Mission Critical with Lance Chung

What does it take to turn a simple product into a category-defining brand people obsess over?In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Mandy Wolfe, co-founder of Mandy's Salads, to break down how she and her sister transformed a tiny salad counter hidden inside a Montreal clothing store into one of Canada’s most recognizable lifestyle food brands.But this conversation goes far beyond salads. Mandy shares the real playbook behind building customer loyalty, creating emotional connection through branding, scaling across new markets, engineering word-of-mouth growth, navigating hiring challenges, and staying relevant in an economy that changes by the day.Whether you run a restaurant, retail business, e-commerce brand, or are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, this episode is packed with tactical insights on how to build a business people genuinely love.In this episode:How Mandy’s got its first loyal customersWhy customization became a growth advantage before it was trendyThe importance of brand experience in driving repeat businessWhat founders get wrong about expansion and scalingHow Mandy’s built a lifestyle brand beyond foodWhy staying culturally relevant matters more than everLessons on hiring, partnerships, leadership, and longevityIf you’re building a business in Canada right now, this episode is a masterclass in creating a brand customers choose emotionally, not just practically.Top 5 Key Takeaways1. Great brands solve emotional needs—not just functional ones: Mandy’s didn’t just sell salads, it sold a feeling: wellness, escape, playfulness, customization, and belonging. The strongest businesses create emotional connection around everyday products.2. Word-of-mouth growth can be intentionally designed: From customizable “secret menu” salads to instantly-recognizable pink takeout bags, Mandy’s built visual and social cues that naturally encouraged people to talk about the brand.3. Expansion works best when it matches community culture: Instead of aggressively entering major downtown cores first, Mandy’s strategically chose neighbourhoods that aligned with the brand’s lifestyle positioning and customer base.4. Scaling requires letting go of control: One of Mandy’s biggest lessons as a founder was learning to trust leadership teams and systems as the business expanded beyond what she and her sister could personally oversee day-to-day.5. Staying relevant means staying curious: Mandy credits much of the brand’s continued success to surrounding themselves with younger talent, traveling frequently, observing culture shifts, and constantly evolving with customer behaviour. About the GuestMandy Wolfe is the co-founder of Mandy's Salads, one of Canada’s most recognizable fast-casual restaurant and lifestyle brands.What started as a tiny salad counter hidden inside a Montreal clothing boutique has grown into a multi-location business spanning Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and beyond—along with a rapidly growing consumer packaged goods line carried in over 1,000 stores across Canada.Known for its colourful branding, immersive restaurant design, customizable menu, and cult-like customer loyalty, Mandy’s has become a case study in turning a simple everyday product into a premium lifestyle experience.Alongside her sister and co-founder Rebecca Wolfe, Mandy has helped redefine how Canadians think about healthy eating, hospitality, branding, and customer experience.

Worth Knowing is your shortcut to the Canadian small businesses shaping culture and changing how we live.In this episode, we spotlight Alter, the Toronto-based sauna and ice bath studio at the center of the growing contrast therapy movement. Built on the belief that intentional discomfort builds resilience, Alter is redefining modern wellness through heat, cold, and community.As recovery culture continues to rise, Alter signals a broader shift toward ritualized self-care and connection — and why this centuries-old practice feels more relevant than ever.If you’re tracking wellness trends, emerging entrepreneurs, or standout Canadian brands, this is one business worth knowing.

What if the most powerful way to disrupt an industry isn’t by adding more, but by removing what doesn’t belong?In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Jay Klein, founder and CEO of The PUR Company, to unpack how a single, “unsexy” decision (that is, eliminating aspartame from chewing gum) helped build one of the world’s leading better-for-you brands.Founded in Toronto in 2010, PUR set out to challenge a $20-billion global gum industry by focusing on simplicity, transparency, and trust. What began as a grassroots, door-to-door effort grew into a global brand available in over 50 countries, now the #1 best-selling gum brand on Amazon in both Canada and the US. Along the way, Klein navigated early skepticism, scaled without compromising taste or accessibility, and learned why listening to consumers can be more powerful than any marketing strategy.Jay also reflects on his full-circle journey with Dragon’s Den—from pitching PUR as a founder to now taking a seat as a Dragon—and shares what he looks for in entrepreneurs who are built for the long game.This conversation is a masterclass in building trust before scale, resisting trend-driven shortcuts, and proving that small, intentional changes can create outsized impact.Key TakeawaysWhy simplicity and subtraction can be more disruptive than constant innovationHow founder-led sales and early trust shaped PUR’s long-term growthWhat it really means to build a consumer-first brand—beyond the buzzwordsThe hidden trade-offs of scaling in mass retail and global marketsLessons Jay Klein learned from both pitching on Dragon’s Den and now judging foundersWhy trust, taste, and accessibility are non-negotiable in better-for-you productsHow entrepreneurs can protect their mission as their business growsAbout the GuestJay Klein is the Founder & CEO of The PUR Company, the globally recognized better-for-you gum and mints brand. Since launching PUR in 2010, Jay has led the company’s expansion into more than 50 countries, earning recognition from Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies, Profit 500, and Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. A former Dragon’s Den entrepreneur turned Dragon, Jay is passionate about mentoring founders and building brands that last.

Rami Atallah is the CEO and co-founder of SSENSE, a technology platform that focuses on nurturing emerging talent while simultaneously championing today’s most powerful and established luxury brands.What started as part of his computer engineering graduate thesis, Rami founded SSENSE alongside his brothers, Firas and Bassel, to address the needs of the new generation of consumers. They wanted to build a platform that was, in his words, "interesting, pushed boundaries, and leveraged the internet to reach a global customer base."An immigrant from Syria, Rami’s journey is one that exemplifies the power of harnessing diverse perspectives and skill sets, and using your work as a springboard for talent in order to usher a new generation of leaders.Recorded live at the SSENSE headquarters in Montreal, revisit our episode with Rami, where we talk about his immigrant and entrepreneurial journey, how he uses his engineering background to solve problems, and the future of luxury, commerce, and culture.

What happens when influence isn’t just about followers—but about power, ownership, and rewriting the rules of an entire industry?In this re-released episode of Mission Critical, Lance chats with Susan Yara—content creator turned beauty entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Naturium, one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in the business.She started in front of the camera. Built trust. Built community. And then she flipped the script, turning her influence into infrastructure. Naturium scaled fast, stood out in a crowded market, and was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for a reported $355 million. But behind the success story is a woman who’s navigated every tension: between personal brand and product brand, between representation and responsibility, between being taken seriously and staying true to where she came from.In this conversation, Lance and Susan talk about what it really means to have influence that lasts—not just in beauty, but in business.Episode highlights and takeaways:Why legacy brands are watching: Susan shares how indie beauty brands like Naturium are driving innovation and forcing legacy players to catch up.Representation done right: Susan talks about the responsibility (and strategy) of creating an inclusive brand without tokenism — and how her multicultural background shaped her vision.From startup to acquisition: What it really takes to scale fast, keep your soul, and partner with a company like e.l.f. to go global without losing your original mission.The power of analytics: She reveals how understanding her audience through content data gave her a roadmap for product development, retail strategy, and growth.Creating vs. scaling: The difference between building a personal brand and building a business—and why separating the two is essential if you want to exit.

In this special live episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Charles Khabouth, founder and CEO of INK Entertainment Group, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on entrepreneurship, leadership, and building brands that endure.From immigrating to Canada at 15 to becoming one of the most influential figures in Toronto’s hospitality and cultural landscape, Khabouth reflects on the early risks that shaped his career, the losses behind every win, and why respect (not money) has always been his greatest driver. He shares how nightclubs once served as cultural incubators for fashion, music, and design, and why hospitality today is less about product and more about trust, people, and experience.The episode also dives into INK’s newest evolution: 30 Hazelton, the group’s expansion into the medispa and wellness space. Khabouth explains why health and wellness is a natural extension of hospitality, the importance of choosing the right partners, and how trust transfers from brand to experience—whether in dining, nightlife, or skincare.KEY TAKEAWAYS & HIGHLIGHTSEntrepreneurship is built on loss: There is no winning without losing—failure is a prerequisite for success.Hospitality is about trust, not product: People return because they feel cared for, not because they need another steak or cocktail.Culture beats everything: A strong internal culture is the foundation of any scalable hospitality brand.Leadership at scale is about people: With thousands of employees, every interaction matters—and every person represents the brand.Consistency is harder than growth: Maintaining status quo is more difficult than getting there.Hospitality is bigger than food and nightlife: Wellness, skincare, art, and design all fall under the umbrella of caring for people.Legacy is built through others: True success comes from helping people grow and creating opportunities beyond yourself.

DEI has become one of the most polarizing conversations in the corporate world, especially in the 2025 Trump era. Is it a critical business strategy, or just corporate virtue signaling? On this episode of Mission Critical with Lance Chung, Lance sits down with Laura McGee, CEO of Diversio, to cut through the noise and uncover what’s really happening behind the headlines.McGee shares how Diversio is using AI and data analytics to make workplaces more productive—and why the backlash against DEI is based more on perception than reality. She breaks down the myths surrounding diversity efforts, reveals the surprising truth about which companies are actually pulling back, and explains why leaders should embrace uncomfortable conversations instead of avoiding them.Key Takeaways:The media’s portrayal of DEI is misleading—most companies aren’t canceling it, they’re rebranding it.Why fear, not facts, is the biggest barrier to progress.The global differences in how companies approach inclusion—and what North America gets wrong.How to shift the DEI conversation from divisive to productive.It’s time to separate fact from fiction. Listen now to this re-released episode with Laura from March, 2025.

What does it really take to become an owner in professional sports? For Brenda Ha, the answer is surprisingly simple: conviction, community, and the courage to raise your hand. In this inspiring episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with AFC Toronto co-owner and investor Brenda Ha to explore how a first-generation Korean Canadian, lifelong Torontonian, and self-described “soccer mom” stepped into the world of women’s sports ownership—without a billionaire’s bank account or a traditional sports background.Brenda opens up about the grassroots origins of AFC Toronto, the pivotal moment when her husband challenged her to see herself in the ownership conversation, and what it means to build a franchise rooted in gender equity, community impact, and opportunity for future generations of athletes. From the rise of the Northern Super League to the league-wide sisterhood forming between the PWHL, WNBA, and AFC Toronto, Brenda offers an intimate look at the movement reshaping professional women’s sports in Canada.She also shares powerful stories from AFC Toronto’s inaugural season—from the behind-the-scenes reality of match-day operations to the emotional impact of hosting Korea Night and rallying Toronto’s multicultural communities around the team.Whether you're a sports fan, entrepreneur, or someone curious about how everyday people can participate in shaping the future of women’s sports, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.Key Highlights & Takeaways:How a “soccer mom” became a professional sports team owner—and why you don’t need to be a billionaire to invest in women’s sportsThe grassroots origins of AFC Toronto and the mission behind Project 8 and the Northern Super LeagueThe role of community, collaboration, and women supporting women across leagues like the PWHL and WNBABehind-the-scenes insights into game-day operations, volunteer culture, and what it takes to build a team from scratchThe impact of multicultural storytelling, including the success of AFC Toronto’s Korea NightBrenda’s personal journey through imposter syndrome, leadership, and learning to see herself in spaces traditionally reserved for “other people”The economic and cultural momentum behind women’s sports in Canada—and why this movement is just getting started