

The Hard Part with Evan McCann
Evan McCann
The Hard Part, hosted by Evan McCann, uncovers the stories, strategies, and playbooks of Canada’s most influential founders, investors, and leaders. While Canadian innovators often fly under the radar compared to their American peers, The Hard Part shines a spotlight on their impact, redefining Canada’s role in global entrepreneurship.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 7, 2025 • 37min
Ben Cox from Page
Ben Cox is the Co-Founder & CEO of Page.Page uses advanced technology & AI to make it effortless for companies to gain real-time and personalized insight into government activities that can impact their business.Takeaways- Working at Shopify for over 10 years and moving from a junior role to a Director level.- Why lobbying was interesting to Ben.- Understanding the lobbying process.- Who are Page's customers?- Why AI is the unlock with information capture and analysis.- Understanding government dynamics.- AI can help cut through media biases and provide primary sources of information.- Global perspectives in government.- Staying ahead in the AI landscape.- Finding PMF early days.- Majority of the Page team worked together at Shopify and the benefits behind high trust.Chapters00:00 The Shopify Experience: A Journey of Growth04:21 Personal Growth and Career Progression06:45 The Genesis of Page: From Idea to Reality10:18 Understanding the Lobbying Process12:14 Customer Insights and Needs14:12 Navigating Government Dynamics19:31 Global Perspectives in Governance23:24 AI's Role in Information Consumption26:59 Finding Product-Market Fit29:08 Staying Ahead in the AI Landscape31:33 Building a High-Trust Team33:45 Personal and Professional Excitement37:50 Dealing with Hard TimesKeywordsShopify, Page, entrepreneurship, AI, lobbying, career growth, governance, product-market fit, team dynamics, personal development

Feb 3, 2025 • 39min
Michelle Kwok from Draper Associates
Michelle Kwok, an Investor at Draper Associates and co-founder of FLIK, shares her journey from aspiring doctor to entrepreneur. She discusses the importance of community building for female founders and the lessons learned in scaling and monetizing a platform. Michelle delves into the emotional complexities of acquisition and her personal identity shift post-FLIK. She also highlights her MBA experience and her insights on venture capital, emphasizing founder empathy and exploring the vibrant NYC tech scene.

Jan 31, 2025 • 43min
Amrita Gurney, Fractional CMO
Amrita Gurney is a Fractional CMO.
Amrita supports Seed to Series B stage startups as a fractional marketing leader. She has been a marketing leader at Audiobooks.com, CrowdRiff, Float and many more.
Takeaways
- Building challenger brands.
- What makes a successful challenger brand.
- Most founders don't know how to hire marketers.
- Developing a deep customer understanding.
- What Brand truly means.
- Brand Strategy.
- Building awareness for startups.
- Alignment between the CEO and marketing.
- Marketing requires a different mindset beyond just driving leads.
- Cutting through noise is a significant challenge for marketers.
- Creative content messaging standards are rising.
- Video content remains underutilized in B2B marketing.
- Founder-led marketing.
-Scaling the marketing function + team.
- Amrita's fractional work.
Chapters
00:00 The Journey of a Marketer
06:32 Choosing the Right Companies to Work With
13:08 Foundational Marketing for Early-Stage Startups
19:43 Misconceptions About Brand
27:11 The Power of Founders in Marketing
34:02 Adapting to New Marketing Platforms
40:08 Finding the Right Marketing Fit
Keywords
marketing, challenger brands, startup marketing, brand strategy, B2B, B2C, marketing mistakes, early-stage startups, brand building, leadership alignment, marketing strategies, brand building, fractional marketing, content creation, B2B marketing, founder influence, marketing leadership, adapting to change, effective communication, industry trends.

Jan 29, 2025 • 45min
Brendan Baker from Rackhouse Venture Capital
Brendan Baker, a Partner at Rackhouse Venture Capital and former engineer, dives into his unexpected journey from engineering to venture capital. He shares insights on the evolution of fundraising, emphasizing the importance of narrative and networking. Discussion includes the rise of systematic funds and the transformative impact of AI on industries like supply chain. Brendan also highlights strategies for founders navigating a competitive landscape and the vital role of strong leadership in driving innovation.

Jan 28, 2025 • 41min
Ben Gigone from Chexy
Ben Gigone is the Co-Founder and CTO of Chexy.
Chexy is the first tenant-facing payments platform that allows renters to earn rewards & build credit on rent, all while bringing rent payments into the 21st century.
Takeaways
- Growing up in an entrepreneurial family.
- Genesis story behind Chexy.
- Focusing on tenant needs to drive early customer adoption.
- Building credit through rent payments.
- Challenges behind building a fintech company in Canada.
- User feedback and how to use it well.
- Helping customers transition from renting to homeownership.
- Hiring early team members at a startup.
- Being a great early-stage CTO.
Chapters
00:00 From Aerospace to Entrepreneurship
05:02 The Genesis of Chexy
11:15 Balancing Tenant and Landlord Needs
17:02 Unlocking Credit Through Rent Payments
28:26 Scaling the Tech Team
39:15 Personal and Professional Excitement
Keywords
entrepreneurship, Chexy, fintech, rent payments, credit building, startup journey, technology, rewards, tenant needs, landlord solutions

Jan 27, 2025 • 48min
Sam Pillar from Jobber
Sam Pillar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Jobber.
Jobber is the easiest-to-use business management platform for home service businesses. Landscapers, maid services, and companies in dozens of other industries use Jobber to keep track of customers, schedule jobs, get paid, and more.
Takeaways
- Jobber began at Remedy Cafe in Edmonton with Forrest and Sam.
- Early days of Jobber driving around to see and talk with customers.
- Scaling the company and the product.
- Staying close to customers has been critical for Jobber, especially as they scale.
- Company culture and scaling it, building values and mission.
- Hiring an executive leadership team (ELT).
- Raising Jobber's first round from Boris at Version One Ventures.
- Why the home services industry offers new entrepreneurs and young people many opportunities.
- How Jobber is using AI to enhance customer support and streamline operations.
- Every time the company doubles in size, new challenges arise.
- Personal growth as the CEO.
- Shifting trends with more young people interested in home services and how Jobber fits in.
Chapters
00:00 The Genesis of Jobber
03:38 Scaling and Customer Engagement
09:49 Disseminating Company Culture
10:18 Hiring and Building a Leadership Team
18:07 Opportunities in Home Services
23:06 Product Development and Customer Needs
30:56 AI Applications in Jobber
35:07 Navigating Growth Challenges
39:27 Personal Growth as a CEO
44:08 Trends in Entrepreneurship
48:31 Looking Ahead: Personal and Professional Goals
50:25 Dealing with Hard Times
Keywords
Jobber, entrepreneurship, small business, software development, company culture, AI, home services, leadership, growth challenges, customer engagement

Jan 24, 2025 • 43min
Aidan Vaandering from Reserv Labs
Aidan Vaandering is the Co-Founder of Reserv Labs.
Reserv is the yerba mate based focus + productivity drink made for the modern consumer.
Takeaways
Aidan's sales skills from Shopify and how they help as a founder.
The branding and positioning of Reserv in a crowded market.
Nuances with Red Bull, Monster and other energy products.
Understanding customer rituals and where Reserv fits in.
How new rituals can drive product adoption.
Starting with DTC and how you can scale to $100M+ in revenue on DTC alone.
Reserv's subscription model.
Figuring out taste and ingredients for Reserv.
"Scrappy Marketing".
Vancouver's often-overlooked CPG scene, is full of numerous success stories.
Chapters
00:00 From Sales to Startup: A Founder's Journey
03:03 The Genesis of Reserv Labs
08:45 Branding and Positioning in a Crowded Market
11:48 Understanding Customer Interaction and Rituals
15:42 Direct-to-Consumer Strategy and Subscription Model
20:30 Ingredient Selection and Product Taste
30:35 Market Expansion and Customer Density
33:58 Marketing Strategies: The Scrappy Approach
39:55 Networking in Vancouver's CPG Scene
40:03 Personal and Professional Excitement Ahead
44:05 Balancing Life as an Entrepreneur
Keywords
entrepreneurship, branding, direct-to-consumer, product development, marketing strategies, customer interaction, subscription model, Vancouver CPG, sales experience, startup journey

Jan 22, 2025 • 41min
Ben Rollert from Composer
Ben Rollert is the Co-Founder and CEO of Composer.
Composer is an automated trading platform that allows you to build a portfolio of hedge fund-like strategies.
Takeaways
Ben's first founder experience with Intervaliq.
Learnings from building Breather (raised $100M+).
The importance of a solid business model cannot be overstated.
Keeping a small team with Composer.
Founder-led companies versus professional management.
Understanding board dynamics.
Doing market research to validate startup ideas.
Using user feedback effectively.
Why the team is based in Canada but can't operate here.
The gap that Robinhood and Wealthsimple aren't focused on.
Building products for prosumers.
Building an AI product to empower users versus using AI for auto-trading.
Chapters
00:00 Founding Experiences and Lessons Learned
09:03 The Breather Experience: Insights and Missteps
14:59 The Genesis of Composer: From Idea to Execution
25:06 Market Opportunities and Target Audience
32:00 Navigating Regulations and Business Models
39:04 Future Aspirations and the Role of AI
Keywords
founder experiences, Breather, Composer, market opportunities, regulations, business model, AI in trading, startup lessons, venture capital, trading software

Jan 21, 2025 • 38min
Ori Eldarov from OffDeal
Ori Eldarov is the Co-Founder & CEO of OffDeal.
OffDeal is an AI-native investment bank for small businesses.
They offer small business owners a hassle-free way to sell their company for the highest price to the best possible buyer.
They leverage years of Wall Street experience and their custom-built proprietary AI technology to ensure your business attracts the highest number of buyers so that you can realize the full value of your life's work.
OffDeal also offers buy-side services that assist buyers with proprietary deal origination (typically add-ons) and comprehensive market mapping/market research services to support due diligence or portfolio value creation.
Takeaways
His journey from i-banking at RBC to HBS to founding OffDeal.
GenAI sparked Ori's interest in applying it to finance.
His YC experience and learnings.
Streamlining business transactions using technology.
Marketplace challenges in SMB transactions.
AI and human touch: The OffDeal Model.
Building trust in a fragmented industry.
Trends in SMB acquisitions: opportunities and challenges.
Timing the market: when to sell a business.
Scaling through founder-led sales.
OPEX versus CAPEX.
How OffDeal is focused on scale in a traditionally boutique space.
Chapters
00:00 From Banking to Entrepreneurship: A Journey Begins
05:52 The Birth of OffDeal: Innovating Investment Banking
10:08 Marketplace Challenges in SMB Transactions
14:24 AI and Human Touch: The OffDeal Model
18:10 Building Trust in a Fragmented Industry
22:31 Trends in SMB Acquisitions: Opportunities and Challenges
27:58 Timing the Market: When to Sell a Business
30:37 Scaling Through Founder-Led Sales
33:12 Establishing Trust: The Key to Success
36:40 Creating Jobs and Delivering Value
Keywords
entrepreneurship, investment banking, OffDeal, AI, small business, marketplace, trust, M&A, trends, business sales

Jan 20, 2025 • 46min
Asanka Jayasuriya from 8VC
Asanka Jayasuriya is a Partner and CTO at 8VC.
8VC is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage and growth-stage tech companies. It was co-founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale, who is also a co-founder of Palantir. The firm is headquartered in Austin.
Takeaways
Asanka's early days at UofT.
The benefits of internships.
Launching and building the Amazon Toronto office.
The "Glass Ceiling" in Canadian tech
Canada needs more successful tech companies to retain talent.
Choosing and moving to Austin over SF or NYC.
Meeting Joe Lonsdale while playing pickleball.
Adapting to new trends in software development.
Being a great engineering leader.
How AI tools are impacting software development.
How startups should structure their architecture early days, a focus on simplicity.
Hiring early-stage SWEs and what to look for.
Balancing speed versus quality early days.
The true value of a 10x engineer lies in team amplification.
How to hire a 10X engineer.
How software purchasing criteria have evolved post-2021.
Software perspective when building deeptech companies.
Diving into 8VC's Build Program!
AI tools will transform product development in the next decade.
Chapters
00:00 Early Days at the U of T
05:32 Navigating the Glass Ceiling in Canadian Tech
11:11 Choosing Austin: A New Chapter
17:11 Adapting to New Trends in Software Development
22:42 Common Mistakes in Scaling Tech Teams
28:33 Evaluating Ideas and Milestones
34:03 Identifying Top Engineering Talent
40:09 The Future of AI Tools in Engineering
Keywords
career transition, software engineering, Amazon, Canadian tech, CTO, venture capital, hiring mistakes, tech leadership, AI in software, Austin tech scene, hiring process, venture studio, deep tech, engineering leadership, software purchasing, AI tools, mentorship, personal growth, CTO insights, investment strategies