

The Insider's Guide To Finance
Cory Cleveland
The Insider’s Guide To Finance brings you stories from the front lines of financing public and private companies.
We host seasoned CEO's, fund managers, bankers, brokers and business experts who answer your questions about how to properly finance opportunities and build outstanding success stories.
We dig into the educational ‘how to’s' and mechanics of structuring good deals. You’ll also hear about strokes of luck, tense negotiations, the pressures of closing, as well as how to best engage investors and navigate the private and public markets.
We host seasoned CEO's, fund managers, bankers, brokers and business experts who answer your questions about how to properly finance opportunities and build outstanding success stories.
We dig into the educational ‘how to’s' and mechanics of structuring good deals. You’ll also hear about strokes of luck, tense negotiations, the pressures of closing, as well as how to best engage investors and navigate the private and public markets.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 27, 2021 • 45min
Making M&A Work w. Jon Ouellette
The vast majority of mergers and acquisitions don’t work out well. Jon Ouellette, a lifelong entrepreneur and our guest on today’s show; has insights as to why this is the case. He also explains what CEOs need to be aware of in combining companies through M&A. He should know as he combined 35 companies into one before being successfully sold to an international buyer.It all comes down to people. Human performance is what creates value; and if the people who work for you aren’t aligned with your vision for the company, there is a high chance that your company is going to fail. Jon explains the essential elements which can transform a company culture, and how this translates into measurable results. Often, as in this case, the simplest strategies are the most effective; every company Jon and his team have worked with has seen massive improvements through working with them. The first step: Just listen!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 21, 2021 • 42min
Start-Ups and SPACs w. Douglas Ellenoff
Losing money is always going to be a part of the venture capital game. However, it’s how the money is lost that matters.With 30 years of experience as a securities lawyer working regularly with entrepreneurs, and as the founder of two legal-tech companies; Doug Ellenoff has a wealth of knowledge to share which will benefit anyone in the start-up world. His goal is to help entrepreneurs raise capital in a way that is socially responsible and protects investors; and everyone should be on-board with this mission. Doug is a firm believer that having more public companies than private ones signals a healthy system, and that crowdfunding is a perfectly acceptable mechanism which can be used to get there. During this conversation we discuss SPACs in detail, how Canada’s venture capital system compares to the one in the US, and why over-communication is better than its opposite when it comes to dealing with investors. It takes a lot to be an entrepreneur, and it is a huge responsibility to take people’s money. Unfortunately, the majority of start-up’s don’t make it “to the end of the rainbow”, but Doug is certainly doing his best to help as many as possible along their journey. Make sure to tune in to today’s episode with Doug!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 14, 2021 • 52min
What Companies Can Do to Best Manage Investor Relationships w. Rick Rule
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Rick Rule, now the former President and CEO of Sprott US Holdings. Rick is outspoken to say the least, but still seems to consider every word carefully. His entrance into the finance industry is a story worth listening to twice, and the people he learned from can be credited with leading the frontiers of the Canadian venture capital industry. In the first part of this interview, Rick says, “I look forward to being useful.” This seems like a bit of a dismissive remark at first but, as you’ll hear, Rick’s career has been built on doing exactly that: being useful and creating value for his clients. There is almost a purity to his approach and how it ties into his libertarian beliefs. When it comes to business building and financing companies, Rick doesn’t mince his words. He is very clear on the expectations he has for those who come and pitch to him for money and, furthermore, he articulates his expectations in a way that is in line with the other highly successful people you’ve heard from on this podcast. To draw an analogy, his expectations are major league but, when most people pitch for money, they do it with a minor league understanding of their project and its potential. Rick speaks about capital raising in the early stages of a company and makes the point that, in your early rounds, you should be raising allies and not money. In other words, put that stock in the hands of investors who are capable of being there for the long haul and not just going to turn you out for a quick and easy double. There is so much to learn from this interview, so make sure to tune in today!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Apr 6, 2021 • 40min
Destination Success w. Peter Thomas
The path to success takes many steps. Today we sit with Peter Thomas to learn from his journey and hear about each of the steps that he took to build his illustrious career. Peter’s a lifelong entrepreneur, real estate investor, developer, and financier. We open our conversation with Peter by hearing his professional history. After hearing about how the sales aspect of his past role impacted his career ethos, Peter talks about how a combination of sheer luck and perfect timing have been among his most important ingredients to success. Though it hasn’t always been sunshine and roses for Peter, as he tells us how a company of his went from $150 million in the green, to $74 million in the red. Expanding on this defining experience, Peter explains the creative ways he emerged from this difficult situation. By surrounding himself with an exceptionally talented team, Peter was able to not only eliminate his debt, but created lucrative opportunities for the future. We learn how Peter vets his team and why it is important to empower them. Later in the show, we talk to Peter about the concept and practice of franchising, and why it is such a wonderful option for many business leaders. To conclude the episode, Peter talks about the Todd Thomas Foundation which aims to spread awareness and educate CEOs and the greater public about the importance of mental health. For more on the journey toward success, hop on this bus with us today!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 30, 2021 • 46min
Building a Successful Company in a Bad Market w. Douglas Hurst
One of the biggest questions in the “new normal” economy is how do you build a successful business during a global recession? In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Douglas Hurst. A person that knows all about building a successful company in a bad market! Doug is Chairman of Northern Vertex Mining Corp. He is also a lifelong miner who started his career as an exploration geologist. He eventually transitioned into working as a mining analyst, before becoming a notable mining entrepreneur and executive. There’s no doubt that he truly enjoys the work he does and the career he has led.He is reluctant to say it, but he has created incredible value by developing and selling assets that would otherwise have stayed out of the limelight. As an example, he and a partner co-founded International Royalty Corp., which they later sold for over $700 million. This was followed by a leadership position in Newmarket Gold, where an acquisition of gold assets was later sold to Kirkland Lake for over $1 billion. As the chairman of Northern Vertex, Doug shares his experience and how it applies to the team and project he is working on now. He also talks about how they are following a similar playbook to past successes, the wild bull markets and devastating market crashes he has experienced in his 30-year career. Doug details this whole experience and how he has stuck with the industry through all its ups and downs. Tune in today to find out more!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 22, 2021 • 9min
Knowing Your Numbers w. Codie Sanchez - Part 3
In this three-part miniseries, you’ll hear from Codie Sanchez. She is a venture capitalist and a former investment banker and journalist. She joins us today to enlighten us on why knowing your numbers as an entrepreneur is crucial. Codie is the Managing Director and Partner at Entourage Effect Capital. They are a growth equity firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. She is also the Founder of Contrarian Thinking. It is a newsletter designed to help curious entrepreneurs and philosophical execs to think like contrarians. In this final episode, Codie talks about capitalization tables (also known simply as cap tables), how important they are to entrepreneurs, and why you need to pay close attention when writing your term sheet, and she shares some resources that she recommends. Make sure to tune in today, to hear this final installment in an essential series of interviews for entrepreneurs! Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 22, 2021 • 7min
Knowing Your Numbers w. Codie Sanchez - Part 2
In this three-part miniseries, you’ll hear from Codie Sanchez. She is a venture capitalist and a former investment banker and journalist. She joins us today to enlighten us on why knowing your numbers as an entrepreneur is crucial. Codie is the Managing Director and Partner at Entourage Effect Capital. They are a growth equity firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. She is also the Founder of Contrarian Thinking. It is a newsletter designed to help curious entrepreneurs and philosophical execs to think like contrarians. In part two, you’ll find out more about how to pitch your projections and what it means to raise money, whether it be for a small business or a large, venture capital-backed business. All in all, this is an essential series of interviews for entrepreneurs. Make sure to tune in today for this second part in the series!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 22, 2021 • 9min
Knowing Your Numbers w. Codie Sanchez - Part 1
In this three-part miniseries, you’ll hear from Codie Sanchez. She is a venture capitalist and a former investment banker and journalist. She joins us today to enlighten us on why knowing your numbers as an entrepreneur is crucial. Codie is the Managing Director and Partner at Entourage Effect Capital. They are a growth equity firm focused specifically on investing in the legalized cannabis industry. She is also the Founder of Contrarian Thinking. It is a newsletter designed to help curious entrepreneurs and philosophical execs to think like contrarians. In Part 1, she shares reasons why she invests in small businesses, what she looks for, and how to keep the upper hand during negotiations, as well as the importance of keeping clean books. All in all, this is an essential series of interviews for entrepreneurs, so make sure to tune in today for the first part of this three-part miniseries!Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Mar 8, 2021 • 39min
Attracting More Investors Through Clear Messaging w. Matt Badiali
Most companies struggle to engage long-term investors because they aren’t able to present a clear and compelling narrative. This insight comes from Matt Badiali, a financial analyst and writer who joins us today to talk about building stronger investor relationships through storytelling. After chatting about his background as an analyst and writer, we ask Matt to share his top advice on captivating investors. His answers highlight the link between focusing on clarity, presenting your value proposition, and engaging investors. Join us and benefit from Matt’s insider perspective on attracting more investors through clear communication.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf

Feb 19, 2021 • 33min
Is Going Public Right For You? w. Nick Findler
Today’s guest is Nick Findler, CEO of GoPublic.AI. Nick and his partners have come together to match entrepreneurs with financiers and brokers in raising capital and taking companies public on the junior Canadian stock markets. For entrepreneurs looking to raise early-stage capital, GoPublic.AI aims to educate and match them with good financing groups. For brokers and financiers, Nick and his team are tackling the problem of finding good, consistent deal flow. Their platform automates this process while also educating and preparing entrepreneurs for what it takes to deal in the public markets.Check out some of our most popular episodes:Chicken S#!it CEOs w. Mogens Smed: https://bit.ly/3M7c4xCLeadership Lessons from Louis Vuitton, Samsonite, and Now, EVCP Growth Equity: https://bit.ly/3LN5GugCanada’s Best Venture Partner w. Bruce Croxon: https://bit.ly/3ppCAt9Stay in the know and follow along:Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes - https://apple.co/43d7C6ZSpotify - https://spoti.fi/43d7SmrConnect with our host, Cory Cleveland on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Lti42oVisit The Insider’s Guide to Finance Website: https://bit.ly/3ANacUrSign up for our free 5-part master class Investor Marketing 2.0: https://bit.ly/42C0FLWFollow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42grK7wSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/411XXxUSubscribe to The Knowledge Bank Letter - a periodic letter of actionable insights, interviews, and quality curations: https://bit.ly/3pgdAVf