
[23:17] SPEAKER_00: I don't feel like we would be a small fish in a big pond there so much we would obviously, but I wouldn't feel that way because of our niche.
[23:25] SPEAKER_00: We're able to absolutely, you know, win over business. We're pitching against the larger agencies in New York and we went up because we're so hyper focused.
[23:34] SPEAKER_03: And there's something to be said about that going back to Vancouver a little bit.
[23:37] SPEAKER_03: Can you think of three essential resources that you use in Vancouver that you could recommend to others, whether it's a like a pure networking group or a conference or event that you deem essential or business association in your line of work.
[23:51] SPEAKER_00: We're really involved in the B Corp community, but it's a rigorous process to become B Corp certified.
[23:57] SPEAKER_00: Other things we do is we'll do offsides. We go to the Barbraini's gallery in Chinatown. We'll go there once a quarter and do a private torch to have a creative outlet.
[24:05] SPEAKER_00: We work on the roof pretty regularly.
[24:07] SPEAKER_03: That's kind of related to my next question. So just think about this. How do you personally I got your team, but how do you personally recharge or get inspired and recreate in Vancouver?
[24:17] SPEAKER_00: So I just got back from a two week holiday in Croatia and I went by myself and it was amazing.
[24:23] SPEAKER_00: And I I recharged, but I don't typically recharge that way.
[24:27] SPEAKER_00: The best way because that would be probably irresponsible.
[24:32] SPEAKER_00: The best way for me to recharge.
[24:38] SPEAKER_00: I sail and I and I ski, which is a lot of men, but again, I don't think those are recharging.
[24:43] SPEAKER_00: No, what's recharging for me? I have a few mentors that I get so much from every time I meet with them.
[24:51] SPEAKER_00: Those are my charging stations for sure. I will take a note pad with me and talk about some of the things that I'm either struggling with or some of the things that I'm afraid to be excited about because I don't want to jinx it or this seems really good.
[25:05] SPEAKER_00: And then my tires are going to pump, you know, like, and it's just it's a great thing or something. You know, it can also be humbly.
[25:13] SPEAKER_03: A couple of rapid fire questions and I'm going to start with what is a recommended reading for other entrepreneurs listening?
[25:20] SPEAKER_00: Oh, just looking at my books in front of my desk right now.
[25:23] SPEAKER_00: So my work Bible, I mean, anybody that knows me could just scream this right away is good to great that book has that.
[25:29] SPEAKER_00: I read that the first year I started business. It might sound cheesy because it's just like every entrepreneur is read it, but that book actually did change the direction of our business so significantly because the one of the key pillars in terms of how you can go from good to great is to position your business to be the best in the world at what you do.
[25:50] SPEAKER_00: And we weren't in a position to be the best communications agency, but we knew that we were focused on impact and how could we just continue to really drive us.
[26:01] SPEAKER_00: And so that's why when when you talk about like for a DC company, where do you want to grow? I want to grow in packed relations.
[26:06] SPEAKER_00: I want to scale this industry and if we can advance the industry, then we're going so much more beyond like what we can do as business and that does help the business too.
[26:16] SPEAKER_03: Okay, so and what is your not most memorable, but certainly a memorable TED talk for you.
[26:23] SPEAKER_00: One of the TED talks I saw that stood out and stuck with me until I chased them down and eventually made them a client was about giving formal encarsage people a second chance.
[26:37] SPEAKER_00: Wow, and then I use the language second chance. We talked about it would imply that they lost their first chance, but I just love the language. It really resonated with me.
[26:45] SPEAKER_00: That was probably one of the moments where I became pissed off with all the stuff and like, oh, there also be quite a few of them.
[26:52] SPEAKER_00: A couple of years until they became a client.
[26:54] SPEAKER_03: What is the next conference or trade exhibit you'll be attending?
[26:59] SPEAKER_00: I'm going to the B-Corp Champions retreat in LA. I just got back from sustainable brands last month.
[27:06] SPEAKER_00: The regular ones I always go to that I will never miss is sustainable brands B-Corp Champions retreat, fast company innovation fast.
[27:14] SPEAKER_00: That's fun, no matter what industry you're in, you'll learn and it's becoming more and more focused about social innovation, not just innovation.
[27:22] SPEAKER_00: So I'm perfect. Perfect. I learned a lot from that last year.
[27:27] SPEAKER_03: Describe an impactful moment from your childhood or youth. I touched on it earlier.
[27:32] SPEAKER_00: So a lot of the lessons that we learned in our like music lessons and sitting down on packing songs and figuring out what they're trying with their fighting for and what the song is about.
[27:44] SPEAKER_03: Do you have an mantra or inspirational quotation that you consistently defer to?
[27:50] SPEAKER_00: I'm a huge fan of being curious and just trying things. And so I think one of the things I'm constantly telling the team is just try it. Be curious, stay curious. It's one of our company values too.
[28:02] SPEAKER_03: One one fun sort of Canada's podcast signature question that we ask people is if you were deserted on a spectacular tropical island somewhere with no internet, no modern technology.
[28:13] SPEAKER_03: There was one little phone booth in the corner and you could make one call for somebody to come get you at some point.
[28:20] SPEAKER_03: How long would you last on this island? And who would you call to come get you?
[28:24] SPEAKER_03: Are there other people on the island? It's your imagination.
[28:29] SPEAKER_00: Okay, if there's other people on the island, just because I was in Croatia for two weeks and I was by myself and I had so much fun meeting people learning about the culture.
[28:38] SPEAKER_00: I've probably taken as much as I could for a couple weeks. Oh, and if I didn't have to finish for my own food.
[28:43] SPEAKER_00: So if those things were worked out, if there weren't anybody, if there weren't any people on the island and I had to spend for my own food, I would pick up the phone immediately.
[28:52] SPEAKER_03: And what you call to come get you my mom.
[28:55] SPEAKER_03: Listen, just to wrap things up today. How what is the best way for people to get a call to be a post podcast?
[29:00] SPEAKER_03: You, you pair, or find me on LinkedIn. Awesome. Thank you for joining us so much. It has been an absolute pleasure. I look forward to connecting more with you over the time.
[29:11] SPEAKER_03: And is there any one last comment that you'd like to make before we wrap up today?
[29:16] SPEAKER_00: I just I listened to a few of these while I was in Croatia and they like, yeah, no, good for you and sort of lifting people up there doing cool things and.
[29:27] SPEAKER_01: I guess everyone else stay curious.
[29:30] SPEAKER_01: You, you qualify as a super cool person doing cool things. So thank you.
[29:35] SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
[29:37] SPEAKER_03: Hey there. Thanks for taking the time today to listen to British Columbia's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[29:44] SPEAKER_03: We hope you enjoyed the show today. Make sure you sign up for our newsletters and write a review for us on iTunes.
[29:50] SPEAKER_03: Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or at Canada's podcast.com.
[29:57] SPEAKER_03: You can check out what other entrepreneurs are doing across the country. I'm Angela Faye. See you next time.
