AQs Blog & Grill

Hungry for a dose of entrepreneurial advice? At AQ's Blog & Grill, Alan Quarry dishes up food for thought on entrepreneurship, branding, startups and more in this podcast. We know you're craving information, and one of the best ways to learn is by hearing from others. Knowing that, we snag some of the world's most brilliant minds to share their stories, from veteran influencers like Guy Kawasaki, to Waterloo Region heroes like Vidyard's Michael Litt.

Taking the ‘Why Not’ Approach and Running with Opportunities as they come | Donna Litt 11/29/2021

Knowing When to Pivot in Your Startup | Mallorie Brodie 11/08/2021

Building a Successful Innovation Ecosystem With Collaborative Capitalism | Communitech CEO Iain Klugman 04/27/2020

Driverseat Director of Marketing talks Franchise Expansion and Opportunities for Entrepreneurs | Dani Bazely 04/20/2020

How Bridgit Founders Used Customer Insights to Build a Multi Million Dollar Business | Lauren Lake 04/13/2020

How Bridgit Founders Used Customer Insights to Build a Multi Million Dollar Business | Lauren Lake What does successfully breaking into an untapped market actually look like? How do you do it? How do you bring a product to market that the market is ready to adopt right away? You ask the market. What sets Bridgit apart from so many other companies, and what has made them so successful, is that they went to their customers first. Before they ever had a business plan or a product - before they ever wrote a single line of code - they hit the pavement. Lauren Lake (Bridgit COO) and Mallorie Brodie (Bridgit CEO) would pop by construction sites early in the morning all over the city, with coffee and donuts and they talked to the people that would be consumers of their product. They spent their first 6 months in business “understanding the needs, building simple prototypes and validating those with people before actually investing and building the real product“. And that became Bridgit’s methodology - step by step, one piece at a time, following the research and the needs of those they were serving. In this episode, Lauren goes into detail about the steps that Bridgit took in order to find a gap and identify the challenges within that gap, and how they turned their research into an incredible product used by over 150 customers across North America. Bridgit strives to revolutionize the way the construction industry functions, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Time stamps of key takeaways from this episode: 0:33 What is Bridgit 1:18 How the founders, Mallorie Brodie and Lauren Lake, met and got started 3:52 Understanding the needs of their customers during the research process 5:45 The harder you work, the luckier you get 10:00 About the Bridgit products 15:15 What does success look like for Bridgit? 18:03 Finding support through incubators and accelerators 20:54 What's next for Bridgit 23:50 How Lauren went from the Stratford arts community to being a Civil Engineering graduate More on Bridgit Solutions: || || || || || || Lauren is a civil engineer and the Chief Operating Officer of Bridgit Solutions based out of Kitchener, Ontario. Bridgit is on a mission to revolutionize the way the construction industry functions, and they are doing just that. With over 150 customers across North America, they're uncomplicating the way that construction projects run. /episode/index/show/aqblogandgrill/id/13959995

Hamilton’s Innovation Factory and the Value of a Startup Supercluster | David Carter 04/06/2020

Finding Your Way Through Uncertainty and Coming Out Stronger | Jennifer Moss 03/30/2020

Finding Your Way Through Uncertainty and Coming Out Stronger | Jennifer Moss The world is currently going through the strangest thing that any of us will likely face in our lives. And there's a ton of fear and anxiety and doom and gloom that comes along with a worldwide pandemic, of course. But in this episode, happiness expert and author gives us incredible, tangible advice on how to navigate through this uncertainty with less guilt. But also to accept the many stages of grief that we may be moving through right now, no matter what form the emotion may be taking. It's ok to not be thriving right now, but we don't have to completely sink either. *This episode was adapted from a Facebook LIVE that was recorded on March 26th, 2020 (if you want to see the video, here it is: ) List of Resource Suggestions from this episode: HERO GEN – Global Happiness Council Access here: The Global Happiness Council (GHC) produces the Global Happiness and Well-Being Policy Report with the goal of informing policy around Positive Education initiatives, Happy Cities, Societal Well-being Interventions, and more. The site also includes videos and past reports, which are presented at World Governance Summits in a bid to shape legal and governmental frameworks through science-based findings. The GHC also carries out research into personal happiness and Positive Organizations. About Positive Psychology: Blogs and News Greater Good Magazine Access here: This is UC Berkeley’s digital magazine of science-based insights on well-being, gratitude, happiness, and more. Here you’ll find podcasts, videos, exercises, resources, and quizzes, along with articles that cover positive psychology themes in current affairs. Positive Psychology News Access here: This is written and curated by MAPP graduates and coaches, this site is a wealth of information on courses and resources. It’s regularly updated with book reviews, webinars, conference information, and is also a good place to find more background on PP through articles and a few nice frameworks. The Psychology of Wellbeing (A positive psychology blog by MAPP graduate and author Jeremy McCarthy) Access here: Jeremy McCarthy’s blog is actually an endearing mix of personal reflections on and news about positive psychology news. Here, the author applies positive psychology to wellbeing—holistic wellbeing, with a focus on spas and the hospitality industry. It includes transcripts from talks and relevant research on wellness. The Happiness Institute Blog Access here: Dr. Tim Sharp is an Adjunct Professor in Positive Psychology at the University of Technology, Sydney. On the Happiness Institute Blog, he curates and writes articles on positive psychology topics like stress, self-care, happiness, and mental health. There are plenty of links to academic articles with more information. The How of Happiness (A positive psychology blog by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky) Access here: Author Sonja Lyubomirski’s blog covers the science behind what is potentially the most popular positive psychology topic—happiness—from a scientific perspective. She is a Templeton Positive Psychology Prize winner and Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. The Good Life (A positive psychology blog by Dr. Christopher Peterson) Access here: Christopher Peterson is frequently cited as the author of A Primer in Positive Psychology and has been an editor at The Journal of Positive Psychology. His Good Life Blog is not frequently updated but is full of opinions and insights on topics like happiness, life satisfaction, and books that are worth reading. Deeper Learning/Research: Upenn Positive Psychology Center Access here: (also available at ) This is the University of Pennsylvania’s official Positive Psychology Center webpage. Dr. , one of the founding fathers of Positive Psychology, is the director of this Center. On this site, you’ll find the latest of the University’s programs, an overview of UPenn’s research in various PP fields, and a wealth of resources such as questionnaires and further links to external bodies for therapists. VIA Institute on Character Access here: This is the official site for the VIA Character Strengths Survey. The non-profit VIA Institute also provides a character strengths list and information about how to interpret the results of their assessment. There are resources for professional practitioners and quite a wealth of research findings, including survey data, full-text articles, fact sheets, and a blog that is updated weekly. The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues Access here: The University of Birmingham’s Jubilee Centre is involved in research projects aimed at understanding how character, values, and virtues contribute to human flourishing. At the link above, you’ll find more pages for learning about these projects, and multimedia resources for learning, as well as a nice blog on virtues. In the Library section, there is a further database of articles with numerous open access options. Science of Generosity Access here: This website from the University of Notre Dame has a Research Resources section which includes links to survey data and even the related questionnaire items that have been used in studies on generosity. Users who are hoping not to dig into hard data will also find reports, literature, and working papers in the same section. The Science of Generosity site also includes background on the Science of Generosity initiative and an overview of its current projects. Compassion: Stanford Medicine Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education Access here: Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) is committed to researching how ‘positive qualities of the human mind‘ benefit society and individuals. These include techniques and approaches for fostering compassion and its promotion in schools and institutions. On this page, CCARE features some of its own research, a database of other curated academic articles, and resources such as articles and overviews from past events. CompassionLab Access here: CompassionLab is run by organizational researchers, with a goal of encouraging the use of compassion in professional contexts such as leadership and employee engagement. This site includes presentations, journal articles, book chapters, and links to other theory- and practice-related sites on Positive Organizations. Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Access here: The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence is a well-known source of academic information, research, and tools. It is behind the development of the RULER approach, a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework with potential and demonstrated applications in professional development and education. The Center site thus provides background information on for educators, coaches, and therapists alike—here, you can access research on the Center’s science-based RULER approach. It also offers ample RULER documentation and emotional intelligence case studies. Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations Access here: The EI Consortium seeks to progress research into, and practical applications of, emotional intelligence. This website contains a good collection of the publications and news about EI in business settings and leadership, as well as information on dissertations, book chapters, and emotional intelligence questionnaires. It’s a comprehensive source for anyone looking to research EI closely. Gratitude: Emmons Lab Access here: Here is Dr. Emmons’ own research website, which provides some background into his work on the Youth Gratitude Project (YGP) with Giacomo Bono and Jeffrey Foh. It includes a list of relevant positive psychology publications on gratitude and links back to other webpages related to the YGP. Flourishing: Authentic Happiness Access here: Another UPenn resource that links the user to books, questionnaires, projects and initiatives, academic research, blog posts, and news on happiness as a positive psychology topic. It is full of useful resources for teachers, therapists, and researchers, including videos, study opportunities, and training. Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing Access here: This University of Oklahoma Institute was created to advance the study of human , further the scientific study of virtue, and engage with the community to promote flourishing. Here, you can easily find online and downloadable resources, including courses and relevant links for parents. Global Happiness: International Research Associates for Happy Societies Access here: International Research Associates for Happy Societies is a non-profit, independent organization; IRAH started in 1995 as a network for individuals and organizations interested in happiness and promoting well-being in society. The site itself is in English, though it also includes links to publications in Thai and English. Here, you’ll find news on IRAH’s past activities and links to related sites. It is very much related to in society and features some background on IRAH projects in developing communities. International Society for Quality of Life Studies Access here: Founded in 1995, the ISQOLS goal is to advance research into happiness, well-being, and quality of life. ISQOLS hosts an annual conference on Quality of Life and publishes an official journal on the same, Applied Research in Quality of Life. Their official page includes a range of videos, webinars, access to their bibliographic database, and information about events. Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations Access here: HEIR combines economic and positive psychology in its research, which focuses on understanding how individual relationships relate to societal happiness and subjective well-being. The team applies economic theory to the positive psychology topics of SWB and interpersonal relationships, and hosts workshops however, the site itself is not designed to be a source of literature or tools. Harvard University Center for Health and Happiness Access here: The Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard shares recent publications on topics like positive interventions, well-being, optimism, and health. The official site features links for students and researchers and also provides happiness resources and tools for use in a variety of different contexts. At this site, you can also find out more on the Center’s Seminar Series page, or watch seminar recordings from past events. OECD Better Life Index Access here: In 2013, the OECD released its Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, to encourage a more holistic approach to studying . These subjective indicators include constructs such as Life Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance, and the OECD considers them alongside objective measures of well-being on a national scale. This link will take you to the global country data that exists to date. According to the OECD, these statistics are being updated as different countries create more assessments of subjective well-being. Mindfulness: UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center Access here: MARC carries out education and research to encourage mindful awareness for well-being. The Center provides workshops, tools, and classes for the public and publishes studies on its site. These cover mindfulness topics such as MBSR, mindful awareness practices in education and the elderly, and also provide a little background on upcoming publications. Education: International Positive Education Network Access here: IPEN has an extensive online learning library of resources for schools and educators. You’ll find articles, activities, handouts, worksheets, lesson plans, case studies, and downloadables such as posters for use in class. The link above takes you to a sister site which will lead you to the main site (currently under maintenance). On the site, you’ll see a map of where the IPEN community is distributed across the world and there is also considerable background . Positive Education Schools Association Access here: PESA is an Australian peak body dedicated to encouraging evidence-based approaches to well-being. The PESA site is a source of information on events, with a calendar of summits and conferences. Practitioners and educators can find out more about PESA’s state chapters to access support and resources for teachers and schools. The Positive Psychology Project: Character Strengths Access here: This is an official page for research and resources on the 24 Positive Psychology Strengths identified by Drs Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman. The mission of the Positive Psychology Project is to train and equip educators and schools for helping children become their best selves through their strengths. The Resources section, therefore, includes playbooks, videos, character strengths, PPTs, and lesson plans for users to download. Character Lab Access here: A non-profit organization centered on Positive Education, Character Lab was set up by Angela Duckworth, UPenn’s Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and two educators, Dave Levin and Dominic Randolph. Character Lab provides strategy playbooks for schools and educators, including the Kindness Playbook, Social Intelligence Playbook, and Gratitude Playbook. These also offer downloadable worksheets and links to further supporting research. Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory Access here: The University of North Carolina’s PEP lab promotes and conducts research into how positive emotions impact on their health, social behavior, thinking, and physiology. Its research page provides a link to the Lab’s publications and outlines various positive psychology theories of emotion. These include frameworks, articles, and ‘read more’ material on hypotheses in the field. Workplace: Center for Positive Organizations Access here: In 2010, the Ross School of Business-based Center was awarded the Joanne Martin Trailblazer award for its work in Positive Organizational research. Here you’ll find Positive Organizational studies and scholarship on the topic, along with teaching resources, research, and tools for professionals. There are also links to talks in the Center’s Speaker Series and events listed, including conferences and Positive Research incubators. APA Center for Organizational Excellence Access here: Psychologically healthy workplaces are the goal of this APA Center. Here, employees, leaders, and psychologists will find tips for putting Positive Organizational theory into practice. As well as articles and tools for employers, there are also events and awards for companies. Resilience: The Resilience Research Centre Access here: This is Dalhousie University’s Center for Research, the research featured on this site approaches resilience as a contextually- and culturally-embedded concept. Resources available on this site include tools, methods videos, publications, and approaches. The Resilience Research Centre (RRC) also offers case studies, workshops, and evaluations—the latter being initiatives that integrate some RRC measures in action. Master Resilience Training Skills Access here: This page gives an official overview of the US Army’s Master Resilience Training () skills and competencies. This gives some background and detail on the approaches used in MRT to develop resilience in soldiers and their families, such as Energy Management, Problem Solving, and Real-Time Resilience. Harvard University Resilience Consortium Access here: This Harvard University site presents a huge array of resources on research for students, educators, and individuals. You can browse resources by type or topic to find assessments, frameworks, interventions, handouts, and research on . Or, you can watch videos, read the blog, listen to podcasts, or learn about the events that the Consortium supports. Positive Psychology Research: Articles and Journals If you are looking for a list of peer-reviewed academic journals and special issues on the topic, hopefully, the following will be of help: The Journal of Positive Psychology: Journal of Happiness Studies: Emotion: Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing: International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology: Journal of Wellbeing Assessment: Journal of Applied Positive Psychology: Applied Research in Quality of Life: The British Psychological Society (2003 Special Issue): e American Psychologist (2002 Special Issue): Find out more about Jennifer: Website: Twitter: Instagram: LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/aqblogandgrill/id/13757738

How to Build a Word of Mouth Strategy | Talk Triggers Author Jay Baer 03/23/2020

Balancing it all – From Career to #MomLife and Everything in between | Melissa Melnychuk 03/16/2020

Balancing it all – From Career to #MomLife and Everything in between | Melissa Melnychuk From her demanding and successful career in sports marketing as the VP of Business Development for the to balancing being a single mom to three busy children, Melissa Melnychuk has mastered the art of balancing it all. And it’s not all spreadsheets and Pinterest and spreading yourself so thin that you can barely function, like you may think. Instead Melissa takes the approach that “sometimes it’s ok to float” A certified life coach, instructor, personal trainer, holistic nutritionist as well as a social media influencer, accomplished sales manager at RIM (when BlackBerry was known as such) and “endless buckets of passion” for her community, Melissa knows a thing or two about juggling many balls and wearing many hats. And her advice, to herself and to her clients, who often struggle with the elusive ‘balance’ that everyone seems to be striving for has always been “It’s ok if you float. You don’t need to sink, you can just float. Sometimes it’s about surviving and being ok in the moment of where you are and accepting that. And being kind to yourself. And being gentle. And loving yourself a little harder.” From the moment Melissa came on board with the KW Titans, her goal, and the goal of her team, has been to create an incredible game day experience for the Titans fans and to impact the community in the biggest ways possible. The minute someone decides to go to a game and they leave their home and lock their door until the moment they walk back through the door when they get home from the game, Melissa wants that person to have an incredible and memorable experience. An experience that will keep them coming back. Getting the community to love and buy into the team is how they’re able to impact and do so much good in Waterloo Region. As a single mom, who has struggled through difficult months herself, several of the charities that the KW Titans choose to support are near and dear to her heart. Through the community’s support of the Titans, already this year, they’ve been able to impact 14 local charities in the first 7 games of the season. So what’s next for Melissa? Honestly, probably lots! As Alan mentions at the start of this interview, Melissa is a going concern and always has her hand in many things. She has a passion for this work with the Titan’s and puts her heart and soul into everything she does. And in the future, who knows! Because, as she so eloquently says “Tomorrow’s never promised. And we’re foolish if we try to plan our future. We can play a part in it and we can try and direct it and be working towards a certain future. But I think there is such beauty in the unknown” If you’ve not been out to a Titan’s game yet – or if you have been debating whether it’s worth it – it is. Website: Twitter: Instagram: Melissa’s Personal Instagram account: Facebook: Link to YouTube: ABOUT: The KW Titans are a professional basketball team, competing in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) based in Waterloo Region. The franchise, which has only been around for 3 years, has already made a huge impact within the community. The Titan’s main goal is to positively engage and impact the KW community by providing a professional basketball experience and support of many local charities and events. /episode/index/show/aqblogandgrill/id/13561406

How This Startup is Making a Huge Global Impact | Peter Whitby - CEO of O2 Canada 03/09/2020

F#CK Content Marketing – The Critical Difference Between Content Marketing and Content Experience | Randy Frisch 03/02/2020

BURNOUT – How Well-being Plays Directly into our Ability to Innovate and be Competitive | Jennifer Moss 02/24/2020

#TBT Episode: Stepping Out and Growing an Art Business with a Professional Artist and Entrepreneur | Jennifer Gough 02/20/2020

From Engineering Student to President and CEO of Multiple Companies – How to Fail: Often, Fast, and Cheap | Jim Estill 02/17/2020

From Engineering Student to President and CEO of Multiple Companies – How to Fail: Often, Fast, and Cheap | Jim Estill He didn’t get lucky. He isn’t an investment psychic. And he doesn’t possess any fancy or magical ability to predict which businesses are going to take off, and which won’t. He tries things. He jumps at opportunities and he FAILS. Over and over, he’s failed. He fails, and he’s learned how to fall in loves with failing. And with each missed opportunity though, he’s perfected his formula for failure – fail often, fail fast, fail cheap. Jim Estill has had his hand in the business world, crushing it as an entrepreneur, for as long as most people in the business world can remember. Jim is an engineer, a philanthropist, the president and CEO of not one but TWO companies currently, a humanitarian, an author, a creator, an innovator and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, this new idea of the ‘mature entrepreneur’ is something that Jim and Alan touch on in the second half of this episode. Alan and Jim cover so much ground in this informative episode. From working dinners with Steve Jobs, sitting on the RIM/BlackBerry board and helping them go public, to tangible and helpful business tips that will hit home for any business owner, no matter what stage of the journey you’re in, this episode is sure to leave you inspired and satisfied. Jim shares insights into how he’s always been able to niche, no matter what industry he’s working in. He explains exactly where ShipperBee came from - ‘The Power of While’ – what can you do WHILE you’re doing something else. And his tried and true recipe on how to fail – Fail often, fail fast, and fail cheap. Danby website: (Jim specifically ) ShipperBee website: ShipperBee IG: ShipperBee FB ShipperBee Twitter Danby IG Danby FB Danby Twitter Jim’s personal sites: Website: LinkedIn: Twitter: BBC article explaining Jim’s sponsoring of 300 Syrian refugees: /episode/index/show/aqblogandgrill/id/13175858

How Lifelong Learning and Cutting out the Noise can Move You Forward into Your Vision of Success | Lindsay Coulter 02/10/2020

Miovision Innovation makes Cities more Efficient | Kurtis McBride 02/03/2020

Obviously Awesome | April Dunford 01/27/2020

Mean People Suck | Michael Brenner 01/20/2020

Creating Disruptive Leaders | Charlene Li 01/13/2020

Influence Marketing in the B2B Sector | Lee Odden 01/06/2020

X: The Experience when Business meets Design | Brian Solis 12/30/2019

Creating a Legacy of Serial Entrepreneurship & Startup Mentoring | Axonify’s Carol Leaman 12/23/2019

Everybody Writes | Ann Handley 12/16/2019

Beyond Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Empathy | Glen Drummond 12/09/2019

Marketing Advice for Start-ups to Become Stay-ups | April Dunford 12/05/2019

Reinventing the Marketing Consulting Model | Scott Gillum 12/02/2019

Content Marketing Isn't Enough | Gary Vaynerchuk aka Gary Vee 11/28/2019

Life Lessons from a Wise Guy | Guy Kawasaki 11/25/2019

How Technology is Enabling Customized Work Experiences | Kiite's Joseph Fung 11/18/2019

Building a Successful Social Media Centred Business | Jane Barkley of IM@Events 04/06/2017

Building a Successful Social Media Centred Business | Jane Barkley of IM@Events From personal brand to event media, Jane Barkley – founder and CEO of IM@Events – is a powerhouse of marketing talents. Jane joins Alan in this episode of AQ’s Blog & Grill to share her path to success and how others can do the same. Jane founded IM@Events after uncovering a need in the event industry to produce and execute event coverage from front to back. IM@Events provides full digital media coverage of events and conferences across southern Ontario, building buzz and creating a path for customer service. It also offers social media education to empower clients to maintain their social tactics in-house. Alan and Jane discuss the skills that make up today's social media marketer. They call on the dangers of putting youth in charge simply because of the assumption that it’s “their world”. Jane touches on social media myths, the most popular being “content is king”. She challenges this notion by stating that the community is in fact the King of your social media realm and is the driver of your content's success. Developing a personal brand? Jane suggests making video a key player in your strategy. Even if you don’t post anything online, filming yourself discussing your passions is an effective tool to find confidence in your voice and discover your “edge”. She shares the key traits she looks for in hiring and what she believes makes a successful social media marketer, as well as common mistakes marketers make when starting out. About Our Guest Jane Barkley is the founder and CEO of IM@Events, a go-to event marketing firm in Kitchener, Canada, founded in 2013. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with an Honours in English Literature from the University of Waterloo. Jane is also a writer, speaker, YouTube vlogger, community builder and Social Media Professor at Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. /episode/index/show/aqblogandgrill/id/5242822

AQs Blog & Grill

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