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Love to work – Work to Love!
ENTREPRENEUR EDITION
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BIG QUESTION Do you think cannabis should be legalized in Canada for recreational use? Vote online at www.bcitymagazine.com
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Summer 2014 Director and Publisher Leah Flippance leah@flipsidemediagroup.com Editor and Creative Director Louise Sherwood louise@bcitymagazine.com Associate Editor Camille Llosa camille@bcitymagazine.com Account Executives Stephanie Dixon stef@flipsidemediagroup.com Misty Charette misty@flipsidemediagroup.com Alison Grimley alison@flipsdiemediagroup.com Shari Willis shari@flipsidemediagroup.com Food and Drink Editor Alex Bielak Graphic Designer Ashley Giannice Advertising Designer Inna Bubelich Andres Esis Photography Marcie Costello Marcie Costello Photography Contributing Photographer Dave Gruggen
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urrently there are 37,500 medical marijuana users in Canada who have been approved by Health Canada. Since January 2014 Colorado has been selling cannabis for recreational use and Washington State is expected to begin this summer. The market in Colorado has developed $12.6 million in taxes and fees so far. Although this sounds like a huge number, it fell short of anticipated projections. Some pot supporters in Denver note that overall crime in the city is down 10 per cent – although this statistic can in no way be accurately linked to the changes in marijuana laws. In December 2013 Uruguay became the first country to legalize the production and sale of pot. The law, which came into effect this spring, prompted Uruguayan President José Mujica to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize How do we feel about legalizing marijuana for recreational use? Cannabis has been illegal in Canada for 91 years. In a 2012 Health Canada study 12 million Canadians over the age of 15 have admitted to using marijuana recreationally. Suggestions for decriminalization of cannabis in Canada can be traced back to the Le Dain Commission in 1972, that’s 42 years! Where do you stand on this hot topic? Tell us what you think at bcitymagazine.com 2 BCity Summer 2014
Contributors Chris Bacon Kelly Childs Jessica Clément Leon Denbok Victoria Diaz Candace Gowans Nicky Leonelli Mair Millar Jit Mistry Mirella Marcilio Marleen Filimon John Romano Haig Sefarian Mike Taylor Marie-Jo Thomson Darko Vranich To advertise in B City Magazine contact us at: info@bcitymagazine.com 289.684.2482 B City Magazine is published by: Flipside Media Group Stoney Creek, ON www.flipsidemediagroup.com
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Contents B E I N G
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Entrepreneur Edition 6 Publisher’s Letter
37-39 Fashion Perfectly posed by the Waterfront
8 Editor’s Letter 10-11 On the Bookshelf Four good reads to feed the entrepreneur spirit 13-25 B City Entrepreneurs Our 2014 Entrepreneurs answer our questions 27-32 Motivation Mechanic Get your engine refuelled and revving 34-35 Detest Stress? Marleen Filimon’s perspective on this essential emotion
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BOOKS
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MOTIVATION
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40-41 Fashion Finds Killer kicks we found downtown 45-47 On the Waterfront Where to dine and shine on the lake 49-51 TAG You’re It! Meet the contenders for the B City Caesar Contest 52-53 The Dish With Dinnerlicious! Entrepreneur Malin Van der Meer
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DINING
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54-55 We Are What We Eat Chef Kelly Childs view on what we eat 56-57 It’s Graphic Entrepreneurship by Numbers 58-59 Lights, Camera, Action Christopher Giroux aims to make B City an Indie hot spot 60 Jit Mistry Takes some of the mystery out of the mastery of social media
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ENTREPRENEURS
64 Who Gets the Last Word? Turn to page 64 to find out
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FINDS
49
CONTEST
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THE DISH
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Publisher’s Letter W
ow, what a fabulous response we have been getting from our last edition, ‘The Life Edition.’ I want to thank our readers for their support. To those of you who reached out to tell us what you thought and how you were inspired within the pages of B City, thank you for your feedback. What a great feeling to know that we are inspiring people! For this summer edition, we decided to profile some of Burlington’s entrepreneurs to find out what drives them, and how they find their balance. I know for myself, I find it necessary to work all through the week, not just your standard hours. Outside of that, entrepreneurship is ‘on demand.’ You work when the work needs to be done. I’m not sure that when you’re an entrepreneur there is any real balance between work and life, but that can be the beauty of it. Your work is your life and your life is your work. I am passionate about both. For me, they are integrated. Inside this edition we have a great piece on motivation, in balance with our entrepreneur theme. To get you on the patios this summer we highlight our beautiful waterfront and the establishments on its banks. Be sure to check out our fun B City Caesar competition as well! I hope you enjoy this edition as much as the last, please feel free to give us your feedback at www.bcitymagazine.com Cheers to summer. Leah Flippance, Publisher
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Editor’s Letter A
s we began creating this Entrepreneur Edition we were blessed to be connected with a few amazing people we’ve known over the years. Here we get the goods on what it is like to be your own boss. As an entrepreneur myself, for more than two decades, I know the rollercoaster ride of ups, and the inevitable downs – far too well. I was interested to know how others got through the ride and how they perceive, success, failure and the risks of following ones heart. I was enlightened by what our Burlington entrepreneur’s shared and I hope you will be too. We received quite a few requests from people who are interested in being profiled in our magazine and wonder if there is a fee. Thank you. We are flattered and no there is no fee. Our content is intended to be a true gift of uplifting stories we share with our community of readers. We are blessed being in Burlington where we are often inspired by, and naturally connected to people who align with the theme we are creating. If you know of someone in Burlington with a really inspiring story please let us know and we will consider them for an upcoming edition. We all have the capability to be entrepreneurs. But can we be motivated to be one? Be sure to read our Associate Editor, Camille Llosa’s feature article on the subject of motivation. Which provides insight on the make up of motivation and how to best use it. It is now officially summer in B City! Our Food and Drink Editor, Alex Bielak went “On the Waterfront,” and writes about three special places with much to savour and enjoy on the shores of Lake Ontario. To top off your food and drink experience in Burlington this summer, be a part of the fabulously fun, TAG you’re it! B City Caesar Contest. Here we highlight five local hot spots each creating their own signature B City Caesar with TAG Vodka. Go online to vote for your favourite! I sincerely send thanks to our readers, our contributors and supporters. As well, a special thank you to Ashley Giannice, our graphic designer who is a joy to creatively collaborate with, making the pages of this magazine a visual treat. I believe that everybody has a story and everybody has an opinion and unique views. I welcome you to share your news and views by contacting me at louise@bcitymagazine.com or on our website at www.bcitymagazine.com, and of course I welcome you to connect with B City Magazine on Facebook and Twitter. Wishing you well always, Louise Sherwood Editor
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news, views and thank you’s! Thank You!
Konzelmann Estate Winery: “Norm from Konzelmann was an incredible ambassador, representing some incredible wines. Thank you!”
Tag Vodka: “I’ve enjoyed your vodka cocktails so much, and gluten free too!”
Shari and Jonny: “Showed up at the B City party, and thought ’they have Adele here’ love your sound”
Test Kitchen: “Spectacular setting, fabulous food, proud to have had our celebration with Test Kitchen.”
B City party photos by Marcie Costello Photography See more photos and video from B City Magazine’s first birthday party On the website at www.bcitymagazine.com
Letters to the Editor
Submitted to B City Website:
Congrats on the magazine! It’s fantastic! Great stuff – lots of good reads and nice design and layout! -Julie Slack I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your first edition of B City. The stories were inspiring, especially Elizabeth Grandbois, a dear friend and subject of a documentary my husband and I produced a few years ago. -Connie Smith Editor’s note: The Life Edition published in May 2014 is the fifth edition of B City Magazine. The changes we made to design and content only made it appear that this was our first edition.
Regarding the Rob Ford poll. I am so disappointed that you would give any magazine space to such an inappropriate and undeserving individual. Count me out as a reader in the future. -Deirdre McNeill I wanted to commend you on the premiere edition of the new Burlington magazine...my wife and I were very impressed...it looked GR8! -John Amato Correction - Life Edition – Spring B City People pages 17 and 19: Daren Swanson does not spend his life turning carbon into diamonds. Daren Swanson is commercializing a proven and patented explosive technology he invented, which converts carbon dioxide into Nano diamonds.
Play to win!
‘TAG you’re it!’
Erin Mullins went online and shared her thoughts about our new look. By contributing feedback, Erin was entered in a draw and won a $100 gift certificate to Test Kitchen!
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ooking back, I can see how since I was young I was born to be an entrepreneur. I had many, many jobs throughout the years and I worked best when given some independence within my roles, which were always largely people driven. Today I own and operate a large company, which is multifaceted. Upon starting my business (which was on a whim, but seemed very logical for me to cut out the middle man) I quickly realized I had some heavy-duty decisions to make and not all of which I was capable of. I learned a lot about myself. I am not an accountant... that’s a weakness, but I am driven, motivated, determined and relatively bright. And by being bright I mean, I have the sense to surround myself with a re- Have a story to tell and wish ally strong team of people who make the companies to remain anonymous? success what it is. Everything I do, WE do. I have Write to us at a team of like-minded individuals with their own unique strengths, attributes and goals that make this info@bcitymagazine.com operation run like a well-oiled machine. My best adand we may publish your vice to any entrepreneur would be to surround yourstory in an upcoming edition. self with people that strengthen you, that possess the qualities that you do not. Don’t look at it as being Hot topic for next edition: your weakness. By bringing them on board you are Problems with politicians. strengthening the team. You can learn from there.
Anonymous
Share your thoughts on our poll and participate in the “TAG you’re it!” Caesar contest (page 49) in this edition to win $200 gift certificate package from participating restaurants.
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fter having been in the corporate world for many years, I decided to start my own company and work from home. After several years in business, the business is growing, but not after an emotional rollercoaster! Being independent means everything you do is reliant on you. You want to make money? You have to make it happen, and staying motivated can be a very difficult thing to do. The people interacting in an office setting is a big part of that setting, you don’t realize that until you no longer have that. I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur, both with family and in work. It’s fabulous, but that is something people don’t tell you. It’s not all good. I have three children and one was still in diapers when I started the business, my wife had a corporate job and it was very stressful on us trying to make ends meet for a long time. The company is since growing and things are getting better. The important traits of any entrepreneur would have to be: perseverance, motivation, and optimism. The rewards are priceless BCity Summer 2014 9
On the bookshelf Go to your favourite book retailer and you will be bombarded with the sheer selection of business books. It can be overwhelming. Here we look at four entrepreneurial themed books to help you tackle this vast topic. Camille Llosa The E Myth Revisited By Michael E. Gerber HarperCollins Business
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his book is a re-visitation of the 1986 original, The E Myth, which has been an entrepreneurial staple for years. The subtitle of this book: Why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it, is at once daunting and inspiring. Here entrepreneurial guru Michael E. Gerber takes what you think you know about starting your own business and turns it on its head. Do you have some stellar technical skills? Do you have a driving dream that is causing you to question your job and pushing you to pursue your own business? Well, for most that seems like the perfect combination to launch your own business brand. Not so, says Gerber. He says that these two assets can be the death sentence for any new venture. Gerber indicates that to launch a successful business you need three competing yet complimentary personality types to make a small business work: the technician, the manager and the entrepreneur. These three very different personality types hold within them key skills, which are required for entrepreneurial success. Gerber also advocates looking at your small business from a completely new vantage point. He urges owners to set up their business with a franchise mentality, with key, simple, effective and easily reproducible systems and strategies. Using the franchise template he says small businesses will set themselves up for success by maintaining consistent results and expectations for both customers and employees. This book is perfect for the novice or seasoned entrepreneur, with coverage for all stages in a businesses life.
The Lemonade Stand Millionaire: A Parent’s Guide to Encouraging the Entrepreneurial Spirit in Your Kids By Gail Haynes Morgan James Publishing
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art parenting manual, part business plan this 100-page book is an easy, quick read for anyone interested in tackling attitudes of entrepreneurship and money management with kids. Here, author Gail Haynes pulls from her own experience with small business building, child rearing and financial management to build a quick comprehensive model for children and parents looking to open a small business. Each chapter is concise with practical and applicable ideas to uncover the entrepreneurial passions of children. Examples include small business formation, job versus self-employment and the mind-set of financial success. Each chapter focuses on a theme with activities in each to help coax out ideas for financially independent children. Haynes acknowledges that not all children (like not all adults) have the entrepreneurial drive. In doing so she suggests that some of the same conversations and activities in the book can apply to all children, regardless of their business interests. Many of the conversations and activities lie within the spectrum of money management. Her view is that practical, day-to-day money management skills are not taught in schools and must be learned from home, and beginning challenging and rewarding fiscal techniques at a young age will broaden the horizon for all children, entrepreneurs or not. A great supplement to this book is the 15-plus pages at the end full of worksheets, charts and resources for the financially independent oriented family.
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David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants By Malcolm Gladwell Little, Brown and Company
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n his classic fashion, Gladwell wrestles a giant of a topic down to its key points. Like his previous works, here, a massive and seemingly abstract topic – like battling giants – is deftly teased apart to reveal an uncommon truth: advantages can be disadvantages, and disadvantages can be advantages. He opens with the eponymous Old Testament tale of David and Goliath. A young shepherd defeating a renowned giant of a warrior with nothing more than his wits and his slingshot. Gladwell analyzes this classic battle in an historical sense, showing with great evidence that this battle was David’s for the winning. David’s unique circumstances (his youth, slight build, inexperience in battle and weapon of choice) were actually all advantages to defeating the war-seasoned monstrosity of a man, Goliath. Although this may not seem to be a typical business or entrepreneurial book, Gladwell uses varying and diverse situations to show that many perceived disadvantages can, in fact become advantages, if looked at from a new approach. Many small business owners can relate to the feeling of inadequacy that can in turn be interpreted as a disadvantage. In his 275-page book, Ontario-born Gladwell uses scenarios like girls basketball, the civil rights movement and dyslexia to show that these perceived disadvantages, in some circumstances, can actually win you the battle.
All In By Arlene Dickinson HarperCollins
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ritten by Canadian, Arlene Dickinson of Dragon’s Den fame, this book is a departure from your typical business book. Less of a ‘how-to’ manual and more of a reassurance to entrepreneurs and the emotional rollercoaster they experience on a daily basis. All In is really about how being an entrepreneur is not like having a job in the typical sense. Being an entrepreneur is, in her opinion, a lifestyle choice. It is a venture that you take and you put your all into it. Your friends and family come along for the ride and the entrepreneurial drive can become a bone of contention in many relationships. Here, Dickinson pulls from the vast network of entrepreneurs she has experience with to show that sometimes achieving balance between work and life can be nearly impossible, and maybe, just maybe that is okay. This book is a war cry to other entrepreneurs to say that it is all right to be immersed in your work. It is okay to be passionate and driven to the point of offending others. It is all right because you are wired this way, and this lack of ‘balance’ fits your personality perfectly.
Check out www.bcitymagazine.com for more book reviews.
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Ask for it it! at your local LCBO or Licensee
Free tasting and tours available at the brewery
Better Bitters Brewing Company, 864 Drury Lane Burlington, ON www.nickelbrook.com — (905) 681-2739 (BREW)
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ENTREPRENEURS Entrepreneur: en-tre-pre-neur Noun A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
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hat inspires people to be entrepreneurs? What are the challenges? What motivates entrepreneurs and supports them? Our B City entrepreneurs answer our questions and more, while expanding on the definition of what being an entrepreneur is. Dive in and enjoy, and perhaps you will be inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit too!
Photo by David Leyes
Our 2014 B City Entrepreneurs: Chris Bacon • Jessica Clément • Candace Gowans & Marie-Jo Thomson • Brad Hails • Nicky Leonelli • Mirella Marsilio • Mair Millar •John Romano • Haig Sefarian • Mike Taylor • Leon Denbok & Victoria Diaz
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ENTREPRENEURS
Mike Taylor Owner and operator of Gateway Freight Systems Plays keys, sings harmonies with Walk off the Earth
Mike Taylor Photo by TJ Champagne Photography
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“Success to me is being able to do what you love to do. Now, actually being able to make a living doing what I love, it goes without saying, is just absolutely awesome. Between my band (Walk off the Earth) and my business, I’m doing it in stereo. But again, success isn’t all about career. I have a wonderful family. I’m very fortunate.” B City: As an entrepreneur what do you create/do?
B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss?
MT: Gateway is a third party logistics firm. We move big cargo - not parcels - all around North America and we have been doing it for twenty years. We draw on a deep well of industry partners and an even deeper well of in-office experience, to craft specific and best ways of transporting everything from cosmetics, to coffee, to canoes. We handle each piece of freight differently; that’s what we get paid for. In a sense, we’re kind of like Christian Mingle - but for pallets.
MT: Being able to lead a team of smart, highly engaged folks who do an outstanding job. Top to bottom, left to right, they are first rate. I say that without qualification. I am very proud of my employees.
B City: What inspired you to creatively risk yourself to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? MT: I had a good job working for somebody else - my old bosses were great guys, but then I came to the proverbial fork in the road. I knew I could keep on keeping on, or take a calculated risk and try to start something myself. It wasn’t necessarily a profound, well thought out decision, but my gut told me that the time was right. It was then, or never. So I made a plan, borrowed some money, and pulled the trigger. There was some hard work, I gave 120 per cent for a number of years, but it panned out. I’d be lying if I said that it was all grind. Luck always plays a role - it did for me, like it did for Jed Clampett. And timing. The third party role was still unfolding back then, in the shadow of deregulation, so it was good soil in which to root a business. B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? MT: I take inspiration from building something out of nothing - creating a place, an enterprise, an anything that never existed before. We all do things because they are a challenge, and they provide us the opportunity to dig deep. We don’t take things on because they are easy, right? Walk Off The Earth, is very much the same thing - I feel immense satisfaction in contributing to an effort that in the end speaks for itself. I also take inspiration from tequila, but I don’t think that’s what you are asking.
B City: What is the biggest pain of being your own boss? MT: Truth be told, I am spread quite thin these days. To balance family, music and my business takes a bit of squinting and the understanding of a whole cluster of tolerant people. But even 10 years ago, it would have been way harder. These days, the fact that wireless and web access is basically a global given, and that there are nifty things like FaceTime and Skype, takes a bit of the edge off of it. Email doesn’t care where you are. I can be at sound check in Copenhagen and still be in the know on a new customer. That doesn’t mean I get to spend as much time as would like with my family, but it makes the whole deal way less lonely. Shout out to Al Gore for inventing the Internet. B City: What is failure to you? MT: Failure is throwing in the towel because you’ve hit a rough patch. Business, band, whatever - you have to expect problems, and setbacks are part of the game. I think 90 per cent of most success is perseverance. Being positive and emotionally invested in what you do is the key. Just keep hammering that nail and eventually something will happen. And if you break the hammer, well that might be a sign - but I say keep swinging. That might sound like a bit of puffery, but if had to choose between that and the rows of, ‘get rich quick,’ books at Chapters, I’d go with staying positive. I have never read a business book in my life. The ones I have seen are mostly bull, full of dime-store truisms. I learned more from Alex Keaton. Same thing goes for music. If I would have got frustrated by playing to twenty people in bars night after night and quit, I would have never had the opportunity to play to tour Europe and play for 3,000 people a night. That’s the truth of it. I remember playing this place called The Carrot Club, up on Hamilton Mountain somewhere. Let’s just
say it was a hangout for motorcycle enthusiasts. If they really liked a song, the most you could ask for is that nothing would come hurtling in your direction. They were not Cyndi Lauper fans. For the record, I’ve played behind chicken wire - things have changed. B City: What is a failure you learned from that lead to success later on? MT: How long do you have? I have messed up a lot of stuff along the way. It’s an occupational hazard of being self-employed and learning things as you go. But failures have taught me two things. First, take responsibility and try your hardest not to make the same mistake twice. Secondly, ask for help. There are a lot of smart folks out there - don’t be too shy to ask, and don’t be too cheap to pay. Good advice, in my experience, is typically worth what you pay for it. B City: How do you keep motivated? MT: I’d have to try not to be. B City: How has the company performed since Walk Off The Earth has required more of your time? MT: Gateway has actually experienced some of its greatest growth since I’ve been dedicating more time to music - which is bittersweet. It’s kind of tough not to take that personally, especially since my management team isn’t shy about reminding me. B City: If you could write an inspiring quote to motivate people to be entrepreneurs and keep going when times are tough, what would you share? MT: I’m not overly quotable, so I will defer to Bob Dylan here. He said something like, “A man is successful if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” I think he nailed it. You don’t have to be Steve Jobs or Paul McCartney, but I think carving out a bit of everyday for yourself is an important part of being alive.
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Haig Seferian
Founder of Seferian Group - Principal Landscape Architect
“Follow your passion! Passion is magnetic. When you focus on what you love doing, money and success have no choice but to follow you.”
ENTREPRENEURS B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? HS: Passion! The fundamentals of classic design can be applied anywhere in the world. A solid understanding of these principles and elements make every project, large or small, significant and a challenge. Combining these fundamentals with the client’s wishes, the architecture and the topography makes every project unique in itself. With this in mind, you never do the same project twice. It is this excitement that makes me enjoy going to the office every single morning. B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss? HS: Working together with people from different backgrounds and cultures who have dreams they would like to realize. I enjoy creating lifestyles. I enjoy being able to extract these desires and wishes and then through the design process, bringing their dreams to fruition through a construction process. B City: What is the biggest pain of being your own boss? HS: There is a misconception that if you own your own business, you work less. The reality is that you work much harder and you have a continued vested interest. When you choose a career path that you love, your passion for this activity can easily take over your life and cause you to focus only on work. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in business for yourself? HS: I’m inspired by the opportunity to continue to work with new people on new projects. Coming up with creative new ideas and approaches, which requires unique problem solving techniques. B City: How do you keep motivated?
Haig Seferian Photo by Marcie Costello Photography 16 BCity Summer 2014
HS: It is easy. I love what I do!
ENTREPRENEURS
Mirella Marsilio Owner of Mirella’s Ladies Fashion Boutique
“I am lucky to own a fashion boutique servicing ladies for all of their special events.” B City: What inspired you to creatively risk yourself and take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? MM: My parents are my greatest inspiration. They came to Canada from Italy and opened up their own grocery store. I grew up in our family business. I saw their dedication and the hard work they put in. I told my parents when I was 20 years old that I wanted to open up a fashion boutique. They supported my decision. An added bonus was I still lived at home. B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? MM: I believe in good, hardworking staff and providing the best customer service, which keeps customers coming back. My staff represents the business and they are reflection of all I believe in. The girls inspire me to keep them educated to be on top of their game. B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss? MM: The greatest pleasure of being my own boss is seeing happy clients! I love what I do - this keeps me motivated. My family inspires me. When I have a goal I stay focused and determined to achieve it! Success for me means keeping at it and never giving up. Success is going through obstacles and making mistakes to achieve your goal.
Mirella at Waterfront Hotel Photo by Marcie Costello Photography BCity Summer 2014 17
Artist
“I strive to create paintings that speak. Paintings that invoke or instill in the viewer, the same kind of emotional response I felt during that moment of inspiration. My work tends to inhabit that space in between sound and movement. Fleeting, yet timeless moments of stillness, to have and to hold forever.”
ENTREPRENEURS
Chris Bacon
B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? CB: Inspiration is drawn from an almost continuous state of heightened awareness, fueled by my childlike wonder and enthusiasm for all things beautiful, mostly from nature. B City: What is success for you? CB: In terms of making a painting that succeeds, this is something that I almost never experience, because I almost always fall short of my greatest expectations. I’m hard on myself and they’re never perfect, but I keep trying and perhaps one day, I’ll paint a masterpiece. Success in life however, is to love what I’m doing, whether working or playing. For me, I’m always doing both. B City: What is failure to you? CB: Failure for me is not being able to ‘realize’ that which I see in my mind’s eye. Not being able to say or communicate exactly what I mean. B City: What is most important to you in your business? CB: Maintaining my integrity without compromise. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in business for yourself? CB: I cannot think of anything that I would rather do and if I am able to continue creating my art until the day I keel over, I will be one lucky and fortunate man. B City: If you could write an inspiring quote to motivate people to be entrepreneurs and keep going when times are tough, what would you share? CB: When times are tough, hold on to your dreams and stay focused on your vision. 18 BCity Summer 2014
Chris Bacon Photo by David Saltmarche
ENTREPRENEURS
Mair Millar
Pro-Boxer and Founder of The Toughest Fight
“I support women to become as happy and healthy as they can possibly be. My goal is to inspire and empower women so that they can be independent and make choices in life based on what they truly want.”
Mairanne “Mair” Millar Photo by Marcie Costello Photography B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired?
B City: What is most important to you in your business?
MM: I know that life is beautiful. I expect miracles every day. I believe in the power of the universe and know that we are all connected and we all have a purpose. We all really want the same things in life, so I tap into my power and support others to tap into theirs too - to live fulfilling, happy, healthy lives!
MM: It is most important for me to be connecting with people and building relationships based on trust.
B City: How do you keep motivated?
MM: When you get into the ring to fight, you have to expect that you will get hit. If you prepare for the punch, you’ll handle it much better and have the tenacity to get up and go again. Take the chance - get into the ring!
MM: I keep motivated by living every day in the moment. I do activities that raise my vibrational energy. I also have strong relationships with both my husband and my dad - both of these men keep me motivated!
B City: If you could write an inspiring quote to motivate people to be entrepreneurs and keep going when times are tough, what would you share?
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ENTREPRENEURS
John Romano Owner of Better Bitters Brewing Co. Ltd.
“You need to be passionate about what you do and believe in it and believe in yourself. Then you need to surround yourself with people that believe in you.� B City: What inspired you to creatively risk yourself and take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? JR: After 12 years in the same industry and not feeling appreciated I decided to turn my hobby into a business. B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? JR: I constantly want my company and myself to be better, beginning with being a better person, a better boss making better beer! B City: What is the biggest pain of being in business being your own boss? JR: Finding the right people to align with. As you grow you cannot do everything. B City: What is success for you? JR: Success for me is creating jobs, mentoring people, watching your business grow, feeling good about what you accomplish little by little, every day of your life. Touching a person in some way each day. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in business for yourself? JR: I continue to be inspired to be respected as a business person while building a business that I can be proud of, and finding the people that will continue its legacy for years to come.
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John Romano Photo by Marcie Costello Photography
ENTREPRENEURS “I help to create films and TV shows working alongside amazingly talented cast and crew. As an actor I create my own idea of a character from the information I get in the nine pages of script I receive for an audition and then build on it with the rest of the script if I book the role.” B City: What inspired you to creatively risk yourself and take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? JC: I’ve grown to absolutely love my craft and I am happiest on set. The term starving artist can definitely be true when the industry is slow but I find that it’s always worth the risk of instability of not knowing when my next paycheque will be. Once I’m on set doing what I love the fear is gone. I still find it amazing that I can do what I love and somehow get paid for it. When I see the final product that we’ve created I’m reminded of why I do what I do. I’m also 18-years-old and live at home, so I’m still learning about financial stability.
JESSICA CLÉMENT Actor
Actor Jessica Clément Photo by David Leyes B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired? JC: I believe that if you really want something and you really love it you should go after it and believe that you can do it and eventually something will happen. It only takes one audition to change your life and you have to think that going in to all auditions. B City: What is most important to you in your business? JC: What’s most important to me is that I enjoy it. I have no trouble waking up at three in the morning for a shoot, because I am always so excited to see everyone and do what I love along with other people who share my passion!
B City: What is success for you? JC: Success for me is when I do my best and I’m proud of myself - even if it’s in an audition that I don’t end up booking. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in business for yourself? JC: There are many things that keep me inspired to keep working. The success stories I hear from friends of mine that started out just like me, the feeling I get leaving an audition knowing I did well, when my agent calls to say I booked something, seeing improvement in my acting after a class. All of these along with many more inspire me to keep working and these examples always trump the voice that tells me to quit.
B City: What is failure to you? JC: I believe that failure is when you give up. BCity Summer 2014 21
ENTREPRENEURS B City: What inspired you to become a musician? BH: I was amazed when anyone had a guitar and was desperate to just get my hands on one. I was fortunate enough to be around a bunch of great music as a kid - thanks to my grandfather Gordie Tapp. B City: What inspired you to take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? BH: I’m not sure if it was a choice or a necessity. I have a hard time working in a situation that I can’t sink my teeth in to or get excited about. When I am creating projects for my band or business I will obsess over it until I can walk away from it. B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss? BH: I do what I love for a living. I have flexibility in my schedule to pick up and take my kids on a surprise camping trip mid-week or take off on a last minute vacation really is pleasure and keeps life exciting. B City: What is the biggest pain of being your own boss? BH: I am much harder on myself than any boss I have ever had. B City: What is failure to you? BH: Not enjoying life. B City: What is success for you? BH: Being fulfilled with the life you lead. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in business for yourself? BH: I love what I do.
Brad Hails Photo by Marcie Costello Photography 22 BCity Summer 2014
Brad Hails The Killin’ Time Band
“I create Music. As long as I can remember I have always been drawn to anything musical.”
ENTREPRENEURS
“When the little voice in your head or the ache in your heart doesn’t go away, or the same idea keeps coming to you, you have to find a way to make it work.”
Candace Gowans and Marie-Jo Thomson Partners at Hey Hey & Co.
Marie-Jo Thomson Photo by Marcie Costello Photography
Candace Gowans Photo by Marcie Costello Photography
B City: What big idea do you believe in that keeps you inspired?
B City: What is the biggest pain of being your own boss?
CG: We believe that our creative designs are unique and refreshing and we would like to get them out on a larger scale.
CG: Having to wear so many hats, organizing our time and delegating so we get everything done.
B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss?
B City: How do you keep motivated?
MJT: Having creative freedom, setting our own hours, knowing we only have each other to answer to and being proud of each other.
MJT: We reach out to connect with new people and think of other product lines that will complement what we are doing
B City: What is failure to you? CG: Failure is to never go after what your heart tells you to. B City: What is success to you? MJT: Success is when we see the joy on the faces of our clients, when they pick up their orders. Also success for us is when we recognize that women love what we do and we’ve made people happy.
ENTREPRENEURS
Nicky Leonelli Chef, Owner, General Manager at Di Mario’s Trattoria
Nicky Leonelli Photo by Marcie Costello Photography B City: What inspired you to creatively risk yourself and take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? NL: When I first began this journey I had recently moved to Canada from Italy. I had the ability to make a fresh start and do what my heart desired. My inspiration came from starting a new life with my family and building a business from the ground up - to have something we can be proud of. B City: How do you keep motivated? NL: At the end of the day, what keeps me motivated is the next day. It is the future of my business and where it will end up that keeps me motivated. For my kids and for the people that love to eat at my restaurant, keeping the business alive is all the motivation I need.
24 BCity Summer 2014
B City: What is the greatest pleasure of being your own boss?
B City: What do you believe in that keeps you inspired?
NL: I have the ability to try new things every day. I can create new dishes, design new menus, build new dining rooms, all because I don’t have anyone to answer to but myself. The greatest pleasure of being my own boss is that it is in my hands to be successful or to fail. Knowing that gives me a certain excitement everyday I walk through my restaurant doors.
NL: My kids keep me inspired. I have taught my children everything about running a business and how to keep it successful and one day they will be able to take over my restaurant and know how to keep it successful. Everything I do now is so they can have a better future. By learning from what I taught them, they have the means to start other businesses and expand in the way that I never did.
B City: What is most important to you in your business?
“What ever goals in life you want to pursue make sure you’re happy when you’re doing it.”
NL: Trust and teamwork is the most important thing to me. Operating a business involves a lot more people than just me. I need to have good workers in order to be successful.
ENTREPRENEURS
“Contributing to raising the wellbeing of families and individuals is the ultimate currency.”
Leon Denbok and Victoria Diaz Husband and wife partners at Denbok Landscaping and Design
B City: What is success for you both? LD: Success is seeing the happiness of a client, being able to create opportunities for employment, being able to give back to the community and the freedom to spend time with family and friends. B City: What is important to you in your business? LD: Our logo is a constant reminder of what is important to us. The four corners represent the Denbok team, the environment, the community and our industry working together and the mint leaf in the middle is symbolic of always providing our clients with the best quality and service. B City: What continues to inspire you to keep working in the business for yourself? VD: We joined a peer group of like-minded landscape companies in North America and have found this fuels our imagination and inspires us to see possibilities for our industry we hadn’t considered. Collaborating and brainstorming in this way is something we would recommend to any business. B City: How do you keep motivated? LD: We have a great team of employees that are enthusiastic and willing to bring their best to work every day. This motivates us to keep creating opportunities for growth
Leon Denbok and Victoria Diaz Photo by Marcie Costello Photography B City: What inspired you to creatively risk and take the leap to give up the stability of employment to be your own boss? LD: Two things: Victoria’s father, who was an amazing entrepreneur, his encouragement and advice and undeniable faith in us is what got us started.
Secondly: youth. There is something to be said for the innocent, fearlessness of youth. B City: What is failure? VD: There is a saying,“Learn to fail or fail to learn.” Failure is often the result of trying new things and taking risks, which is how you grow and succeed.
B City: Do you have an inspiring quote to share that helps entrepreneurs get through tough times? LD and VD: Expect tough times. Tough times build resilience which is an attribute of successful individuals, so be proactive and ask the ‘what if’ questions, have an action plan that prepares the business for it. Then, enjoy the good times.
BCity Summer 2014 25
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MOTIVATION MECHANIC Learn how to tune-up and refuel your motivation to get your engine revving Camille Llosa
M
ost entrepreneurs have the passion part down pat. That’s why you became an entrepreneur in the first place, right? You have a spark, a concept, a service that you know you can do better than anyone else. You can fill a need like no one else. That passion, that flicker of an idea that gets you up in the morning and gets your motor running. It’s your driving force. It’s your motivation. But sometimes, as it happens with all good things, the once rhythmic hum
of your inner motivating engine sputters and stalls. Suddenly, the flow that came so easily before seems a bit more laboured than it once was. You may not be as excited for a certain project. You may find yourself procrastinating on a task you once loved. You start to feel doubtful of what you were once so sure of. Fear not. Here we take a look at what it is that exactly makes up the mechanics behind motivation. What it is, how you can harness it and how you can become motivationally self-
aware to maximize your personal and business potential. What is motivation? Commonly defined, motivation is the reason or impetus for doing something. When it comes down to it, motivation is all about energy. Dr. Céline Blanchard, Associate Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa has spent time studying this topic and says, “When we are dealing with motiva-
mo-ti-vate Verb 1
Mid 14th century French meaning “something brought forward”
2
To provide with a motive for doing something.
3
From the root word motive stemming from the Late Latin word movere – to move
BCity Summer 2014 27
TIPS AND TRICKS • Know what motivates you. Is it intrinsic or extrinsic? Know how to identify the motivators in your life • Know that motivation isn’t constant - don’t expect it to be • Change your state – get up and move, have a snack, stretch, talk to someone • Clear your workspace – de-clutter • Write your goal somewhere you can see it, look at it and concentrate on it when you feel yourself begin to stray • Get organized - when you leave your workspace for the day clean your desk and make a ‘to-do’ list for the following day • Avoid artificial motivators like sugar, alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks • Take five deep belly breaths • Take a break – maybe all you need is a little ‘you’ time to recharge your batteries • Don’t be so hard on yourself – motivation is not constant
tion we are seeing energy, and we know that motivation directs behavior, so we know that when a person is motivated, usually they are motivated towards a goal.” This definition can apply to nearly all aspects of life. “So when we look at motivation, we look at direction, as a force, as an energy, and we look for behaviors that are going to be sustainable over time,” she says. Some of these behaviors include: initiative, problem solving, creativity, cooperation and collaboration: all pragmatic traits for any entrepreneur. As easy as it is to define, motivation is itself complex with many factors attributing to its understanding. Melyssa Moniz, a Burlington-born entrepreneur, three-time author and founder of Melyssa Moniz Mentoring Inc. works with entrepreneurs to help them live their passion through the Live Your Passion Accelerated Personal Mastery Mentor program she created. Moniz sees motivation as, “What gets you up in the morning.” She has a bit of a different perspective on motivation in regards to entrepreneurship. “I don’t actually believe in motivation in the typical sense, or that you need to be motivated. If you are in business for yourself, arguably, you should have a reason why you started,” she says. “You do it because you love it, because it is your life. Motivation is therefore unnecessary.” Burlington based personal mentor, coach and author of the Amazon bestseller, 30 Days
of Gratitude, Julie Boyer, sees motivation as, “Something that is driven from within. I can’t motivate you. It’s really something you have to do for yourself.” Boyer posits that motivation can come from the outside via inspiration, but only true motivation can come from within. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation There are two commonly identified categories of motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic. “Intrinsic motivation really taps into whatever behaviors are being engaged in for the simple pleasure of doing the activity,” says Blanchard. “For extrinsic motivation you are probably engaging in it because something outside of yourself is pushing you to do it. Like a boss giving you a deadline. Not out of any reason relating to yourself or your personal development.” Think, intrinsic as passion, extrinsic as pressure. Blanchard notes that there are variations on extrinsic motivation. Some factors are really external, like a deadline, a paycheque, a raise or promotion, while others have some internal influencing factors. Sometimes you may engage in a task that is not truly intrinsically motivating, but you do so for a selfdevelopment reason or it has to do with you work ethic and commitment, so you may engage in the task even though it is not aligned with your passion. “Most of us have a little bit of both motivations,” says Blanchard. “If you don’t have
Photo by: Andrey Lobachev / Shutterstock.com
that external motivation to do the dishes, well I don’t think anyone is intrinsically motivated to do the dishes, but in order to be functional in life you need to have a bit of both.” For most people, identifying their internal and external motivators in life can seem obvious, but the key is getting them to work together. “When you are doing something out of an extrinsic reason you will drain yourself eventually because you need to gather all of the energy around you. So in the end this can be very taxing, whereas with intrinsic motivation you are reenergizing yourself as you are going – you are replenishing yourself. It is a self energizing process that is really good because it is not costing much,” says Blanchard. Why the struggle? Understanding what motivates you is helpful, but sometimes even identifying it can be a challenge. Boyer suggests that people can struggle with intrinsic motivation because they are likely not tapping into their passion. “They may have gone into a business that makes them money, that’s reputable, that makes them look good or one that is not a lot of risk – but it’s not their passion. I meet a lot of entrepreneurs who aren’t that passionate about their business,” says Boyer. “Maybe they stayed in it too long. Maybe it’s time to move on – and that’s okay. There is no shame in that. Recognizing when it is time to move on is actually an incredible skill.” So, how do you tap into your passion? Seems simple enough but when put to task it can be more challenging than it appears. Boyer recommends when looking for your passion to think of those moments in your life when you are, “in the flow.” She suggests carrying a notebook and marking down moments of your day when you don’t notice time going by, when your energy is uplifted and when you feel like you could do the activity for hours. Assuming you have mastered the passion part, and you haven’t overstayed your welcome in your own business, Moniz suggests that for entrepreneurs there are two distinct factors that can hurt your inner motivation: continued on page 30
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lack of clarity and fixated focus on fear. “Entrepreneurs can struggle with clarity,” she says. “Most have no idea what they are offering. No idea what they are making. No idea who they are serving. They think they know, but they don’t. You can’t run a business without clarity. It stops them and gets them unmotivated because they don’t know what they are doing.” Fixated focus on fear can be the kiss of death for an entrepreneur. “People have fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of success. People have fear of everything,” says Moniz. We become fearful when we don’t understand something. Moniz suggests becoming really intimate with what it is you are offering. “When you have a clearly mapped out plan and you are confident, you are going to take the next step. But most people don’t do that. They go in blindfolded with just passion and audacity, and they think that’s enough – but it’s not enough. You need to map out your plan and know with absolute clarity what you are doing. You will not be unmotivated because you know exactly what it is that you are doing.” Blanchard thinks the struggle with motivation comes from complexity and self-awareness. There are many factors, which influence motivation, personal, professional, environmental and emotional. “If you are not aware that you can understand your motivation, then you cannot understand the factors influencing and impacting your motivation. If you are not aware of all of that, then the environment is controlling you and you are not able to control yourself and the environment,” She says. “So it’s all about being knowledgeable about all of these types of motivations that exist, and that they are all quite susceptible to environmental factors.” Motivation Misconceptions Could what you think you know about motivation actually be detrimental to your success? Turns out the hard-driving stereotype of motivation could be setting up false expectations for those looking to become motivation masters. “There is a myth that motivation is constant, and that is just not
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true,” says Moniz. “People have this misconception that all of these successful people and entrepreneurs are constantly motivated. And yes, they have their eye on the prize and have their mind oriented around growth and success, but they are not constantly motivated. They have lives of their own, they have spurts of motivation, but it’s not 24/7.” This can be harmful because people can be aiming for an unattainable standard. “They are striving for perfection and you have to be super real with yourself and know that that isn’t true,” says Moniz. Boyer notes that sometimes people resort to quick and easy ways to boost motivation, what she calls the artificial motivators like caffeine, sugar and alcohol. “So what happens is you are getting artificial motivation and energy and you begin to rely on them to lift you up,” she says - an unsustainable system. For Blanchard, danger lies with the misconceptions surrounding quality of motivation. “Often times when people see a strong and aggressive attitude towards the attainment of a goal - that is motivation to them. Often times we do not have the knowledge about motivation to be able to judge whether or not it is a good quality of motivation,” she says. “When we think of quality of motivation we are thinking long-term, we are thinking balance, wellbeing, development. When thinking about motivation we need to get away from thinking about immediate behavior and think about long-term development.” Revving your engine: how to harness your motivation What seems to be key in becoming the master of your motivation is becoming selfaware, understanding the characteristics of motivation and nurturing its development. Blanchard says, “First of all you have to be able to know your own motivation. Try to make a self-analysis of what it is that moti-
vates you in your life. What is it that gets you up in the morning?” If the answer is a paycheque, know that you are extrinsically motivated. If the answer is your excitement and joy of preforming a task or working on a project, know that you are intrinsically motivated. “Sometimes what drives motivation are peoples needs. If there is a need that is in deficit then it can drive your behavior and it can be a bit more difficult to get at your motivation because some basic human need is not fulfilled, so it gets to be a bit complicated,” says Blanchard. Some of these needs include a need for competency that can manifest itself in a competitive drive or the need to be significant to people or to be around other people. For Moniz, she suggests having disciplined expectations about what motivation is and isn’t. “It is something that will come from your own clarity and inner drive,” she says. Specific to entrepreneurs, Moniz advises gaining clarity
on your vision. “You need to know where you are going. It’s very easy to stay in the past or to fixate on your fears. We are very visual beings. We need to see things. The vision of where your business is going should be inspiring enough to get your engine revving.” One aspect that Moniz often sees entre-
BCity Summer 2014 31
preneurs overlook is investment in growth. “Most entrepreneurs have no idea what that even means. You need to be growing. It’s a proven fact that when you grow so does your business. Your motivation will come from knowing that you’re growing, knowing that you have invested in your business in a way that is tangible,” she says. Boyer suggests taking a whole body approach, saying, “The more regular you are about taking care of yourself and taking care of your space and feeding your passion, the more easy it is to get motivated every single day.” Boyer also espouses the benefits of quiet focus. “In order for us to have self-motivation
– which is really self awareness – we have to take time to be quiet, to listen to ourselves. Our world is noisy. Take time for 10 minutes of quiet meditation every morning, that will really help you to access your motivation.” In the end, Moniz advises perspective and some self-love: “Why are you beating yourself up so much? If we know that motivation is not constant and you are investing in growth maybe you need to give yourself a break. Maybe that’s all you need.” For the entrepreneur Moniz says, “Entrepreneurship is kind of like a spiritual journey in disguise. You need to have a lot of faith, a lot of trust, you need to be humble and you
have to have a lot of guts. You need all of that. It necessitates breaking all of your limiting beliefs and going forward. That’s huge.” Motivation in our society tends to be a glorified asset at the crux of success. We associate it with prosperity, attainment, self-control and achievement. We treat it as an inborn talent that we must exploit if we want to attain any measure of success. Maybe what we need is a cultural redefinition of motivation. Maybe we need to look at it as less of a valued human virtue and more as a life skill. One to be exercised, refined and called upon at will. Tend it. Nurture it. Do not ignore it but build upon it with self-awareness and practice.
MOTIVATING A TEAM – MANAGING MOTIVATION Sometimes we don’t just need to motivate ourselves, we need to manage a team and work with different motivation profiles. Here, Dr. Céline Blanchard gives some tips and tricks on how to manage the motivation of employees. Know that motivation for an immediate behavior can have unforeseen consequences. Sure, you may get the results immediately but will that employee be able to replicate the behavior in the future when they are unsupervised? Likely not. You want to develop employees to be there for a long time, to be able to be autonomous and make good decisions. Identify they types of motivations within your employees, are they intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?
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FOR THE INTRINSICALLY MOTIVATED EMPLOYEE: Get out of the way! Just let it happen because this is what you want. You have to be the master of observing and don’t intervene too much. If you do need to intervene you need to be highly supportive and respectful, because if you micromanage you can kill it. Make sure to engage in an exchange and give clear objectives and direction towards a higher goal. These people have their own fuel. Be sensitive. Don’t be a bulldozer. FOR THE EXTRINSICALLY MOTIVATED EMPLOYEE: This type needs the structure of explicit direction and the accountability of deadlines. The key here is to not always fuel this kind of motivation as it can be time consuming and taxing for a manager and ultimately does not lead to autonomy. As a manager of this type you need to be able to look into their behaviors and find a little project or activity that perks them. When this is found try to integrate that activity within other activities so they can feel more intrinsically motivated. More patience required.
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Detest Stress? Marleen Filimon Bsc., Msc., OACCPP
It is one of those vital emotions that makes us human... It is run by both our biological and psychological systems... It is a necessary evil... It makes our life unnecessarily complicated... It is also one of those emotions we cannot live without...
I
am talking about stress. Stress is all around us and is a crucial part of life. Stress makes us motivated to study for an exam, or slam the breaks to avoid an accident, or to sharpen our concentration when we attempt to win a game. It prepares our body for the, ‘fight-or-flight,’ response, an evolutionary reaction that tells our body, ‘fight, you can win,’ or, ‘run for your life.’ Everyone handles stress differently, and it is perceived and experienced differently by everyone. We, however, have all experienced it in some form or another: sweaty hands, heart pounding, thoughts racing, and shallow breathing. If those were the only effects stress had on us, the term, ‘stress management,’ 34 BCity Summer 2014
would not exist and stress would not be rated as one of the major causes of lost workdays. Stress can have very serious effects on our body, both mentally and physically. According to the Mayo Clinic, the most common effects on the body caused by stress are headaches, body pain, and fatigue. Emotionally, stress causes us to experience anxiety, restlessness, irritability, or anger. The physical side of stress includes: rashes, ulcers, high blood pressure, insomnia, diabetes, and has even been linked to Parkinson’s disease. According to findings from the American Psychological Association survey on, ‘Stress in America,’ conducted in 2013, 69 per cent of Americans reported experiencing physical
symptoms of stress, and 67 per cent reported experiencing non-physical symptoms related to stress. The same study also showed 60 per cent of adults have tried to reduce their stress over the past five years and 53 per cent of those adults are still trying to meet their stress-reducing goals. In my practice, I see a lot of people seeking therapy to cope with stress. Usually people only seek therapy when the stress they feel is so high that they cannot cope with it by themselves. Stress impairs our ability to problem-solve and use logical thinking to find solutions. The next two scenarios are very common but often are left unresolved and ignored.
Scenario 1 Peter finds himself coming up with more and more excuses why he cannot attend the scheduled work meetings. “I have so much work to catch up on,” or, “I have another meeting at the same time,” are excused that seem to have worked for him in the past, but now his boss insists on his attendance. The real reason Peter tries to get out of work meetings is that he is terrified of being asked a question and having to speak in public. His hands get sweaty, his heart starts to race, and worst of all, he feels his face colour changing to a tomato red. Scenario 2 Lori feels that life is overwhelming; she was married one year ago, is expecting her first child, and just started a new position within her company. At home things have not been the same, as both Lori and her husband need to adapt to their changing lives. She also finds she has trouble concentrating at work and gets agitated easily. As these two scenarios point out, work, family, social life, and finding a satisfying balance between these seem to be the main reasons for stress. According to a research study done by Canadian Statistics, 62 per cent of highly stressed Canadian workers identify work as their main stressor, with family, relationship matters and lack of time following close behind. The major problem with ignoring stress and disregarding it’s effects, is that it leads to burnout, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, which in turn cost employers about $20 billion a year. Google the term, ‘stress management,’ and you will find one thousand and one techniques to cope with stress; relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, visualization techniques, yoga, and various psychotherapies. Whichever technique you choose to cope with stress is better than ignoring the problem. Stress does not resolve itself - in fact, it will only get worse. So what can you do about stress? In the case of Peter, breathing and relaxation exercises before he goes into a meeting would help reduce the high levels of stress and anxiety he perceives. These types of exercises make you become aware of how your body is feeling and what it needs from you to relax. Lori could benefit from looking at her own situation using a helicopter perspective. For example, by writing out a list of things she finds overwhelming in order to tackle each problem separately. Marleen Filimon, Bsc., Msc., offers psychotherapy in Burlington for anxiety, depression, mood instabilities, and both stress and anger management. Marleen uses a combination of CBT, Mindfulness Techniques, and Positive Psychology to guide adolescents, adults, and seniors overcome personal issues.
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BCity Summer 2014 39
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It’s great to look glamourous. At work, or at play a lady needs to be comfortable too. These killer kicks are fab to look at and to walk in! All photos by Marcie Costello Photography
All shoes available at: Mirella’s Ladies Boutique 429 Brant St. 905-592-9292 www.mirellas.ca
Zigi New York Soho with Carla in natural $95
Dina by Portia collection $110
The dressy group ocean blue ballet flats $45 and bow - front peep toe flats $45
40 BCity Summer 2014
Sindy wedge in silver by Portia Collection $95
Portia collection OLGA in blush $110
Tasha by Sacha London in Jade, sable and caribe $160
BCity Summer 2014 41
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375 Brant St, Burlington, ON
www.bushs.ca
BCity Summer 2014 43
THANK YOU to our Volunteers, Sponsors and Support Partners
44 BCity Summer 2014
On the
WATERFRONT Alex T. Bielak
“It’s location, location, location with a restaurant” - Bob Cowan TV Host with CHCH
Spencer’s at the Waterfront Photos by Marcie Costello Photography
T
here are no two ways about it: Burlington’s spectacular waterfront and growing reputation for culinary excellence delivers a recipe for success. Whatever experience you seek, and no matter the weather, you will find it at the water’s edge in Burlington. It may be a few brews as you kick back with colleagues after work, brunch, casual dining with the family, or a special spot to linger with a close friend over great food
and wine. It might even be the perfect location for a wedding or other special event. This piece features four of Burlington’s true waterfront restaurants: from the newest, to two with nearly a century of history. While there are others across Lakeshore Rd. offering a range of cuisine, these featured spots have an immediate connection to the lake and the seductive spell of shimmering water. After all it’s summertime, and you will want to be on the waterfront!
BCity Summer 2014 45
Spencer’s seared scallop
Spencer’s at the Waterfront
Spencer’s at the Waterfront 1340 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington 905-633-7494
T
his summer Spencer’s will be celebrating eight successful years on the Waterfront. Spencer’s is a part of Discovery Landing, a distinctive building facing Lake Ontario. Opposite the Burlington Art Centre, on a sunny day the glass structure sparkles like the lake itself: whether you are inside or on the extensive patio the views are as remarkable as the food. Stephan McQueen, the General Manager of the restaurant, one of several owned by Landmark Group, a hospitality company, is adamant that it is not to be labelled fine dining in the classic sense. He says Spencer’s mandate is to be, “Approachable to all. Comfortable dining.” He wants people to feel Spencer’s is a place they can just pop in, as well as somewhere for a special occasion. When asked what he likes about the food, McQueen is quick to talk about the, “Unique, creative yet approachable, dishes,” and the seasonality of the produce. That’s not surprising given Landmark Group’s ‘Earth to Table’ philosophy. They have recently even acquired a farm in Flamborough that will be a source of produce for all their restaurants, as well as serving as an agricultural education centre. McQueen and sommelier Craig MacLean have been at Spencer’s almost from the outset, while talented Executive Chef, Andrew McLeod, joined the team about three years ago. McQueen is generous in praising his colleagues saying, “Andrew is all about his team and talks about what he wants to do, rather than what he has done,” while describing Craig as someone who knows his stuff, and is loved by the guests. The food is a worthy match for the setting. In an informal poll conducted by the author with 23 of Burlington’s chefs and restaura46 BCity Summer 2014
Spencer’s roasted west coast halibut teurs earlier this year, Spencer’s was one of two restaurants voted first for producing the most innovative cuisine in Burlington. The lunch menu includes flatbreads baked in sight of the diners in a large pizza oven. The mushroom ($12) or potato and guanciale ($15) are recommended. A guest favourite is the calamari with chorizo, cilantro and salsa verde ($14) as is the fish ‘n’ chips featuring Lake Huron pickerel ($19). On the dinner menu try the colourful new seared scallop starter with braised baby fennel ($15) or the sustainable halibut main, fresh from the west coast ($36). Chef is a dab hand at fish, sending it out with amazingly crisp skin showcasing excellent technique, with clam and wine foam broth providing a briny counterpoint and smoked leek, a clever flavour punch. Spencer’s serves only premium Ontario beef aged a minimum of 45 days, and the price reflects that. A seven oz. tenderloin with sides runs $38, and flavourful bavette - also known as grill candy by some
- is $37. The service is friendly, yet polished and unobtrusive. There is a fine selection of wines with lots of Canadian and Niagara content carefully selected by MacLean: There are also with some quirkier finds like the Zhlatina from Croatia and a delightful Viognier/Marsanne from boutique producer, Kew Vineyards in Niagara. A fair selection of Italian reds are featured and a couple of dozen wines are available by the glass, with more than half from just down the QEW in Niagara. Apart from the restaurant, Spencer’s is an event magnet. They run about one hundred functions a year in the Observatory, a beautiful room in Discovery Landing, adjacent to Spencer’s. These range from events like special chef showcases, wine tastings, anniversaries, and of course, weddings. McQueen says he loves the, “theatre of the lake.” Coupled with the artfully presented food this makes for quite a performance.
Beaver and Bulldog Neighbourhood Taps and Grille
Beaver and Bulldog Neighbourhood Taps and Grille 2020 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington 289-337-9119
O
ver the years the Waterfront Hotel Downtown has hosted various restaurants. There was a Dakota’s, a Pat and Mario’s and 2020 Lakeside, not to mention the home base of Pane Fresco before they moved onward and upward. Greg Rankie is the General Manager of the incumbent, Beaver and Bulldog. Rankie says they are working on a sustainable business model, “We’re here to stay with a focus on food and casual dining. The nightclub is the icing on the cake.” The large space is sprawling and somewhat awkward, but they have done a decent job of differentiating areas in the restaurant. Facing Lakeshore Rd. the space has a classic pub feel where travellers can watch sports. On Fridays and Saturdays after 10 p.m. the space transforms into a dance space with live DJ. Two rooms - one of which can become a private dining room accommodating up to 50 guests - face the lake and offer value-oriented lunch and dinner options. There is extensive sheltered patio space, with the uncovered part catering to smokers. The views are as good as anywhere and Rankie says the new pier has shifted the centre of downtown towards the hotel and business has flourished. “It’s a beautiful piece... and when it opened we were up 30 per cent!” he says. With 15 years of kitchen experience behind him, in addition to his other duties as General Manager, Rankie is culinary lead for the three Beaver and Bulldog locations: he ensures the food will work in all of them and particularly in the lakeshore flagship. He considers his new summer menu beautiful as well. “It has a more uniform bistro feel to it and many items have a modern twist. Most are fresh and never frozen. We want to make sure the flavours speak for themselves,” he says. His recommendation is the Bang Bang Shrimp, one of several share plate appetizers ($14) prepared by Head Chef James Csoko who has been with the group for more than four years. Black tiger shrimp are dipped in buttermilk and hand-breaded in panko for
Beaver and Bulldog’s Bang Bang Shrimp
each order and served with a Sriracha-lime sauce. They are crisp and tasty, with a pleasant heat that lingers. Entrées are varied and affordable ranging from $9-18, with USDA Choice steaks topping $20. A modest wine list is designed to match the food (Peller Estates provides the house wine) and there are a variety of promotions available on beverages and food.
Emma’s Back Porch and The Water St. Cooker 2084 Old Lakeshore Rd., Burlington 905-634-2084
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hese two restaurants occupy an Old Lakeshore Rd. 1800s Georgian-style heritage property, formerly the Estaminet Standard Hotel. Originally opened in 1919, it hosted luminaries as varied as Mickey Mantle, Liberace, Louis Armstrong and John Diefenbaker. Those were the days in Burlington when the railroad bought visitors from the south and the Estaminet was billed as, ‘Canada’s house of hospitality.’ Should you call and listen to the enthusiastic recorded phone message you will learn Emma’s Back Porch, named after Estaminet owner Emma Byrens, is, “The cottage in the middle of the city. Your summer headquarters, with a patio that is second to none.” There are regular promotions, live music, and servers bustle busily by. The food is what you would expect at a pub (burgers, wraps, wings, ribs, sweet potato fries etc.) and the venue has multiple TV screens to watch sports. The Water St. Cooker is the upstairs to Emma’s downstairs, the yang to her yin. This fresh market grill opens for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday and for brunch on Sunday. The menu tends to standard appetizers such as calamari, crab cakes, and Caesar salads ranging from $6-$15. For mains they feature AAA Alberta beef with some other offerings rounding things out. These range from six oz. center-cut tenderloin with roasted potatoes and seasonal veggies at $32, cedar planked Atlantic salmon in a maple whiskey glaze at $23 and several pasta choices ranging from $17-$21. A handful of local vineyards are among offerings in a reasonably priced wine list.
Beaver and Bulldog
Check out www.bcitymagazine.com to see videos about these waterfront restaurants.
Emma’s Back Porch and The Water St. Cooker
Alex Bielak is BCity Magazine’s Food and Drink Editor. A passionate cook, epicure and storyteller, his engaging writing and photos have appeared in various Canadian and international media, including a regular online column in The Hamiltonian. Follow him on Twitter: @AlexBielak BCity Summer 2014 47
DID YOU KNOW? 6,000,000 The estimated economic activity of Sound of Music Festival is $6 million including local and tourist spending and the equivalent of 22 full time jobs is supported by the event. That’s a pretty good return on investment!
100 Tim Hortons Burlington Restaurant Owners are proud to bring Coffee for Causes to Sound of Music Festival! Coffee for Causes will be in the heart of Spencer Smith Park during the festival, selling a select menu of Tim Hortons hot & cold beverages. Burlington Restaurant Owners donate 100% of the proceeds to The Carpenter Hospice. Enjoy Sound of Music Festival and visit the Coffee for Causes trailer where together we can all support our local community.
35 Sound of Music is celebrating its 35th birthday! The Festival has brought well over 4000 performances over the course of its history - by Canadian and International bands for guests to enjoy for free. With 100 performances across 10 stages, the Festival is Canada’s Largest Free Music Festival. Past performers include LIGHTS, Carly Rae Jepson, Big Sugar, Walk off the Earth, 54-40 and The Trews.
800 Over 800 volunteers come out during Festival week to share their time and talents and make the Festival happen. Over 100 volunteers work year-round on committees in Festival planning. The Festival would not be possible without volunteers.
240 240 children take part in FREE music education workshops on Saturday, June 14.
17 The Festival began in 1980 as a city run event. It has evolved and grown considerably since inception and has been successfully running as a volunteer based not-for-profit organization for 17 years, funded by corporate sponsorship, fundraising and government support.
15 Tonnes of garbage is sorted during the Festival, with 150+ volunteers hand sorting every garbage bag and diverting over 80% of the litter to be recycled or composted.
48 BCity Summer 2014
Hail Caesar This summer, in partnership with TAG Vodka, B City is proud to announce the 2014 TAG you’re it B City Caesar Contest.
Tracey R ead and Lisa W er eber Joe Dogs
#BC
ity
lfie
#CaesarSe
nne
xa nd Ro a a t t Brigi Eatalia
T
#TAGBCityC aesar
his summer, in partnership with TAG Vodka, B City is proud to announce the 2014 TAG you’re it B City Caesar Contest. Participate in this fun contest for your chance to win SWAG and to nominate your favourite libation creation for the Reader’s Choice Best B City Caesar. Check out one of our five contending locations, wet your whistle with their Caesar entry and take a selfie with this Canadian classic. Post your selfie to Facebook,
uto Moss tani a h s i Al Mon esse gs J d an Do Joe
Twitter or Instagram with one of the hashtags: #TAGBCityCaesar #CaesarSelfie #Caesar2014 #BCity and tag us in it to be entered to win great prizes. Vote online at www.bcitymagazine.com for your favourite Caesar. The winner will be crowned Reader’s Choice Best B City Caesar. Check out our fall edition to see the winner of the Reader’s Choice and the overall winner, judged by a panel of experts.
BCity Summer 2014 49
TAG YOU’RE IT!
Get out and Vote for your favourite Caesar for your chance to win “Caesar Swag” and be part of the contentious, yet friendly fun!
Joe Dog’s Gasbar Grill 531 Brant St. Burlington 905-632-5110 www.joedogs.com/burlington /Joe-Dogs-Gasbar-Grill @JoeDogsGasBar
Eatalia
Test Kitchen
527 Brant St. Burlington 905-634-3330
455 Brant St. Burlington 289-245-1999
www.eatalia.ca
www.testkitchenrestaurants.com
/Eatalia
/Testkitchenburlingtonrestaurant
@Eatalia
@TK_Restaurants
TRY ALL FIVE
Contest runs, July 1st through August 1st, 2014. Make your vote count at www.bcitymagazine.com for your chance to win “Caesar Swag” All of our contenders are using TAG Vodka and traditional Caesar fixings, but amping it up with their own original twist. • Cheddar cheese • House-made cured pancetta • Garlic pickled green beans • Whole Scotch bonnet pepper • Sweet and sour cipollini onion • Stuffed green olives • Lemon • Lime • Pickled cherry tomato • Horseradish • Chili oil • Pickled red radish • Hard-boiled egg • Infused, with jalapeno, vodka and cucumber ice cubes
mber Reme AG to T sar Cae your es! Selfi
Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Sports Lounge 380 Brant St. Burlington 905-633-9217 www.wendelclarks.com /WCBURLINGTON @WC17Burlington
West Plains Bistro 133 Plains Road Burlington 905-333-9449 www.westplainsbistro.com /WestPlainsBistro @BistroBound
www.bcitymagazine.com /bcitymagazine @bcitymag bcitymagazine #TAGBCityCaesar #CaesarSelfie #Caesar2014 #BCity BCity Summer 2014 51
dinnerlicious! Entrepreneur Malin van der Meer shares her table with us in this easy, flavourful and family-friendly dish
Quick Spanish Paella
D
innerlicious! founder Malin van der Meer brought the concept of a planned meal bag delivered to the home to Hamilton, Canada in 2011 with the goal to share her passion for good, healthy eating with people too busy to plan and shop for dinner themselves. Malin has lived in some exotic and inspiring food regions around the world including France, the Balkans, South East Asia, and her native Sweden. Born on the West Coast of Sweden, Malin’s culinary interests started early at home where her dad cooked delicious healthy meals daily and her mom would bake the sweetest and most delicious things. It was not uncommon for her family to meet the local fishermen at the docks to get freshly caught seafood for their evening meal. This tradition of preparing meals with quality, local, healthy (and perhaps sometimes in-
52 BCity Summer 2014
dulgent) ingredients continued as her family moved to Paris. Her years there were marked with trips to the local street market where fresh produce, meat, and cheese were bought directly from local farmers. Adulthood sent Malin around the world: from Brussels, Belgium, to living in Macedonia and Cambodia with her husband. Now, having settled in Hamilton in 2008, Malin believes that it is important to be aware of where our food comes from and how it gets to our plates. Her food philosophy centers on trying to make the best food choices both for the people who will eat it and for our planet. Through dinnerlicious!, Malin shares her global culinary knowledge and passion for seasonal and local meals to assist busy families in making healthy and responsible food choices. dinnerlicious! plans three meals weekly and delivers the ingredients and instructions needed directly to you, either at
home or work, making eating wholesome home-made meals a joyful experience for the whole family. For more information or to order, visit www.dinnerlicious.ca
Shopping List • 500 grams chicken breasts, quartered
• 2 carrots, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 cups basmati rice (or white long grain)
• ½ tsp each dried thyme, rosemary and ground cumin • Pinch cayenne
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Pinch saffron (optional)
• 300 grams raw peeled prawns (optional)
• 100 grams chorizo, sliced
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• Pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Salt
Quick Spanish Paella Traditional paella cooks for a long time in large vats; this quicker version, which gives you the wonderful flavors of this traditional Spanish meal cooks in just 30 minutes. It’s a fun family-friendly meal that can be dressed up or down depending on the people eating it. Serves 6 (recipe can easily be halved).
Method 1. Heat a large, deep pan or pot over mediumhigh heat. 2. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and chicken to the pan, season with paprika, thyme, rosemary, cumin, cayenne and saffron and fry for 2-3 minutes on one side. 3. Turn chicken over and add chorizo, 1 tbsp parsley, onion and garlic and fry 3 minutes. 4. Add carrots and peppers and fry an additional 3 minutes 5. Add rice and stir to mix. 6. Add 4 cups chicken stock to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium, cover the pot and let it cook for about 20 minutes, stirring once in a while (Not too often, as it’s nice when it fries a bit at the bottom). 7. After approximately 16 minutes, add prawns (if using) and cook until pink and opaque, about 4 minutes. 8. By now the rice should be tender and there shouldn’t be any liquid left. If the rice is not done and there is no liquid left, add some water. If there is liquid left, leave it to cook a little longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 9. Cut 1 lemon into wedges and serve with the paella. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
/dinnerlicious @dinnerlicious (905) 818-2522 malin@dinnerlicious.ca www.dinnerlicious.ca Photos by Marcie Costello Photography BCity Summer 2014 53
We are what we eat
Unlike most creatures, humans eat not only to satiate hunger or to replenish lost nutrients. Unlike other animals, humans derive pleasure from eating culinary masterpieces. New research even suggests that eating the stuff we love activates certain chemicals in our body, rewarding us for consuming sinful goodies. Kelly Childs
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well-balanced diet provides the human body with all the nutrients it needs for optimal physical and mental performance, enables the body to regenerate damaged cells and tissues, and even allows it to ward off or fight diseases. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates was definitely on to something when he said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The modern diet is far from ideal. If you look closely at the food sold at supermarkets and served in most restaurants, you will find that they are processed and high in saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and full of sugars. Almost everything made in bulk for the supermarkets and the food industry for restaurants is made in a lab by people in lab coats, not in a kitchen by people in chef coats. If you add the impact of a sedentary lifestyle, high stress levels and large portion sizes, you’ve got a veritable buffet of lifestyle diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stressed-out bodies, sleep apnea, as well as many cancers. What these trends suggest an imbalance with our relationship with food. Apart from nourishing the body, food should satisfy the other needs of a person, including emotional, social and spiritual. Aside from replenishing the nutrients needed by the body, or even satisfying our cravings, there is a social aspect to eating. More often than not, the imbalance at either end of the food disorder spectrum comes as a result of losing close touch with any of these aspects of food consumption. Sometimes, food can hurt us too. Take the case of gluten. Over the past few years, the gluten-free diet has gained wide attention from the public. Some restaurants and food establishments are providing gluten-free options, however, there are very few that are 100 per cent gluten-free such as Lettuce Love Café and Kelly’s Bake Shoppe. Gluten is a type of protein found in a number of grains including wheat, barley and rye. Notice how chewy some baked products are? That’s created by gluten. It can also be found in other types of food products including chocolates, soy sauce, vitamin supplements and even personal hygiene products like toothpaste and body moisturizers. For people with celiac disease, gluten can be a curse to their existence. Even the slightest trace of this protein can trigger 54 BCity Summer 2014
Kelly Childs Photo by Brian Cappricci adverse reactions in their bodies, including damage to the lining of their small intestines and can even put them in a hospital. Only about one per cent of people may be considered to be true celiacs. The remainder have what is now commonly known as, “gluten sensitivity.” This sensitivity comes as a result of what has been called a, ‘gluten overload.’ Experts are saying the wheat molecule has been rendered indigestible over the past few decades and for many will result in inflammation.
Consequently more and more people are experiencing health issues and symptoms like stomach pain, bloating, brain fog, heartburn, fatigue and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Interested in gluten-free alternatives? There are numerous alternatives you can adopt into your diet like brown rice, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa as a gluten or wheat substitute. These are very simple grains to prepare. Garbanzo bean flour and fava bean flours are gluten-free flours favoured for their high fibre and high protein contents.
For me, I enjoy a 100 per cent plant-based diet and the majority of it (maybe 80 per cent) is centred on organic vegetables (raw, baked, grilled or roasted). The other 20 per cent of my diet is comprised of fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds and gluten-free grains. I suggest the same for other people and try to focus on the source of food as nutrition, the preference is always directly from Mother Earth. Forego packaged foods (like gluten-free crackers, processed cookies and cereals, sauces, dressings, etc.) and make everything directly from
whole ingredients and the earth. That way you know exactly what is in the food you’re eating. It’s just feels good to eat that way and in doing so; you’ll be a natural gluten-free eater. As a gluten free eater and chef, I can’t stress enough the importance of getting back into the kitchen and to be a part of the creation of food. I believe that by getting back into the kitchen and making our food we receive natural gifts that enhance our wellbeing. Not only this, we have fun with family and friends
again. This is inspiration. It’s a time we can welcome all into the kitchen - what I consider the most influential room in the home. Here we can just be and work on our health from the inside out. My belief is optimal health equals ultimate happiness. Creating a meal is creating your own reality. Kelly Childs is a conscious chef, extreme vegan baker and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe and Lettuce Love Cafe in downtown Burlington.
Buddha Bowl from Lettuce Love Cafe Photo by Kelly Childs
Buy your tickets now at
In support of:
lakesidealacarte.com! Reservations for groups over 8
Sunday, August 10, 2014 1:00 - 4:00 pm Spencer Smith Park, Burlington Featuring over 40 restaurants, wineries, breweries and spirits Live entertainment • Silent auction • WIN Two Air Canada tickets! $100 Special Anniversary price Rotary Club of Burlington Central
Tax receipt available
Burlington’s Ultimate Summer Party
BCity Summer 2014 55
Entrepreneurship By the Numbers
Being an entrepreneur means pioneering a path not yet taken - a seemingly lonely task. The reality is, the Canadian business landscape is populated with small and medium businesses whose extensive contributions provide jobs, services and goods to all of us. Here we take a look at entrepreneurship by the numbers to see just how much small business owners impact our lives and our communities.
The term
‘entrepreneur’
was first used in
1734
There are more than
1 million
small business owners in Canada
Canadian small businesses create more than
100,000 jobs annually
Small businesses account for
78%
of all new private job creation Canada boast high small business survival rates with surviving the first year. By year 5 Canadian small businesses have a
85%
51%
55%
of small businesses have between 1-4 employees – also recognized as micro-enterprises 56 BCity Summer 2014
survival rate, compared to
44% in the UK
2012 7.7 million 70% In
small businesses employed
Prince Edward Island has the highest employment rate by small businesses at
people or
of the total private workforce
The industrial sector of small businesses with the most employees is wholesale and retail with
1.8 million workers
2011 90%
94%
Ontario is the second lowest at
89% 31%
Small businesses are responsible for of research and development spending while medium businesses are responsible for only
18%
In
of Canadian exporters were small businesses
10% 20’s
of Canadian’s in their claim ownership in a start up
77%
of small business owners have more than years of experience
10
50%
of small to medium business owners are between
50-64 years old
The average employees put in
39
hours of work a week Entrepreneurs put in more than
44
hours per week Summer 57 *Sources – Industry Canada, BCity StatsCan and 2014 Barclays
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION Independent filmmaker Christopher Giroux aims to make Burlington an indie film hot spot Camille Llosa
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ot many people can say they started their own company right out of high school, but Oakville born, Burlington raised filmmaker Christopher Giroux holds that bragging right. “Ever since I was in Grade 6 I was interested in the big action adventure movies, like Star Wars,” he says. “It was those big movies that really got me interested in the art of telling stories.” Giroux got his start in the film industry early. At age 15 he began volunteering for local production companies and by Grade 12 began doing the lighting and camera operation for genre films. 58 BCity Summer 2014
Right out of high school Giroux opened his own production company called Red and White Productions. “I started Red and White Productions in 2005. It was really a way of getting out there and getting more exposure as a filmmaker,” Giroux says. Along with Red and White Productions, Giroux shot corporate events and political videos. He has worked with many high profile subjects including: all the major Canadian political parties, The Prime Minister, Tom Hanks, Dalton McGuinty, Oprah, L’Oreal Fashion Week and The United Nations, just to name a few.
recruits interns to assist on various projects. “It’s always great to have these young energetic people to come out and see what it’s all about, because it’s so vastly different than what you learn in school,” he says. “At the high school level you learn the fundamentals, in college a bit more, but there is nothing to really showcase what a set is really like unless you are on it. It is very much a living, breathing thing with so many moving pieces, so we try to get a lot of youth out to see it up close.” For 2014 Giroux has a full calendar. He was nominated for the Burlington’s Best Arts person of the Year in May. With his newly produced film The Drownsman which had its market premiere at The Cannes Film Market in May and starting in early summer he begins work on Antisocial 2 his first ever sequel, along with a slate of numerous films over the next little while with Black Fawn Films, and of course, encouraging the fostering and development of the independent film culture in Burlington, one frame at a time.
A
fter establishing his company, Giroux enrolled in a post-graduate advanced film and production program at Sheridan College in Oakville where he specialized in camera and lighting. Giroux defines himself as a producer but has dabbled in directing, in the 2013 short Dead All Night. “It was really well received. It even got translated into French and played on TV in France,” he says. “I would love to get into directing and writing a bit more in the future, but I really call myself a producer as that’s what I mainly do and enjoy the most.” One of Giroux’s more recent works, Antisocial had its Canadian premiere in December 2013 at the Carleton Theatre in Toronto. “It was surreal,” he says. “We sold out our 7 o’clock show, which was the major one and we actually got extended a week due to sales.” Antisocial is now on DVD and ITunes in Canada. Another one of Giroux’s passion projects has been his involvement with the Tottering Biped Film Festival. Giroux along with Trevor Copp – founder of Burlington’s Tottering Biped Theatre – conceived of the idea to host a film festival within Burlington to showcase the wealth of filmmaking talent in the area. “I find that Burlington is such a fabulous and amazing city but we just don’t have a way to showcase art,” he says. Giroux and Copp set out to remedy this by teaming up with the Burlington Art Centre as the venue to host their inaugural one-night event. “With Hamilton and Toronto and all these cities around us who have all these film related nights and centres we realized Burlington doesn’t really have that. Being fans of film and art we wanted a place for local people to see film and filmmakers to show their work without having to travel,” he says. Hosted on January 17, 2014 at the Burlington Art Centre, the night showcased 12 short films from local filmmakers. The festival will be back next year, bigger and better.
With the artists in mind the film festival sought to change the typical film festival dynamic: “The different thing about this festival and the other festivals in the area is that if we accept your film we actually pay you a small honorarium. A lot of artists are struggling in modern times to find that pay cheque. We wanted to give back to the filmmakers,” he says. Giroux also realizes that engaging the artistic community starts at a young age. “I was always very nurtured in film when I was young, and we want to give youth the opportunity to explore the film industry,” he says. Giroux goes to high schools and sometimes
BCity Summer 2014 59
Jit Mistry takes the mystery out of social media Jit Mistry
Here are a few ideas if you’re new to social media and interested in getting a good start getting social
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or those born in the last two decades it’s difficult for them imagine a world not at their fingertips. For the uninitiated, navigating social media can be overwhelming with the onslaught of new services appearing daily. To help clear the fog, variations of this clever little graphic have been making the rounds on the web the last few years. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where it originated but with simple cheeky brilliance, it illustrates the purpose of the most popular social media tools using, in this case, tasty samosas to demonstrate how to communicate best using each tool. Most agree the Internet has made the world smaller through instant communication capabilities. Yet it’s the large-scale connectivity , which allows experience sharing through social networking which, for many, is the most meaningful part of the web. A great place to start is by connecting with old friends and making new friends - chances many of them are already using Facebook or Google +, the two major social networking sites. Facebook offers groups, which let you engage with people with like-minded interests. If you can’t find a group to fit your interest on Facebook, you can start one. If you have a favorite brand or organization you would enjoy staying current with, they are most likely already on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube or Instagram. Maybe getting involved with charities and causes is where you prefer to spend your time. In recent years, through the collective voice of social networking, important changes have taken place across communities and around the world. At an individual level, it can simply become your personal archive over time 60 BCity Summer 2014
Jit Mistry- Burlington Samosas of your favourite products, places, services and people. For work or business, professional online networking through LinkedIn can be your gateway to a new career and business opportunities. There’s no question that social media is a powerful and inexpensive way to reach new customers and shape your organizations voice and brand. Social media tools are a powerful means to share ideas, experiences, information and knowledge and make connections using images, words and video. This is a small taste of what can be done and the list goes on. There are plenty of resources on the Internet to help guide your way. Regardless of which tools you decide to use, the power of social networking comes from starting, sharing and taking part in conversations. Remember that traditional face-
to-face relationships are cultivated based on shared experiences, trust, reliability and dependability. These same rules apply when social networking. In other words, on the playground children had to learn to be a friend to gain a friend. To get started, focus on one or two major social media services such as Facebook and Twitter and get really good at it. Find your voice, start conversations, and keep it real. Jit Mistry is a marketing specialist based in Burlington. In case you were wondering why samosas, the samosa analogy is fitting as his significant other and mompreneur Kris, launched Burlington Samosas on March 15, 2014 and is being marketed through word of mouth, Facebook and more recently, through Twitter.
Lots to do in Waterdown! Art & Music Streetfest Local Charity BBQ Great Shopping Book Fair Oh Canada Ribfest Chili Fest River Walk Swap Meet and Car Show Farmer’s Market Carlisle Duck Dash Village Theatre Waterdown Santa Claus Parade Cafes and Pubs Candlelit Choral Walk Linda Armstrong / Shutterstock.com
Artisan & Craft Show
ValeStock / Shutterstock.com
Trails and Hiking Smokey Hollow Falls Movies in the Park
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Ar� yo� m� Forever Hom�?
www.anadoptflam.com Shelter: 905-689-7801 Adoptions: 905-689-4972 Animal Adoptions Flamborough 16 Mill St North PO Box #71 Waterdown ON L0R 2H0
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Who gets the last word?
Darko Vranich Entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Vrancor Group, a leader in real estate development including luxury hotels What do you like most about being in Burlington? Burlington has a firm foundation for growth and its Waterfront is perhaps the best in Ontario. What do you think Burlington can do to improve? Complete the Beach Master Plan and focus on strengthening the heart of the city: downtown. What passion drives you? A commitment to grow diverse holdings, the ability to adapt to change and a proven track record to build and manage award winning properties. If you have a mentor who is it? My father was my mentor. What character trait do you admire most in yourself? I would say visionary. Others may say hardworking. What character trait do you most admire others? A hard-working, loyal and dedicated team. When it comes to hospitality at the hotels and restaurants you’ve developed what service do you believe is most important to provide? Our dedicated team works closely with tourism stakeholders, especially guests, to deliver personalized and memorable experiences. What are you most proud of? We are a proud Ontario company with a passion for hospitality. Our company has a strong focus on business excellence and has significantly impacted tourism growth with the building of 14 new hotels in Ontario. Currently, Vrancor employs 845 associates and operates 13 hotels including franchise agreements with Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. What do you value most? I value my granddaughter, Bella. What do you intend your legacy to be? To be recognized as an award-winning management and development company committed to deliver complete customer satisfaction through efficient, effective and responsive services and operations.
Darko Vranich at one of his spectacular properties, The Waterfront Hotel, Burlington Photo by Marcie Costello Photography 64 BCity Summer 2014
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