Author : zebethcontrol

Barb McGrath 0:00I’m excited to introduce you to today’s guest, a graduate of Luther College High School here in Regina. He started off as a plumbing apprentice. He had an idea, a passion, and a willingness to approach business differently. Taylor Weiss Gruber took a took it upon himself to do things differently. He’s the founder of Spartan mechanical, and he approaches business life and his customers with a friendliness outgoingness and straight talk approach that his customers have come to know like, and trust. Welcome, Taylor. Thank you for being here. Taylor Weisgerber 0:41Thank you, Barb. Thanks very much for having me. Barb McGrath 0:44Yeah, it’s a pleasure to have you here. So tell me a little bit about how Spartan mechanical came to be? Taylor Weisgerber 0:52Well, that’s a bit of a long story, Barton, it all started back in 2012. Taylor Weisgerber 0:58Maybe even as far back as 2011. To take him back into high school, I had a couple different options on my plate of what I truthfully wanted to do Unknown Speaker 1:07In Taylor Weisgerber 1:17Ran his own plumbing business, which I was fortunate enough to be brought into. I worked for him for two and a half years, it was probably the longest two and a half years of my life. Taylor Weisgerber 1:31Other people listening to the show might know exactly how well working for family can go over at different points in time. So after that, I had already started working on my apprenticeship to get my Red Seal endorsement. Taylor Weisgerber 1:45I worked for another business here in the city for another two and a half years, it was the best two and a half years of my life. And in the trade. I had received my journeyman certificate or a journeyperson for those concerned. Taylor Weisgerber 2:01After that point, I went out to Alameda for about eight months, and I worked in the plumbing and gas fitting industry out that way in a rural setting, to try and widen my horizons. At that point, I had come back to Regina, and I wanted something different. I wanted something for myself, not only for myself to be proud of but you know, a point that can grow myself as a person as an individual. And, you know, as the army would say, be the best that you can be? Barb McGrath 2:29Sure. So take me back even a little bit further. What when you were in high school, what made you think that you wanted to get into plumbing? Or was it simply that there was a family business there? Or was there anything until you got into it? How does that come to be? Taylor Weisgerber 2:45I never wanted to do plumbing. When I was in elementary school, I mean, you know, if you said what your parents did for work, you know, mom did this. My stepdad did plumbing. Well, that was the end of so many jokes. And at that point, it was what it was right? When I first started out, I was actually gearing towards going into the IT field or something more of a support specialist role. The one thing that I really attributes to my qualities is my ability to speak. Taylor Weisgerber 3:15And my ability to guide, I’ve got a real knack for being able to go in the back of my mind and lead people through certain issues. It’s really benefited both, you know, personally, as well as entrepreneurially. Barb McGrath 3:28Got it. Okay. Yeah. You know, and that’s not necessarily a skill that we would associate with a trade sometimes. And not that not that trades don’t require leadership. It’s just not a skill that you hear people talk about. So, you know, how have you approached the business differently? What did you see out in the field? I’m talking with my hands, what did you see out in the field? versus what are you doing now to actualize that change? Taylor Weisgerber 3:55The one big thing that I saw in the field is I’ve gotten a lot of colleagues and they do beautiful, amazing work, artistic work, or, you know, depending on the customer, they do it fast, they do it efficient, and they do it proper. The one biggest thing that I see in our industry is an undervalue of a person’s true value. Right. And that stems down to the leadership role. Yeah, the one thing I want to do is I want to develop great people, I want to make people the best that they can be. And in the truest sense of the word. I want them to do quality work, and Taylor Weisgerber 4:32Basically extend themselves to any customer, whether it’s ours when we get to that point, or whether they want to go out on their own to theirs. We want to provide a great experience. We want to build an idea of, you know, kind of a family mentality as much as you can in the business world, right. We want to build a support system for our future staff, but as well for our customers. Barb McGrath 4:55Yeah. And just based on our conversation that we had before we kicked off today. Barb McGrath 5:00You have some really long term visions for this business, this isn’t a five year make a bunch of money, you know, head to Hawaii kind of thing. This, you’ve got some really long term visions for this business. So can you talk a little bit about that? And where does that come from? Because not, not all business owners have that type of approach. Taylor Weisgerber 5:20Yeah, for sure. So the one thing is growing up, we didn’t have a lot growing up, we grew up just on the north north side of the tracks, Taylor Weisgerber 5:29Almost staying near in the thick of it. And so growing up, we got to see a lot of

Barb McGrath 0:00Our guest today has a very special skill, a mediator and conciliator at heart. Tim nickel is the owner operator of fifth business consulting consulting, for mediating family disputes to facilitating the development of business strategy. Tim has a knack for helping others achieve those Win Win solutions. He also has a very audacious vision, one that I suspect that we can all support, he aims to create a more ethical, resilient and highly developed global civilization. No one will accuse him of being short sighted. Tim, welcome, and thank you for being here. Tim Nickel 0:45Thanks for having me, Barb. I’m really pleased to be here. Barb McGrath 0:47Oh, you got to kick it in that introduction? You’re kind of smiling there. Tim Nickel 0:52Right. Yeah. forgotten that I’ve written that I was inspired moment. Barb McGrath 0:57Yes, we all need those whether it’s, you know, after some pops on Friday or after coffee in the morning? Absolutely. So Tim, tell us a little bit about yourself and about business consulting. Tim Nickel 1:09Yeah, sure. Um, yeah, so I’ve been a mediator for about 25 years. That’s, that’s, you probably have to know a little bit about my background, to know what that even means. Cuz there’s a lot of different kinds of mediators and that sort of thing. But I’m a registered psychologist. So I went through a graduate program and getting that sort of body of knowledge under my belt. And then I’ve just done a, a range of, of, first of all, mediation kind of work, victim offender work, that which is in the criminal justice system, victims and offenders of crime. And then, in private practice, and working a little bit as a psychologist, but but also as a mediator. And then increasingly, over the years, have worked in organizations. And then and then in public engagement. That’s kind of the track of what I’ve done. I still do a lot of mediation, some family mediation, and then workplace mediation, but I’m really moving into public engagement and multi stakeholder collaboration. So bigger picture, kind of things. Barb McGrath 2:16So tell me how that evolution might have happened. Because when I think, oh, bit of an echo there, when I think back to, you know, early in my career at a leader at one point who, who didn’t believe in a win win solution, he believed that if you mediated or conciliated, you’ve given something up. And so how has that evolved over the years to be now collaborative? Tim Nickel 2:44Yeah, that’s a really interesting point that you make, it’s it has changed in. So I got into this work in the in the 80s. And mediation as a, as a thing, as an organizational option, or as a program option was very new at the time. I mean, people have been talking and resolving conflict with a little bit of help from from somebody else forever. But but as an institutional thing, it only started in the 80s. And in a few pockets in the 70s. And it took a long time for for the community of mediators to convince the justice system or Family Lawyers or, you know, or civil litigators, that it was a good idea. And so there was a lot of promotion, a lot of explaining, but proof was in the pudding in the end it, it won over lawyers, the legal community has embraced it fully at this point, oh, rare lawyer that that thinks that it’s a better way to to litigate you, somehow you’re giving up, they’re realizing, and it’s a real simple economic principle that if you work together, you gain more off, you get more off the table. It’s proven. You know, it’s, interestingly, it’s john Nash, the guy from a beautiful mind, that movie, he’s the one who really proved it, that if you if you take a look at these things in a different way, that you can get more, both parties get more Unknown Speaker 4:10And like, Tim Nickel 4:12In addition to improving relationships, which has this long standing effect. It’s happened over time. And it’s and it’s around in the, in the 2000s, when, like, after the 90s, it started to really take take hold the better option for people. Barb McGrath 4:31So when I think then about mediating, you’re trying to create a better solution for all so when you’re working either in organizational mediation or, you know, within within a business, what would that typically look like? What what’s the service you actually provide? Tim Nickel 4:52Okay, so it really is responding to problems, human problems in organizations. And so the problem can take lots of forms. And sometimes mediation is the right way to go and other times more of an organizational development thing. So if you go right back to that, that initial heady statement about civilization and all that, really what I’m, what I’m looking for is growth and development in whatever way that needs to be. So that’s if there’s a common thread through it all, that’s what it is, at times, that is simply about bad feelings toward one another between two employees. Tim Nickel 5:25So they’re having a, having a hard time supervisor doesn’t have the capacity or the or the background to do that kind of work, they don’t prefer it, or they’re involved themselves. And so they ask somebody from the outside to help out. Okay, conversation. So that’s one kind of thing. But it might also then be that the whole place is having troubles in workplaces of 30, or 50. And the whole place is, is really having a hard time with that with a negative culture or a toxic culture. And they need more in just discussions, they need to adjust their culture, they need to adjust their structure. And and so they need a bit of advice about that some development over time

Barb McGrath 0:01Today’s guest has been a part of her family business. Literally since day 140 years in Knight Archer insurance here in Saskatchewan opened their first location 40 years ago. They’re celebrating this year, and it’s a big year for them. The President and CEO Tracy Archer Has the President and CEO, Tracy has, of course, been in that family business right from the very beginning. And she’s got a really good perspective on leadership, finding balance for family. And as a single mom, she needs to make time for kids just to make sure that everything stays in check. Welcome, Tracy. so pleased to have you here. Tracy Archer 0:48Thanks, Barb. Barb McGrath 0:50So tell me a little bit about some of those early days. What like what spurred the creation of the business 40 years ago? Tracy Archer 1:00You know, the business actually began with my mum and my uncle. So her brother began the business and my father was also there more in supporting role. And as he had his full time job, so he wasn’t the one actually, in the business full time doing all the work. So we actually started in our basement of our house. Barb McGrath 1:25Oh, wow. Barb McGrath 1:27There we go. That’s great. Tracy Archer 1:28So directly in our basement, and within six months, we actually moved into our location that we’re in still right now on Victoria Avenue East. Wow. Tracy Archer 1:38So that was for 40 years. Absolutely. Barb McGrath 1:43Any idea how many renovations you’ve gone through? Tracy Archer 1:47No. You know, we we’ve been in different spots, all within kind of the same same area. And then we’ve just expanded right? And over the years, we’ve, we now have the main level as well as the upstairs level all for a night Archer and, you know, just just adjusted as we’ve grown. So it’s been great. Barb McGrath 2:08Exactly. Wouldn’t it be neat to put up one of those pictures in the office that show, you know, kind of the office over the years, cracked down some pictures, because I’m sure your mom and dad or uncle kept them over the years. But that would be very interesting. Tracy Archer 2:23We have some really nice scrapbooks, actually, of all of, you know, a couple different years different people that we’ve had, and you know, in some of our growth, opening different offices, and it’s, it’s great to go back and look at some of those things that I really appreciate the history. Barb McGrath 2:39Yeah, absolutely. So you started in the basement of your house? How many locations do you have now? Tracy Archer 2:45Currently, we have 17 locations. So we have 14 locations in Saskatchewan to in Manitoba and one in Alberta. Barb McGrath 2:54Okay, and how do you find being out of the province? Is the insurance landscape quite a bit different outside the borders? Or is it pretty similar? Tracy Archer 3:03I you know, there’s there are differences. Certainly Saskatchewan and Manitoba are quite similar because they both have government auto insurance. So both STI and MPI in Manitoba, are quite similar in their approach. But certainly when we go into Alberta, where they do not have that government auto, it makes a big difference on how we approach insurance. Also the landscape and, and business is a little bit different in Alberta than it is in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Barb McGrath 3:33Yeah, and that sounds like almost any other time we compare the provinces there’s always those unique nuances, right? Tracy Archer 3:40Yes, absolutely. Barb McGrath 3:43So are you an only child? Is that why you ended up heading up the family business? Or? Tracy Archer 3:49I’m not I’m actually the youngest. Okay, sorry, oh, older brother, older sister, and my brother has worked in the business. Now for about 24 years, he has been part of the business. And James actually took the route of working a little bit more in our mortgage side of the business. And he moved into the corporate side of the business, but he’s also had a couple other interests that he’s been pursuing. So you know, he wants to kind of go on his his own path on doing few things. And so he stepped back a little bit more from a leadership role within the business and my sister worked a couple years in the university, but really since then, she has has done her own thing moved to Montreal, kind of set up shop there with her family and everything. And just recently in December, she actually moved back to Regina, but her husband works for us, and he’s been working for us for about three years work remotely from Montreal and we’ve been able to make that work and find a position that he can do remotely. So it’s cave is our first remote worker before everything else happened. Barb McGrath 5:00So to test it a little bit, you know, that’s interesting, because I often wonder that about family businesses when they’re siblings. And you know, how does that all sorted out? Or does it usually sort itself out? Barb McGrath 5:14Because can’t imagine that the tension or the dynamic that it would create when you’ve got two siblings, you’ve kind of both gearing to head up a company. So when you started, you talked about your mum and your uncle, was there kids on his side as well that were active in the business? Tracy Archer 5:31No, there hasn’t been but there are five, my mom has five kids in her family. So for siblings, all of them have worked in the business, as well, as we have had probably, I want to say at least six or seven of my cousins, some aunts and uncles from either side. So it’s truly been a really big family endeavor. Not just my own family, in terms of my parents, but the

Barb McGrath 0:00Today’s guest knows all the lawyer jokes. And in fact, he’s been known to tell more than a few of them himself. Corey Firman is the owner of firmen ip here in Regina. And they focus on intellectual property law. So if you’ve ever wondered whether what you’re thinking or building would be covered, he’s the guy you need to talk to. Cory. Welcome. Thank you for being here. Cory Furman 0:28Oh, thanks for Well, thanks for having me. I didn’t bring you a good lawyer job today. But, but I love a good one light as much as the next. So just if you’re going to tell me a lawyer joke, just make it really hurt. Barb McGrath 0:41Excellent. And you know, as a profession, you guys certainly get beat up. So I think that helps to build that thick skin somewhere along the way, right? Yeah. So like, what what drew you to a lot you’ve been practicing for how many years now? Cory Furman 0:56I finished Law School in 1994. So I feel old saying that? Because I guess that means about 25 years, something like that. 26 years? Barb McGrath 1:07And have you always focused on intellectual property? Cory Furman 1:11Since I started my firm, so when you’re when you finish, law school is kind of like accounting, you got to do articles first. So I did my articles with the Saskatchewan Justice Department in 94/95. And then an economy back then being one it was for lots of people that are watching who were here that knows there weren’t a whole pile of jobs around. So I created my own job. decided I’d started an IP firm, because it was always something that had, it’s always something that had interested me and, and with, with nothing better to do and wanting to stick around Saskatchewan because I had met my well my wife at the time not wanting to leave, I thought I’d give it a try. So board a couple 1000 bucks in an old computer from my dad and away I went. Barb McGrath 2:01You know, and you hear that story so many times right board a few dollars from mom and dad back in 94, how you could borrow a couple $1,000 nowadays, it’s a little bit more expensive to get set up. Um, so talk a little bit about the types of businesses that you work with them. Cory Furman 2:19So my practice is in the area of intellectual property law and strategy. So the I do patent a patent and trademark and copyright work here are sort of what people would more typically kind of equate that to their little simpler words, the but wide, so I help lots of everyone from individuals through to large companies, protecting patents, trademarks, copyright. Cory Furman 2:43I do a little bit of litigation work, although, in general, especially with domestic and local clients in Saskatchewan, we’re not a litigious bunch, we all seem to get along. So that’s not so bad. So a lot of the clients that I work, like I have a very, it’s pretty cool, because I get to work with lots of different companies of different sizes in different industries. And I mean, another interesting thing about another piece to that is not only helping people to sort of figure out and file and protect their patents and things like that. But also, I mean, the most interesting part of it, to me is sort of just helping clients to figure out the rest of their IP strategy, including their export strategy, like I love doing international work. So I help people who are exporting to kind of match up their IP footprint in other markets, whether those are other markets elsewhere in Canada or outside Canada that sort of help them to match up the timing and the footprint of their IP portfolio in the US or Europe or wherever, as they as they go along. So I got to meet a ton of interesting people in those 25 years or whatever, both from clients, to lawyers and other countries and stuff like that. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s pretty cool. Barb McGrath 4:02So is it primarily product work? Or even from a tech perspective? I want to develop a piece of technology and let’s say an app, but I want people around the world to use it. Is that considered exploiting or how does that work? Cory Furman 4:19So when I started in the 90s, and through for the first 10 or 15 years, and it could have been part been just the nature of the people I had in my team at the time. We did a lot of work on agricultural implements, oil and gas invention stuff like more more mechanical type inventions. I always have had a bit of an interest in software kind of stuff through its I, I found it I found that my old Commodore 64 in the garage the other day, which I will, which I will let my wife throw out, because it’s because I’m a nerd. And Barb McGrath 4:55I try and turn it on like what can you do with it. Cory Furman 4:57I haven’t tried to turn it on but But so I always have been of interest in software, literally probably in the last six or eight years, over half of my patent practice would probably be with software companies. So helping people to, to protect different whether it’s a you know, sort of online things or offline, it’s a lot of a lot of the innovation in the province these days is being done in those areas, I still, I still get to do lots of interesting work with some of the same old, older sort of client relationship, like ag manufacturers, oil and gas companies, those kinds of things, but lots more software now. So like I say, which has probably

Barb 0:19This afternoon’s guest has a firm belief in quality, Saskatchewan Mead and distilled quality since 2015 Blackfox Distillery has been Saskatchewan premier farm based micro distillery, located just minutes from Saskatoon, Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote is the co-owner of the locally owned and locally produced line of gin, whiskey and like yours that are shipping globally. Today’s episode may inspire you to take your beverages to a whole new level. Barb 0:22Welcome, Barb, thank you for being here. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 0:26Well, thank you so much, Barb, this is a real great opportunity. Barb 0:51Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. So tell me about your background because that doesn’t look like a traditional office. Where in the heck are you? Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 1:13I am actually right in our retail section of Blackfox Farm and distillery behind me is the distillery itself the distilling room, you will see our our hybrid pot still is what it’s called. It is it was custom made for us in Germany. Barb 1:33Oh in Germany. Now I know very little about how alcohol is distilled. Even though I’m from moosejaw. You think given Al Capone’s history, I would know it inside out and can you give me the you know, pretend I’m five and explain how alcohol is distilled to me. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 1:49Absolutely, I can tell you in two minutes or less how to make booze, it’s really easy. So what you do is you start from green. And green has a lot of starch in it. And it’s the starch that gets turned into alcohol. Okay, so what you do is you take the grain, you grind it, and then you mash it, which means you add in water. And in our case, we add in enzymes as well. And the enzymes break those starches down into sugar. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 2:19Okay, then from there, you take it and you put it into a fermentation tank. And you add in yeast and the yeast does its magic and turns that sugar into alcohol. But the problem is, is that when it’s making the when the yeast is active, it doesn’t only make ethanol, which is the alcohol you can drink. It also makes methanol and butyl alcohol and fusel alcohols and all those other things that will make you go blind, right? Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 2:46Okay. So the whole idea then is to put it into the still to separate the good, the bad and the ugly. Ah, as it travels through the still the the different things get separated and removed. And then at the end, you end up with your alcohol, your base alcohol. Barb 3:05And so is the process the same for each of the different products that you make. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 3:09So whiskey and gin is that the exact same process just a separate byproduct, then that’s exactly what happens. So if I take it from the still, and I put it in a in a barrel, and I age it for three years, it becomes whiskey. If I take it and I carbon, filter it and take it up to 96% alcohol, so very, very concentrated, yes. And then it becomes vodka. If I take it and then infuse it with botanicals such as Juniper and cardamom and all of the other fun things, then it becomes gin. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 3:44If I take it and put in fruit juice, it becomes a look here. So you do start with a base alcohol. And what you do with it after is how you make the different products. Barb 3:55So how did you learn all of this because my university education did not give me any of that. I may have consumed it. Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 4:02But well, it’s interesting because our background too did not come with any recipes or any training whatsoever. When we decided to do this project, we were really green. And I the distiller is my husband, he’s the one who does all of this drilling. And he went and he took a couple courses, you can take courses on how to make alcohol. And he also worked a little bit in in one of the distilleries down in in Chicago where he went and volunteered for a week and spending time learning how to do it and then we came back and a lot of trial and error. Barb 0:19Yeah. Okay, now Who did you conned into trying some of those trial products? Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote 4:44Well, obviously it was us to start with and there were some I will admit that kind of went right back into the process again because they needed a lot more attention. So have you guys always been a little bit of a connoisseur for taste and flavor Reverse. Barb 5:02Actually, it’s interesting, you should say that because I, myself, I am not, but my husband is. So in our house, we’d like to say that I’m the cook, Chef. And so you know, he’s the one who is way has a much more of an appreciation and a far better palate than mine. Yep. Now that’s interesting to me. Because, you know, when you go to I’ll say, a fancy restaurant, which we don’t get to do too often right now. But when you go to a fancy restaurant, you have that nice meal, you really enjoy and appreciate the different flavors versus, you know, cooking at home. And it all starts to taste the same after a while. So I would think that that becomes a real, almost like an art. Right? Barb 5:48There’s, there’s some art and there’s some science in there. Because just because your husband likes it doesn’t always mean that the general public likes it. Oh, this is so true. And in and there’s so many things that are I agree, you know, I agree with what you’re saying is, a chef looks to his ingredients to make something that’s unique and special. And that is

Barb 0:00Today’s guest is an award winning musician, community volunteer. And with COVID in our lives right now has overcome some incredible obstacles in his organization. Josh hug Ruud is going to talk about the what the Regina Folk Festival is doing to still bring them music to us. We have had this festival in our community for over 50 years. What do we do? What is the future of community events in Saskatchewan? Well, let’s talk to Josh and let’s find out. Welcome Josh. Josh Haugerud 0:34Hey, thank you so much for having me. It’s nice to be here. Barb 0:38Tell us a little bit about the Regina Folk Festival. Give us a quick history on you know where you’ve come from and where you’re going. Josh Haugerud 0:44Sure. So the Regina Folk Festival is one of the longest running festivals in Western Canada happens in Victoria Park, the second weekend of August every year. And yeah, where we’ve come from. I mean, it’s been over 50 years and 2019 we celebrated the 50 year anniversary, where we’re going nobody knows with the way that things are happening right now. Josh Haugerud 1:10Everything’s a question. And every day is an adventure. That’s for sure. Yeah, no kidding. Just before we got started today, you talked a little bit about the organization and the number of volunteers that it takes to actually make the festival happen. Barb 1:22So was the last festival in 2020? Or was it 2019? Before COVID ever started 2019. Josh Haugerud 1:30Before COVID hit when I started this role as executive director at the Folk Festival. I started about a month early so that I could be the person who canceled the festival due to COVID. And then yeah, work towards my actual start date afterwards. Barb 1:52So that’s kind of a not fun. First thing to do in a new job is hey, guess what, after 50 years, we’re gonna put this on pause. Josh Haugerud 1:59Yeah, yeah, it was, it was an interesting way to start the job. But I mean, it was it was the right choice. So it wasn’t actually a difficult choice. And I mean, we’re a very inclusive, thoughtful festival. And so the protection of the people who come to our festival in terms of their safety and, and whatnot is, is our top concern. So there’s just no way we could have moved forward with the way everything was going. Barb 2:27Absolutely. So from a festival standpoint, could you stream the festival? Like, are there still options for you? Or is Regina Folk Festival really on hold until COVID is Gone? Josh Haugerud 2:42I mean, that’s a good question. I think we’re playing everything day by day. So really, it’s just figuring out where we’re at, at the point where we have a drop dead date. And so we’re looking a few months ahead, always planning ahead, but we kind of knew coming into this year that that things weren’t going to be solved by by the summertime, in order for us to come back with a normal festival, or as normal as it could be. Josh Haugerud 3:10So yeah, while we’re still figuring things out. Every day, we’re, we’ve got a pretty good idea of of what we can and can’t do. Barb 3:20Yeah. And so knowing that that continues to change, like, how are you preparing for that? When you go into work on any given day, and you share that, you know, there’s only a couple of people or yourself that can be in the office because you only have one person there. So like, how do you prepare for the unknown? Josh Haugerud 3:39You know, it’s it’s a lot of just good communication with our staff. We’ve started using tools like slack to communicate while we’re all working from home, lots of zoom meetings, too many zoom meetings. But one of the things that we’ve done is, before I actually started working here was the they had set up meetings every month with all the leaders from festivals from across the sketch one to discuss the issues that we have, and plan towards the summer and work together on getting funding and those types of things. And that, I think has been one of the most beneficial things that has come out of this is that we’ve come together as an industry to to advocate for ourselves. Barb 4:27Yeah, absolutely. building that strong network of colleagues, whether it’s across western Canada, or just the province, if that’s absolutely huge, right, talking to everybody. And yeah, now we’ve heard that a number of events have started to stream. Have you looked at some of those streaming options? Josh Haugerud 4:44Mm hmm. Absolutely. So last year, instead of doing a festival, we did a drive in concert series with local musicians and we actually did stream two of those concerts for free. Yeah, so and we have winter option coming up. Josh Haugerud 5:00Pretty soon here as well. And those are all going to be while they’re pre recorded concerts done so safely within COVID regulations, and we worked with the business response team on those to get those done safely. So yeah, we absolutely have looked at at streaming. We’ve streamed a handful of concerts over the last year, with partnerships with different organizations. But I mean, it’s it’s one of those things where it’s about the demand, right, and everybody’s doing it. Josh Haugerud 5:34When you’re sitting in zoom meetings all day, the last thing you want to do is hop onto your computer one more time to watch a concert. And, and as lovely as they are, they aren’t the same. They just don’t and there’s nothing you can do to make them the same. Barb 5:49No, the it’s the experience, right sitting in Victoria Park, pulling out your lawn chair laying on a blanket for a couple of concerts. It’s an entirely

Barb 0:00Today’s guest came all the way from across the pond to become a local business owner. But she didn’t stay satisfied as a local business owner for long. She’s now a global online entrepreneur. And she’s got a topic that really hits a soft spot for me. If you’ve listened to any of the past shows, you hear me talk about my dog, and you know my love for animals in general. So today, we’re going to talk with Julie Naismith, who has not only a pro program for dog trainers, but even a membership program for dog owners whose dogs are suffering from separation anxiety. So before I babble on for too long, Julie, welcome. Julie Naismith 0:47Thank you so much, Barb. It’s great to be here. Barb 0:50It’s a pleasure to have you here. Yes. So tell us a little bit about how did you go from being a local business and they think you were a dog trainer to now training folks from around the world? Julie Naismith 1:03Do you think it might, it might think back to my, my career before as a dog trainer, so dog training is career 2.0. For me before that, I work for a global company as a management consultant. So I can only have had the view of the world that I had that sounds really highfalutin, but basically, I was used to working in different countries. But and also, I live in a really small town. So combination of having seen the possibilities of you know, I’m comparing myself to a 40,000 person management consulting firm. Yes, Julie Naismith 1:35I was used to working globally, then I moved to a beautiful small town, which I love. And then where you’re limited with the local business, and you know how passionate I am about local, I’m always telling my trainers about local business. But so then I thought, Okay, so how can I make this business grow? I’ve got to go beyond where I live, and then that becomes Canada, then that becomes, hey, well, why don’t we just like, look and see whether we can get people in the UK or the US? And obviously, because I’m from the UK had a ton of connections there, too. So that’s kind of how it happened. It was necessity. I thought I’d be exciting to do it that way. Barb 2:10Exactly. And you know, sometimes, if you don’t try and do something you never actually know if you can. And I think that’s one of the things that a number of local businesses get they they reach that finish line, or they reach that line where they go, Oh, if I cross this line, then I’m not local anymore. And I think many businesses can succeed by stepping over that line getting out of their comfort zone. Now, you and I talked a little bit before we got started today, when you launched your online program, it was right around the same time as COVID. Can you tell us that story? Julie Naismith 2:44Yeah, well, so 12 months? Well, 13 months ago, and I had had it all planned and all mapped out and then you know, kept listening on the news. It’s like, Okay, what is this COVID thing? That’s sort of February. Okay, I’m supposed to be launching in March, but time will just keep going. And then was it March 12, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic and everybody just went up for all that didn’t? Julie Naismith 3:10I just thought, well, there’s no way I can continue on with this for so many reasons, like who’s going to want to buy anything now who’s going to be to fine? I actually felt really icky as well, Bob, about selling at that point. Who am I to be putting offers in front of people when they’re, you know, just worried about where they’re going to get loo paper from tomorrow, but you didn’t feel like the right climate to be selling him? Luckily, I did have a fantastic bunch. And I still do have accountability partners who will work in the online space. Yeah. They said, just go for it. Even if people are ready to buy and they want to buy, they’ll appreciate you. And if not, then they’re locked out that week and you know, go lighter, maybe then you would have been if that’s what you feel comfortable about in the launch. Barb 3:54Right? Julie Naismith 3:54Yeah. So I did. I did it. And I I was just telling you wasn’t I had all these webinars or numbers, tons of people books, but nobody turning up. And that is not like me on my webinars. I get really good show up, right? Because everybody’s watching the news. Like what’s happening? You know what, which lockdown is? Yes, the war that was going on? But anyway, I’m so glad I did it. Because it turns out, there were some people who thought, right, well, I can’t go out. What am I going to do with the next two or three months? Hey, I’ll take an online course. Barb 4:25Yes. And you heard those stories. So often, you heard stories of people who were you know, they wanted to learn, they wanted to improve themselves. They wanted to grow their business. And, you know, it was kind of this time period where we could we were locked in anyway. So what could we do to improve, you know, things around us? And I heard wonderful stories of you know, people learning languages, and you know, people taking these courses. I used to laugh because I said, Well, my kids did wonderful. They learn to bake. The problem is I ate! Julie Naismith 4:57Now I’m paying for it. Barb 5:00Exactly for two or three months, my kids baked every single day, it was just like, Oh my goodness. Julie Naismith 5:07You got all the baking

Barb 0:00Today’s guest is all too familiar with the underbelly of the business world. Karen Smith is the CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Saskatchewan. And she tells tales of business owners who have been wrong, cotton scams and having lost 1000s or maybe even more dollars. She also tells tales of business owners who are protected because of their engagement with the BBB. Karen, welcome. Thank you for being here. Karen 0:32Thanks for inviting me, Barb. Glad to be here. Barb 0:35Absolutely. And we too, had some tech challenges this morning or earlier guests had some challenges as well. So fingers crossed, we’re on and we’re live. And hopefully it all works. Yeah. So tell me how long have you been with the Better Business Bureau? Just a little over five years with the Better Business Bureau? And what interested you in a rule like that you’re like on a daily basis? You’re kind of dealing with some yucky stuff? No, I Karen 1:04Yes, it is a different environment here always balancing something between consumers and businesses, or scammers and businesses and consumers. It’s always a balancing act. No, I think that my experience up to now and lead me to at the right time. Barb 1:35Got it. Kate, that sounds very good. So one of the tools that I know that the Better Business Bureau have is something called scam tracker. And that’s actually an international initiative, or is it a national initiative. Karen 1:48It’s an international and they sort of Canada was at the forefront. Although Canada didn’t create the product, we became the first ones to step up to the plate and say, let’s make it live in Canada everywhere all at once. And that okay, but you know, five years ago, they were piloted the product in a number of locations, I guess, seven and eight years ago, when I came on, they were both sued mentioned five years ago or so. Okay, they were looking to pilot it in a broader spectrum to see how it would work. Canadian BBB offices stepped up and made it happen. Barb 2:36So what exactly is scam? tracker? How do I use it as a business owner. Karen 2:42So it’s a crowdsource means of collecting information from victims about scams is a database that’s accessible worldwide, can’t it’s the it’s in the victims own stories. It’s no one has an important piece. Because what that then does is it helps prepare individuals that most likely are working for a company to be more knowledgeable about how scammers work. And be able to take that skill set to whatever the setting that they’re in their work setting that they’re in. Right. So I help them to be more aware of what’s going on. If they can identify in their personal life, then they can also identify in their business life, whatever that course may be. Barb 3:33So you know, it used to be that we were worried about our grandparents getting scammed. Is that still the case then? Karen 3:39Well, it is for certain types of scams, but in a general sense, anybody can be scammed. And we know because we we examine the database from scam tracker every year to make sure you know what’s true, what’s changing what’s trending, but also what’s trending in terms of who’s more vulnerable. So the other thing that scam tracker gives us is a database set that is so broad that it helps us to to use our mandate of prevention to help prevent scams, right do do it in the in that manner. Karen 4:18What the Better Business Bureau did this is on an international scale is they created a number of scams of a particular type, but also keep where their money is being lost and the degree of money being lost. So those three things are multiplied out together to see who’s more vulnerable for a certain type of scam. Okay, take that information and we can do a deeper dive to see if it has an impact on one gender more so than another or one age group. More So then another So getting back to your question about, you know, is my grandmother or grandfather more at risk than, you know, my 18 year old son or daughter? Well, yeah, probably truth be known, they’re probably both at equal risk, Barb 5:16At equal risk. And you know, as a parent, I actually worry less about my parents. And so, you know, grandparents, my I’ve lost my grandparents was just my parents at this point, I worry less about them, because they’ve been using the technology long enough now that, that they’re a little bit more prepared for what might be out there. But my kids are in their, their teens. And my daughter in particular, she, she doesn’t believe that scams are really a thing. We actually had an extensive discussion at home the other night, it was quite funny. And we were talking about all these scams, because my son was doing some research. And to my daughter said, well, there can’t be that many of them. I said, Well, actually, there’s millions and millions of scams, and you know, people stealing money. And her comment was, well, they can’t be making a living doing that. Barb 6:13I said, Yeah, they they actually are making a living. That’s why they continue their her rationale, this was quite cute. Her rationale for why this didn’t ring true for her is because, well, what would their neighbors think? Wouldn’t they know that they’re doing scams? If they don’t leave the house, then they must be scamming. And he said, we’re in the middle of COVID. Nobody leaves her house. That’s not a rationale anymore. But in her, you know, 14 year old mind, that was, you know, she knows what our neighbors do. And our neighbors know what we do. And so in her mind,

Barb 0:01Welcome to a special edition of The Secret Life of entrepreneurs. Today, we’re talking to two local artists who live and breathe artistry. Having gotten to know them a little bit over the last few months, I’ve really developed an interest and a passion in the work that they’re doing. So I’m excited to have our guests with us today. Susan 0:27Before I go too far, I should actually introduce myself because many of you won’t know me. My name is Barb McGrath, and I’m the host of a podcast called The Secret Life of entrepreneurs. Susan and Janet have very kindly allowed me to broadcast into the Facebook page, as well as on to CJTR. So today’s episode is a little bit different than many. But let’s get started. And I’m going to ask Susan Robinson to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what to expect expect at the upcoming event. Susan 1:04Hi, everyone, and thanks, Barb for inviting me here today. My name is Susan Robertson, and then the ceramic artists who lives and works in Outlook Saskatchewan. And I make really beautiful pottery that makes people smile. Now the event that we tend to, and I and I have to give Janet full credit for starting the whole ball rolling on this is river and rail Art Center, which is a self guided tour of artists and artisans in West Central Saskatchewan. And it’s going to take place June 26 and 27th of this year. Barb 1:46That’s only a few weeks away eight weeks away. Susan 1:50Yes. Is this where I go? Ah, Barb 1:53Okay, all go. Oh, my goodness. Eye balls popping out exactly. How many people are you expecting at the event then Susan? Susan 2:05We’re actually anticipating about 4000 people over the two days of the event. Barb 2:12Excellent. Wow. That’s exciting. All right. Before we talk too long, let’s have Janet Introduce yourself. And tell us a little bit about the the artists it artists. I can’t talk this morning, artists and types of artists that we might expect to see. Janet 2:28Morning, Barb, and thank you too, for inviting me on this adventure of doing a live interview. We have a I have been doing acrylic art, only for about eight years as a full time kind of activity. I am a retired English and French teacher. And I did teach art, or should I say I facilitated the many talents. Students have learned lots from them. And I think I learned that I could maybe do some of that as well. Yeah, so I am really happy to be doing this now a little bit more seriously, and helping other people to be able to test their skills as well. Janet 3:12We have 10 towns 26 venues and over 50 participants, which is a lot. It is hoped we might have 15 participants. So we have really broadened out. And certainly we have a wide variety of things that are going to be people that are going to be making things for us making it happen. Janet 3:38We have three fiber artists, we have 14 who paint, we have three who do pottery to then use with sculpture, we have seven who work with wood, but that might be all the different ways you can work with wood from cutting boards, to antler carving to so many different kinds of wood turning even a luthier which is of course creating stringed instruments with pine woods. Janet 4:07We have two jewelry, we have a musical trio that will be performing. And we also have for aggressive agribusiness entrepreneurs who will be sharing what they’ve got. But you can add to that a winery and to galleries. So and seven, seven groups within all of those as well. So there’s lots to see lots to do. There will be demonstrations. And yeah, it’ll be a surprise for everyone. Just how much tell there is in this area. Barb 4:41Exactly. So when you think about the wide variety of artists that are involved, are most of them full time artists, are they part time Is this a retirement activity for them are are some of the artists just learning an upcoming, give me a little bit of an idea of what that landscape looks like? Janet 5:00I think that I could answer all parts of those, each of those questions in a different way. Because yes, there are some who are retired like myself, who found a passion and time to do what you’ve always wanted to do. And I think there are also I know, there are also people like Susan, who are professionals who have been doing this as a career. Janet 5:20And that would be also true, we have some that are brand new, some who have been doing it for a long time in whatever way they’ve been doing it. And I think that, for some, it’s a discovery of, I could do something more. And this is one of the things we’re trying to help them with the Reverend rail art tour, so that they can find a space that’s safe. Find that myself when I had my first show. And you’re really nervous, and you’re not sure anybody will come? Yes. And I’ve already had a chance to reassure one person that, yes, they will come. Yes, they will love what you’re doing. And Sally, they will find that your work is exceptional, even though and I know that for myself, even though I really question if anybody would buy what I’m doing. Yes. Barb 6:22Yes, exactly. So I’m gonna ask you both this question. And I know your answers are very different. How did you get started? What was the impetus that said, I want to work with ceramic ware, I want to work with paint and acrylics. And, like, what what inside of you told you that this was something that

Barb 0:00Our guest today fills a very non traditional role as a woman in her family. She is the first in a three generation business that have been involved in a local business here in Regina. I’m gonna let her tell you about the business and her involvement. But I’d like to start off by welcoming Jennifer Fox from auto electric to our show this morning. Good morning, and thank you for being here. Jennifer 0:28Good morning, Barb, thank you so much for having me. It’s such a pleasure to finally put a name and a face together. Barb 0:33Yes, it’s been great. Jennifer 0:34We’ve been doing lots of online communication, but this is perfect. Barb 0:37Exactly. Yeah. You know, there’s still something to be said for like talking to someone. Right? Jennifer 0:43Well, there is. And I think we miss out on so much. Without that the expressions that you can see, and just the closeness that even just the visual ads, when you’re in an online format is so much more than just that text format. Exactly. Barb 0:55Yes. You know, I have a girlfriend. This is a total aside before we get started, but I have a girlfriend who always swears like she is not a hugger. And now that COVID has dragged on for so long. She’s like, I’m just warning you like I am hugging when this is done. Jennifer 1:11Exactly. Yeah, we’re seeing these other sides of our personalities coming through due to the length of things now. Barb 1:17Exactly. That’s so true. Anyway, I kind of hijacked our kickoff here this morning. So that’s a little bit about yourself and your involvement with the business. Jennifer 1:27For sure. So as you said, my name is Jennifer Fox, and I am the corporate development and marketing manager for auto electric service, mainline fleet service. So we are a Saskatchewan owned and operated business. Jennifer 1:40We’ve been in business since 1943. So we’ve got some long history, they’re all within Saskatchewan, we have an ownership group have eight shareholders. And we have five locations, we have stores, to actually in which I don’t want under the auto electric service name and one under the mainline fleet service name. And then we also have stores in Estevan, Weyburn and Yorkton. Jennifer 2:02And you’re we’re not a family business, which makes us kind of unique, but we are a locally owned and operate your business. And even though we’re not truly a family business, we have a couple families that have kind of a few generations of ownership, or siblings that are involved with things like that. Jennifer 2:15But we are an independently operated business. So a little bit of my history, I guess, in our history as a business. So my grandfather, my mom’s dad was involved in the business. And basically, he started has one of those stories where he started sweeping the floors. And that was where he came into the business. And that’s where he started. And he literally worked his way up to President and CEO of the business. Jennifer 2:40So he kind of went right from the bottom rate to the top. And we have a lot of those stories within our business, a lot of people who have spent their careers with us, which is a really, I think, interesting story and shows some of the longevity that we have. Jennifer 2:51But yeah, so just actually, when I was a toddler, my dad became involved in the business, he had gone to university, and then actually worked for SAS, direct West at the time, and then an affiliated organization with our business and then eventually came into the business. And he worked his way up, starting in a sales kind of management role and worked his way up. And he is now our current president and general manager. So I always say it’s interesting, because I have two very different relationships with my dad, at home, he his dad and in the weekends and at the lake in the summer. But at work, he is very much Bob and we very much function like that. So it’s kind of a different dynamic. Barb 3:35Well, and that does bring an interesting dynamic into play. Because when president bob wants something done, but we can Bob knows that you need to balance kids activities or family. Like there’s a real dynamic there that must go on then. Jennifer 3:53There isn’t I think it’s a dynamic that we both we’ve learned to figure out between the two of us. But it’s, you know, we have we do and we have very distinct relationships and not that business doesn’t get talked about on the weekends and, and things like that, but we how we interact even about those issues is very different at home than it would be at work. So. Barb 4:13Absolutely. And you know, just even as you’re talking, it’s making me think about our business because we are family owned as well. And it’s my husband and I in the business. there’s times where we’re talking about work at, you know, seven o’clock in the morning on the couch while we’re having coffee. And and we have two very different personalities. So my husband was much more routine and structured. We’re like, think of something at 10 o’clock at night. I’m going to talk about it. Just this morning, one of those conversations started at seven o’clock. And my husband was sort of rolling his eyes at me and I said, Well, what like I’m thinking of it now. So I have to tell you, he’s just like, I know Let me get to work first. Barb 5:02Exactly. Let me just at least get half of this cup of coffee in me. And I, I find as I get older, I become a real morning person. And so you know, I’ll get up at six, and I’ll have my coffee