Entrepreneurs Exposed

Michael Hyatt is the co-founder of BlueCat Networks, which was sold to Madison Dearborn Partners, of Chicago, IL.  He serves as a board member and director of BlueCat, and ranks as one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs. Michael also sits on the Board of Advisors of Georgian Partners, one of Canada’s leading venture capital firms and was a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 award.  In this episode, Michael and I discuss various experiences at Bluecat, the birth and sale cycle of companies and capital, entrepreneurship with a sibling, Michael's perspective on money, finding one's purpose, and more. Enjoy!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lesley Stowe, a true Canadian food entrepreneur, and the founder of the infamous artisan crackers – Raincoast Crisps. The crackers are so popular, they’ve been featured on Oprah’s list of favourite things and in Martha Stewart Living magazine. They’ve also been served in the White House. In this short chat with Adam, Lesley shares stories about how she funded the venture early on, the importance of being in the right environment for your passion, and why she sold to Dare Foods, a family owned private company vs. a private equity firm. Enjoy!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Bosworth, has been a thought leader within the field of sales for decades. He has designed several sales training programs for a number of fortune 500 companies, and is a seasoned author, speaker, entrepreneur, and sales philosopher. In this conversation, we hit on the power of stories and use case selling, what signals to look for to know whether a prospective buyer is warming up to your offering, how to relax buyer scepticism, the Hollywood story approach, and what it means when you hear a prospective client drop the F-bomb! (hint, it's a good thing). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Jarrett is a Subscription Box Champion, Midwest entrepreneur, and Co-Founder and CEO of Bulu.  After a decade working on ad campaigns for Lowe's and Nike, Paul co-founded and launched Bulu Box with his wife, Stephanie in 2012. In this episode, Paul shares the unfiltered truth about his entrepreneurial experiences raising capital, scaling to $500k in MRR, self-awareness as CEO, and ‘subscription’ as a hedge against Amazon’s dominance.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alon Ozery co-founded Ozery’s Pita Break in 1996. What began as a small sandwich shop making homemade pitas, has grown to a major leader in the natural bakery industry in North America; with customers such as Whole Foods, Costco, and Starbucks. Recently, the company founded ‘Parallel', a sesame butter/tahini North American brand. In this episode, Alon talks about his company’s growth, hiring talent, ‘gluten’ the villain, mixing family with business, and what's next for the world of food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jordan Harbinger, once referred to as “The Larry King of podcasting,” is a Wall Street lawyer turned talk show host, social dynamics expert, and entrepreneur. After hosting a top 50 iTunes podcast for over a decade that enjoyed nearly four million downloads a month, Jordan has embarked on a new adventure: The Jordan Harbinger Show, where he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth. What happens when a rookie podcaster interviews a true podcasting veteran? Adam sits back and the guest takes over… awesome! Enjoy . . .  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Bowden is one of the world’s top 30 Body Language Professionals, and the founder of TRUTHPLANE, a communication training company. Mark has an impressive client list of leading executives, politicians and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. His popular TEDx talk called the ’The Importance of Being Inauthentic’ has been viewed nearly 300,000 times.  In this episode, Mark and I discuss how to sell more effectively, how to build trust and engagement, and why politicians, including Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, and others really on body language to persuade. We also talk about key take away’s from Mark’s new best-selling book, Truth & Lies. Enjoy!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samer led Iristel from a small startup to an international telecommunications service provider with infrastructure licenses on three continents. Samer has won numerous entrepreneurial awards, including Profit Magazine's youngest CEO among the Top Profit 100 companies in Canada. In this episode, we discuss the future of broadband and 5G, the risks associated with entering emerging markets like Africa, and the imbalance of power perpetrated by legacy incumbents and the CRTC.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Cigos is the Co-Founder and Vice President at Buddha Brands Co./Temple Lifestyle Inc. The company’s hugely popular Thirsty Buddha coconut water is flying off retail shelves, and is a viable market leader in natural organic CPG. In this great conversation, Mark and I hit on competing vs "the big guys” (Coke & Pepsi), what it takes to play in the US as a Canadian brand, and the business impact of appearing on Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ilana Ben-Ari is the founder and CEO of Twenty One Toys. The company’s first product The Empathy Toy, is now used in thousands of schools, homes and corporations across 45 countries. It was featured in TIME as one of 6 new technologies shaping classrooms and offices of the future. In this episode, we discuss the rise of her toy start-up, how to teach empathy and "soft skills", why toys are the new textbooks, and the gap between what kids are being taught vs. what jobs will actually exist when they graduate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices