Episode: The Real Bottom Line with Wendy Brookhouse
Guest: Jennifer Williams, Founder of Firefly Insights

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Williams, founder and partial owner of Firefly Insights, to unpack one of the most exciting developments for Canadian entrepreneurs — Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs).

If you’re a business owner starting to think about succession, exit planning, or legacy, this episode will open your eyes to a whole new way to transition your business — one that rewards your team, sustains your community, and can even save you millions in taxes.

We talk about:

• Jennifer’s unique path from nonprofit work to social entrepreneurship and employee ownership
• The tough mindset shift around profit versus mission
• How to find the right scale in your business without burning out
• The new Canadian EOT legislation and what it means for small and mid-sized companies
• Who qualifies, how the trust is structured, and the real financial and cultural benefits

My favorite moment: when Jennifer breaks down how profit can amplify your mission rather than distract from it.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s next for my business when I step away?”, this conversation might just change the way you think about exit planning.

Connect with Jennifer: fireflyinsights.ca

Email: jennifer@fireflyinsights.ca

Guest: Ray Samuels, Growth Advisor and Founder, Cer Capital

Episode in a sentence: Ray shares how “done beats perfect,” why relationships are the real currency, and how a simple idea plus disciplined iteration can create momentum, funding, and valuation growth.

What we cover

• From high-school dances to London Telecom to Direct Energy: Ray’s entrepreneurial through-line
• The 65% rule: ship, listen, iterate
• “Clarity beats complexity,” and getting “pedestrian” with customers to gather real feedback
• G.R.O.W. mindset: Gratitude, Resilience, Optimism, Willpower
• The Equal Tank story: a simple washer-fluid dispenser, environmental impact, and national rollout
• Funding growth: why sales orders are easier to fund than ideas
• Packaging a story investors understand and want to back
• Daily relationship rituals that keep your network alive

Key takeaways

• Ship at 65% and improve with feedback
• Relationships compound if you maintain them intentionally
• Keep the product and the story simple so adoption is easy
• Growth needs cash, data, and proof, not perfection
• Momentum creates new problems, but they are the right problems

Timestamps

• 00:00 Meet Ray and the power of relationships
• 02:30 Early entrepreneurship: dances, driveways, done over perfect
• 07:10 Iteration vs. perfection and the 65% rule
• 08:50 Clarity beats complexity and learning to listen
• 18:20 The G.R.O.W. mindset explained
• 23:20 Equal Tank: simple solution, big impact
• 28:20 When and how to fund growth
• 35:50 Packaging the story for partners and investors
• 36:30 Wrap: relationships and iteration as operating systems

Connect with Ray
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-samuels-a20165/

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In this episode, I'm joined by the incredibly insightful Lissa Daub, founder of Strong Impact Academy. We met online through a couple of mutual groups, and it was a meeting that just felt like kismet. Lissa hails from Edmonton, Alberta, and she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Lissa and I dive into some of the most critical topics for business owners, from the mindset shifts of moving from corporate to entrepreneurship, to the surprising truth about owning a restaurant (it's not always sexy!). We talk about how the pandemic actually opened up new opportunities and simplified things for business owners, and Lissa shares her biggest lesson: you can’t just build it and expect them to come.

The heart of our conversation is all about the end game. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Lissa is passionate about helping entrepreneurs understand that a profitable business isn't always a sellable one. We explore why it's so important to think about the value of your business as a key performance indicator and how to avoid the "owner's trap," where you build a job for yourself instead of a sellable asset. We also talk about The Exit Lab, a workshop that helps business owners intentionally prepare for their future.

In this episode, Lissa and I discuss:

• My favorite Lissa quote: "A profitable business is not always sellable, but a sellable business is always profitable."
• Why entrepreneurs are notorious for chasing shiny objects and how to stop.
• The biggest mistake business owners make around exit planning (and why it could cost you a fortune).
• How to hire strategically so you can focus on the things you love to do.
• The staggering statistic that 75% of business owners regret selling their business a year later and how you can avoid it.

Connect with Lissa:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lissadaub

150 episodes. Honestly, when I started this podcast, I wasn’t thinking about milestones. I just wanted to have conversations with entrepreneurs and share the lessons hidden inside their journeys. And yet here we are....150 episodes later.

In this solo episode, I step back from the usual interviews to reflect on what I’ve learned along the way, about business, freedom, resilience, and legacy.

Here’s what I dig into:

• Why I believe mistakes are just lessons in disguise.
• How freedom from and freedom to are two very different things.
• The way money and freedom are always intertwined.
• Why your business isn’t just your baby | it’s an asset meant to fund your life.
• How thinking about legacy changes how you grow your company.
• And why building a business that doesn’t depend on you is the real path to both time and wealth freedom.

As I share my reflections, I also talk about my own journey, like how giving up alcohol five years ago became an unexpected lesson in consistency and compound results.

The real bottom line? Freedom of time opens the door to freedom in every other area of life and business. And that’s what I wish for you.

Some entrepreneurs build one business and call it a day. Dalene Allen has built — and sold — more than one… and kept right on making powerful connections.

In this episode of The Real Bottom Line, I sit down with Dalene to unpack her journey from direct sales leader earning pink Cadillacs, to running and selling the largest business referral network in Atlantic Canada, to launching her own networking company.

Dalene opens up about how she navigated each exit, why she believes human connection will always beat automation, and the simple habits that keep her network alive and thriving.

You’ll hear:

• How she turned a Mary Kay career into a sellable asset
• What it really takes to exit a franchise business
• The 10-minute-a-day LinkedIn strategy that works
• Her top tips for beginner, intermediate, and pro networkers
• How to instantly make new contacts feel welcome

Whether you’re building a business to sell or looking for better ways to meet the right people, Dalene’s story is packed with ideas you can put to work right away.

Connect with Dalene Allen
Email: dalene@networkingnaturally.ca
Website: networkingnaturally.ca

In a world obsessed with algorithms, trends, and going viral, what if the true key to social media success was simpler and more human? This week's guest, Ingrid Deon, founder of the organic social media agency Word-Craft, makes a powerful case for ditching the algorithm-chasing and focusing on what truly matters: authentic conversations.

Ingrid shares her inspiring and unconventional path to entrepreneurship—from her roots in journalism to becoming a single mom working three jobs, to a pay dispute that ultimately led her to launch her own agency with major national clients.

This episode is a masterclass in the "social" part of social media. Ingrid explains why genuine, two-way conversations are more critical than ever in the age of AI, how to create content that sparks real engagement, and why you don't need to be on every platform to succeed.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why you should stop trying to "game" the algorithm and what to focus on instead.
• How to find your brand's unique voice and personality online.
• Actionable tips for creating content that encourages comments and conversation.
• The surprising power of "older" platforms like Facebook for building community.
• How to know when it's the right time to outsource your social media.

Connect with Ingrid Dion:

• Website: word-craft.ca

In this episode, I chat with Gord Stevens, former owner of Uncommon Grounds, Rum Runners, Sugar, and more. Now the COO at Halifax Partnership, Gord shares what it was like to build multiple businesses with heart — and how he eventually transitioned out of ownership without losing what made those businesses meaningful.

We cover:

• Gord’s journey from finance to food and retail
• Why creativity and storytelling are business superpowers
• The personal challenges of selling a business you love
• Key steps to prepare your business for sale
• How to keep your business from depending entirely on you

The Real Bottom Line?
Your business can be a reflection of your values and a valuable asset — but only if you start building with the end in mind.

On this episode of The Real Bottom Line, I sit down with Justin Goodbread, serial entrepreneur, value coach, and author of Your Baby’s Ugly. He’s started and sold seven companies and now helps business owners build scalable businesses that buyers actually want.

We dig into what makes a business attractive to a buyer, how to mentally prepare for a sale, and why your exit should start long before you want out.

We talk about:

• Why grit isn’t enough – and what you need instead
• The three types of readiness: business, financial, and mental
• Why coasting into retirement could cost you millions
• How selling your business could unlock a new kind of impact
• What happens when your identity is tied too tightly to your business

Justin shares hard-won lessons from the trenches – and how a coach helped him shift from technician to true business owner.

Links & Resources:

• Justin Goodbread: Relentless Value Coaching
• Wendy Brookhouse: Black Star Wealth

What would your life after business look like? Let's talk about it.