Janice Liu

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's Toronto's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:04] SPEAKER_01: Hi, this is Lesslie to allow with Canada's podcast, the nation's number one entrepreneurial network.
[00:09] SPEAKER_01: Today I'm speaking with Janice Lou.
[00:11] SPEAKER_01: Janice is the founder of the Great, a technological startup that connects users with last-minute
[00:16] SPEAKER_01: discounted premiums, bonds, and other claimants in the city of Tricl where Janice falls home.
[00:20] SPEAKER_01: By day, Janice leads a consulting and engineering team at the Consultancy Term event.
[00:25] SPEAKER_01: Magnet has commissioned and shared the future of marketing.
[00:28] SPEAKER_01: Welcome Janice. We're so happy to have you on the show.
[00:31] SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Lesslie.
[00:33] SPEAKER_01: So Janice, why don't you start with just telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
[00:38] SPEAKER_00: Sure. So I am a leader of a consultancy firm called Magnet, which does data and cloud engineering work for a lot of our clients in Canada.
[00:51] SPEAKER_00: It happens to be a venture that's within a holding company.
[00:55] SPEAKER_00: So one of Canada's largest independent holding companies called Vision 7.
[01:00] SPEAKER_00: And we created Magnet earlier this year because of two main things.
[01:05] SPEAKER_00: One was that we sat on a lot of data coming from our media activation through our media agencies cassette and general media.
[01:12] SPEAKER_00: So it gave us a lot of opportunity to essentially play with large amounts of data and get engineering expertise working in that type of big data realm.
[01:23] SPEAKER_00: And then the second piece was because we saw an opportunity to really help bridge the gap between chief technology or chief information officer and a chief marketing officer,
[01:34] SPEAKER_00: partially because as you look at technology in the way things are moving and how quickly things are moving, it's actually moving obviously much faster than cloud.
[01:44] SPEAKER_00: And particularly in advertising and marketing technology, where a lot of the money goes to.
[01:49] SPEAKER_00: And so we saw an opportunity to try to help bridge the two worlds together and help our clients navigate and be able to understand the future of their organization and marketing efforts.
[01:59] SPEAKER_00: And then by night or by the side, I also have a startup corporate rate, which I started two and a half years ago with a co founding team that allow us to be able to create a platform that essentially what you said bridges the customer to an access and aggregation point of a bunch of the best spots and spawns in the market or in the city, often at a disc counter price and for last minute essentially appointments.
[02:29] SPEAKER_00: And then aside from these two pieces, I actually also am a co founder of a women's empowerment conference called filling the gap that we do twice a year.
[02:38] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really fun. It's about bringing together usually a quite intimate group of no more than a hundred women.
[02:45] SPEAKER_00: We have topics that we focus on and we curate essentially keynote speakers and workshop lead. So it's a night where you're getting inspired but then you're getting a lot of tactical information that you can apply to your personal professional life.
[02:58] SPEAKER_00: We raise money for that actually to donate to the barberslapher commemorative clinic, which is a I don't know if you know of them, they use legal aid translation services to help fight women who've experienced domestic abuse.
[03:10] SPEAKER_00: They're one of they're one of a kind in Canada and they're very growing quite a bit. And so they need all those support and funding they can get.
[03:18] SPEAKER_01: So Janice, what made you decide to become an entrepreneur?
[03:22] SPEAKER_00: So I would say I didn't consciously decide to become an entrepreneur. I would say that, you know, when I first started my first venture over 10 years ago, one of the things I wanted to do was really learn more about the business side of things, but at the same time I didn't go to school for business.
[03:38] SPEAKER_00: So I have the option of either going and getting a postgraduate or to be a some sort. This is just after the 2008 economic downfall. So globally, it was as you can probably imagine quite difficult to get a job.
[03:52] SPEAKER_00: So one of the things I wanted to do was I wanted to practice combining something I was really passionate about, which was everything related to digital and fashion and design and then combine that with essentially this business side of things.
[04:06] SPEAKER_00: So I started an e-commerce platform back before Shopify and the CMS is of space world words around.
[04:12] SPEAKER_00: And I spent all my savings essentially just to be able to build that. And I did it for four years. And I got a lot out of it because I was also working full time, but at the same time, waking up at 6th, working till 9th, going to work, finishing work, working in the evenings.
[04:32] SPEAKER_00: And so I mean, it taught me a lot of things. One of the things was really how the nuts and bolts of a business could work. Everything from legal to finance to accounting. It taught me a lot about things that I shouldn't do, of course, which was don't do absolutely everything.
[04:49] SPEAKER_00: I think it can't possibly be good at everything, which I've now applied to retreat and the business as I touched today. And it also taught me that your hustle and your perseverance can really be the motivation behind what you do and give you a lot in return.
[05:07] SPEAKER_00: So all in all, it was really amazing. I think what you will talk about a lot is that when a business fails or when you close the chapter of something, what that means. And I think, especially as women, we experience a lot of guilt in our daily lives that we choose to feel.
[05:26] SPEAKER_00: So after I had closed shop alloo, there was about, I would say, a few years where I had to reconcile guilt, like feelings and negative feelings just around failing a business essentially. But in hindsight, obviously it doesn't seem like that because I sold all my inventory to another retailer.
[05:46] SPEAKER_00: I didn't lose any money. I ended up with all of these new skillsets that really helped me propel my career when it came to the type of work I would do for some of my clients from a consulting side in a servicing side because I now knew what it really felt like to spend five dollars on advertising or five dollars on equipment.
[06:07] SPEAKER_00: And it was either do I get a coffee or have lunch today or am I spending this money. And so that type of brevity with that knowledge of this money has a meaningful impact really helps the way that I think I can connect with my partners at where I work with on retreat as well as with clients enterprise level clients that I even service today on the magnet side.
[06:27] SPEAKER_00: So I've taken a lot away from it, but I think it took a while for me to really get to the point where I was ready to get the start of new venture. And now I think your concept of failure becomes completely different.
[06:40] SPEAKER_00: And I think that's really, really important because it gives me reassurance that understanding that life is just really a journey, right? But everything you do in it, whether it's good or bad, is all relative to what you want to look at it.
[06:53] SPEAKER_00: And so I think your question about how I got into entrepreneurship, it was an unconscious decision, but now having done it so many times, it is now conscious decision in the way that I choose to live my life or from how my career.
[07:09] SPEAKER_00: So I'm always starting new projects like a consultant, a bunch of other smaller startups. I help a lot of women who are trying to get into building a business.
[07:19] SPEAKER_00: I do a lot of panels and speaking just around how we talk so much about failure is not a risk, but it really is a risk. But we get really scared about it, right?
[07:29] SPEAKER_00: So how do you kind of overcome things like that and break things down in a way that's super digestible so that you can take that one step at a time?
[07:38] SPEAKER_00: So those are just a bunch of things that I would say really help me understand and grow as a person as an individual, but also obviously as an entrepreneur.
[07:46] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, some people like you, what you just said earlier to say, right? You sound really busy. You sound like you don't want to come to go. But for me, these are all things that I'm really passionate about.
[07:56] SPEAKER_00: And this is just how I experience the world and this is just how I experience my job, my life, my personal, my professional life, right?
[08:04] SPEAKER_01: I think if you're passionate about it, you can do, and you can do it all hours in the day, really. Well, you need some to sleep sometimes.
[08:11] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. It doesn't feel like where.
[08:16] SPEAKER_01: So I'm going to shift gears a little bit, but I just want to know about your experience doing business in Toronto. What do you think are the benefits?
[08:23] SPEAKER_00: That's a great question. So Toronto is great from a startup and a technology perspective because of the fact that it's quite a diverse market.
[08:33] SPEAKER_00: Right? You have different people from all walks of life. It also is a really, really difficult market to get technology off the ground.
[08:41] SPEAKER_00: Part of that is because as much as we are open to new ideas, Toronto is very, I would say, the type of users here are more adverse to new things from a technology perspective.
[08:54] SPEAKER_00: So in the tech community, we always say like, it's a great market to be able to test your idea in because if it can work here, it probably will work in New York.
[09:02] SPEAKER_00: And if it can work here, it'll probably work in London, right? And yes, the size and the market forces itself is really interesting.
[09:11] SPEAKER_00: The other part of June that has been Toronto, I think, that has been a really big learning is that because there are so many different types of people, it's not a homogenous population.
[09:24] SPEAKER_00: So the way you go to market is really interesting. Someone can go to market focusing on one specific community and create community and then create essentially a market share there and build out words.
[09:36] SPEAKER_00: You can go at it from the perspective of income bracket and what she tried to reach a certain type of segment that you want to be able to sell your product to.
[09:44] SPEAKER_00: You just can slice it in so many different ways that it's almost like the perfect city to experiment in.
[09:50] SPEAKER_01: Because it's somewhat a cultural and so, and so big.
[09:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so multiple cultural.
[09:54] SPEAKER_00: That's really interesting.
[09:55] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, everything, right? And the spread because now they're the, what do you call it, bubbles across the across the entire GTA.
[10:05] SPEAKER_00: So it's just, it's just really interesting.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: So someone can approach the problem completely differently.
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: You can be a completely different demographic and and pool of people and have different results, right?
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: So I think that's what makes it really interesting of a market.
[10:20] SPEAKER_01: So, what are best ideas come when we're least expecting them?
[10:24] SPEAKER_01: When helps you recharge and get it inspired?
[10:27] SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a great question.
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: I think to your point, like, yes, your best idea is you should come when you're not expecting it.
[10:35] SPEAKER_00: I love to be, I love working on something and then putting everything into it and then honestly just throwing it aside.
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: Because when you forget about it, something else will come.
[10:45] SPEAKER_00: I think the other part of it, which is really meaningful for me, is I need almost an hour a day where I'm doing something that is not related to work.
[10:54] SPEAKER_00: And whether it's a boy for run or I'm getting yelled at at a workout.
[11:00] SPEAKER_00: I'll glass the wine with some of my best friends.
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: Like, I just need something where my mind isn't on my job or what I have to do because that's actually when I feel like that's when your brain is taking a recharge.
[11:12] SPEAKER_00: But maybe you're empowering your body or you're empowering your soul.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: So then you're kind of working another one of your bodies.
[11:19] SPEAKER_00: Well, the other one gets the rest.
[11:21] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a really good point.
[11:22] SPEAKER_01: Like you're doing your arm workout while your legs are resting and then.
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly, exactly.
[11:28] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well because you think about it.
[11:30] SPEAKER_00: Humans are, humans are made up of body, mind and soul.
[11:33] SPEAKER_00: You can't work all three always at the same time.
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: So if you overwork your mind, the other two things get the collected.
[11:40] SPEAKER_00: So you kind of need balance and it's a great way to recharge.
[11:43] SPEAKER_01: So you go to exercise and then just chilling out with your friends to reach out.
[11:48] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and this year one of the things I've started doing more is meditating.
[11:52] SPEAKER_00: I've been doing yoga, I'm from Vancouver.
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: Naturally, I've been doing yoga for over 10 years.
[11:56] SPEAKER_00: Be strong.
[11:57] SPEAKER_00: Have you?
[11:58] SPEAKER_00: Great.
[11:59] SPEAKER_00: That's a great mental, mental health exercise of course.
[12:04] SPEAKER_00: And then I would say writing, writing is something I started doing this year,
[12:08] SPEAKER_00: which has been really important.
[12:10] SPEAKER_00: And then I think when you do the fighting thing is I think, you know,
[12:13] SPEAKER_00: when you do more things and you spread your attention more sometimes,
[12:17] SPEAKER_00: you exercise two things, right?
[12:19] SPEAKER_00: Like you exercise being able to get focused really quickly because you need to go from one task to another
[12:24] SPEAKER_00: and they can be completely different things.
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: You talk into a lawyer one moment and then you're, I don't know, in good way analytics,
[12:30] SPEAKER_00: trying to make sense of the insights from your website, right?
[12:32] SPEAKER_00: So shifting is a really important thing I think for your mental awareness.
[12:36] SPEAKER_00: The other piece I think that's really interesting is that when you only have so much time
[12:41] SPEAKER_00: and you only have so much you can do, your capacity to focus needs to be really, really strong.
[12:47] SPEAKER_00: So being able to just, you know, put all the other stuff aside and really
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: hone in on what you need to do in that moment is really important.
[12:54] SPEAKER_00: A lot of people, a lot of leaders, exactly as the world talk about with this prioritization,
[12:59] SPEAKER_00: where it's a very similar concept, right?
[13:01] SPEAKER_00: You just need to be able to shift yours really, really quickly.
[13:04] SPEAKER_00: It's not multitasking.
[13:05] SPEAKER_00: We all know that multitasking has a negative connotation,
[13:08] SPEAKER_00: but it's more just being able to shift really quickly.
[13:11] SPEAKER_00: And I think that's really important for me as well.
[13:13] SPEAKER_01: So what are you most excited about for your business these days?
[13:17] SPEAKER_01: What is your plan for the future in the next couple of years?
[13:22] SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited about my business in a few ways.
[13:26] SPEAKER_00: I would say one is that, you know, you don't hear a lot of founders talk about it,
[13:32] SPEAKER_00: but it's all an experiment.
[13:33] SPEAKER_00: Like I love seeing whether or not the hypothesis is going to get actualized or not.
[13:39] SPEAKER_00: So that's one component I'm really excited about just in general.
[13:41] SPEAKER_00: The other piece is we know, for example, that we've already done enough in the market
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: to be able to lock out competitors, which is really important for me.
[13:51] SPEAKER_00: Many have tried to do this idea, and we're not saying that we've perfected it by no means,
[13:56] SPEAKER_00: but we're looking at the problem from a slightly different angle,
[14:00] SPEAKER_00: which allows us to be able to really test, again, what I said earlier about Toronto,
[14:05] SPEAKER_00: is, you know, we look at it when the perspective of attacking a more higher income,
[14:11] SPEAKER_00: or a more brand-aware type of problem statement.
[14:15] SPEAKER_00: So we go after the talk, we use their brand equity to create a halo.
[14:19] SPEAKER_00: So I have partners like the Shagrilla and Dean Del Monte down in the path,
[14:24] SPEAKER_00: and you know, from majesty's pleasure, all brands of people would know of,
[14:28] SPEAKER_00: and then you create a halo around that to be able to essentially say,
[14:31] SPEAKER_00: well, we're creating a brand that is of the same equity of yours.
[14:35] SPEAKER_00: Therefore, you will be joining, of course.
[14:37] SPEAKER_00: And we know that, you know, one of the things that we're going to be looking to solve
[14:40] SPEAKER_00: is how do you essentially try to get perhaps your market share of users
[14:44] SPEAKER_00: who are still used to a certain type of user behavior,
[14:48] SPEAKER_00: going down the stream, getting your nails done from, you know,
[14:51] SPEAKER_00: the little shop on the corner of that essentially doesn't even have a digital booking system.
[14:56] SPEAKER_00: How do we talk to and get people who are essentially used to calling and walking into the spawns and salons,
[15:03] SPEAKER_00: even though they think it's tedious.
[15:05] SPEAKER_00: So there's all these almost like many problems that we're trying to understand
[15:09] SPEAKER_00: and better get insight into.
[15:11] SPEAKER_00: And the other piece is when we started this, you know, the idea makes sense,
[15:15] SPEAKER_00: at least logically, we think we did a lot of research,
[15:19] SPEAKER_00: a lot of surveys with users and understanding what the consumer mindset was,
[15:24] SPEAKER_00: but one of the things we've also had been challenged with is that the market is really different
[15:30] SPEAKER_00: than the market shifts quite a bit in regards to what people are expecting,
[15:33] SPEAKER_00: and not everyone wants to essentially book everything online,
[15:37] SPEAKER_00: not everything, not everyone wants to do the certain things you're expecting.
[15:41] SPEAKER_00: So we're really interested to see how, you know,
[15:45] SPEAKER_00: when you look at technology companies, when there's particularly a two-sided marketplace,
[15:49] SPEAKER_00: how do you conquer the B2C versus the B2B side,
[15:53] SPEAKER_00: and how do you essentially make the two-size work so that you can create that cycle
[15:57] SPEAKER_00: or that symbiotic relationship, which is actually really difficult to do.
[16:01] SPEAKER_00: So I have a lot more respect for the ubers and the lifts of the world, of course,
[16:07] SPEAKER_00: but it's also just an interesting one, right?
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, you need a ride and you need a car frequently because of transportation needs.
[16:18] SPEAKER_00: But some women, particularly the ones we have as customers,
[16:22] SPEAKER_00: will need a herden every other day, will need certain things done
[16:26] SPEAKER_00: to be able to make themselves feel really strong and confident.
[16:28] SPEAKER_00: And so we're just kind of understanding what that looks like as we kind of build into the next few years,
[16:33] SPEAKER_00: but there's a lot of things on the go.
[16:35] SPEAKER_00: So those are a few things that we're doing and planning on doing.
[16:38] SPEAKER_00: And then you never know, like we might completely shift our model in the next two years
[16:42] SPEAKER_00: and go into a more software space.
[16:45] SPEAKER_00: We might shift and become a content player.
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: We might shift and go into the cannabis industry.
[16:51] SPEAKER_00: You never know what's going to take off because now everyone's putting CBD oil on their face.
[16:56] SPEAKER_01: Right, that's right. Well, they're putting it everywhere.
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: I want to get everywhere.
[17:01] SPEAKER_00: So I think one of the really exciting things is being able to be open to the fact that a business wall was shifting bro and how do you pivot?
[17:09] SPEAKER_00: So I'm just excited about that in general.
[17:11] SPEAKER_00: But those were probably a few things I would say we're looking forward to.
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: It's exciting. So are you guys planning on expanding past Toronto?
[17:17] SPEAKER_01: Are you going to build it up here within the next couple of years and then possibly on national?
[17:25] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think one of the things we will look to do is whether or not we feel like we're at a sustainable rate within a market like Toronto before we go somewhere else.
[17:34] SPEAKER_00: When it comes to expansion, you know, we've looked at obviously not just within Canada, but also within North America.
[17:40] SPEAKER_00: We know that the model has viability in different markets.
[17:44] SPEAKER_00: So there's a very similar business to ours in Europe.
[17:47] SPEAKER_00: There's a very similar business to ours in Dubai.
[17:50] SPEAKER_00: There's one that's quite similar even in Mexico, right?
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: And obviously share population sizes or has a role to play.
[17:56] SPEAKER_00: So we're just still trying to figure out the mechanics and how to get it scalable that way.
[18:02] SPEAKER_00: But I think from what we've gathered, which has been really promising, is that we try our best to make it obviously easy for the partners,
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: from the business side, and then a lot of our consumers who actually use the platform, the feedback has been really positive.
[18:15] SPEAKER_00: So all of that goes into the way that we scale and develop.
[18:18] SPEAKER_00: But those things have been essentially reinforcing, at least motivating.
[18:24] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, awesome.
[18:25] SPEAKER_01: Okay, so now we're going to shift gears again.
[18:28] SPEAKER_01: This time it's going to be rapid fire questions.
[18:31] SPEAKER_01: So that's what we call it. We do them in all of our interviews.
[18:33] SPEAKER_01: So basically just I'm going to ask you a question.
[18:36] SPEAKER_01: Don't think too hard about it.
[18:38] SPEAKER_01: And just answer what comes to your mind.
[18:40] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[18:41] SPEAKER_01: I'll shoot the first question.
[18:42] SPEAKER_01: So if you weren't doing what you do now, therefore work.
[18:46] SPEAKER_01: What would you be doing instead?
[18:48] SPEAKER_00: I would be I think building something in the world, just whatever on the internet.
[18:55] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I really like I obviously grew up and love working with things that are on the internet and digitally.
[19:01] SPEAKER_00: Because that's a medicinal native as you like to call it.
[19:04] SPEAKER_00: But I think it's just more scalable requires less investment from the get go.
[19:09] SPEAKER_00: And I think it's just you can come up with so many ideas that you can connect with the world with from just a computer.
[19:15] SPEAKER_01: What book are you currently reading?
[19:17] SPEAKER_01: And what would you recommend to our audience?
[19:20] SPEAKER_00: So I'm reading two books right now.
[19:23] SPEAKER_00: I'm terrible with remembering authors.
[19:25] SPEAKER_00: But the first book I'm reading is a book called Circe.
[19:27] SPEAKER_00: It's a fiction.
[19:30] SPEAKER_00: It's about Circe the Goddess.
[19:33] SPEAKER_00: And it's just it's to do with from a it's to be told from an angle from that female's perspective back in Greek Gainstimes.
[19:41] SPEAKER_00: And then I usually read multiple books at the same time.
[19:44] SPEAKER_00: So the other book that I'm reading is a lot more metaphysical.
[19:48] SPEAKER_00: It's called The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
[19:51] SPEAKER_00: And it's really just about being present and being, you know, of the understanding that time is a human cause.
[19:57] SPEAKER_00: And when you're in construct, you can't live in past moments.
[20:00] SPEAKER_00: And now you can't live in future moments.
[20:01] SPEAKER_00: And now therefore you can only live in this moment right here.
[20:05] SPEAKER_00: So you know, when people experience a lot of nostalgia or depression or looking backwards or hoping to go back.
[20:12] SPEAKER_00: And you know how you hear people say, I peaked in high school.
[20:15] SPEAKER_00: Like that's usually because you're still living in past moment.
[20:18] SPEAKER_00: And then when you are thinking too much into the future and you have a lot of anxiety and you can't stop planning.
[20:24] SPEAKER_00: I think you're often living the future.
[20:26] SPEAKER_00: So it's really just about teaching you how to be more present and understanding that things that we create and we live in are really up to you.
[20:36] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that sounds really interesting.
[20:38] SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of that one's my phone.
[20:40] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you said.
[20:42] SPEAKER_01: Are you a morning or a night person?
[20:45] SPEAKER_00: I'm definitely a morning person.
[20:47] SPEAKER_01: I have to add to that.
[20:48] SPEAKER_01: But what time do I wake up in the morning?
[20:50] SPEAKER_00: I usually wake up between five and six thirty.
[20:53] SPEAKER_00: And then I usually do a little bit of either writing or meditating.
[20:57] SPEAKER_00: And then I work out in the morning and I get a bunch of emails out.
[21:01] SPEAKER_00: And then the day starts by eight o'clock.
[21:03] SPEAKER_01: Nice.
[21:04] SPEAKER_01: You just answered one of my other questions.
[21:06] SPEAKER_01: So if you had to pick one word to describe yourself, what would it be in a line?
[21:12] SPEAKER_00: I would say I've learned how to control my energy more in the past few years.
[21:17] SPEAKER_00: But I've been told that I like that I'm usually highly energetic and I come in like a force.
[21:24] SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of energy that comes with me.
[21:27] SPEAKER_00: And you know, I have a lot of people who call me an energy, but energize your body.
[21:31] SPEAKER_00: Can't stop.
[21:33] SPEAKER_00: I do a lot of crazy things.
[21:34] SPEAKER_00: So I have great sleep though.
[21:37] SPEAKER_00: I need to sleep while we reach out, but then five in the morning.
[21:40] SPEAKER_00: I'm out of here.
[21:41] SPEAKER_00: So there you go.
[21:43] SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
[21:45] SPEAKER_01: So actually that you just answered my next question.
[21:47] SPEAKER_01: What's keeping you up at night these days?
[21:49] SPEAKER_01: You are like reading my minds.
[21:51] SPEAKER_01: I know. It's great.
[21:53] SPEAKER_01: So nothing really keeps you up.
[21:55] SPEAKER_00: Funny thing is since I read that book, I've been reading that book that I recommended.
[22:00] SPEAKER_00: It's taught me just a lot about being able to not overthink things like oh.
[22:04] SPEAKER_00: And so I sleep like nothing really keeps me up at night because one of the other things you start to realize that there's only one thing that's completely inevitable.
[22:14] SPEAKER_00: Life which is or two, it just changed and death, right?
[22:17] SPEAKER_00: So you never know if it's about tomorrow and then life could be gone.
[22:20] SPEAKER_00: So there's no point in worrying.
[22:22] SPEAKER_00: What's your favorite place in the world?
[22:24] SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
[22:26] SPEAKER_00: I love Berlin.
[22:28] SPEAKER_00: So random.
[22:30] SPEAKER_00: I love it as right.
[22:33] SPEAKER_00: Before, I think in my late team that I spent some time there and then I actually studied German in university.
[22:40] SPEAKER_00: And so I spent a lot of time going to Germany.
[22:42] SPEAKER_00: And there's just something really amazing about that city from an energy perspective and from the clash of old and old and new traditional modern.
[22:50] SPEAKER_00: So it's a great place culturally to visit and it's amazing from an art and a culture and like a, what do you call it?
[22:59] SPEAKER_00: I think it's the energy and the, and just like everything you want to know historically about a place like that, I think it's great to be able to live in.
[23:05] SPEAKER_01: Have you been to a lot of countries in Europe?
[23:07] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've been, I've lived in Holland.
[23:10] SPEAKER_00: I've lived in Germany.
[23:11] SPEAKER_00: I've spent some time in London and France.
[23:15] SPEAKER_00: I've gone to many different parts of the world.
[23:18] SPEAKER_00: I've lived in Asia.
[23:19] SPEAKER_00: I've lived in most parts of Canada.
[23:21] SPEAKER_00: I've been to Saskatoon.
[23:23] SPEAKER_00: I know.
[23:24] SPEAKER_01: You're a world champion.
[23:25] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's not good to you too.
[23:26] SPEAKER_01: And my sister's living there.
[23:28] SPEAKER_01: Oh, she's.
[23:29] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this is good to learn.
[23:32] SPEAKER_01: What are three non-negotiables that have to happen in your morning or your evening routine?
[23:37] SPEAKER_01: And you kind of answer this already.
[23:39] SPEAKER_01: Even if you want to switch to your evening routine, it's you.
[23:42] SPEAKER_01: It's your morning routine already.
[23:44] SPEAKER_00: Sure. I'll do my evening routine.
[23:46] SPEAKER_00: My evening routine is I need to be away from my devices.
[23:50] SPEAKER_00: Like, I need to be reading something before I go to sleep.
[23:53] SPEAKER_00: Just helps me decompress.
[23:54] SPEAKER_00: The other piece is for someone who owns a beauty tech startup, I am also obsessed with skincare.
[24:00] SPEAKER_00: I have almost like, I'm kind of crazy like this.
[24:03] SPEAKER_00: I have like a 20 step, almost like face cleansing ritual that I need to do at night.
[24:07] SPEAKER_00: And I need to mask multiple times a week.
[24:11] SPEAKER_00: And I have parties with girlfriend where they come over and we literally spend a whole evening like,
[24:15] SPEAKER_00: we mask and do her faces.
[24:18] SPEAKER_00: If you're a very Toronto, let me know.
[24:19] SPEAKER_00: And what?
[24:22] SPEAKER_01: I do the same thing with my one girlfriend.
[24:24] SPEAKER_01: So I love like totally, totally about that.
[24:28] SPEAKER_00: There you go.
[24:29] SPEAKER_00: And so and then sometimes, you know, we combine it with a little bit wine or a little bit of weed and go on your way.
[24:36] SPEAKER_00: So it's great for relaxation, but I would say like, skincare or something that is really, really.
[24:41] SPEAKER_00: I'm really, really passionate about.
[24:43] SPEAKER_00: So I'm crazy, I love it crazy about that.
[24:45] SPEAKER_00: And then I would say the last thing is I need to have magnesium.
[24:51] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so do I.
[24:52] SPEAKER_00: I think it just helps you have a deeper sleep or more.
[24:56] SPEAKER_00: Because I know it helps your body.
[24:58] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it helps your body create melatonin naturally.
[25:00] SPEAKER_00: So it's a, it's self metal and it helps you just create that.
[25:04] SPEAKER_00: So I think it's really important.
[25:05] SPEAKER_00: But as important as my morning is, my sleep is, I would say one of the most important things to me.
[25:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, minus two.
[25:14] SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, I have two kids keeping me up at night sometimes too.
[25:18] SPEAKER_01: I take melatonin as well.
[25:20] SPEAKER_01: And it's just, it's been like night and day.
[25:22] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no pun intended there, but it's been very helpful.
[25:26] SPEAKER_01: I want to ask you and this is outside of the rapid fire questions.
[25:31] SPEAKER_01: But what's the great challenge that you've ever faced in your business so far?
[25:35] SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a great question.
[25:36] SPEAKER_00: The greatest challenge I've ever faced in my business was finding the right individuals to help me build the business.
[25:45] SPEAKER_00: I think as an entrepreneur and as a founder, we forget that, we often forget that you can't do everything alone.
[25:51] SPEAKER_00: And that you're always just looking for funding to be able to hire the right people.
[25:55] SPEAKER_00: I think in today's world and in our generation, people are motivated by many different things.
[26:00] SPEAKER_00: And so being able to understand that you can find talent who are, who's willing to give you time, who's willing to give you energy essentially, when they believe in what you're building and want to work with you is really, really important.
[26:14] SPEAKER_00: So that's one of the biggest challenges that I've found and I would say I'd like to say I've tried to conquer over the past few years because I think again, having the right team is better than having the right individual.
[26:25] SPEAKER_01: When you're faced with unexpected challenges, how do you typically handle them?
[26:30] SPEAKER_00: So when I'm faced with unexpected challenges, what I usually do is I take a deep breath and I tell myself that there's usually several solutions that either I can't see you right now or there's definitely some way to solve this problem.
[26:44] SPEAKER_00: So I think that understanding that, how do I say this?
[26:48] SPEAKER_00: The understanding that there is nothing in the world that is completely unsolvable is something that I think I've always just grown up with and I think having a really strong family structure that was very much so that you can do anything but at the same time you can solve anything is really important.
[27:03] SPEAKER_00: Whether or not you have a solution right away or you have a solution weeks from now or you might have not the best for most optimal solution immediately, I think just understanding that you can always slice it in so many different ways is really important because then at least you have the understanding and the confidence to say, okay, I might not be taking the right step in the right direction but I'm taking a step.
[27:26] SPEAKER_00: Because I think, you know, especially if you wanted to start a business, one of the biggest challenges for people who want to start a business is the execution.
[27:36] SPEAKER_00: Right, you have this idea, I have this idea, the idea itself is great but it's actually not as meaningful as you give it as much weight as you should.
[27:43] SPEAKER_00: It's actually always about whether or not you're paralyzed by what you have to do.
[27:47] SPEAKER_00: And I think one of the things we forget is that when you knock off to do things, to do things on your tasks, on your to-do list, it's essentially the way you should be approaching starting anything right because once you know what the tasks are and steps are you just knock them out and I think that that ability to be able to recognize that there's always going to be someone who has a better idea.
[28:12] SPEAKER_00: There's always going to be someone who's more qualified but it's really just about not looking at what they're doing, swimming in your own lane and then just taking a step at a time because that one step forward is better than standard.
[28:23] SPEAKER_01: So on that, I'm going to ask you, what advice would you give to an entrepreneur looking to start a business in Toronto?
[28:30] SPEAKER_00: I would say there's a few things. One is, don't be afraid to share your idea. So I had a friend who's also another founder and he's actually been doing really well with this business for the past few years.
[28:42] SPEAKER_00: He said this to me when I first started retreat, which was don't be afraid to share your idea because your idea is nothing without the execution.
[28:50] SPEAKER_00: The other part of it is that the more you share your idea, the more you actually opening it up to be questioned and to beat up, to be beat up, essentially get put through the ringer for free, which is also really important.
[29:03] SPEAKER_00: And so I think one of the things that the real is that if you know that the idea is just the idea, you should be offering it up and you should be just talking to people about it because someone will always have a different perspective and being open to that idea itself really gives your idea of potentially more credibility.
[29:19] SPEAKER_01: So how would you handle it if somebody gave you really negative feedback on your idea that you loved that you wanted to run with?
[29:28] SPEAKER_00: I think actually the funny thing is, you know, again, I think understanding good and bad is really relative to people.
[29:35] SPEAKER_00: I think one of the things you realize is sometimes someone gives you advice or guidance or feedback and it may not be perfect or it's not what you want to hear, but at least it's something, right?
[29:45] SPEAKER_00: The opposite of someone not caring really is to not give you any feedback and is in difference. And so I would rather have someone, you know, spit on my idea, then not give me their perspective at all.
[29:58] SPEAKER_01: If you really are passionate about your idea, you'll be able to justify it to them and to yourself.
[30:03] SPEAKER_00: I have a girlfriend who always says this, which is the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is in difference, right?
[30:08] SPEAKER_00: So if someone is in difference to your idea, then oh, God, this is the bad idea. If there's someone even hates your idea, then there's something in there that must trigger them to make them feel that way.
[30:18] SPEAKER_01: That's interesting. Okay, now I'm going to ask you the last question.
[30:22] SPEAKER_01: And so this is something that we asked all of our guests on Canada's podcast. You may have heard it before.
[30:28] SPEAKER_01: There's a small tropical island off the coast of Bora Bora in the middle of the ocean and only one phone booth and no internet.
[30:36] SPEAKER_01: We drop you off there with no technology at all. At any time you can use the phone and the phone booth on the island and call a boat to come pick you up.
[30:45] SPEAKER_01: How long would you last? And what would you do until that time?
[30:49] SPEAKER_00: I would last. I don't know how long I would last, but I would try to last for as long as possible.
[30:55] SPEAKER_00: I believe in being alone. I believe in really being able to be with yourself because we're so surrounded with technology today that the idea sometimes of being by yourself without anything and with your thoughts is scary.
[31:07] SPEAKER_00: So I would probably approach it like it's like some sort of opposite survival reality show where I'm supposed to stay there and stay still.
[31:18] SPEAKER_00: And I would hopefully do my best to try to stay there for as long as possible.
[31:23] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's almost like a personal challenge to keep awesome.
[31:27] SPEAKER_01: I'm very prospective on that question. If you listen to some of the other interviews, it's like, make a day or answer so.
[31:34] SPEAKER_01: Really? Yeah, it's very cool.
[31:37] SPEAKER_01: Do you have anything else that you want to share with our listeners before before we sign off?
[31:44] SPEAKER_00: No, I would just say, you know, take a look at our stuff, check it out and reach out if you or anyone you know everyone to talk about ideas or want to start to pull project.
[31:55] SPEAKER_01: So where can we find your online?
[31:58] SPEAKER_00: So I am probably most present on LinkedIn just because I feel like from a professional perspective, that's where I like to post things and that's probably where I where I talk to the most.
[32:09] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. So we'll find you there. Thank you very much for coming on Canada's podcast.
[32:14] SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
[32:15] SPEAKER_01: You're today, Janice.
[32:17] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, nice getting to know you too, left with.
[32:20] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to Canada's podcast. Like, comment and subscribe to all our channels to get the latest podcast from entrepreneurs across Canada.