Capital Ventures

Steven Hughes
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  • Entrepreneurship

Business owners, creators and innovators share stories and strategies of how they started and built their respective businesses in Ottawa to inspire prospective entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground and help the companies being interviewed to promote themselves.

Episodes

  1. 11/03/2021

    #11 How to get the Government to fund your Startup with SR&ED (SHRED) Credits with Naren Balakrishnan

    Big three Takeaways: 1. Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) or SHRED program can be a fantastic financial resource to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. Naren’s team at Grant Thornton helps companies navigate the complex process of applying for SR&ED credits. 2. Tracking activity is important when it comes to SR&ED applications. The lesson here is to create systems that can sca...

  2. 10/20/2021

    #10 Starting tech companies without a technical background with Arctic Leaf founder Josh Garellek

    Big three Takeaways:  1.       Take action, when you notice a trend with business potential. Josh admits later in the interview that he has said yes to too many things in the past, but his default mode is to take action and he creates opportunities for himself with this mindset. 2.       The other side of that coin; Be careful what you say yes to. Choose the topics you want to focus on and the people you want to work with carefully. Time is your most valuable resource. 3.       Instead of jumping right into the middle of a trend and opening an online store, try starting a business that helps other stores sell their product more effectively. These have been referred to as picks and shovels businesses, and it goes back the mid 1800’s during the gold rush. Instead of digging for gold, some entrepreneurs had a great success selling picks and shovels to other prospectors. Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs  00:03:16 – Josh takes us back to before e-commerce was as important as it is now and shares his insights of the potential he saw back in 2012. 00:06:33 – Think about how others will use your website. Not everyone will explore the site in the same way.  00:08:10 – removing steps improves user experience.  00:08:59 – Mountain Crest Gardens. Before and after, Air Kayaks 00:17:00 – Josh explains how he was able to immerse himself into tech to the point where he knew enough to start companies despite a lack of formal technical training. 00:18:32 – Josh goes through several resources available now to learn anything. 00:19:55 – Josh explains how he balances his curiosity and interest in learning new skills with the need to focus when you’re building a company.  00:25:51 – Josh disagrees with the notion that there’s no point in acknowledging weakness and wins me over to his viewpoint. 00:27:43 – Josh’s entrepreneurial journey 00:31:17 – What Josh thinks the future of e-commerce might look like. 00:34:19 – We get off-track and discuss supply chain and inflation. Josh’s advice, buy all your Christmas presents ASAP. 00:39:00 – How the pandemic has made it much harder to find talent and what Arctic Leaf is doing to keep up. More on my guest: https://www.arcticleaf.io/Josh Garellek - Linkedinpartnerportal.ioBooks Mentioned: Range – David Epstein The Compound Effect – Darren HardyThe 10x Rule – Grant Cardone The Effective Executive – Peter DruckerReady Player One – Ernest Cline

  3. 09/08/2021

    #9 Standing out in the sea of sameness with Yellow Beauty founder Jaz Fenton

    Big three Takeaways: 1. With the cost of failure as low as it is in ecommerce, launch well before you fully understand everything and trust that you’ll fill in the blanks as you build. 2. Be consistent, with your product and marketing. People should know what to expect when they do business with you. 3. To build a lifestyle brand, you have to find ways to consistently share your brand's values.  Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs  06:18 – You can launch before you understand everything. 07:22 – The stages of scaling manufacturing 10:32 – Why cash-flow is so important when you're scaling 13:25 – behind the curtain. How ecommerce works 18:45 – The more decisions you have to make, the faster you get and the better your instincts become  20:08 – What to prioritize when launching an MVP to make sure you don’t turn customers off 25:18 – How Jaz thinks about hiring: Find people who know what they’re getting into. Go broad first then specific. 32:43 – How Jaz thinks about building a lifestyle brand. Consistently share your values.  More on my guest: Jaz FentonYellow Beauty Yellow Beauty - InstagramAlso mentioned: Halud (Tumeric) ceremony - Wikipedia Bathorium LoveKind – Yellow Beauty Investors ChitChats – Shipping to the US Shopify Emotive (not owned by Twilio) – SMS messaging softwareBiddyco – Social advertisingUlta Rosen Skincare – Jamika MartinCoco Kind – Priscilla Tsai – (Forbes article)Mooshu Ice Cream & Kitchen Shawarma Palace Colonnade Pizza, Bronson Pizza, Louis PizzaSteve’s book recommendation – Let My People Go Surfing – The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

  4. 08/26/2021

    #8 Using Basketball as a Vehicle to Build Life Skills with Right Way founder Mike Kenny

    Big three Takeaways:  1.       Using a mission to drive decision making, helps build a culture. For Right Way, the mission is more than just creating better basketball players.   2.       When coaching or running a team, don’t micromanage. Let players figure things out on their own as much as possible.  3.       On pricing: Price your service at a level to attract the clients you want. In a services business, particularly coaching, you want clients who are serious about results and will put the work in.  Takeaways for Entrepreneurs  00:01:46 – The business started as something Mike decided to try over Christmas and March break, which worked well because he didn’t have to compete with basketball camps that typically run in the summer. Counter positioning in action. 00:05:50 – When you’re operating in a tight knit community, connections can go a long way,  particularly when you do good work. 00:11:03 – How to build a business that can scale beyond you when you are the brand initially. 00:14:45 –Why excitement about getting back in the gym, team cohesiveness, and confidence are how Mike evaluates Right Way’s impact. 00:21:07 – A story of how the attention to detail of Carleton’s basketball program stayed with Mike. 00:26:08 – CHARDG - The core principles of Right Way Basketball. 00:41:26 – We’re all in sales, and a lot of Mike’s advice is useful to sales. 1: Don’t take rejection personally, be persistent 2: Observe more than you talk. 00:42:21 – Mike is wise beyond his years: He talks about pricing and gives a simple, but effective framework for pricing service-based businesses. 00:47:50 – Incentivizing staff is the hardest part of being a business owner. 00:54:58 – The concept I’m trying to explain and can’t remember is called is Ikigai. See link in resources below. 00:58:00 – The things Mike could only learn by running the business Takeaways for coaches 00:17:40 – For coaches: The benefits of letting players coach themselves. 00:35:05 – Two things coaches in any sport should hear.  00:39:00 – What is piggybacking and why is it detrimental for player development? More on my guest: ·       Mike Kenny - Twitter ·       Right Way Basketball – webiste,   ·       RW on Facebook Recommendations, resources, and extras: ·       Ikigai – (Forbes) ·       Shawarma Palace ·       PGC Basketball ·       Luka Dončić – Highlights (video) ·       Professor Live – YouTube Channel ·       Gregg Popovich – If you’ve never heard of him, this article is great, and there’s a lot to learn about coaching and life.

  5. 08/12/2021

    #7 Tax planning is important, but it's the easy part of succession planning - with BLG tax partner Pamela Cross

    Big three Takeaways: 1. For owners planning for an eventual transition of the business to the next generation, it’s important to establish what your ideal outcome is, as opposed to selecting particular assets to leave certain individuals. 2. When rules change, like 2016/2017 with the introduction of Tax on split income (TOSI) rules, having a team of professionals becomes even more valuable because they can help you make necessary changes to adapt. ...

  6. 07/29/2021

    #6 Process over Profit, People over Process with Roxborough Bus Lines' Nick McRae

    Big three Takeaways: 1a) Large scale changes in an industry force companies to evolve. This will often lead to failures when transitioning to new way of doing things. Having a growth mindset using failures as a learning experience separates companies that become stronger when industries shift from those who are left behind. You don’t want to be a dinosaur when a meteor is about to hit. 1b) Change takes a lot of energy. Transitioning younger employees to leadership keeps energy high an...

  7. 07/15/2021

    #5 How to acquire successful businesses with Sunbelt Broker's Gregory Kells

    Big three Takeaways: 1. Prospective buyers need to understand seller discretionary earnings and the advantages of seller financing. 2. For sellers, the key to increase value is to take yourself out of the day to day. 3. Why buyers should picture a “day in the life” as an owner before buying Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs 2:00 – When Greg explains what the #1 reason for selling was when he first ...

  8. 06/30/2021

    #4 Building a business & a community during challenging times with SweatFitCo founder Conor Oakley

    Big Takeaways: If you don’t give yourself any choice, you’ll be more resourceful in figuring things out.Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs: 2:18 - Conor’s ‘fight or flight’ approach to starting his business. 6:43 – Now that people have become comfortable with doing a guided workout over Zoom, attendance has picked up.8:37 – The importance of physical fitness for mental well being.9:22 – How to hustle when you have no connections or experience.11:13 – If you’re goi...

  9. 06/15/2021

    #3 The Next Evolution of Game Film with GameStrat founder and CEO Tunch Akkaya

    Big Takeaways: · Don’t be afraid to launch early and fix your product on the fly · Focus on building a business that you want to run before you can even consider selling. Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs: · 4:22 – The best way to prove your product or idea is to use it to gain an advantage over your competition/prospective customer! · 5:55 - Imitate then innovate to creat...

  10. 06/01/2021

    #2 Scaling a SaaS business in a massive industry with Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau

    Three Big Takeaways:   Create a business that solves a problem.When trying to build a talented team, focus on the vision/mission. Take bigger risks when you have less to lose. Even if you fail, you’ll learn a lot by trying to figure things out.  Other Takeaways for entrepreneurs: 2:20 A great example of starting a business to solve a problem.6:10 How Welbi aggregates data into information to create a community within a community.10:58 Elizabeth explains how much time Welbi saves on administrative tasks for recreation teams.14:50 Think big to build something scalable.17:28 Welbi’s competitive advantage - More than just analog to digital. 21:10 On choosing a name.23:33 How to compete with larger companies with more money for talent.33:00: When and why to pivot - Drill down on the problem you’re trying to solve.37:22: Why COVID eventually caused business to accelerate their technology adoption.39:20 How to find a technical co-founder.45:30 Why it is a good idea to take risks while you’re young.49:31 How a lifetime of playing sports helped Elizabeth in business.52:22 How Elizabeth refined her investor pitch. An easy thing to do, but most founders don't! More on my guest: Welbi Elizabeth Audette-BourbeauElizabeth’s Ted Talk – Excuses vs. ReasonsOther links Michelle RomanovSoGal Pitch competitionElizabeth talks about building an MVP which stands for minimum viable product from Eric Ries fantastic book The Lean Startup. Invest like the best podcast Rich Barton & Bred Gerstner interviewRob LaneFred Boulanger – MacadamianAydin Y Mirzaee – Fellow appRivera LivingAtomic HabitsHubSpotCassy Aite – HoppierOla Cocina SweatFit co. formerly  Hintonburg Crossfit – Conor Oakley

  11. 05/01/2021

    #1 Joel & Justyna - The business of creating lasting memories

    It is becoming increasingly rare to have a 'wow' experience as a customer. One of the last ones I can remember was our wedding photographers. When we got the photos of our engagement shoot back, I knew they were special, but that feeling continued when I noticed their professionalism and talent level at our wedding. It was great to hear how they built their business and found developed their unique style. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Joel and Justyna Bedford. Lessons for Entrepreneurs : 5:25 Despite the popular narrative that success in starting a business requires jumping directly from stable job into entrepreneurship, instead starting a side business is a great way to test market demand and to see if you enjoy your new venture enough to leave your job and go ‘all in’. Joel worked for two years at an art gallery while he was doing wedding photography on weekends.10:47 Why you are never “done” building your business. In the case of photography there is always something to do. 13:20 Why it is important to look back to how you have evolved to maintain a sense of appreciation for the progress you’ve made.32:30 Why it is important in a partnership to play to each other’s strengths and set each other up for success.40:30 You don’t have to have a perfect business plan, but it helps to think through what success will like in terms of numbers. Have a goal and know where you’re going.46:30 One of my favorite parts of the interview. Joel comes from a family of photographers. I asked him if he can see his family’s style in his work. He initially says “not really” remarking on the change from analog to digital, then realizes that his Dad’s professionalism is one of the qualities that transferred to him. Lessons for photographers: 16:15 Joel and Justyna’s approach to photography. Telling the story of "The Day", that you can look back at and remember moments when you are 7521:32 Why photography is a fantastic referral business.26:10 How crazy weather makes for great photos30:20 How to incorporate new style and techniques. Templates plus innovation36:18 How to choose a wedding photographer38:00 Photography is a mix of art and business. It helps to have a partnership where each partner has a different strength, and even better if one is good at everything.48:45 Why having a genuine curiosity about the people your working with makes a huge difference in the end result.51:50 You can’t pack in more weddings if you want to maintain your quality level so you have to find other ways to grow your business. More on my guests: Website: https://joelandjustyna.com/Instagram: joelandjustynaIndian Traditions and Old New York Style Took Center Stage at This Wedding at Carnegie HallTheir favorite Photographers: Michael BeaulieuPaulo ReversieSarah MoonAnnie LebovitzJohn DolanDesmond TanJeff WallIrving Penn

  12. Trailer

    Trailer: Capital Ventures with Steve Hughes

    On Capital Ventures, I talk to entrepreneurs from Ottawa and hear the stories of how they built their businesses. For every Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, there are thousands of wonderful founders and businesses right in your city. This show is all about these founders. If you own a business are want to start one, you’ll find motivation, tactics & strategies and lessons in these stories. If you’re an investor, you might find an emerging opportunity before it takes off and If ...

Trailer

About

Business owners, creators and innovators share stories and strategies of how they started and built their respective businesses in Ottawa to inspire prospective entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground and help the companies being interviewed to promote themselves.

Information

  • Creator
    Steven Hughes
  • Years Active
    2021
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Capital Ventures
  • Show Website
    Capital Ventures