WEBVTT 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:13.060 Hey, it's Shalicia Harris, your host of Buzzworthy. 00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:16.940 Join me as I sit down with entrepreneurs to talk 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:20.160 about their innovative businesses and their unique 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:24.699 stories. Remember to follow us on social at Hamilton 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:28.420 Hive on all platforms. And don't forget to rate 00:00:28.420 --> 00:00:33.520 our podcast. Let's jump into today's story. Hello, 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:37.359 everyone. Today we have Krista Holiday in the 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.439 booth with us, and we're really excited to dive 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:43.000 into Krista's story. There are a few things that 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.420 I think is really ripe for the climate right 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:48.520 now with a lot of people, you know, unsure about 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:51.119 their employment. And Krista has a really unique 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.960 way in which she, you know, pivoted from being 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:59.219 an employer to an entrepreneur. Krista had a 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:01.479 really interesting way where she pivoted from 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:04.799 being an employee to an entrepreneur within the 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.879 same company she was working with. So I'll leave 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:10.599 that for Krista to tell us about, but it's really 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:13.140 exciting to have you here, Krista. Thanks for 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:16.400 having me. I'm so excited. I'm really excited 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:20.439 that this is your first podcast. Me too. A little 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:23.299 nervous, but we'll get through it. You guys are 00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:25.219 going to love this story, and Krista's going 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:27.409 to be such a natural. You'll be like... Don't 00:01:27.409 --> 00:01:32.930 lie to us. But Krista, one of the questions we 00:01:32.930 --> 00:01:35.030 love to start off with with our entrepreneurs 00:01:35.030 --> 00:01:37.629 is, you know, what set you up to be an entrepreneur? 00:01:39.109 --> 00:01:42.730 That's such an interesting question. And when 00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:46.519 you. just asked me that. The first thing that 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:49.760 came to my head is driving in the car with my 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:54.620 mom as a little girl and I was probably about 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:58.260 10 or 11 years old and I wanted this lipstick 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:01.519 and I remember the lipstick being like $20 or 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:05.140 this was a while ago so I'm aging myself a little 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.260 bit but it was a lot of money for a lipstick 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:10.659 especially for a 10 year old girl. I mean, $20 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:14.539 for lipstick now is still a lot. Yes, fair. So 00:02:14.539 --> 00:02:16.979 I said, Mom, I was bugging her. I'm like, I really 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:18.500 want this lipstick. I really want this lipstick. 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:19.939 And she's like, well, save your money. And I'm 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:21.599 like, well, I don't have any money. I'm like, 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:24.680 can't you just buy it for me? And the conversation 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.879 shifted. And she looked at me and she said, don't 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.219 ever depend on anybody to buy you a lipstick. 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:35.300 And for whatever reason, that story has always 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:39.539 stuck with me. Yeah. Those are the moments that 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:43.000 sometimes, you know, it's like this is meaningful, 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:46.360 but why is it meaningful? How am I actually going 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:49.120 to action it? And it gets buried somewhere in 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:52.199 your subconscious. And it's incredible that you've 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:56.479 been an entrepreneur now for 15 years and now 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.439 this story is coming back to you. Yeah, it has. 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:01.780 And it all of a sudden, you know, resurfaces. 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:03.780 And then there's those little moments, you know, 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.159 as you go through life and when you look back. 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:07.900 you're like oh that was a changing moment for 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:11.340 me yeah I definitely have had a few moments like 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:14.150 that and it's just like Everything just ultimately 00:03:14.150 --> 00:03:18.009 works the way it should work. And sometimes we 00:03:18.009 --> 00:03:19.770 feel like we're not in control. Sometimes we 00:03:19.770 --> 00:03:21.610 feel like all these bad things are happening 00:03:21.610 --> 00:03:24.729 to us. Because I'm sure you were very disappointed 00:03:24.729 --> 00:03:27.270 in your mom at that moment for, like, not getting 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:29.770 you that lipstick you really wanted. Oh, for 00:03:29.770 --> 00:03:32.629 sure. Such a key life lesson learned at such 00:03:32.629 --> 00:03:35.430 a young age. I'd love to show you my lipstick 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:39.310 collection now. I want to see it. I truly do. 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:44.539 Yeah. Well. You, since you were 10 years old, 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:47.819 this has been sitting with you. But eventually 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:52.439 you started out, you got a career, you're working 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:55.099 for some really big companies. Tell us about 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:58.099 that and how you eventually became an entrepreneur 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:00.759 and what was that opportunity you saw? Yeah, 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.379 for sure. So I've worked, I've been really, really 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:06.479 blessed to work for some amazing companies. I've 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:09.080 worked for Holt Renfrew corporate office. I worked 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:13.919 for Rexall. Then after Rexall, I was recruited 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.579 to a company called Jarden Home Brands. And they 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:21.699 have 200 different household brands. And I was 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:25.579 on a baby company, Nook Gerber Baby. And I was 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:28.980 one of the only Canadian employees. So I started 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:33.379 there as a marketing manager and was working 00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:35.639 on the business. Then I got promoted up to sales 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:39.079 and marketing. And the business was going well 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:41.019 and we were getting great distribution across 00:04:41.019 --> 00:04:44.000 Canada. And they said, hey, do you want to work 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.319 on this other business that's not doing so well? 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:48.079 And I'm like, sure, give me all the stuff that's 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:52.399 not working. Let me fix it. And, you know, was 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:55.279 really enjoying myself and really just learning. 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:59.319 I was super young, really networking, meeting 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:01.519 a lot of great retailers and buyers and people. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.199 And then one day I thought, hey, like. I'm learning 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:08.360 so much and there's a really big need in the 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:13.120 market for independent consultation, for new 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:16.540 brands coming into Canada and really trying to 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:20.560 navigate this retail market and get into those 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.639 big stores and partner with the big guys. But 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.860 I didn't want to start with no clients. I didn't 00:05:27.860 --> 00:05:32.389 want to quit my job. and try and, you know, make 00:05:32.389 --> 00:05:35.350 a dollar from nothing. So I'm like, I went to 00:05:35.350 --> 00:05:37.970 my boss and I said, hey, listen, I know I'm the 00:05:37.970 --> 00:05:41.649 only Canadian employee. You pay me X, pay me 00:05:41.649 --> 00:05:45.029 less. Don't worry about my benefits and all that 00:05:45.029 --> 00:05:47.529 stuff. But hire me as a consultant and I'll do 00:05:47.529 --> 00:05:51.610 the exact same job. And they're like, OK, works 00:05:51.610 --> 00:05:57.949 for us. So my boss was now my first client. And 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:02.310 it just kind of went from there. That is one 00:06:02.310 --> 00:06:06.370 way. When you first told me this story, I was 00:06:06.370 --> 00:06:10.170 like, if I told the boss, hey, I'm just going 00:06:10.170 --> 00:06:13.389 to, you know, quit and you hire me as a consultant 00:06:13.389 --> 00:06:16.029 at a lower rate, they might look at me sideways. 00:06:16.529 --> 00:06:21.589 What do you think gave you the confidence to 00:06:21.589 --> 00:06:23.949 ask for something like that, knowing that, you 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:27.370 know? An employer is just like, well, you're 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:29.509 my employee. We're going to lose an employee 00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:33.310 technically. How do you create that sense of 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:37.310 comfort and stability for them while creating 00:06:37.310 --> 00:06:41.629 this huge opportunity for yourself? So I was 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:44.790 a committed employee. I was dedicated to my role, 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:47.870 but I was also committed to myself and my learning 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:50.970 and my future. And I was really transparent and 00:06:50.970 --> 00:06:55.250 honest with them on that. And I think that when 00:06:55.250 --> 00:06:57.670 you have those honest, transparent conversations 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:01.750 and it's not coming from a threatening place, 00:07:01.829 --> 00:07:04.430 just a self -growth place, and you can create 00:07:04.430 --> 00:07:08.100 an opportunity that works for you and. the other 00:07:08.100 --> 00:07:10.519 person, in this case, my employer, which it did. 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:13.620 I offered them a significant savings in my salary 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:17.560 and not having to worry about all the other stuff 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:20.980 that goes with an employee. It made sense. And 00:07:20.980 --> 00:07:23.779 so I created a solution that worked for both 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:27.540 of us. I would say your employer, your boss at 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:31.220 the time, was definitely way ahead of where we 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:34.860 even are right now to be able to accept something 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:36.939 like that from an employee. But it definitely. 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:40.720 takes real guts and real risk taken on your end 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:43.620 to come up with a solution like this. Yes, it's 00:07:43.620 --> 00:07:47.860 saving them. But just for you to put that together 00:07:47.860 --> 00:07:52.300 and say, hey, this is what I want to do, I think 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:55.279 is so incredible. And I haven't heard a story 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:57.660 like that before. And I think it's really special 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:00.279 and unique. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:02.920 And, you know, at the time, I weighed out my 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.399 options and it's what made sense, right? It's 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:09.439 what it made sense to me. You need to take risks 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:12.660 to have some reward. And I know that sounds cliche, 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:15.879 but it's true. And we continue to operate that, 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:19.300 operate just like that every day. Yeah, that's 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:21.660 really important. And that's what makes an entrepreneur 00:08:21.660 --> 00:08:25.100 in the first place. Like, we aren't risk -averse 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:30.180 people. But we also don't take, you know, silly 00:08:30.180 --> 00:08:32.919 risk. We just don't jump into something. It's 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:35.600 calculated. It's thoughtful. It's methodical 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.980 in so many ways. in everything that you did in 00:08:38.980 --> 00:08:42.740 that scenario, it most definitely shined through. 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:46.519 Yeah. So that actually is in our company values 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:49.360 today. So we have five values and one of them, 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:51.559 I think it's number three, is take calculated 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:55.559 risks. I love it. I love it. So that, I think 00:08:55.559 --> 00:08:59.240 it's such a good segue into our conversation 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:03.000 today. And going from, you know, stepping out 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:05.940 from being an employee to an entrepreneur, how 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:08.779 did you then... take your one client, which was 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:11.720 a big client, it comes with a big burden, and 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:15.000 start to grow that company that eventually turned 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:21.080 into Ray Management Group. So I think today there's 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:24.519 this, I don't know if the right word is like... 00:09:24.809 --> 00:09:29.129 lore or around being an entrepreneur that it's 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:33.350 like a sexy thing to be from my experience there's 00:09:33.350 --> 00:09:35.889 nothing sexy about being an entrepreneur and 00:09:35.889 --> 00:09:39.389 it's a boiled down to hustle and hard work and 00:09:39.389 --> 00:09:43.490 like you said calculated risks and it it never 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:48.029 stops sometimes when people ask me like why did 00:09:48.029 --> 00:09:50.710 you choose to be an entrepreneur and I say I 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:52.889 tell them all the reasons why but I also say 00:09:52.889 --> 00:09:56.950 you know It chose me. This is my path. It's in 00:09:56.950 --> 00:09:59.590 me. It's who I am. Chasing opportunities and 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:03.769 creating solutions. I enjoy it. I love it. But 00:10:03.769 --> 00:10:06.769 you're always doing that. It really never stops. 00:10:07.549 --> 00:10:11.629 And after you getting, you know, Jurgens was 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:15.289 your first big company or? Oh, Jarden. Jarden. 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:19.639 Jarden was your first big company that you? you 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:22.100 were consulting for. How did you take having 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:26.200 one client that's so big and grow it into a bigger 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:29.000 company? Take us through that process and your 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:33.059 growth stages. Yeah, so it was just me working 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:36.759 on the brands that I was always working on. And 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:39.639 then at night, I would work on trying to find 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:41.779 new brands who were trying to do the same thing. 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:45.580 And my background and my passion has been in 00:10:45.580 --> 00:10:49.620 beauty, personal care. baby type of product. 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:51.759 So I started with what I was passionate about 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:54.259 and what I liked. And I started going to trade 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.679 shows. Trade shows are often on the weekend. 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:59.299 So it didn't really interfere with my day to 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:02.240 day. And I would just network and meet people 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.120 and talk about what I was trying to do. And over 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.940 time, I was getting great referrals. I was getting, 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:11.720 you know, some good businesses, some not so good 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.279 businesses. But I wasn't saying no to anything. 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:17.100 I wasn't running P &Ls at that time across every 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:19.279 business. opportunity. I was taking every opportunity 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:22.519 that came my way and working really hard. And 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:25.539 I then hired a part time person and then a full 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:30.840 time person. And I got really lucky to meet some 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:33.860 wonderful people who were starting amazing brands 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:37.139 and they trusted me and they stayed with me for 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:40.940 a long time. And so we built our business from 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:45.139 there. That's incredible. And it shows like the 00:11:45.139 --> 00:11:49.059 passion and the tenacity to just keep going. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.240 And like you said, there's a lot of lore around, 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:54.860 you know, entrepreneurship just being sexy because 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.460 people only see the glamour and like, you know, 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:02.059 the awards and the lavish lifestyle, etc. But 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:04.620 before you got there, you had to work really 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:09.120 hard for what you have. Yeah. And there's nothing 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:12.129 that happens overnight. I've been doing this 00:12:12.129 --> 00:12:15.529 for a long time. I've had a ton of failures, 00:12:15.610 --> 00:12:18.970 way more failures than successes. And I know 00:12:18.970 --> 00:12:23.509 now to fail fast and call it a day. But there's 00:12:23.509 --> 00:12:27.669 always risk to take. And it's fun. You have to 00:12:27.669 --> 00:12:29.929 love what you're doing or else you're not going 00:12:29.929 --> 00:12:33.490 to do it. But it's what I love. And I'm super 00:12:33.490 --> 00:12:35.470 passionate about it. And it's all around creating 00:12:35.470 --> 00:12:39.470 solutions. And let's dive into that a little 00:12:39.470 --> 00:12:41.929 bit. I love what you said. said, fail fast. And, 00:12:41.950 --> 00:12:44.990 you know, it's kind of like a hot kind of phrase 00:12:44.990 --> 00:12:48.330 right now. But what did that mean to you? And 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:51.269 how did you bounce back from those failures that 00:12:51.269 --> 00:12:58.200 you experienced? Well, there's always a bounce 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.799 back, right, about not giving up and just keep 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:03.899 moving forward. In addition to Ray Management, 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:06.460 I own some smaller local businesses, and I can 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:08.879 give you some great examples there on Fail Fast. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:13.360 Absolutely. So I have a preschool, and it's six 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.889 years old. It's been in the works since I was 00:13:16.889 --> 00:13:19.230 pregnant with my daughter, who is now 10, so 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:23.470 11 years ago. So the first five years was trying 00:13:23.470 --> 00:13:27.090 to create this preschool. And I had bought a 00:13:27.090 --> 00:13:29.690 building with some little savings that I had 00:13:29.690 --> 00:13:32.970 at the time. And we're like, OK. I say we. It's 00:13:32.970 --> 00:13:37.129 like me and my husband, poor guy. I've been dragging 00:13:37.129 --> 00:13:39.129 him through this. I was like, OK, I'm going to 00:13:39.129 --> 00:13:41.789 renovate this great building. And I love it. 00:13:41.830 --> 00:13:43.330 And it's going to be awesome. And we started. 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:45.820 renovating it and i'm literally there like taking 00:13:45.820 --> 00:13:48.620 down walls with my brother and there was asbestos 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:52.700 in the walls and so i just sent all this money 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:58.879 on this building our savings and i can't do anything 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:04.210 with it um so I'm like, we either spend time 00:14:04.210 --> 00:14:07.429 and money and try to course correct this asbestos 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:09.990 issue or we sell it now and we call it a day. 00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:11.990 And I'm like, OK, we're going to sell it now 00:14:11.990 --> 00:14:15.450 and call it a day and try something else. And, 00:14:15.450 --> 00:14:17.649 you know, we were able to sell it at a little 00:14:17.649 --> 00:14:20.690 bit of a loss and I didn't let that get me down. 00:14:20.750 --> 00:14:22.990 I was like, OK, well, that was fun. Now I know 00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:26.309 to maybe check inside some walls before I purchase 00:14:26.309 --> 00:14:29.129 a building. Right. Or do a little bit more due 00:14:29.129 --> 00:14:31.399 diligence. And that's us. That's a small but 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:38.179 also a big example of failing fast. Also, I've 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:40.299 learned along the way, like if you don't know 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:42.620 something, like as an entrepreneur, you don't 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:46.039 know everything. Don't even really know anything. 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:48.279 You don't specialize in anything, right? You 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:51.919 have a passion. And you have to be good at everything, 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:56.000 but you're not great at everything. So find the 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:59.299 resources and create the network of the people 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:01.899 who are great at the things that you're not and 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:05.440 lean on them. Ask for help. What I found is people 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.139 want to help. Yeah, absolutely. And if you don't 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:11.519 ask, like you just can't get it. They just don't 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:14.480 know that you need it. Yeah, always ask. The 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:16.519 worst they can say is no. Again, I know that 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:19.080 sounds like, yeah, okay. But it's true. I mean, 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:22.299 very few people say no when you ask for help. 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:25.500 And it always comes full circle. It does. It 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:27.220 most definitely does. I've definitely learned 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:30.700 that in my own entrepreneurial journey. So the 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:33.100 point where there's so many people saying yes 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.440 to me in terms of helping me, I just don't even 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.269 know what. to do with all of the yeses. Oh, that's 00:15:38.269 --> 00:15:41.370 so nice. So such a good problem to have, but 00:15:41.370 --> 00:15:44.289 yet still a problem that I need to find a solution 00:15:44.289 --> 00:15:49.860 to. But back to like rate management group. So 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:52.320 you're growing this company. You're going to 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:56.740 trade shows. You're learning on your feet. Like 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.299 you're doing what you love. You have some not 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:03.700 so ideal clients. How did you evolve into Ray 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:07.039 Management Group? And what is now your specialty 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:10.200 at Ray? Okay. So we used to be called Global 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.799 Edge Brands. And Global Edge Brands was growing 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:17.440 really fast. And it was just me where I started. 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:21.580 Then I noticed that some of the brands had different 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:23.980 needs in the market, like warehousing and logistics 00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:26.179 and freight and things that I didn't really know 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.970 too much about. So I found a partner. And my 00:16:29.970 --> 00:16:32.409 partner at that time, he knew about all that 00:16:32.409 --> 00:16:35.889 stuff. So his job was to manage that. As you 00:16:35.889 --> 00:16:38.250 take on new responsibilities within a company, 00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:41.370 you know, you need cash. There's cash flow issues. 00:16:42.950 --> 00:16:46.110 So we needed another partner for capital investment. 00:16:46.669 --> 00:16:49.909 So we went to we asked a bunch of people that 00:16:49.909 --> 00:16:52.190 we knew. We found somebody, this awesome guy 00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:55.429 who is still I consider a mentor today to be 00:16:55.429 --> 00:16:59.850 a capital investor. Those two people ended up 00:16:59.850 --> 00:17:05.690 costing me, you know, 70 % of my business. So 00:17:05.690 --> 00:17:09.509 now I'm just over 30 % owner, which was fine 00:17:09.509 --> 00:17:12.410 because we were building something and I was 00:17:12.410 --> 00:17:17.690 excited. But as you learn and you grow, you say, 00:17:17.730 --> 00:17:20.069 okay, like what makes sense for me and what's 00:17:20.069 --> 00:17:22.470 working? So the business is growing. I now have 00:17:22.470 --> 00:17:27.150 two partners. Partners in a business is like 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:30.130 a marriage with people you're not in love with. 00:17:30.710 --> 00:17:34.990 That's very difficult. And it comes down for 00:17:34.990 --> 00:17:39.470 me to a values. conversation. And when there's 00:17:39.470 --> 00:17:42.529 misalignment within the values of an organization, 00:17:42.849 --> 00:17:46.450 that can cause a lot of chaos. So that company 00:17:46.450 --> 00:17:48.630 was great. We did it for a long time, but it 00:17:48.630 --> 00:17:51.130 got to a point for me where those values weren't 00:17:51.130 --> 00:17:53.930 aligned anymore. And it was time for me to say 00:17:53.930 --> 00:17:57.210 this isn't working. And that was a two -year 00:17:57.210 --> 00:17:59.769 decision. It was very difficult for me because 00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:02.430 this was my baby, right? And I had to walk away. 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:07.160 I didn't have to. It was a choice. And so I made 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:09.980 that choice. I said, oh, I'm going to take it 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:12.200 easy. I'm going to do something a little bit 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:16.819 smaller, focus on my local businesses. And that 00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:21.019 lasted a year. And Ray Management came up and 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:23.940 running. And I really said, OK, well, this time 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:27.799 I'm going to do it as a value -based company. 00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:31.319 And I'm going to stick to those values. And I'm 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:34.380 older now and I'm wiser now and I have the experience 00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:37.519 and I don't need to compromise myself and my 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:41.759 beliefs to be successful. And then I think it 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:44.640 comes also down to defining what success looks 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:47.650 like for you. And what does success look like 00:18:47.650 --> 00:18:50.150 for you? And if you can take us also through 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:52.529 your values, that would be really awesome to 00:18:52.529 --> 00:18:55.470 hear what those are. For sure. So success for 00:18:55.470 --> 00:18:58.049 me is waking up every day and loving what I do. 00:18:58.369 --> 00:19:02.009 And I do that. Even hard days. You know, this 00:19:02.009 --> 00:19:05.569 morning was a really hard day, but I still wanted 00:19:05.569 --> 00:19:08.349 to be there. I didn't want to go home and shut 00:19:08.349 --> 00:19:11.069 it off. I wanted to. persevere through the issues 00:19:11.069 --> 00:19:14.609 and learn from it. And I think if you're not 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:16.569 in an environment that you don't love, you don't 00:19:16.569 --> 00:19:21.470 necessarily always feel that way. So getting 00:19:21.470 --> 00:19:23.829 up in the morning and having the energy to want 00:19:23.829 --> 00:19:26.109 to go to work and persevere through the good 00:19:26.109 --> 00:19:30.779 and the bad to me is success. Absolutely. I get 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:33.380 to work with amazing people that I get to choose 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:35.839 who I want to work with, which is, I don't know 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:39.480 if there's any more success than that. I love 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.259 the people that I get to work with. They are 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:46.380 friends and family to me. I get to work on really 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:49.279 cool brands that I get to choose what brands 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:52.180 that we want to work on, which is very successful 00:19:52.180 --> 00:19:56.170 for me. And all of that comes with sacrifice. 00:19:56.349 --> 00:19:59.589 Right. And that's OK, because at the end of the 00:19:59.589 --> 00:20:04.309 day, like I'm living my values and to lead into 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:07.349 that, my values really are the company values 00:20:07.349 --> 00:20:11.450 as well. And so that's understanding your why. 00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:15.519 That is our first value. And no matter what you're 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.319 doing, no matter what decision you're making, 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:20.640 no matter what problem you're facing, you know, 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:22.819 take a step back and understand why am I doing 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:28.720 this? Why is such a huge question that I don't 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.859 think we ask enough of. And sometimes, you know, 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:33.579 I'm guilty of it as well. You get caught up in 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:35.500 the day to day or you get caught up in a situation. 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:37.660 And if you just take a step back and go, why? 00:20:38.990 --> 00:20:41.490 The solution is a lot easier than we think. Yeah, 00:20:41.529 --> 00:20:45.029 and it resets your frame of mind, right? And 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:49.630 you get to, okay, what is the real root of all 00:20:49.630 --> 00:20:53.349 of this? And how do I, you know, get to a place 00:20:53.349 --> 00:20:56.670 where I can solution this and be happy with it 00:20:56.670 --> 00:21:00.109 and be happy with myself at the end of the day? 00:21:00.309 --> 00:21:03.789 Yeah, absolutely. The second one is take calculated 00:21:03.789 --> 00:21:08.170 risks. We take risks every day. And, you know, 00:21:08.289 --> 00:21:11.690 my colleagues that I work with, I'm always encouraging 00:21:11.690 --> 00:21:14.430 them to take calculated risks. That's how we 00:21:14.430 --> 00:21:17.309 grow. That's how we learn. We don't need to play 00:21:17.309 --> 00:21:20.470 it safe. If we want to do big things, we got 00:21:20.470 --> 00:21:24.230 to make big moves and hard decisions. So that's 00:21:24.230 --> 00:21:26.549 another value. And that's, again, personally 00:21:26.549 --> 00:21:33.079 and professionally. Collaborate. is huge and 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:36.440 that goes down to the importance of your network 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.619 and the people around you and I didn't always 00:21:39.619 --> 00:21:44.500 understand that as much as I do today but for 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.579 me relationships and the relationships that I've 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:50.400 been able to make along the way are so important 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:55.220 to me and you know I don't know what I would 00:21:55.220 --> 00:22:01.170 do without the team I have. Yeah. The fourth 00:22:01.170 --> 00:22:08.079 one would be to find creative solutions. Oftentimes 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:10.180 the right solution is right in front of you and 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:12.160 we don't need to overcomplicate it. But also 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:14.960 there's creative ways to do things and it's not 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:19.059 A or B. I for a long time was a person that was 00:22:19.059 --> 00:22:21.960 black or white. It's this way or it's that way. 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:24.480 I've learned along the way that there's always 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:27.019 a gray and there's always something in between. 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:30.660 And we need to think creatively in order to get 00:22:30.660 --> 00:22:33.920 there. Yeah, I love that. So when you actually 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.359 talked about collaboration and really talking 00:22:37.359 --> 00:22:42.640 about what that team looks like, I go back to, 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:45.259 you know, thinking about how superheroes are 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:48.200 portrayed as today. Like superheroes, they're 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:51.440 typically pretty independent or they have like 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:55.259 a sidekick. But really, like when you're finding 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:57.960 solutions to bigger things and things that make 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:00.119 a lot of sense, it's not just one person that 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:02.809 does. that. It's, you know, it's this massive 00:23:02.809 --> 00:23:05.650 team of people. Yes, there might be a face to 00:23:05.650 --> 00:23:09.049 the front of that, but there's that huge support 00:23:09.049 --> 00:23:11.390 system that's in the back. And those are the 00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:13.569 folks that are collaborating with you to help 00:23:13.569 --> 00:23:16.329 bring your vision to life. Oh, absolutely. I 00:23:16.329 --> 00:23:18.289 mean, we had a really tough decision to make 00:23:18.289 --> 00:23:23.069 today. I never make decisions in a silo. I'm 00:23:23.069 --> 00:23:25.630 always like calling group meetings or family 00:23:25.630 --> 00:23:30.089 meeting. Let's have a discussion. Let's get everybody's 00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:32.750 perspective. And it's so interesting when you 00:23:32.750 --> 00:23:36.029 take the time to do that. What comes out of it 00:23:36.029 --> 00:23:39.569 is never really what you're thinking. And oftentimes, 00:23:39.990 --> 00:23:42.450 especially, I mean, today is a perfect example. 00:23:42.529 --> 00:23:46.089 My team pushed me out of my comfort zone to do 00:23:46.089 --> 00:23:48.789 something that I wouldn't have done otherwise. 00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:52.670 And, you know, they asked me, why, Krista? Like, 00:23:52.710 --> 00:23:55.109 why are you doing this? Why don't you want to 00:23:55.109 --> 00:23:57.950 do this? And I said, well, I'm scared. You know, 00:23:58.049 --> 00:24:01.609 I it's a it's a scary thing. And basically they're 00:24:01.609 --> 00:24:03.630 like, we got your back. Do this. This is the 00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:05.750 right thing. This is why we're doing what we're 00:24:05.750 --> 00:24:08.269 doing. And we got to stand up for what's right 00:24:08.269 --> 00:24:12.029 for us and our values. So let's do it. That's 00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:14.630 incredible. Yeah, it was such a proud moment. 00:24:14.750 --> 00:24:18.349 It like brought tears to my eyes. Wow. Wow. That's 00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:21.650 that's huge, because as a leader within your 00:24:21.650 --> 00:24:25.859 own company to have a team that. supports you 00:24:25.859 --> 00:24:28.279 in those moments when you're kind of on shaky 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:30.359 grounds and you're just like I just don't know 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:33.940 what to do I think That's a huge win and probably 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:38.119 another marker of success for you too. I would 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:40.420 absolutely count that as a marker of success. 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:43.359 Yeah, absolutely. And I've also learned to be 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:45.799 transparent with your team. Yeah. Right? And 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.079 just have those open, honest conversations with 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.940 them as well. And they get it. Yeah. Yeah, most 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:56.759 definitely. So Ray is growing, but you've found 00:24:56.759 --> 00:25:01.259 a really unique niche within the agency world. 00:25:01.289 --> 00:25:03.769 because there are agencies on every corner agencies 00:25:03.769 --> 00:25:06.630 that say we do everything agencies that only 00:25:06.630 --> 00:25:10.089 do one thing but you've carved out a really unique 00:25:10.089 --> 00:25:13.630 niche tell tell us about that and how you identified 00:25:13.630 --> 00:25:18.089 it yeah so I like to say if we were a hashtag 00:25:18.089 --> 00:25:22.789 we would be the brand behind the brands and we 00:25:22.789 --> 00:25:27.440 take international brands we bring them into 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:30.200 the Canadian market we work with our retail partners 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:35.920 and we help to sell launch analyze market take 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.619 care of from an operations perspective those 00:25:38.619 --> 00:25:43.289 brands as if they are our own Oftentimes, the 00:25:43.289 --> 00:25:46.170 Canadian market is deemed small to some of these 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:50.049 global companies. And for them to put a dedicated 00:25:50.049 --> 00:25:52.430 team on it just doesn't make sense for their 00:25:52.430 --> 00:25:55.869 P &L. So it makes sense for them to have an external 00:25:55.869 --> 00:26:00.009 partner that acts as their team on the ground. 00:26:00.089 --> 00:26:03.849 And that's what we do. That is really cool. How 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:06.289 did you first identify that? I know you worked 00:26:06.289 --> 00:26:09.750 for lots of big brands before in your previous 00:26:09.750 --> 00:26:13.730 company, but when did you say, hmm, the Canadian 00:26:13.730 --> 00:26:16.589 market's a great market because it's so diverse 00:26:16.589 --> 00:26:20.549 and we need options for people, more and more 00:26:20.549 --> 00:26:24.029 options because of... Our diverse culture is 00:26:24.029 --> 00:26:26.970 here and bringing in these brands that people 00:26:26.970 --> 00:26:30.529 can probably resonate with, solve very unique 00:26:30.529 --> 00:26:34.089 problems for them. How did you see that this 00:26:34.089 --> 00:26:36.450 was an opportunity and these brands still have 00:26:36.450 --> 00:26:39.809 a huge opportunity within Canada to be successful 00:26:39.809 --> 00:26:42.470 as well? Yeah. So when I was on the other side 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:47.869 as a buyer or even as a country manager with 00:26:47.869 --> 00:26:52.720 Jarden, I would hire. big companies or a bunch 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:56.000 of sales reps to manage different accounts or 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:58.140 different retailers within their territories. 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:01.920 And when you have a bunch of people who aren't 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:05.940 focused on doing the same thing, it can take 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:08.759 away from the brand. And it can take away from 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:11.799 the objectives of the brand. So we have a very 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:15.039 holistic approach across the country. We deal 00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:19.079 with all the major retailers. We are extensions 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:22.579 of that brand. And we make sure that we are aligned 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:26.440 and create KPIs that not only nurture that brand 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:29.000 as our own, but help it to grow and succeed. 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:33.980 And when I was... On the other side of the business, 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:37.779 I could never find that. There wasn't a company 00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:41.940 that really offered a service like that. There 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.200 were really mass companies that would have, let's 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:46.420 say, an account manager who managed maybe five 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:49.299 or six brands. But then I would just be a part 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:53.000 of their portfolio. And I wouldn't have the representation 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:57.279 that I wanted as the brand owner. So we have 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.839 a very niche approach where there's not more. 00:28:01.450 --> 00:28:05.269 then um team that's working on two brands at 00:28:05.269 --> 00:28:08.190 a time. So they really live and breathe those 00:28:08.190 --> 00:28:12.109 brands. And that's even like, that's better than 00:28:12.109 --> 00:28:14.950 people in the whole corporate world. Because 00:28:14.950 --> 00:28:17.250 I come from the corporate world where as a marketing 00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.009 manager, like you said, you yourself had over 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:25.690 200 brands, right? So having someone solely focused 00:28:25.690 --> 00:28:28.890 on, you know, pretty much half their time is 00:28:28.890 --> 00:28:31.910 dedicated to your brand. You couldn't even do 00:28:31.910 --> 00:28:34.970 that in Internally. So that's a huge win. Yeah, 00:28:35.069 --> 00:28:38.470 we're really helping organizations streamline 00:28:38.470 --> 00:28:42.069 their P &Ls and drive more profit. Oftentimes 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:45.470 when these global companies come to work with 00:28:45.470 --> 00:28:48.349 us, we run P &Ls for them to say, here, here's 00:28:48.349 --> 00:28:50.349 why it makes sense to work with us. Just look 00:28:50.349 --> 00:28:52.349 at your net profit at the end of the day. And 00:28:52.349 --> 00:28:56.230 they're blown away because we really do have 00:28:56.230 --> 00:29:02.609 a very specialized, focused approach. we don't 00:29:02.609 --> 00:29:08.079 have certain P &L expectations. We take on brands 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.740 for a plethora of reasons. First of all, we have 00:29:11.740 --> 00:29:15.279 to love the brand. We have to believe in what 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:17.559 they're doing and their values as an organization. 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:22.960 And we have to love working with the people that 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:24.720 represent the brand because this is where we 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:27.940 spend so much time. So if all of those things 00:29:27.940 --> 00:29:31.119 come into play and they work, then we go back 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:33.279 and we number crunch and we love to number crunch. 00:29:33.769 --> 00:29:36.210 love to look at businesses as a whole, but we 00:29:36.210 --> 00:29:38.450 don't have a certain expectation. We look at, 00:29:38.450 --> 00:29:41.289 again, success as a bigger, broader picture. 00:29:41.609 --> 00:29:45.910 So while we may be making more money with one 00:29:45.910 --> 00:29:49.789 company versus another, there is a certain level 00:29:49.789 --> 00:29:53.900 of... If we look at revenue in a broader way, 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:56.279 what else are we getting from this brand? So 00:29:56.279 --> 00:29:59.059 if we can contribute to, for example, a women 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:02.880 -owned company coming in from the U .S. and we 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:05.859 get them on the shelves of a shopper's drug mart 00:30:05.859 --> 00:30:08.480 or a Walmart and they have this amazing give 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.619 -back program that we can contribute to, but 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:14.579 we have to take less revenue at the end of the 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:17.119 day from it, we look at that as awesome success. 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:20.130 And we get to be part of that. And that's what 00:30:20.130 --> 00:30:22.829 really transforms the world in a lot of ways, 00:30:22.910 --> 00:30:26.150 right? And it's not a loss on you because, like, 00:30:26.269 --> 00:30:29.630 you're happy at the end of the day. And, like, 00:30:29.670 --> 00:30:33.170 can we put a price on your happiness and joy 00:30:33.170 --> 00:30:36.130 versus taking, like, other customers that will 00:30:36.130 --> 00:30:39.490 give you that really high, like, you know, profit 00:30:39.490 --> 00:30:43.289 margin but is the biggest pain in you -know -what 00:30:43.289 --> 00:30:47.740 to deal with on a daily basis. I know that. Those 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:50.819 are the clients you fire. Yes, yeah. And that's 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:55.000 the other thing, you know, we work really hard 00:30:55.000 --> 00:31:00.259 to identify that and say we're not happy either. 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:02.980 And just because you're our client doesn't mean 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:06.839 that you can treat us any way that you want to 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:09.700 or that we're going to do things that we don't 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:12.400 believe in or doesn't make sense for us. And 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:14.720 so that's a hard place to be in, right, when 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:18.460 clients are paying your bills. we do work to 00:31:18.460 --> 00:31:20.880 stand up for what we believe in. Yeah. And I 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:24.680 think anytime you have standards and expectations 00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:28.579 and they're clear and transparent, whether you're, 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:32.259 you know, a business, a person, I think you always 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:35.180 attract the right people that will, you know, 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:38.460 meet you where you're at and help you go where 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:42.160 you want to go and vice versa. And so we kind 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:45.160 of have to set that standard. And because when 00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:48.920 you're one, One thing to everybody, you're not 00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:51.859 really making anybody happy or you're not really 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:55.759 solving something in an incredible way. And that's 00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:57.960 including like for yourself, like you're not 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:00.880 happy at the end of the day because you're being 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:05.019 too flexible for everybody. And that's not really, 00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:08.579 you know, sustainable. No, absolutely. And I 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:11.319 think as women, it's important to know your worth 00:32:11.319 --> 00:32:15.099 as well and remember that. And that's hard to 00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:18.789 do. sometimes. Yeah. Do you find being a woman 00:32:18.789 --> 00:32:23.789 in today's climate challenging as an entrepreneur, 00:32:23.930 --> 00:32:27.289 even when you started? Like what was that experience 00:32:27.289 --> 00:32:33.789 in your journey? Yeah. So 15 years ago, very, 00:32:33.910 --> 00:32:38.210 very challenging. I remember going into a meeting 00:32:38.210 --> 00:32:43.289 with some men and the two men said, are you going 00:32:43.289 --> 00:32:46.119 to go get the coffee? I'm like, what? I'm here 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:47.880 to do the same thing you are. Why am I going 00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:49.720 to go get the coffee? And I mean, that would 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:52.940 never happen today. Thank goodness. Like we have 00:32:52.940 --> 00:33:00.019 come so far. But I definitely see it and it definitely 00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:04.420 still exists today, unfortunately, on some levels. 00:33:04.859 --> 00:33:08.319 But I do think overall, you know, we're changing 00:33:08.319 --> 00:33:12.279 and you have to be able to stand up for yourself 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:16.900 and know your worth. I have more moments than 00:33:16.900 --> 00:33:20.079 than not where, you know, you start to second 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:21.980 guess yourself or you're feeling threatened in 00:33:21.980 --> 00:33:25.440 a meeting based on just the energy. Right. You 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.339 know, females tend to be a little bit softer 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:30.279 and a little bit more gentle. And so my business 00:33:30.279 --> 00:33:33.319 partner used to joke around my old business partner 00:33:33.319 --> 00:33:35.319 and say, you know, the softest thing about you 00:33:35.319 --> 00:33:39.799 is your teeth. And I'm like, well, I've. been 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:43.299 forced to be like that, right? Like you have 00:33:43.299 --> 00:33:46.359 to get tough, but you don't anymore. You can 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:50.039 be soft. You can have a feminine, gentle approach 00:33:50.039 --> 00:33:53.420 and still navigate through the world. So I love 00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:57.180 that that's changing. I'm definitely a big proponent 00:33:57.180 --> 00:34:00.299 of that and support women in leadership. Yeah, 00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:03.799 that gives me a lot of hope because. The industry 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:06.079 that I'm in, which is the financial industry, 00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:10.420 is so dominated by men. And that was a big fear 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:13.300 of mine when I started. I was just like, how 00:34:13.300 --> 00:34:16.920 do I, with no experience in this financial industry, 00:34:17.139 --> 00:34:21.659 come in and be also a woman at a table that's 00:34:21.659 --> 00:34:26.159 dominated by men, you know? And that have been 00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:28.960 in this world for so long. How do I carve that 00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:32.559 credibility? It goes back to like having that 00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:36.300 confidence, being true to who you are and that, 00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:40.019 you know, that space is then created for you 00:34:40.019 --> 00:34:41.860 to be there. And even when it's uncomfortable, 00:34:42.300 --> 00:34:45.239 it eventually gets a little bit more comfortable. 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:47.940 Yeah, absolutely. Or you get comfortable in the 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:50.420 uncomfortable. Yeah. Right. And I think that's 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:53.039 super important, too. Yeah. I love that. I love 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:55.880 that. I actually had a shirt that said that once 00:34:55.880 --> 00:34:59.000 upon a time. I need that shirt. I just thought 00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:05.559 I made that up. No. It's a big thing? No, no, 00:35:05.579 --> 00:35:08.199 no, no. It's, you know, the smart people, we 00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:10.940 get it. We get it. We just know. Okay, fair. 00:35:11.639 --> 00:35:17.139 Yeah. Yeah, so you've grown the company, and 00:35:17.139 --> 00:35:19.619 it's here. You've carved out this really unique 00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:25.309 niche. What's next for Ray? So there's so many 00:35:25.309 --> 00:35:29.949 exciting things on the horizon. We actually are 00:35:29.949 --> 00:35:34.489 working on some of our own brands. And we are 00:35:34.489 --> 00:35:39.469 so lucky to see brands at every different stage. 00:35:39.550 --> 00:35:42.030 And we also see it from the retailer side and 00:35:42.030 --> 00:35:44.369 we see it from the consumer side. So it gives 00:35:44.369 --> 00:35:47.489 us this really unique advantage to say, what's... 00:35:47.789 --> 00:35:50.769 actually needed. What do consumers want? What 00:35:50.769 --> 00:35:53.809 do they need? How can we create a solution there? 00:35:54.070 --> 00:35:56.570 And we've carved out two really unique opportunities 00:35:56.570 --> 00:35:59.829 that we're working on. So I would love if one 00:35:59.829 --> 00:36:02.170 day one of those or both of those opportunities 00:36:02.170 --> 00:36:05.289 to come to fruition and we are able to operate 00:36:05.289 --> 00:36:07.949 our own brands as well. That's something that 00:36:07.949 --> 00:36:11.409 we're working on. Another big initiative for 00:36:11.409 --> 00:36:14.150 us is working hand in hand with the retailers 00:36:14.150 --> 00:36:18.000 and helping them understand new ways of looking 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:21.679 at shelf space and what they call planograms 00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:24.960 and what's on shelf today. What should be on 00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:27.300 shelf? Should it be just the big guys with the 00:36:27.300 --> 00:36:30.519 deep pockets who are able to pay for space? Or 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:36.579 can we make room for smaller brands that have 00:36:36.579 --> 00:36:38.639 a different purpose behind them? And I think 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:41.719 that's so important for the economy. Especially 00:36:41.719 --> 00:36:44.840 in the Canadian market, there's not a huge retail 00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:46.940 landscape. There's not a lot of competition. 00:36:47.500 --> 00:36:51.159 So that's a big initiative for me personally 00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:55.139 as well is to say, hey, like, why are you putting 00:36:55.139 --> 00:36:59.280 that on the shelf, you know, and try and transition 00:36:59.280 --> 00:37:03.059 our values outwardly as well. So that, you know, 00:37:03.079 --> 00:37:05.420 maybe those buyers or the leadership team is 00:37:05.420 --> 00:37:06.920 saying, like, why are we doing this and what 00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:09.480 are we contributing to and how can we do better? 00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:14.809 Yeah. I love that. I think, you know, real estate 00:37:14.809 --> 00:37:19.010 and those planograms is really real estate for 00:37:19.010 --> 00:37:21.849 real. Yeah. You know, the housing market's crazy 00:37:21.849 --> 00:37:26.110 right now. Well, it's wilder in the grocery store. 00:37:26.190 --> 00:37:28.809 Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm glad you know that because 00:37:28.809 --> 00:37:31.130 it's, you know, I know you have some background 00:37:31.130 --> 00:37:36.750 and experience in retail. A lot of people don't 00:37:36.750 --> 00:37:39.670 know that you've got to pay to play and it costs 00:37:39.670 --> 00:37:43.250 huge money to get on those shelves. And so how 00:37:43.250 --> 00:37:46.050 does a startup with a really amazing product 00:37:46.050 --> 00:37:49.469 and a really amazing mission get on the shelf 00:37:49.469 --> 00:37:52.190 when they're just trying to get by and create 00:37:52.190 --> 00:37:56.230 awesome things? And so when you come to a company 00:37:56.230 --> 00:37:58.969 like Ray Management Group, we've learned how 00:37:58.969 --> 00:38:04.809 to navigate those waters and really help. Talk 00:38:04.809 --> 00:38:07.789 to the retailers and educate them on why that's 00:38:07.789 --> 00:38:10.130 important. Yeah, maybe they're going to lose 00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:13.110 some, you know, dollars per square foot on that 00:38:13.110 --> 00:38:15.809 on that particular shelf. But what are we doing 00:38:15.809 --> 00:38:20.289 to build a better economy? And I know that sounds 00:38:20.289 --> 00:38:26.099 like really grandiosis, but. Everybody has power 00:38:26.099 --> 00:38:30.079 in what you choose to buy on shelf. And so, you 00:38:30.079 --> 00:38:32.280 know, that's another side of the business that 00:38:32.280 --> 00:38:35.460 we're working on is educating consumers on the 00:38:35.460 --> 00:38:38.639 power of their dollars. Yeah. And I think that's 00:38:38.639 --> 00:38:42.889 something huge. Like people should be. And I 00:38:42.889 --> 00:38:45.289 think people are switching to more of that mindset 00:38:45.289 --> 00:38:48.210 where where you spend your dollars is what you 00:38:48.210 --> 00:38:52.269 care about. And, you know, you know, dollars 00:38:52.269 --> 00:38:54.769 are tight these days. You know, we have the scary 00:38:54.769 --> 00:38:59.469 R word around the corner. So how do you how do 00:38:59.469 --> 00:39:01.949 you put your brands? And how do you put your 00:39:01.949 --> 00:39:04.690 dollar to the brands that really matter? How 00:39:04.690 --> 00:39:07.510 do you make sure that your own backyard is taken 00:39:07.510 --> 00:39:11.269 care of? And that's something I, you know, I 00:39:11.269 --> 00:39:13.150 really love. And that's one of the reasons I 00:39:13.150 --> 00:39:15.710 started this podcast is because I think it's 00:39:15.710 --> 00:39:18.510 important to support entrepreneurs and businesses 00:39:18.510 --> 00:39:21.829 in your own backyard. Yes, a lot of us love the 00:39:21.829 --> 00:39:24.530 big, big companies. And especially when we think 00:39:24.530 --> 00:39:27.010 about, you know, this time of year when people 00:39:27.010 --> 00:39:29.909 are spending so much money. We just had Hamilton 00:39:29.909 --> 00:39:34.090 Day. I think is such a huge opportunity for businesses. 00:39:34.289 --> 00:39:38.070 And it was such a mobilization of like the community. 00:39:38.250 --> 00:39:40.670 So shout out to the chamber on that. That was 00:39:40.670 --> 00:39:44.590 fantastic. Such an exciting day. But if we can 00:39:44.590 --> 00:39:46.989 do that every day. Right. We can do that every 00:39:46.989 --> 00:39:49.690 day. And something I wanted you to talk about 00:39:49.690 --> 00:39:52.809 before we even wrap up the podcast is, you know, 00:39:52.809 --> 00:39:56.460 this. thing you have called fish food oh yeah 00:39:56.460 --> 00:40:00.119 uh let's talk about fish food and um tell the 00:40:00.119 --> 00:40:03.679 people about fish food what it is and um and 00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:05.480 how people can potentially participate in the 00:40:05.480 --> 00:40:09.539 future for sure so we we work with big brands 00:40:09.539 --> 00:40:13.119 big companies a lot of celebrity founded type 00:40:13.119 --> 00:40:17.420 of brands and so we're sitting around earlier 00:40:17.420 --> 00:40:21.019 maybe a year ago at this time and just having 00:40:21.019 --> 00:40:23.780 some brainstorming and we said you know we do 00:40:23.780 --> 00:40:26.260 all these amazing things for these big brands 00:40:26.260 --> 00:40:28.559 or maybe even smaller brands that are coming 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:31.960 into the market but what what about locally like 00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:34.219 what can we do that's a little bit more local 00:40:34.219 --> 00:40:36.199 a little bit more community -based we have this 00:40:36.199 --> 00:40:38.980 awesome city that we're in and there's some great 00:40:38.980 --> 00:40:42.019 talent and we thought about you know you know 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:44.440 the show fish tank where everybody's going up 00:40:44.440 --> 00:40:49.170 and basically fighting for position for investment 00:40:49.170 --> 00:40:51.849 in the business and for guidance on what they've 00:40:51.849 --> 00:40:55.619 created. We said, why does it have to be? a fight 00:40:55.619 --> 00:41:00.079 and so we created fish food and fish food is 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:03.519 about partnering with local community -based 00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:07.619 brands or businesses and either providing investment 00:41:07.619 --> 00:41:12.579 or guidance or strategic overview and partnering 00:41:12.579 --> 00:41:15.460 with them in a bigger way to help them grow and 00:41:15.460 --> 00:41:19.070 help them become some of those big brands and 00:41:19.070 --> 00:41:22.630 they're right next door. Yeah that's really really 00:41:22.630 --> 00:41:25.590 exciting because I mean Hamilton has so many 00:41:25.590 --> 00:41:28.769 creatives in like so many different ways whether 00:41:28.769 --> 00:41:31.590 it's like these home -based businesses that have 00:41:31.590 --> 00:41:35.329 something so unique that can like come out and 00:41:35.329 --> 00:41:40.230 become something really cool. I went to a show 00:41:40.230 --> 00:41:43.519 at the Cotton Factory a couple A couple of months 00:41:43.519 --> 00:41:45.820 ago, I want to say it was September, and I came 00:41:45.820 --> 00:41:48.699 across this business that has this whole, like, 00:41:48.719 --> 00:41:52.639 bath experience. Wow. And I was so perplexed 00:41:52.639 --> 00:41:54.699 by it. I have her card somewhere in one of my 00:41:54.699 --> 00:41:58.159 purses, and I need to reach out. But it was such 00:41:58.159 --> 00:42:02.239 a curated, thoughtful process. I was just like... 00:42:02.559 --> 00:42:04.960 more people should experience this. And I think 00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:08.199 businesses like that would be such a great opportunity 00:42:08.199 --> 00:42:11.179 to take part in fish food and, you know, grow 00:42:11.179 --> 00:42:14.840 that experience organically and grow it even 00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:17.699 faster and reach scales that they never really 00:42:17.699 --> 00:42:20.679 imagined. Yeah, and oftentimes, you know, what 00:42:20.679 --> 00:42:25.159 I've noticed as an entrepreneur in very different 00:42:25.159 --> 00:42:27.800 perspectives is... You know, some people want 00:42:27.800 --> 00:42:29.820 to go into business for themselves because they 00:42:29.820 --> 00:42:31.719 have a really great product or a really great 00:42:31.719 --> 00:42:34.619 idea. And that's awesome. But they don't always 00:42:34.619 --> 00:42:38.219 know how to scale that or how to manage that. 00:42:38.360 --> 00:42:41.420 And so, you know, if we can help, we definitely 00:42:41.420 --> 00:42:43.780 want to help. You know, that's what we're all 00:42:43.780 --> 00:42:47.219 here for as well. Similar to you with your financial 00:42:47.219 --> 00:42:50.840 side of the business. People need help and guidance. 00:42:50.900 --> 00:42:54.079 So we want to, you know, allocate some of our 00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:58.869 time to. be community focused and locally focused 00:42:58.869 --> 00:43:02.429 and see where that goes. Yeah. Well, that's so 00:43:02.429 --> 00:43:05.050 exciting. What's something you're proud of, like 00:43:05.050 --> 00:43:09.730 as an entrepreneur? So that's something I'm learning, 00:43:09.929 --> 00:43:15.889 still learning to be proud and celebrating the 00:43:15.889 --> 00:43:20.650 successes. I can't say that I have figured that 00:43:20.650 --> 00:43:25.659 out a hundred percent, but You know, the first 00:43:25.659 --> 00:43:29.539 thing that comes to me is my team. I'm so proud 00:43:29.539 --> 00:43:33.480 of my team and so proud to be around such great 00:43:33.480 --> 00:43:37.440 people every day that I truly do feel blessed 00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:39.880 because I've been in a lot of situations where 00:43:39.880 --> 00:43:42.920 that's not the case. So I don't take that for 00:43:42.920 --> 00:43:47.059 granted at all. That's awesome. I like it. Krista, 00:43:47.079 --> 00:43:50.860 this was... an incredible conversation. I learned 00:43:50.860 --> 00:43:54.440 so much about you. Loved your like your your 00:43:54.440 --> 00:43:57.480 five. What did you call them again? Your five 00:43:57.480 --> 00:44:03.300 values. Values. Yes. Yes. Those those are great. 00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:05.719 And I can't wait to share them with our audience 00:44:05.719 --> 00:44:08.860 and, you know, challenge people like create your 00:44:08.860 --> 00:44:11.780 own values for your business and yourself. And, 00:44:11.820 --> 00:44:14.559 you know, once you kind of. put those out there 00:44:14.559 --> 00:44:18.000 and you say, here's my standard, you'll get the 00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:20.400 customers that you want. And you just have to 00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:22.260 make sure that you're demonstrating those as 00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:25.380 well yourself. Yeah, absolutely. Exciting. Yeah. 00:44:25.840 --> 00:44:29.699 So thank you again so much for being here. It 00:44:29.699 --> 00:44:33.199 was such a pleasure. And I know everyone definitely 00:44:33.199 --> 00:44:35.780 had, you know, their little notepads, taking 00:44:35.780 --> 00:44:38.320 all the notes from all of your experiences, because 00:44:38.320 --> 00:44:40.699 I definitely learned a lot from you today. Thank 00:44:40.699 --> 00:44:43.699 you so much. It was so great to be here. It was. 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:48.869 Thank you so much, Krista. Bye. A huge thank 00:44:48.869 --> 00:44:51.969 you to you, our listeners, for tuning in every 00:44:51.969 --> 00:44:54.369 week to hear about our buzzworthy businesses. 00:44:54.889 --> 00:44:57.989 Don't forget to rate us on whatever platform 00:44:57.989 --> 00:45:01.230 you're listening and following us at at Hamilton 00:45:01.230 --> 00:45:05.369 Hive on all of the social media platforms. But 00:45:05.369 --> 00:45:08.730 most importantly, we want to thank our team of 00:45:08.730 --> 00:45:12.190 dedicated volunteers who make this podcast possible 00:45:12.190 --> 00:45:17.010 on a weekly basis. So here we go. Cesar Cardena. 00:45:17.449 --> 00:45:22.869 Khaled Imam, James Clark, Trisha Ford, Ratri 00:45:22.869 --> 00:45:27.190 Toon, Hirsh Kumar Patel, Fernando Rodriguez, 00:45:27.829 --> 00:45:31.909 Yvette R., and yours truly, Shalacia Harris. 00:45:32.050 --> 00:45:35.230 Don't forget to tune in next Monday for a new 00:45:35.230 --> 00:45:37.230 episode of Buzzworthy.