BMO Bank of Montreal and PROFIT Magazine Business Coach Podcast

With a softening U.S. economy and the rising price of oil, companies across the business spectrum are starting to feel the squeeze. In this episode of the Business Coach, Ross Pinkerton, president of ERA Canada, takes some time to chat with Ian about how entrepreneurs can reduce their expenses and keep costs under control.

Every company likes to get paid for their product or service, and the more promptly you are paid, the better. In this episode of the Business Coach, Ian talks to Brian Green of Moneris Solutions Corporation about the importance of payment processing for small businesses, and what card-based payment tools are available to help speed up the process.

In this episode, Cheryl Sylvester, president of Toronto-based Beyond Brand Thinking and co-founder of yourbrandmakeover.com, talks to Ian about the value of creating, maintaining and evaluating a strong brand from a small business perspective.

In this episode, Ian interviews Paul Klein, founder and president of Impact in Toronto, which advises companies in the areas of community investment and corporate responsibility. Paul talks to Ian about what these terms mean and how small and mid-sized businesses can take advantage of them.

In this episode of the Business Coach, Ian talks to Claudio Popa, founder and president of Toronto-based Informatica, a provider of information security services and privacy consulting. Claudio discusses how to keep your company safe from hackers, computer viruses, malware and other IT threats that lurk in cyberspace.

In this episode, Ron Rylott, director of business development for foreign exchange products at BMO Capital Markets, explains to Ian the "art" of currency hedging and how it can help minimize currency risks in a volatile market, especially if you’re importing or exporting.

Steve Cone is the New York-based author of Powerlines: Words that Sell Brands, Grip Fans and Sometimes Change History. He talks to Ian about how small business owners can go about developing a good slogan or tagline that will put marketing efforts to good use.

In this episode, Ian talks to Gord Hotchkiss, the president and CEO of Enquiro Search Solutions, about Search Engine Optimization (SEO): the art of modifying a website to make it rank higher in search engine results. Gord discusses the massive role that web searches play today, especially for small businesses whose websites just aren't being found by the major search engines.

Though perhaps the most important move any entrepreneur can make is selling their business, many entrepreneurs leave planning the sale until it’s too late. In this episode, Ian talks to Trevor Lwin, Managing Director of Mid-Market Investment Banking at BMO, about how entrepreneurs can maximize the value of their business before they have to sell.

Ian’s guest in this episode is Mark Stacey, Senior Cash Management Specialist with BMO Bank of Montreal. With talk of economic troubles on the horizon, Mark chats with Ian about some of the ways in which entrepreneurs can avoid cash crunch situations and how to manage cash flow in a small business environment.

In this episode of the Business Coach, Ian chats with Dianne Buckner, host of CBC Newsworld’s Fortune Hunters, a new show that explores hot business trends and the entrepreneurs who are chase them. Dianne gives Ian an overview of the show and discusses some of the best business trends to come out of Fortune Hunters.

In this episode, Ian interviews Michael Gregory, Managing Director and Senior Economist with the Economics Department at BMO Nesbitt Burns. Michael speaks to Ian from his office in Toronto about how the U.S. recession will affect Canada’s businesses, and what the forecast looks like over the short- and the long-term in 2008.

In episode 18, Ian talks to Tina Di Vito, Vice-President and Managing Director of BMO Nesbitt Burns in Toronto, about how Canadian entrepreneurs can start putting their retirement plans into action and ensure they’re on-track for reaching their retirement goals.

In this episode, Ian looks at how Canada’s businesses need to look beyond their own backyards and reach out into foreign markets in order to tap into their full potential. Justine Hendricks, Regional Vice-President of Small Business Sales at Export Development Canada (EDC) talks to Ian about export prospects for small to mid-sized businesses and why they should engage in global trade.

Episode 16 finds Ian talking to Peter Merrick of RRSPUpgrade.com, who discusses tax and retirement planning for entrepreneurs. Peter talks about how the recent Federal mini-budget has affected entrepreneurs, how they can pay less taxes, build a bigger nest egg and plan more effectively throughout the year.