Yes, We Are Open!
Small business is the backbone of Canada’s economy, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. Every year in Canada tens of thousands of businesses are born, however every year almost the same number fail. A lot can be learned from failure, but that’s just sad and depressing. “Yes, We Are Open” is a podcast that tells the stories of those that survive. How did they do it? What can we learn? Al Grego, of Moneris travels the country to tell these stories of challenge and perseverance. Whether you’re a small business owner yourself, or you’re thinking of starting one someday, these cautionary and motivational stories will provide you with the lessons and inspiration to help you on your way. Are you the owner of a small business with an interesting story to tell? Email Al at podcast@moneris.com.
Show episodes
Al’s final stop on his Calgary trip is to Heritage Park Historical Village. It’s one of Calgary’s premier tourist attractions, originally opened in 1964 with a mission to connect visitors with the history of Western Canada. Al visits with Dominic Terry, a spokesperson at the park. Dominic talks about the park’s origin
Virginia Borges came to Canada in 2014 from Venezuela with the dream of starting her own business. She wanted her business to give back to the community in some way. She then opened Re:Grub Burger Bar. Known for their highly instagrammable milkshakes and burgers, Re:Grub has become a popular Calgary hotspot for their u
Al’s next stop in Alberta is beautiful Canmore, home of Sara and Joe Titus, owners of Going With The Grain. For almost 20 years Sara and Joe have been installing and restoring hardwood floors in the Canmore area. They are one of only two husband & wife teams in North America to hold the designation of ‘Bona Certified C
This week Al goes to picturesque Banff, Alberta to visit Ken McMurdo, owner of Mountain Chocolates. Ken started his business in 1989 when Banff was just beginning to grow into the tourist attraction it has become. But it hasn’t always been a sweet time for Mountain Chocolates. Being so heavily reliant on tourism has me
In this week’s episode of ‘Yes, We Are Open’ Al heads downtown to Calgary’s Beltline District to visit KAKS Bar & Podcast. You read that right. It’s a bar, with a built-in podcast studio! Needless to say, Al is more than a little excited. He speaks with the owners Kass Kielly-Burke and Shawn Chan. They opened KAKS in J
You can learn more about River Café at river-cafe.com. Subscribe now! If you're the owner of a small business in Canada and you'd like us to help tell your story, email us at podcast@moneris.com. Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.