Just Good Business 🍁

With the average age of business owners at 58 and many lacking succession plans, Canadian small businesses are facing climbing rates of closure. Al is joined by Dr. Sarah Burrows, Assistant Professor at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business, to discuss the growing concern of succession planning in Canadian small businesses. Dr. Burrows discusses the "Silver Tsunami" and the impact of changing tax laws on family-owned businesses.

Al welcomes Douglas Porter, Chief Economist at the Bank of Montreal, to the podcast to discuss Canada’s current economic landscape. They delve into topics such as Canada's economic performance in the first quarter of 2025 and the effects of trade wars with the U.S. on Canadian businesses and consumers. Porter shares valuable advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs navigating this uncertain economic climate. He also offers his perspectives on the 'Buy Canadian' movement and inter-provincial trade barriers, and what they could mean for the economy. To lighten the mood, Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development at Moneris Data Services, joins Al to share early consumer spending data from this year’s NHL Playoffs.

It’s March, and the #1 topic on the minds of most Canadians is tariffs. How will this affect purchasing decisions moving forward? Al welcomes Gary Sands, Senior VP @ Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) to the podcast. They talk about how independent Canadian grocers are already preparing for the imminent tariffs and what this could mean for consumers. March is also Fraud Prevention Month. Al chats with Amisha Parikh, VP Security Solutions @ Mastercard. They talk about Mastercard’s latest research on the impact of fraud on Canadian’s financial health.

In the first episode of 2025, Allan welcomes back Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development at Moneris' Data Services, to discuss holiday spending trends from 2024 and their implications for 2025. They touch on the significance of Black Friday sales, regional differences in consumer spending, and predictions for economic recovery.

One of the victims of moving to a more cashless society in the past has been charitable organizations that rely on people’s generosity during in-person donation opportunities. There are many people who simply just don’t like carrying cash with them.

What came first? Your brick and mortar business or your ecommerce business? Whichever one you chose, one thing is almost certain, if you have a brick and mortar location, you most likely have a way to sell your product or service online as well. You may have noticed some challenges with keeping both channels synchronised, whether its with inventory management, scheduling, or sales. In this month’s episode Al speaks with expert Jason Grossman, Senior Product Manager at Moneris about how you can better align both those channels. Al also speaks with Mayumi Bae, Founder of The Plant Based Workshop and winner of the Visa She’s Next Grant Program. They talk about how and why she started her business and what her plans are for the grant.

As an entrepreneur in this country you may not be aware of all the help available to your business, and frankly, who has time to research? In this special bonus episode of Just Good Business we do the work for you. James Hicks, President and CEO of Moneris has a sit-down with the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Federal Minister of Small Business to talk about the state of small businesses in Canada, and some of the supports available to entrepreneurs and small business owners and where to find them.

June is National Indigenous History Month and to celebrate, we’re talking about Indigenous business development in Canada. Al welcomes Hosna Kadary, National Market Leader Zero Barriers to Business at BMO to talk about the support programs available for Indigenous Entrepreneurs in Canada and to share some of their success stories.