Unlocking Business Growth - exploring achievements, challenges and what's interesting

Governance, which is effective decision making, is gaining increasing recognition as ESG measurement and reporting becomes more mainstream.  Boards of directors are being held increasingly accountable to fully perform their strategic and governance role for their organizations; no longer serving a purpose to rubber-stamp management decisions where they are called to serve the best interests of the organization and stakeholders. 

But how does an organization access a diverse pool of qualified board candidates and perform at their best with a united vision of their strategy and operation?  Enter DirectHer Network to open governance to a broader community, with an emphasis on women, and BoardWell to train boards of directors to work as a team with an agreed definition of strategy and activity.

Tune in to hear about

• How a USA election led to an organization to empower women to take their place at the board table.
• The most important question not on most board agendas. 
• Curious questions and actions to enhance governance, board of directors value, and director service.
• The value derived from achieving alignment of the individual members of the board of directors.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode

DirectHer Network

BoardWell

Persuading her MBA class to work on solving a need she had identified set Serese Selanders on a highly successful entrepreneurial journey.  Despite not personally having the technical qualifications necessary for the task Serese developed a technology solution with significant market demand that is successfully growing two companies, simultaneously.  

Serese had searched for a discrete personal panic button or safety device that could be used by the older adult demographic, and determined one was not available, so she invented one.  Little did she know at the time how versatile her solution was or that it would be drawn to fill a need for workforce protection and monitoring, lone worker safety, personal protection in vulnerable groups, and the original senior adult market.

Serese believes that a founder’s grit and determination to solve their identified product or service need despite challenges is what makes them successful.  A company’s culture will always win in the effort to attract and retain the best employees with a diverse mix of skillsets, cultural heritage, work habits, etc.  

Tune in to hear about

• The amazing functional, yet attractive and discrete, hardware and software solution that keep users safe and connected to their employers and loved ones. 
• Encouragement for women to be bold and lead in entrepreneurship, even in industries not normally considered “female”, and in the absence of personal expertise to develop the solution.
• What is a risk that is also an opportunity for Serese’s technology and companies.
• How little funding has been required and why now is an excellent time to open a round for growth of ORA and SolusGuard.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode

Serese Selanders LinkedIn – mention the Unlocking Business Growth podcast

ORA website 

SolusGuard website 

After moving to Canada “for a few years” of post-qualification exploration and experience Dr. Ingemaud Gerber found her passion in the proactive and holistic health space.  Combining her practice in health-span, quality of life and aesthetic care, with service in both acute and long-term care she especially enjoys the ability to work with patients who make informed decisions for a healthy life.

Dr. Gerber’s anecdotal evidence suggests it may take up to three years for patients to make healthy changes to their habits.  Mindset is the most important factor that promotes or inhibits change – until or unless a person wants to make the change it will not happen.

Trends indicate a move for people to seek information which informs their decisions towards longer, healthier lives with reduced dependence on acute care, and a reduction in drug use (many of which have side-effects that may compound other signs of ageing).  Unfortunately all take work, there are no quick fixes despite many patents desiring a drug that is the solution which “avoids” the effort inherent in improved lifestyle.

Tune in to hear about

• The four pillars that enhance and support health.
• The best drug a physician can prescribe.
• The components of a comprehensive medical and wellness service.
• Signals that tell a health professional that a patient does, or does not, have an improvement mindset.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode
INLIV Website  

Having herself been exposed to personal development Leah Fink is passionate about helping people develop skills in self-awareness and mental health.  She is especially enthusiastic about developing youth on the journey because of the benefit she derived from similar experience, and because it provides an exceptional foundation from which to benefit throughout life.  The programs bring together self-awareness, mental health resiliency, and skills development before the person requires those skills in a stressful, or crisis, life situation.

Experiential programs, ideally outside of the “familiar” environment, potentially in the wilderness, very effectively develop strength within people, solidify relationships and provide purpose for living.  Although the COVID-19 restrictions have postponed the ability to meet in person Leah’s group workshops maintain the core value of shared experience, in an online form.  They explore values, purpose, communication, conflict resolution, and more, through programs like True Colors® colour typography, and Right Use of Power power dynamics.

For the benefit of mental health while managing infections Leah recommends against “social distancing” in favour rather of “physical distancing”.  People require ongoing social interaction for mental health; social distancing is destructive as people must feed their social connectivity for wellbeing.

Tune in to hear about

• The need for proactive skills development, including resilience – don’t wait for a big challenge.
• Overcoming perceived stigma and vulnerability of acknowledging “failures” or mental health.
• Eight week mother-daughter guided experiential webinar workshops.
• True Colors workshops: the fun, the benefit and some available for the family.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode

All Thrive website

Lindsay Blackett founded PeakTerra Ventures as an entity that curates complimentary businesses that are engaged in, or a supplier to, the cannabis and hemp industry.  Bringing a collection of craft growers, processors, producers, and complimentary suppliers together in a business park to share expertise, enhance proficiency and develop depth in the industry.  Quality product grown and further processed into products for the medical, health and aesthetics industries.  Even extending as far as relevant professional services, insurance, regulatory applications and retail.

PeakTerra seeks to build a more sustainable infrastructure for premium quality cultivation, and the non-plant facing aspects of processing, dispensing, education, insurance, real estate, banking and data, in order to enhance stability and economic success within the legalized cannabis industry.

Drawing on a wealth of experience that includes service in the Alberta Legislature, engineering and construction, public sector, cannabis consulting, plant genetics , cultivation and testing, and more the PeakTerra ecosystem is  setup to help craft entrepreneurs enter the market with unique plug and play growing and processing facilities at Premium Park.

Tune in to hear about

• The need for this facility in order to meet the demand for high quality product currently only available in the black market.
• The extent to which the industry is enhancing technology for its own use, and broader commercial application.
• The surprising statistics of the extent of cannabis use among women in Colorado (not all inhaled), and what it has done to alcohol consumption.
• The similarities and differences between cannabis and hemp crops, in both CBD, THC, nutrition and raw materials for manufactured goods. (Which is more versatile?)
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode

PeakTerra Ventures Inc. website

Kent Burkholder uses a practical team-based approach combined with proprietary decision support software to guide, and teach, clients to enhance their risk analysis and decision processes.  As a done-with-you or done-for-you project Decision Frameworks significantly elevates the quality of the corporate strategy and asset decisions clients make, while decreasing the time required because of the discipline inherent in the process.

Clients learn to practice quality decision-making as an ongoing habit.  They learn to consider as wide a group of alternatives as possible, encourage diverse thought and questioning to attain common ground, avoid group think and confirmation bias, build more flexible strategy, and make disciplined planning part of their business advantage. 

Kent’s substantial experience has allowed him to see the value in effective change management.  A combination of true top down support and bottom up drive reliably deliver exceptional performance in teams.  Even major global challenges and societal issues, he suggests, may effectively be addressed by each individual taking responsibility to do their own part to consume or pollute less, contribute to changed behaviours, etc.  The call for “big bang” instant solutions comes from a biased approach and bias can doom all decisions.

Tune in to hear about

• Three simple, but perhaps not easy, steps to make a quality decision.
• Why the human brain is wired to make decisions fast.
• Six elements inherent in effective, quality evaluations and flexible strategic decisions.
• What could a decision about a pump and an elevator possibly have in common. 
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode
Decision Frameworks website

Kent Burkholder profile and email contact 

Kent Burkholder LinkedIn 

Through personal experience Kathy Mendham discovered the significant, challenging, shortcomings of acute-focused seniors care and restricted information exchange.  So she did something about it … a service to fill the gaps and deliver cost effective, customized care specific to the individual needs of every client.   

The team at Proactive Seniors propose and recommended a collage of free and for-fee services, and provide information specifically identified for the individual health, wellness and assistance needs, preferences and ability of each individual senior.  The multi-disciplinary team helps families to achieve their individual goals, manage risks, provide personal assistance and enable their clients to thrive.

Kathy’s most important advice – plan lifelong health and wellness in a similar way to financial or retirement planning. Give yourself enough time; the earlier the better!

Tune in to hear about:

• Four factors thriving seniors consider in wellness plans for quality of life.
• Timely appropriate information improves health and wellness. The tangible family cost of not having it.
• The Sunshine fund – what is it, how can it assist, and how seniors and families are involved. 
• How proactive aging involves three generations.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode
Proactive Seniors website
Emailing [email protected] and [email protected]
Call Proactive Seniors for a chat (403) 809-1971
Proactive Seniors educational community webinars – recordings and upcoming events

Murray Malley, during a career in which he turned companies around to profitability identified a significant need for a streamlined efficient people system.  So he did something about it!  

Hr-and Inc. MediDirect developed a single system that entirely avoids duplication of records, data entry or master files.  Data input at source (often by the employee) is captured once for:

• records required by the human resources team, 
• running the payroll, 
• detailed accounting, including time input to project costing and customer invoicing, 
• direct reporting for insurances, and
• managing staff schedules and attendance (with timesheets if required).

All accomplished while encouraging significant individual customization of each employee’s pay between taxable and non-taxable benefits.  

The system ensures 100% compliance with regulations and has on-demand custom reporting as may be required by auditors or management.

Tune in to hear about:

• How easy it is for employees to personally structure their own remuneration for taxable and non-taxable benefits without creating any employer administration.
• The single six letter word to unlock business growth.
• The significant advantage derived from “supporting local”.
• The surprising area where 50% of audit challenges lie for companies and the auditors.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode
Emailing Murray at [email protected]
HR-and website 

Murray Malley LinkedIn 

Amanda Hall, as a professional geophysicist and CEO at Summit Nanotech, is a steward of the earth and believes she has a responsibility to contribute as society learns from the mistakes of mankind and endeavours not to repeat them.  Progress and development should be smart and sustainable.

Summit Nanotech is breaking boundaries using unconventional cutting-edge nanotechnologies to offer cost effective green solutions to lithium production.  They supply the direct lithium extraction plant (no client capital expenditure) that delivers product with reduced CO2 emissions, less use of fresh water, keeps the reservoir charged, and can produce lithium from diverse brines.

Amanda has advice for aspiring entrepreneurs – when you are ready … achieve what you are capable of and feel responsible for … take the knowledge and experience you have gained, and have the gumption just to follow your dreams and passion!

Tune in to hear about:

• The explosive need for battery metals in the short and medium term, why producing to meet the demand requires careful strategic positioning, and just how Summit Nanotech is responding.
• The primary challenge that has delayed adoption of direct lithium extraction, and how the pace is quickening.
• Summit Nanotech’s surprise obstacle to locating a pilot plant.
• How many ways are there actually to mine lithium and why is lithium the mineral to focus on?
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode
Summit Nanotech website 
Contacting Amanda via  [email protected]
LinkedIn for Summit Nanotech

Melanie McClare and her team at Swirltex are collaborating with customers to field test their portable tubular membrane filtration system with impressive success in some of the water that is the hardest to clean – airport runoff, tailings ponds, food & beverage waste, oil extraction wells, and more - the potential applications are numerous.

The service Swirltex delivers to customers is consistent high quality filtered water for reuse or water conservation purposes, removal of contaminants, ability to avoid disposal surcharges, increased dissolved oxygen concentration … and more.  All done with less energy consumption.

Melanie sees a bright future in cleantech’s impact on our ecosystem, especially if the processes can be expedited by adopting a community theme – big industries and companies working with small companies, industries enthusiastic to “find a better way” partnering with innovators exploring new approaches to challenges, and potentially technology from one application considered for use in another.

Tune in to hear about:

• How unique tubular membrane water filtration can reduce both energy consumption and the water footprint, while also eliminating capital cost.
• How ESG investment and collaboration could expedite control of climate change and benefit society.
• How filtration system-as-a-service (SaaS) provides a techno economic solution to improve sustainability and ESG integration, including the benefit of processing onsite.
• And more.

Mentioned in this episode

Swirltex 

Swirltex LinkedIn posts