Guiellermo Salazar’s frustration with a garage door results in on-demand customer service for major utility companies

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[00:01] SPEAKER_01: Come to Lethbridge and join an innovative community for entrepreneurs.
[00:06] SPEAKER_01: With more than a quarter of the 100,000 population under the age of 34, Lethbridge brims with
[00:12] SPEAKER_01: energy.
[00:13] SPEAKER_01: We'll help you to kickstart, innovate, and grow.
[00:17] SPEAKER_01: Lethbridge Southern Alberta's help for innovation and technology.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: It's the bright choice for business builders.
[00:24] SPEAKER_01: Go to chooselethbridge.ca slash entrepreneur and we'll help you move and grow in Lethbridge.
[00:32] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:38] SPEAKER_01: Hi, it's Bonnie, it's LG with Canada's podcast.
[00:41] SPEAKER_01: And today we're talking with Calgary-based entrepreneur, Guillermo Salazar, who is the co-founder
[00:47] SPEAKER_01: and CEO of ICYWATUC, a technology company that offers customer service self-support using
[00:55] SPEAKER_01: augmented video.
[00:56] SPEAKER_01: So we're going to dig into that in a little bit, but first of all, Guillermo, welcome to
[01:01] SPEAKER_01: the show.
[01:02] SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Bonnie.
[01:03] SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate you setting this up.
[01:04] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[01:05] SPEAKER_01: Well, you have a really interesting story to share about your company, but before we
[01:10] SPEAKER_01: get into that, let's take a bit of a step back and can you tell our listeners a little
[01:15] SPEAKER_01: bit about your entrepreneurial journey and your history as to what's taking you to where
[01:20] SPEAKER_01: you are today?
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: Certainly, not a problem.
[01:23] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I started, I was in my professional career for 20, 22 years, came out of university
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: and started with a big core firm and worked with them for a number of years and then it
[01:33] SPEAKER_00: was on my own for a bit.
[01:34] SPEAKER_00: So like many people in the Alberta region, I was an independent contractor for a number
[01:38] SPEAKER_00: of years.
[01:39] SPEAKER_00: And worked on many different companies along the way.
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: And there was a point in my journey where I realized that I've been working with the
[01:50] SPEAKER_00: group people that I really enjoyed working with.
[01:53] SPEAKER_00: And we had complimentary skill sets and complimentary offers to the marketplace.
[01:58] SPEAKER_00: And there was at the time, there was a bit of a gap in the marketplace in terms of the
[02:03] SPEAKER_00: ability for our collective or the market to buy services that were local and skilled and
[02:10] SPEAKER_00: coordinated, right?
[02:11] SPEAKER_00: And organized and versus just the big firms.
[02:15] SPEAKER_00: And so the big thing that we offered relative to the staffing organizations that are out there,
[02:20] SPEAKER_00: there's a good marketplace and market for them, as we operated kind of like an intermediate
[02:26] SPEAKER_00: offering where we were organized, coordinated and we were all using the same methodologies
[02:31] SPEAKER_00: and the same principles and same approaches.
[02:33] SPEAKER_00: So the market was really receptive to that and we were ultimately acquired by Deloitte
[02:38] SPEAKER_00: in 2013.
[02:39] SPEAKER_00: And we're from Deloitte for three and a half years, a little over that.
[02:43] SPEAKER_00: And then went back to the entrepreneurial space again after being with Deloitte.
[02:47] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[02:48] SPEAKER_01: Well, I think your journey is really interesting and timely because currently, certainly in
[02:56] SPEAKER_01: Calgary and I think across Canada, we're seeing people needing to reinvent themselves or
[03:00] SPEAKER_01: making that transition from more of a traditional corporate role into perhaps owning their own
[03:06] SPEAKER_01: business or partnering with somebody and founding a business.
[03:09] SPEAKER_01: So can you tell us a little bit about what that transition was like for you when you made
[03:14] SPEAKER_01: the change?
[03:16] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
[03:17] SPEAKER_00: I think it's important for people to understand or to get either heads around, you know,
[03:22] SPEAKER_00: you hear a lot about follow your passion, right?
[03:24] SPEAKER_00: And I think that that's maybe a bit misleading.
[03:27] SPEAKER_00: I think it should be stated as be passionate about a problem, right?
[03:30] SPEAKER_00: It's probably a better way of putting it in terms of converting that into off-pronoyism.
[03:34] SPEAKER_00: Certainly, if you're passionate about cross-country skiing and you cross-country ski every day,
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: you should go do that.
[03:38] SPEAKER_00: But if you're trying to find a problem to solve as well as cross-country skiing, then, you
[03:42] SPEAKER_00: know, understand what that looks like and be passionate about that problem.
[03:45] SPEAKER_00: And so my journey in terms of both the consulting piece, I have also considered products company
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: called Ravenhockey.
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: And then addition to that starting up ICO-TUC is really finding a passion for a problem.
[03:59] SPEAKER_00: So with Quattro, we found that it was about the inefficiency and the market place for
[04:03] SPEAKER_00: delivering enterprise technology projects.
[04:08] SPEAKER_00: For Ravenhockey, it was the inability to find a stick in the marketplace for players
[04:12] SPEAKER_00: under 13 years old.
[04:14] SPEAKER_00: And then for ICO-TUC, it really was a challenge, a frustration with customer service and how
[04:20] SPEAKER_00: we consumed it and then how it's deployed and delivered.
[04:23] SPEAKER_00: And at each point, different types of technology was used to be able to achieve that efficiency
[04:29] SPEAKER_00: in an efficient market.
[04:31] SPEAKER_00: Some of it really old technology, I think the consulting space is really about just being
[04:35] SPEAKER_00: coordinated.
[04:37] SPEAKER_00: In the Raven space, it was commercial physical technology, material-based technology and
[04:44] SPEAKER_00: design and then also go to market.
[04:46] SPEAKER_00: And then ICO-TUC, it's really about edge technology, cloud computing, all these things that
[04:51] SPEAKER_00: were really beginning to emerge in our day-to-day life and bringing it together into a single
[04:56] SPEAKER_00: considerable product.
[04:58] SPEAKER_00: So three different problems, passionate about each of them equally and certainly much
[05:04] SPEAKER_00: more passionate at the time when we executed on those different situations are opportunities
[05:08] SPEAKER_00: to say.
[05:09] SPEAKER_00: And then, I guess, getting into a point that for those that are considering launch
[05:15] SPEAKER_00: journalism, really thinking about how you can go to market and figuring out how you can
[05:20] SPEAKER_00: get your first customer.
[05:21] SPEAKER_00: And I know that sounds obvious, but it's very…
[05:27] SPEAKER_00: You make yourself very vulnerable when you go out there and try and sell something.
[05:31] SPEAKER_00: And Alberta is not a great…
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: We're not known for our sales prowess.
[05:36] SPEAKER_00: We're known for producing things and offering the market that's willing to buy whatever we
[05:40] SPEAKER_00: produce.
[05:41] SPEAKER_00: And that's something that everyone's got to really think through is, who's going to buy
[05:44] SPEAKER_00: it?
[05:45] SPEAKER_00: Why are they going to buy it and how are they going to buy it?
[05:47] SPEAKER_00: And then making yourself vulnerable so that they can buy it.
[05:50] SPEAKER_00: That's a big, huge difference that many people don't get exposure to in their corporate
[05:57] SPEAKER_00: environment.
[05:59] SPEAKER_00: But that first step to selling one person, one thing, one time can really open up an
[06:06] SPEAKER_00: entire career of thinking for people.
[06:10] SPEAKER_00: And so that would be my one learning in my life is really trying to find that first
[06:15] SPEAKER_00: person to sell them something that you don't have to over invest in to prove out your
[06:19] SPEAKER_00: ideas.
[06:21] SPEAKER_01: So, did you know, like as you were in your corporate world and working in that space, did you
[06:29] SPEAKER_01: always have that entrepreneurial spirit, though inside you?
[06:32] SPEAKER_01: Was it something that has been there all of your life or something that emerged as you
[06:39] SPEAKER_01: went through your career?
[06:40] SPEAKER_01: I'm interested in what kind of gave you the courage, if you will, to make the leap
[06:46] SPEAKER_01: and move into that space.
[06:50] SPEAKER_00: Well, I appreciate using the word courage, but I think it's probably more impatience and
[06:53] SPEAKER_00: restlessness.
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: It's probably better way for you.
[06:56] SPEAKER_00: I'm certainly in the language or the privilege of being an entrepreneur is something that
[07:04] SPEAKER_00: doesn't happen to everybody.
[07:05] SPEAKER_00: And it's something that you create for yourself.
[07:07] SPEAKER_00: And I think my heritage and my background and kind of my upbringing probably has a lot
[07:12] SPEAKER_00: to do with the fact that I want to make sure that I'm protected or I'm covered in my
[07:17] SPEAKER_00: family's, protect my family's covered.
[07:20] SPEAKER_00: And I think there's also a big part about it in frustration with some of the way that
[07:26] SPEAKER_00: solutions are being deployed.
[07:27] SPEAKER_00: And that would include technically people who coached the way organizations or cultures
[07:31] SPEAKER_00: built what's important to different organizations.
[07:33] SPEAKER_00: And there's just a really belief that there's a better way that we can do this.
[07:37] SPEAKER_00: And it can be, you can be profitable, you can make your customers happy, and you can have
[07:44] SPEAKER_00: an inspired and aspirational group of employees working for you all at the same time, whereas
[07:50] SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of organizations feel that that's something you have to trade off.
[07:54] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[07:55] Speaker UNKNOWN: Okay.
[07:57] SPEAKER_01: So was there anything that when you made the change, it really surprised you, like despite
[08:02] SPEAKER_01: the many years of experience that you had in the business world and working in a consulting
[08:07] SPEAKER_01: firm, obviously would have a lot of exposure to different companies, but was there something
[08:13] SPEAKER_01: that was like, wow, I didn't see that coming or didn't, you know, really?
[08:19] SPEAKER_01: Sure.
[08:19] SPEAKER_00: Oh, 100%.
[08:20] SPEAKER_00: I would say that the single biggest thing that I've learned, and maybe this is entrepreneurial
[08:25] SPEAKER_00: ism versus corporate.
[08:26] SPEAKER_00: And I didn't spend too much time in corporate, but in entrepreneurialism, it's very clear
[08:32] SPEAKER_00: that the community is out there to help everybody else.
[08:35] SPEAKER_00: And I did not have that same experience in corporate where entrepreneurialism, if you need
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: help and you can find somebody, there are people that are available to help you, that help
[08:44] SPEAKER_00: you on Sunday afternoon, and they don't expect, they typically don't expect anything in return.
[08:49] SPEAKER_00: They want to see you be successful.
[08:51] SPEAKER_00: So there's a mindset of abundance that is characteristic of entrepreneurialism.
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: That is that you have to have when you go into it.
[09:02] SPEAKER_00: And I think that the same truth would be prepared to give back as well when someone asks you
[09:07] SPEAKER_00: for support or help because it is a, it can be a very lonely journey and it doesn't need
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: to be.
[09:13] SPEAKER_00: It can be a very emotional, emotionally frustrating and strenuous journey and it doesn't have
[09:18] SPEAKER_00: to be.
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: It's going to be more emotional than corporate.
[09:23] SPEAKER_00: It's going to have more ups and downs than corporate.
[09:25] SPEAKER_00: But that is also the thrill of it, is that it's a persevere and succeed and the people
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: that you work with here in entrepreneurialism are some of the most incredible people in the
[09:38] SPEAKER_00: world that lead with best intentions.
[09:41] SPEAKER_01: Well, and I think it's like you said earlier, you know, find something that you're passionate
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: about, but also a problem that you care deeply about that you're trying to solve.
[09:50] SPEAKER_01: And so that definitely feeds into the emotional part of the journey as well for sure.
[09:55] SPEAKER_00: 100%
[09:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[09:56] SPEAKER_01: Well, let's talk a little bit about I see what you see and I understand that this all
[10:03] SPEAKER_01: kind of started with your frustration with a garage door.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's true.
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, and it's funny.
[10:09] SPEAKER_00: I mean, we all have waited.
[10:11] SPEAKER_00: We've all have called the technician in a way to prepare the time.
[10:14] SPEAKER_00: And depending on who you are, what your expectations were, maybe had less than the incredible
[10:19] SPEAKER_00: experience with your product or in your service.
[10:22] SPEAKER_00: And so my experience was that yes, my garage door failed and probably took about six to
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: eight weeks to actually get sorted out.
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: Fortunately for me at the time, it was over the summer months.
[10:34] SPEAKER_00: I mean, it would be terrible if it was today and this cold weather we're suffering through
[10:37] SPEAKER_00: right now.
[10:39] SPEAKER_00: But you know, it was, it was a function of why, you know, with all the technology available
[10:44] SPEAKER_00: to us, why are we still waiting?
[10:45] SPEAKER_00: Why am I waiting eight weeks?
[10:47] SPEAKER_00: Why am I waiting?
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: You know, through nine different technician phone calls and trying to get somebody that
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: can help me.
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: Why is that next call an hour and a half long?
[10:54] SPEAKER_00: Why do I have to call a technician to come to my house and wait for them and really
[10:58] SPEAKER_00: challenge that status quo that we all kind of accept for these infrequent transactions?
[11:04] SPEAKER_00: When in fact, you do some research, people would really go to the dentist and call a help
[11:09] SPEAKER_00: line, right?
[11:11] SPEAKER_00: And you know, not going to the dentist is all that bad.
[11:14] SPEAKER_00: But it's, you know, it is something that people avoid.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, we live in this world where we have everything is on demand.
[11:22] SPEAKER_00: I mean, you get an on demand ride, obviously a meal groceries.
[11:25] SPEAKER_00: You can get an on demand date, but you can't get someone to give you advice on demand.
[11:29] SPEAKER_00: That seems ridiculous.
[11:30] SPEAKER_00: And largely it's because none of the technology is in place to make it practical.
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: And that's what we, you know, that's where we started solving the problem.
[11:37] SPEAKER_00: So we took our problem that we can, we conceived and did a bit of research and tested it with
[11:45] SPEAKER_00: the market.
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: And Mark was very positive in responding that it was a problem that needed to be solved.
[11:50] SPEAKER_00: And I think some squint to what I was saying earlier about be passionate about a problem,
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: be passionate about a problem that needs to be solved urgently, right?
[11:57] SPEAKER_00: And that'll help you with a whole lot of sales cycles.
[12:00] SPEAKER_00: So we found a problem that was urgently, need to be urgently solved and went to market
[12:04] SPEAKER_00: with it.
[12:05] SPEAKER_00: And the market's been incredibly receptive and they have supported us in helping develop
[12:09] SPEAKER_00: features and make sure we're building the best product for their circumstances, which
[12:13] SPEAKER_00: really has driven out a lot of the differentiation within our product and all the other competitors
[12:18] SPEAKER_00: that are out there or maybe substituting competitors in the market.
[12:21] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[12:22] SPEAKER_01: So who are your customers with with your product?
[12:25] SPEAKER_01: Like who are you reaching out to?
[12:27] SPEAKER_00: So we typically target, you know, three qualifying criteria.
[12:31] SPEAKER_00: They have to have customers that are distributed.
[12:33] SPEAKER_00: They've got a service team that are distributed and service has to be a cost center.
[12:38] SPEAKER_00: Those are where we really do well.
[12:40] SPEAKER_00: And so that qualifies where our verticals retarget, which is utilities, construction services.
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: Within those three, you know, let's say two verticals, three sub verticals, we do really
[12:53] SPEAKER_00: well.
[12:54] SPEAKER_00: And as we're learning within the market and building products that fit them that have
[12:59] SPEAKER_00: built the purpose for their industries.
[13:03] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: So how I was doing a bit of research and I read that you actually secured a pilot.
[13:09] SPEAKER_01: Was it with the at-call?
[13:11] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[13:12] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we were very fortunate.
[13:14] SPEAKER_01: Can you tell us a little bit about that?
[13:15] SPEAKER_01: I think our listeners would be really interested, you know, to be able to get that first big
[13:20] SPEAKER_01: opportunity like that, which then can help to start to create that momentum for growth would
[13:26] SPEAKER_01: be really helpful.
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: Well, it's a good piece of evidence around what I was saying earlier on the
[13:31] SPEAKER_00: network is very willing to help you with introductions, you know, if you're one that
[13:36] SPEAKER_00: gives it back.
[13:37] SPEAKER_00: And so I had had a previous idea that I'd pitched to somebody that didn't work out.
[13:42] SPEAKER_00: And then and subsequently we kind of connected a number of times.
[13:45] SPEAKER_00: I'd helped him out a little bit and he'd helped me out a little bit.
[13:48] SPEAKER_00: And then we had this idea for I see what you see.
[13:50] SPEAKER_00: And we had a product in place that we could talk to.
[13:52] SPEAKER_00: And so we talked to this fellow friend of mine who's actually he's going to start up as
[13:57] SPEAKER_00: well that you know, and in the marketplace, some on Bogner and asked norms and hate
[14:01] SPEAKER_00: norm.
[14:01] SPEAKER_00: Could we get an introduction to your folks at ACCO so we can pitch you on what this idea
[14:06] SPEAKER_00: is.
[14:06] SPEAKER_00: It was something that pretty a bit of a teaser deck and said, Hey, you know, can we
[14:12] SPEAKER_00: come together to meeting what we'll talk through it.
[14:14] SPEAKER_00: And the executives that came into the room, we were fortunate and they had this is a combination
[14:18] SPEAKER_00: of like, do you need to be lucky or you know, is it luck or skill?
[14:22] SPEAKER_00: I really believe that you've already more than anything else.
[14:25] SPEAKER_00: And so we were ready for a meeting with these executives.
[14:29] SPEAKER_00: They came in and we had probably a 45 minute meeting about what we wanted to do in our vision
[14:34] SPEAKER_00: for the world.
[14:35] SPEAKER_00: And they agree.
[14:36] SPEAKER_00: And so they promptly pushed us to get it done.
[14:39] SPEAKER_00: And we were we were fortunate.
[14:41] SPEAKER_00: I mean, utilities may or may not get a bad reputation for lack of innovation, but our experience
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: has been very, very much in terms of they're looking to make their customer experience better.
[14:52] SPEAKER_00: They're looking to innovate and and that they're they're very, very well, they're a great
[14:58] SPEAKER_00: partner to have for sure.
[14:59] SPEAKER_00: And then every single one we've had in terms of utility space has been equally as engaged
[15:04] SPEAKER_00: in driving innovation to solve this urgent problem for them.
[15:08] SPEAKER_01: Right.
[15:09] SPEAKER_01: So how have you grown your company?
[15:11] SPEAKER_01: Like if we were to to talk a little bit, I understand that you're expanding across North America
[15:16] SPEAKER_01: and even work with with customers in Australia.
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: That's correct.
[15:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[15:20] SPEAKER_01: So how did that growth happen?
[15:23] SPEAKER_01: Like how do you make that that again?
[15:26] SPEAKER_00: It's I think it's a lot about understanding the human condition and and what everyone
[15:31] SPEAKER_00: is looking to do in terms of being successful.
[15:33] SPEAKER_00: And so we make we take a lot of pride in making sure we understand the motivations of our
[15:38] SPEAKER_00: customers, what makes them successful, what makes them fulfilled and ensure that we're
[15:43] SPEAKER_00: giving them, you know, much as we can in terms of information, data, things that they
[15:48] SPEAKER_00: can share so that they can become advocates for us.
[15:51] SPEAKER_00: Ultimately as a human, if you've made a good decision, there's nothing better than telling
[15:55] SPEAKER_00: somebody else about that decision.
[15:57] SPEAKER_00: And so we want to make sure that they're empowered with enough information as they can share
[16:00] SPEAKER_00: that with as many people as possible.
[16:02] SPEAKER_00: And so we, you know, we produce monthly content that they can share about their, you know,
[16:06] SPEAKER_00: their choices and how they're impacting their particular function.
[16:10] SPEAKER_00: And and we allow them, we, you know, we build it so it's terrible.
[16:13] SPEAKER_00: And so from there, we've gotten a tremendous amount of advocacy from our customer group
[16:20] SPEAKER_00: because of the transformative impact on their business services and business functions.
[16:24] SPEAKER_00: And how easy it is, we make it so simple from the tell the story, we basically bundle
[16:30] SPEAKER_00: it up for them so they've got an image that tells the story for them.
[16:34] SPEAKER_00: And that drives a lot of that internal engine around, you know, wreck the recommendations
[16:41] SPEAKER_00: for us, right, within the sales network.
[16:43] SPEAKER_00: And then outside of that, we've done a tremendous amount of work in learning about the industry
[16:47] SPEAKER_00: problems and how we can begin to really provide a relative benefit to everybody within the
[16:55] SPEAKER_00: industry and working to educate the industry and what's possible when things are really
[16:58] SPEAKER_00: easy to do.
[17:00] SPEAKER_01: To connect a center for entrepreneurship and innovation and
[17:09] SPEAKER_01: entrepreneurship, our innovation is a way of life.
[17:13] SPEAKER_01: We have an incredible environment.
[17:15] SPEAKER_01: Our innovators are not afraid to stand apart because they know that in less bridge, we are brighter
[17:21] SPEAKER_01: together.
[17:22] SPEAKER_01: We are less bridge.
[17:24] SPEAKER_01: Come and join us, go to chooseletthbridge.ca slash entrepreneur and we'll help you move
[17:30] SPEAKER_01: and grow in less bridge.
[17:33] Speaker UNKNOWN: So we have a lot of work to do with entrepreneurship.
[17:34] SPEAKER_01: So how did you do that in a world that we're in right now where you're not able to go
[17:40] SPEAKER_01: to go to conferences or have those face-to-face boardroom meetings?
[17:45] SPEAKER_01: How has the last 12 months impacted the way that you do your business?
[17:50] SPEAKER_00: It's been, there's been some tailwinds.
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: It's been incredible.
[17:55] SPEAKER_00: So to the conference conversation, we are this year we're attending our first rounds.
[18:00] SPEAKER_00: Actually, we attended some of the fall conferences and their virtual conferences.
[18:06] SPEAKER_00: And so we have an ability to be in many places at once.
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: So what would have been a previous constraint around, say travel or logistics or budget
[18:16] SPEAKER_00: are doing existing longer.
[18:17] SPEAKER_00: And so we're able to get in front of many, many people very quickly.
[18:21] SPEAKER_00: Obviously, multiple people, multiple parts of the world in a single day.
[18:26] SPEAKER_00: And so, and now that we're all very accustomed to having these conversations,
[18:30] SPEAKER_00: like we're having right now over video, we scale our sales operations on any given day,
[18:38] SPEAKER_00: we've sold from Turkey through to Perth, Australia all the same day.
[18:43] SPEAKER_00: And you just manage the schedule and you're not flying anywhere.
[18:46] SPEAKER_00: You just manage timetables.
[18:47] SPEAKER_00: And so if you've got an 8 a.m. meeting in Calgary, it's 5 p.m.
[18:51] SPEAKER_00: in Istanbul time.
[18:52] SPEAKER_00: And if you've got a 5 p.m. meeting in Calgary at 8 a.m. Perth time, and you just make it work.
[18:56] SPEAKER_00: And so, but in a single day, I can touch, you know, whatever, 15 times on.
[18:59] SPEAKER_00: And so it's not, it's, it's, it's more of an opportunity than it is a constraint.
[19:05] SPEAKER_00: And certainly for the product that we're talking about and talking to, for I see what you
[19:09] SPEAKER_00: see, there's a, there's an appetite to solve a problem.
[19:13] SPEAKER_00: And again, we've had enough sales cycles that we are comfortable having the discussion
[19:19] SPEAKER_00: very quickly and very clearly about the value proposition to provide and how the, you know,
[19:25] SPEAKER_00: how we de-risk their business and how easy it is to deploy.
[19:29] SPEAKER_01: Excellent.
[19:30] SPEAKER_01: Excellent.
[19:30] SPEAKER_01: So where do you hope things will be in 5 years from now?
[19:34] SPEAKER_01: Do you, do you have another company or?
[19:36] SPEAKER_01: 5 years.
[19:36] SPEAKER_01: That's a long time.
[19:37] SPEAKER_01: It's a very long time.
[19:39] SPEAKER_00: It's a long time.
[19:39] Speaker UNKNOWN: It's a long time.
[19:40] SPEAKER_00: I really, I mean, I, I think that practically speaking, I see which you see will be a very
[19:45] SPEAKER_00: big company in 5 years.
[19:48] SPEAKER_00: The leadership team will still be in place.
[19:51] SPEAKER_00: And you know, I hope that we're, I mean, our measure stick is that we've changed what
[19:55] SPEAKER_00: people expect from a mobile, from a field service perspective.
[19:58] SPEAKER_00: And the way of doing work will be the ICO to UCLA.
[20:03] SPEAKER_00: And that will completely transform the way work is, is performed.
[20:05] SPEAKER_00: Making it safer, quicker, obviously less expensive and certainly much less complex in the way
[20:11] SPEAKER_00: of this today.
[20:11] SPEAKER_00: There's an overriding complexity in the way work is performed right now that the system
[20:18] SPEAKER_00: is, is just been, you know, it's been over investing and making it more complex rather
[20:23] SPEAKER_00: than trying to making it amazingly simple.
[20:25] SPEAKER_00: And so that's something that we really focus on.
[20:27] SPEAKER_00: So in 5 years, geez, we're a half a billion dollar company.
[20:32] SPEAKER_00: We're in at least 5 continents.
[20:35] SPEAKER_00: We're helping people all over the place.
[20:36] SPEAKER_00: Some things we're really aspirational about is you want to build in real time translation
[20:42] SPEAKER_00: so that, you know, we really can enable service for anyone from anyone at any time.
[20:48] SPEAKER_00: So that, you know, if you're not an English speaker, but you have an English service center,
[20:53] SPEAKER_00: they can support you and help you using augmented reality, using artificial intelligence,
[20:57] SPEAKER_00: using real time translation.
[21:00] SPEAKER_00: And that's the world we'd love to see.
[21:01] SPEAKER_00: What we think about is where we've got instant accessibility to service for anyone around
[21:05] SPEAKER_00: the world at any time.
[21:06] SPEAKER_00: And that's not available right now because of geography, cultural aid, all those different
[21:11] SPEAKER_00: reasons and affordability.
[21:14] SPEAKER_00: So we can bust down those barriers and we can really transform the way services consumed.
[21:18] SPEAKER_00: Then we will have achieved our mission and we'll be well on our way to being incredibly
[21:22] SPEAKER_00: successful and changing the way people think about the way they deliver work.
[21:27] SPEAKER_01: Well, I look forward to that conversation in 5 years to hear about all the success that
[21:35] SPEAKER_01: you've had.
[21:36] SPEAKER_01: Before we get into just a couple of personal questions to kind of round out the interview,
[21:42] SPEAKER_01: one of the things that I wanted to ask you was we know that Calgary is going through
[21:46] SPEAKER_01: a transition in terms of its economy and focus and moving away from maybe more of that traditional
[21:52] SPEAKER_01: oil and gas industry that the city's been known for into more of a space for technology
[21:59] SPEAKER_01: companies and a real concerted effort to track those types of companies to Calgary.
[22:04] SPEAKER_01: And then just wondering what your perspective is as the owner of a company, a founder of
[22:11] SPEAKER_01: a company that plays in that space, how is Calgary to do business?
[22:17] SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, our experience is a great example of the Calgary story, right?
[22:21] SPEAKER_00: I mean, we had people that help us that helped us through our first introductions and
[22:26] SPEAKER_00: then our customers help us with other introductions.
[22:28] SPEAKER_00: There is a genuine desire in Calgary and in a Calgary to help other people.
[22:38] SPEAKER_00: And you know, I think that entrepreneurialism is a vehicle for us to demonstrate that and
[22:43] SPEAKER_00: prove that out to the world.
[22:47] SPEAKER_00: And so for everybody that's out there, right, trying to figure out how to make the pivot,
[22:52] SPEAKER_00: maybe the answer isn't how you can sell someone or how you can ask someone for a favor
[22:57] SPEAKER_00: but get out there and see how you can offer support.
[23:00] SPEAKER_00: Right, how can you find out what you're, what you can contribute and that can be coaching,
[23:04] SPEAKER_00: that could be even being a trial customer, being a devil's advocate, being all those different
[23:09] SPEAKER_00: things that an entrepreneur, any entrepreneur or anybody with an idea needs to have access
[23:15] SPEAKER_00: to in order to be successful.
[23:16] SPEAKER_00: And there's a lot of folks in town that are doing really good jobs at bringing those communities
[23:23] SPEAKER_00: together and those groups are really, I've been leaving the way for a number of years
[23:28] SPEAKER_00: in enabling it.
[23:30] SPEAKER_00: And I would say that why I'm optimistic is that before the big challenge for maybe technology
[23:38] SPEAKER_00: was that we had to compete with oil and gas.
[23:40] SPEAKER_00: And oil and gas was trusted, was available, was always hiring and taking some of the stronger
[23:49] SPEAKER_00: talent for every second Friday off and all those kind of oil and gas type perks.
[23:58] SPEAKER_00: And I think now that's a challenge.
[24:01] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm optimistic that now there's space for technology in this city.
[24:05] SPEAKER_00: And I think that we're going to be, so I'll take the space for technology in this city,
[24:11] SPEAKER_00: the talent exists, the grit exists.
[24:14] SPEAKER_00: And I think that the desire to get the work done also exists.
[24:19] SPEAKER_00: And so with those three, four different catalysts just waiting to be mixed together,
[24:26] SPEAKER_00: the rest thing we need to figure out is a problem that we want to solve and then a way to sell it.
[24:34] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. Thank you for that.
[24:36] SPEAKER_01: That's a really positive way to end at this part of our discussion.
[24:41] SPEAKER_01: And before we say goodbye, I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions more about the personal
[24:46] SPEAKER_01: routines or things that you've done for yourself to be successful as an entrepreneur.
[24:53] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we often hear about either the 5 a.m. morning routine or different things that
[24:59] SPEAKER_01: people will do, business leaders will do to be successful.
[25:03] SPEAKER_01: And I'm curious, is there anything that you can share with our listeners in terms of what you've
[25:07] SPEAKER_01: found that works really well for you?
[25:10] SPEAKER_01: It sounds like you're up all the time with all the different times,
[25:13] SPEAKER_01: the ones that you're managing with your customers.
[25:16] SPEAKER_01: But what are some of your keys to success just in terms of your self-personally?
[25:24] SPEAKER_00: Sure. I learned late in life that I needed to have a routine.
[25:28] SPEAKER_00: And certainly late in my professional career and being a consultant doesn't really help that.
[25:32] SPEAKER_00: I learned that I needed to have a morning fitness routine and I needed to have a morning plan routine.
[25:39] SPEAKER_00: And those came to me.
[25:42] SPEAKER_00: The fitness routine came, I'll say, 10 years ago, or I'll have less than that, seven years ago,
[25:48] SPEAKER_00: where I really learned that I needed to have a lurtness about my day when I first started out.
[25:53] SPEAKER_00: And that came from working out.
[25:55] SPEAKER_00: And so now I'm pretty regular, obviously this time as you fall off the bike, so to speak,
[26:01] SPEAKER_00: but certainly a good equipment now and I've got the routine and it's important to me to do
[26:06] SPEAKER_00: it as something that if I don't do it, it's very obvious to be in my day.
[26:11] SPEAKER_00: So I miss it when it doesn't happen.
[26:12] SPEAKER_00: So fitness has started the day off, so yeah, I get up at like, quite after five of the morning,
[26:16] SPEAKER_00: 5.30, 5.45, so we're on there.
[26:17] SPEAKER_00: Now we don't have to drive anymore, we can get up at 5.45 and see that.
[26:22] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, so a quick workout.
[26:25] SPEAKER_00: And then I go through a daily planning routine.
[26:28] SPEAKER_00: I use a panda planner and I basically go through what I'm grateful for.
[26:32] SPEAKER_00: I'm just reading mine right now.
[26:33] SPEAKER_00: What I'm grateful for when I get excited about daily affirmation, but I'm focusing on today.
[26:38] SPEAKER_00: And then I log my exercise and then I talk to my priorities and my calendar.
[26:42] SPEAKER_00: And I always think about 15 minutes, but I find, if I've worked out in a day,
[26:47] SPEAKER_00: and I've done my 50 minute of planning, I have mental clarity around what's important
[26:53] SPEAKER_00: during the day and I'm able to take on those tasks.
[26:56] SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean that my day doesn't get taken hostage by other things and other emergencies,
[27:00] SPEAKER_00: but I am able to really prioritize.
[27:03] SPEAKER_00: So one of the things that I'm working on right now is building out that within our team structure.
[27:09] SPEAKER_00: So I have a private organization routine, but now I need to have a public organization routine
[27:15] SPEAKER_00: that I share with the team.
[27:16] SPEAKER_00: So that's something that I'm working on doing.
[27:19] SPEAKER_00: And that's, like I said, early on entrepreneurs and you're always learning something new.
[27:23] SPEAKER_00: I'm learning how to do that and some transition from just a private routine to a public routine.
[27:30] SPEAKER_01: And do you have any favorite books or resources that you podcast that kind of you go to?
[27:37] SPEAKER_01: For sure.
[27:38] SPEAKER_00: I definitely, there's a book that I read about six, seven years ago that I like to reread every
[27:43] SPEAKER_00: other year. So called the Go Giveer by Bob Burke. It's a wonderful book about, and I think that
[27:49] SPEAKER_00: everybody who's listening to your podcast in Alberta would really benefit from listening to
[27:53] SPEAKER_00: a read in that book is it's the quick book to read. Like most of those business books,
[27:58] SPEAKER_00: it's probably could finish it in a couple of hours. But really talking about changing your mindset
[28:03] SPEAKER_00: in giving the first and understanding the value you have to offer. And I think that something that
[28:08] SPEAKER_00: everyone's probably really dealing with is, is it gives you a framework for understanding
[28:13] SPEAKER_00: compensation and what your value, what you should worth. Like just because you were paid something
[28:19] SPEAKER_00: two years ago, it doesn't necessarily mean you're worth that right now. And so knowing what that
[28:24] SPEAKER_00: means doesn't mean you're worth less, but it means that you're just not getting paid the same.
[28:30] SPEAKER_00: And divorcing ourselves from the compensation metric is a way to unlock entrepreneurialism.
[28:37] SPEAKER_00: Because it's a path of challenge in terms of monetary stability. And so it's something that
[28:49] SPEAKER_00: you always be aware of and understand that if they have at peace with the value they create,
[28:54] SPEAKER_00: and how the value you create is related to your compensation, not what someone else makes,
[28:59] SPEAKER_00: then you become very aligned with the work that you do because you believe in the process. And
[29:05] SPEAKER_00: you know, I really have to write this down on myself. It's my daily information today even
[29:09] SPEAKER_00: to believe in the process because the process does yield returns. It just doesn't feel like it
[29:15] SPEAKER_00: sometimes. And so, you know, understand the process, believe in the process and work the process
[29:20] SPEAKER_01: and you will have success outcomes. That is a book I'm going to pick up. Thank you for the
[29:25] SPEAKER_01: recommendation. And I'm always talking. Yeah. So, is there anything else at all, Guillermo,
[29:31] SPEAKER_01: that you would like to add or share with our listeners before we end our chat today?
[29:38] SPEAKER_00: I think that given that we talked about earlier, like the transition that many people are being
[29:42] SPEAKER_00: that's being thrust upon them, I think that there's a big opportunity for everyone to understand that
[29:48] SPEAKER_00: and I mentioned this earlier in a different previous discussion that we are a pioneering problems
[29:53] SPEAKER_00: and we need to operate and understand that. That we are masters of our own destiny and domain,
[29:59] SPEAKER_00: and we need to own accountability for that. And so, if there are things that are external to us that
[30:07] SPEAKER_00: are complicating our success, we need to figure out a way to work over that around that or into that
[30:12] SPEAKER_00: through it. And that might mean changing what our offer is to the global market or what we're
[30:18] SPEAKER_00: offering in terms of our personal, personal offer and really understand that. And if we have
[30:26] SPEAKER_00: peace with what we offer the market, we have peace with what the value is to that market,
[30:33] SPEAKER_00: then you can really be happy. And so, I think there's this, it's not about more stuff. It's really
[30:41] SPEAKER_00: about the fulfillment that we can bring to market. And if you do that, like you will find happiness.
[30:49] SPEAKER_00: And I think that there's a big problem right now in Calgary, is we've got this really
[30:52] SPEAKER_00: a suburb, we've got this misunderstanding of what it means to be happy. And that's something we
[30:59] SPEAKER_00: need to understand. And you can be happy and be wealthy at the same time. And you can also be
[31:04] SPEAKER_00: unhappy and be wealthy at the same time. And so, it's understanding what reconciliation you need to
[31:09] SPEAKER_00: and what never you need to do in order to achieve those objectives. Because I've got to go to be happy
[31:14] SPEAKER_00: and I've got to roll for everybody else for anything happy. I also have a goal to be wealthy.
[31:18] SPEAKER_00: And those two things are not compromises. And I think that if we all understood the things that
[31:24] SPEAKER_00: make us, that drive us and understand the service that we need to provide in order to get
[31:30] SPEAKER_00: where we want to go, we will achieve the objectives we want to be and we'll be the city we want to be.
[31:35] SPEAKER_00: And so that's the big part of it is, is re-understanding or re-addressing what we bring to market as
[31:43] SPEAKER_00: province, as a people and as a person. And really marketing that to the world and telling the
[31:49] SPEAKER_01: world how important that is. And I can't think of a better way to end the interview. Thank you so
[31:55] SPEAKER_01: much. I think that's a really important thought and you're right. It's so timely and given what,
[32:00] SPEAKER_01: what we've all been through across Canada. But in particular, it's been maybe a bit more challenging
[32:05] SPEAKER_00: here in Calgary. Thank you for that. Oh no, Bonnie, it was pleasure chatting with you. Thank you so
[32:10] SPEAKER_01: much for hosting this podcast. Yeah, so just in closing, if our listeners wanted to find you
[32:16] SPEAKER_01: online or learn a little bit more about, I see what you see, where can they connect with you?
[32:22] SPEAKER_00: Sure, best places are Twitter and LinkedIn or where can I do my own like business interests. So
[32:26] SPEAKER_00: Twitter, G-SALS are 100 or I see what you see live in the same thing on LinkedIn,
[32:33] SPEAKER_00: G-R-M-SALS are where I see I'm LinkedIn or I see what you see live as well on LinkedIn.
[32:39] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. What was the pleasure to have you G-R-Mald on our podcast today? Thank you so
[32:44] SPEAKER_01: much. Thank you, Bonnie. I look forward to connecting with you again. Wonderful. Okay, take care.
[33:13] SPEAKER_01: Take care.
[33:21] SPEAKER_01: And we'll help you moving rolling let's bridge.