Building Blocks With Brendan Herjavec

03/11/2022

EP: 49 Earn Rewards For Paying Your Rent W/ Abtine Monavvari

Abtine Monavvari is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Chexy, the new standard for paying rent.

Chexy is the first tenant-facing payments platform that allows renters to earn rewards & build credit on rent, all while bringing rent payments into the 21st century. ​We know renting can be hard. Month after month, an eye-watering sum leaves your bank account leaving you very little to show for it. ​Unlike your everyday purchases, when it comes to rent, you don't benefit from travel incentives or the convenience of paying online... That's all about to change.

In this episode, you will learn the following:
1. The challenges in solving a double-sided marketplace?
2. How going direct to the consumer may be the best business model?
3. Why build in public an focus on your health?

19/08/2022

EP: 48 How Voiceform Is Changing The Way We Collect Customer Insights W/ Philip Brook

In a world of online surveys and customer feedback, one company is changing the game by making it easy for customers to speak their mind, literally.

Philip Brook is the CEO and one of the co-founders of VoiceForm, a customer feedback and customer insights tool that allows users to create, send, and share surveys, forms, and questionnaires that can be spoken into, rather than just typed.

06/07/2022

Is eSports copying the UFC?

https://youtube.com/shorts/PjFh9sN-xQk?feature=share

Is eSports on a similar road as the UFC, with both having heavy investment, TV shows, and now the rise of stars will we see eSports take off the same way as ...

10/02/2022

EP 37: A Bright Idea to Make Rooms Darker W/ Mark Coombs

Close your eyes and relax, but that damn streetlight is shining in your eyes. Having a dark room is key for getting a good night sleep, but light leak is an annoyance many of us face. Today we speak with Mark, the co-founder and CEO of Sleepout the world's best portable blackout curtain.

Mark and Hannah started Sleepout over a year ago during the beginning of covid. They saw a problem they believed they could fix with an innovation. On today's episode we go over how they came up with the idea, how they got to manufacturing and developing a product as well as some of the surprisingly difficult things that come with being a founder (with a partner). Hope you enjoy the episode, please subscribe and get your darn sleep to live a healthy and productive life.

28/01/2022

Ep: 36 Health and Wealth Through Smoothies W/ Chelsie Hodge

Today we speak with Chelsie Hodge, the CEO and Founder of Blender Bites Ltd. Bites. Blender Bites are 100% organic superfood pucks for smoothies with National distribution across Canada in both retail and foodservice. She created her first prototypes in her kitchen and then moved manufacturing to a rented popsicle shop in North Vancouver, where she had the help of her family to make every bag of blender bites by hand for the first 3 years. We get to learn about how Chelsie went from the corporate world and built experience that helped launch the successful publicly traded company Blender Bites is today. Hope you enjoy the episode.

21/10/2021

EP: 30 Livestream For Finance, Investing and Trading W/ Tobias Francis Heaslip

Over the past few years, we have seen a shift of individuals wanting to take more control over their finances, this is no more apparent than with the rise of retail investors and crypto. We have also seen a shift in how media and learning is consumed with the ever-growing interest in live streaming and content creation. Trading.tv looked to combine these worlds to allow financial content creators to have a platform built for them while also having a place for individuals looking to gain financial knowledge. We speak about some of the challenges of founding a startup such as creating an in-house development team and how Trading.tv is able to monetize a social platform without needing to rely on advertisements. Check out Trading.tv and sign up for the beta to learn about new ways to invest.

14/10/2021

Ep: 29 Making Dough with Dough and How To Be A Solo Entrepreneur W/ Erica Rankin

Turning a passion into a business is always challenging, especially when you are solo in this journey. In this episode I connect with Erica to learn how she turned tasty treats into healthier alternatives, creating Bro Dough. We learn about some of the challenges that come with being a solo entrepreneur and how to navigate the complex world of entrepreneurship. We hear about how Erica started in business and overcame challenges such as having to use a balcony as a fridge and a dining room as a conference room. If you are interested in how to start a CPG company or want to know more about starting without a cofounder, this is a wonderful and “sweet” episode.
Hopefully, you enjoy this episode and pick up some guilt-free cookie dough.

16/09/2021

Ep: 26 Attention Economy and Growth of TikTok Marketing W/ Adam Silverman

With the ever-changing world of social media, what is “hot” can change year over year. Keeping up with trends can not only be intimidating but risky for organizations. Adam saw this and wanted to make an avenue for content creators and organizations to connect for mutual benefit. Adam started Hot Media, which has been acquired by Wondr Gaming where he now is the Head Of Media. One of the big takeaways was that while others may have looked down at TikTok Adam realized that the retention and viewership were high and at the end of the day no matter what platform attention is worth money. In this episode, we speak about how Adam was able to find an opportunity in a new platform, grow a business from the ground up, and how he was able to bring value to large clients.

02/09/2021

EP: 24 A Boys Club But For All The Women W/ Monday Girl

Networking is often challenging because 25 or more people are competing for the attention of one VP and inquiring about the same employment opportunities. Only the extroverted people speak and the loudest people seem to be the only ones heard and remembered. Guests leave with little to no value unless they are one of the lucky few to get a coffee chat to network after the networking event.

Rachel and Istiana have a similar perspective on networking and wanted to create an event they would want to attend. It started with a small event over brunch then grew larger and larger over the years with events reaching over 250+ people and speakers are being flown into Toronto. Rachel and Istiana have created Monday Girl. Monday Girl is Canada’s first career platform built for ambitious and diverse women. During Covid Monday Girl started a digital “social club” a “ A Boy’s Club, But For All The Women”. Today we talk about how Monday Girl was started over one coffee a few years ago as well as some of the learnings they both have from being women in the entrepreneurial world.

05/08/2021

Ep: 21 Care About Your Skin with Skin Theory W/ Caralyn Hale

Our skin is happiest when we are happy, so let’s start there! Caralyn is a Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner RHNP™ and Acne Expert. As a holistic skin coach, she empowers her clients to listen to their bodies and make tweaks to their lifestyle, skincare routine, mindset, and nutrition to clear their skin naturally. In this episode we talk about how Caralyn was able to make this business her full time job and how she has been growing as a solopreneur handling and learning all the business functions. Hope you all enjoy this episode and wear your sunscreen.

29/07/2021

Ep 20: Live Shopping in an Online Store, and Creating a Repeatable Startup Process W/ Amer Abu-Khajil

Today I speak with Amer from TTT Studios. With the help of his team at TTT Studios, Amer launched Shop Studio Live. This Shopify App empowers brands to foster meaningful relationships with their customers while supercharging conversion rates through engaging live videos. Amer and I discuss how he developed a repeatable process to create new startups for his organization and how he brought Shop Studio Live to market. This is a fantastic episode if you want to know more about how Amer got a product on Shopify and how your business can bring more innovation and creativity while running lean.

22/07/2021

Ep:19 Liebs & Co - Help Employers and Employees Better Understand Disability W/ Max Lieberman

In this episode I had the opportunity to speak with Max to learn more about his story and his mission “We believe that education and empathy create a better workplace for all” . When entered the workforce he quickly realized that many companies lacked the knowledge on how to accommodate people with disabilities. Just like many entrepreneurs he saw a challenge he wanted to solve.
Many companies refused to accommodate his learning disabilities, which made it difficult to climb the corporate ladder. He realized there must be other people facing similar challenges. Max created Liebs & Co. to ensure people with disabilities are better understood and given fair opportunities in the workplace.

21/07/2021

With the summer underway there is no better time to improve oneself and open up some new books. These are my top five business and life books for Summer 2021. These books are not only informative but so entertaining that they kept me reading from cover to cover.

Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again By: Eric Topol
Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life By: Ozan Varol
Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen By: Dan Heath
The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health--and How We Must Adapt By: Sinan Aral
The Ride of a Lifetime By: Robert Iger

15/07/2021

Ep: 18 Combining The Worlds of Art and AI W/ Ben Kovalis

Math and beauty may not always go hand and hand, but Art AI has made this happen by training AI to develop art as if a human created it. Art AI that creates “Art made by Artificial Intelligence that Captures the Eye & the Mind” has allowed people, like me, to add one-of-a-kind artwork to their collections. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ben, one of the three founders of Art AI. Ben, alongside Eyal and Guy, have developed a new unique form of art. Ben and I speak about how their idea came to be and how you train an algorithm to create art at a high level. This innovation that democratizes art is truly fascinating. Now everyone can acquire unique and intricate artwork for an accessible price.

https://www.artaigallery.com/

14/07/2021

Here is a sneak peak of this Thursday's Podcast guest. Is it a duck... Or a deer? Tune in this Thursday to learn more about and how they are changing the art landscape.

08/07/2021

Ep: 17 Birdhill Studio - Creating photos + videos that grow brands W/ Josh Carn-Saferstein

A picture can be worth a thousand words... or dollars. In this episode, we speak with Josh Carn-Saferstein from Birdhill Studio. Josh explains how he transformed a camera and hobby into a brand-focused business that works with some of the most exciting CPG companies. We speak about the differences between a professional shoot and an iPhone shoot and when to use each. The creative process may seem like a black box of secrets, but Josh breaks it down and describes his process. Josh explains how he approaches a project as well as the openness he shares with his customers. One of the most exciting things we discuss is Josh’s approach to attracting his first customers and building long-standing relationships.

https://www.birdhillstudio.com/

02/07/2021

Ep: 16 What Is Building Blocks And Why Did It Start?

You may be wondering what Building Blocks is or curious about why I started it. On this special long weekend episode I share a bit about me, how I got to where I am today, and what the future holds for the podcast. If you have been enjoying the podcast and have a guest recommendation or requests, please send a name or leave a comment below.

24/06/2021

Ep: 15 Let's talk Career W/ Adolphus Bassey

This is a special episode as we speak with Adolphus Bassey, one of my best friends, one of the most hard-working people I know who not only promotes happiness but also elevates everyone around him. Growing up in Odukpani, Cross River State, Nigeria Adolphus found cybersecurity when trying to look for a niche to focus in as a software engineer he found consulting where he became the youngest manager within his Deloitte office, from there he wanted to take steps in being more business focus where he went to UBC to attain his MBA from here he has interviewed and work with some of the top tech and consulting companies. This podcast we speak about his secrets to success and the secret is…. Hard work. We speak about his mindset around how he views the world and what he considered success all while keeping a smile on his face. Hope you enjoy this episode as he is one of the biggest reasons for any success I have had through my MBA career and is also one of the few geniuses I have met in my life.

This is a special episode as we speak with Adolphus Bassey, one of my best friends, one of the most hard-working people I know who not only promotes happines...

27/05/2021

Ep:11 Wickens Wicked Reptiles W/ Adam Wickens

It’s a bird, it's a plane, it's actually a reptile. During COVID many people were looking for companionship due to social isolation. From what I witnessed, COVID led to growth in the pet hobby industry, including exotic animal husbandry. I, myself, purchased a reptile during the lockdown. I learned quickly that one of the best YouTube channels to learn about reptiles is Wickens Wicked Reptiles; Adam’s videos have been a huge help in ensuring I provide proper care of my leopard gecko (her name is Ember). In the podcast, we spoke about the process of starting a YouTube channel and how hard it is to make the jump to being a content creator full time. Running a channel is very similar to running a business because there can be serious money involved, opportunities to work with investors, and listening to your clients (viewers) is extremely important. Adam discusses the tools and processes required to work with his community and ensure a positive “work culture” or in youtube terms discord/comment section. Just like many start-ups, Adam talks about when he is planning on hiring his first employees and how he has turned his hobby into a complete multi-faceted business from selling merch all the way to the reptiles themselves.

20/05/2021

EP:10 Ava W/ Chase Ando

Creating a healthy lifestyle can take money, time, and skill. At first thought, healthy eating and growing your own food sounds like a simple and easy idea, until you try it. From experience, I’ve tried buying the 5 dollar herb plants to make fresh sauces, but end up throwing the plants out after one use, as I was unable to keep them alive.
Ava Byte, the smart garden, allows users to grow plants on autopilot all year round, and reduces the challenges of growing food yourself by simply adding water to the planter once a month and monitoring conditions from embedded sensors on an APP.
In this episode, we learn about how Chase got into designing products to solve the problem of food waste. One of the biggest assets you notice about Chase’s product, Ava Byte, is how design focused it is, as it can go on any countertop. Ava’s success continues to grow with the social push to eat healthy, and it’s truly an easier way to home grow food. Additionally, this company has a lot of expansion ideas we will see in the near future. I hope you all
“grow” to like this episode.

07/05/2021

06/05/2021

Ep: 8 Thrashed W/ Chris Soutsos

Music transcends time and culture, as well as connects communities of people. By developing a self brand, you can turn any passion into a career and a living. When you think of networking, you may think of a suit and tie event with small appetizers and people shoulder bumping their way towards a VP of a company to engage in a brief conversation that may lead to an interview, if you say the right things. Chris took a different and some people may say better approach to networking; he networked where he would share common interests with people, and that was at metal concerts. Instead of a suit in tie, he had his long hair and patches. By drinking beer instead of wine, he was able to create a network and following in an industry that he loved. What started as a hobby has made Chris a 10-year vet in the industry, with a large following to back him up. Remember, if you are true to yourself and develop a brand it's much easier to transition to anything you believe in as people will follow you.

29/04/2021

Ep:7 Apex Keyboards W/ Vince Lai

Over the past few years, the mechanical keyboard hobby has exploded in popularity, due to platforms such as Twitch, Discord, and Reddit. Today I had the chance to speak with one of the leaders in the Canadian Mechanical Keyboard market, Vince, the founder of Apex Keyboards. Vince has made this hobby more assessable to people in Canada by taking his passion and developing not only a keyboard company, but a logistics company that helps individuals enter group buys with creators all around the world. If you are a gamer, or you enjoy a buttery smooth typing experience this is a podcast you will want to listen to! You will learn about the mechanical keyboard hobby, and enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit of Vince, as it is one to admire. Mechanical keyboards is a hobby I got into at the beginning of COVID, because of the ability to customize an item I was using every day for work while at home; so this was a podcast where I was able to geek out a bit.

http://ow.ly/SULj50EAUL5

https://www.apexkeyboards.ca/

22/04/2021

Ep:6 Komo Comfort Food W/ Jeffrey Ma

Plant based food is one of the fastest growing business in North America. If you were to have asked me 5 years ago what industries I thought would bring some of the biggest technological innovations, I would be hard pressed to predict it would be food related. With some of the most exciting IPOs coming out from plant-based companies, this podcast was a unique conversation of not only how Jeffery got into this industry, but why its so dynamic and changing. We speak about how food is made to share, and his goal is to bring plant-based diets to everyone by allowing people to share these classics with family and friends. If you have interest in food industries or interested in plant-based foods, Jeffery is a very interesting person to listen to.

15/04/2021

Ep:5 Real Estate W/ Tyler Sellars

Financial independence before 30, sounds like magic? What started off as one unit became over 60 units, a construction company, real-estate investments, as well as many other companies. Tyler opened my eyes to the benefits of running everything like a business despite the potential risks, as there are ways to mitigate risks. If you are someone looking to invest in real-estate (not only to live), but as a supplemental income this is a great conversation to open your eyes to the possibility in a short period of time.

08/04/2021

Ep: 4 Biohacking W/ Brittany Ford

Biohacking has been on fire in recent years with the growth of tech billionaires and influencers looking for ways to optimize their lives and health. In my chat with Brittany, we discussed many topics ranging from starting a brand, optimizing one’s health, as well as how she has used her following to develop a product to protect women from the harms of radiation. While becoming a thought leader within the biohacking world she has been able to change many of her clients' lives. One of her new projects has been developing EMF underwear for women to better help protect their health. If you want to learn about how to get more out of your life or how she is developing a physical product this is a truly transformational episode you will want to listen to.



https://anchor.fm/brendan-herjavec/episodes/Ep-4-Biohacking-W-Brittany-Ford-euetb1

08/04/2021