Эпизоды
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On this episode of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Michael Maleszyk of Cold Brew Club, a new subscription service that delivers cold brew coffee direct to your home or office, where it can be enjoyed either hot or cold. It's made from ethically sourced, organic coffee beans and arrives cold in a convenient pouch that sits nicely on a shelf in your fridge. They tell their story here: https://coldbrewclub.ca/pages/our-story
Mike outlines why and how he started this business and how much work has gone into developing their product. We also talk through the challenges of launching a new business in the middle of the Covid-19 situation. On the one hand, people are at home and looking for good coffee solutions, which has helped build their subscriber base quickly. One the other hand, the logistics involved in getting the product to people's homes suddenly becomes much more difficult, and fundraising for a new business has some unique challenges right now.
Ultimately they were able to launch successfully and it's an inspiring story of overcoming obstacles to bring a really high quality product to market.
Links:
Cold Brew Club - https://coldbrewclub.ca/
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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This episode of the Business Decisions podcast is the audio recording of a recent webinar, Canadian Legal Requirements for COVID-19 Business Continuity & Workplace Safety, that was hosted by Angela Johnson, the Founder and President of Medical Confidence.
During the webinar, Dan Black of Caravel Law addresses how you can limit your risks as an employer as you re-open your business. What precautions should you take to protect your employees and customers? How can you use a tool like the My Health MaP’s Return To Workplace application from Medical Confidence to screen your employees and keep all of your employees and your workplace as safe as possible?
Gillian Grossman walks through how the app works and the steps involved in screening your employees and handling employees with symptoms.
During the Q&A Dan addresses whether it is a breach of privacy to ask your employees if they have tested positive for Covid-19. Can an employee refuse to answer health-related questions? How do you handle an employee who requires accommodation because of potential medical issues?
We hope you find the content helpful and appreciate our client, Medical Confidence allowing us to share it with you here.
You can watch the full webinar on the Medical Confidence website. Canadian Legal Requirements for COVID-19 Business Continuity & Workplace Safety
It's important to note that Dan Black is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Webinar: https://medicalconfidence.com/webinar/canadian-legal-requirements-for-covid-19-business-continuity-workplace-safety/
Medical Confidence: https://medicalconfidence.com/
Caravel Law: https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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On this episode of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Matt McQuillen, CEO & Co-Founder of Xello. Xello is an online program that helps students prepare and build a plan for life after school. It's been helping school boards and families for over 20 years and as Matt shares with us on the podcast, some of their current employees once used the platform as students.
Matt takes us through some of their history, including the process of re-naming the company and the origin of the name, Xello. We explore some of the challenges of connecting Xello directly to results, when the company's mission relates to helping students and exposing them to potential careers that they might not have considered before. You'll hear how passionate Matt and his team are about making a difference in the lives of these students and how that drives all of their decision-making as a company.
We recorded this episode in the middle of the Covid-19 situation, shortly after Xello announced that the Canadian Business Growth Fund had made a minority equity investment in the company, which was the first outside investment in the company's history. Matt spoke at a TechTO event in 2019 about the importance of bootstrapping to his company's success. We talk about how they made the decision to work with CBGF as well as what it was like to close a deal like this in the middle of a period of social isolation.
Xello is a great Canadian success story and they have even bigger plans for the future.
Links:
Xello - https://xello.world/en/
Matt McQuillen at TechTO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8twzSc0R2o
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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On this episode of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Greg Ramsay, a corporate and commercial lawyer with Caravel Law, based in Calgary, Alberta.
During this episode, we discuss some of the current challenges that businesses are faced with, if business as usual is just not an option yet. We also get into why are some business are electing to remain closed, or to continue in a restricted manner right now, even if they do have the option to re-open.
Greg shares how some of the companies that he works with are using this time to become more innovative, and how others are thinking through contract negotiations as a way to reduce cost and lengthen their runways.
For companies that will need additional resources to survive and succeed, we cover some of the financing options that these companies are considering. How are banks evaluating businesses right now? How is the current situation affecting the terms applied to any loans? What happened to financing deals that were underway when Covid-19 arrived? We get into all of these questions during this episode.
It's important to note that Greg Ramsay is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Government of Canada Covid-19 support - https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Greg Ramsay - https://www.caravellaw.com/lawyers/greg-ramsay/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Max Tremaine, Co-Founder and CEO of Sherpa. Sherpa helps people travel freely around the world by making it easy for people to identify and understand visa requirements, and providing a user-friendly, personalized eVisa experience. They have been around since 2015 and have quickly established themselves as a trusted partner for travelers, travel agents and airlines. Now they find themselves dealing with an almost complete shut down of the travel industry and I wanted to speak with Max to hear how he and his team were dealing with this huge shock to their business.
During this episode we hear how Max has approached the current situation and tried to see opportunities instead of just challenges. He describes how they have focused on speaking with their business partners, solving problems, and finding ways to help. There have been a number of articles recently about how travel might change going forward, so we also talk through how he's approaching planning for a wide range of potential outcomes. You'll hear how valuable it has been for Max to have experienced leaders as investors and advisors who have dealt with similar situations in the past. Max is a show host and active member of the TechTO community and that's been helpful during these tough times as well.
His thoughtful approach to building his business, growing his team and selecting his partners has really paid off now that he finds himself dealing with these challenges and planning for an uncertain future.
Links:
Sherpa - https://www.joinsherpa.com/
Max Tremaine - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxtremaine/
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Emilie Cushman, Co-Founder and CEO of Kira Talent. Kira Talent helps schools transform the admissions process with on-demand, timed video and timed written assessments. Emilie has grown Kira Talent over the last 8 years from a Next 36 idea to a high performing team serving schools around the world. Emilie has been recognized for her leadership and achievements many times over the last decade and I wanted to speak with her about how she is managing through the Covid-19 situation.
During this episode we cover everything from onboarding new team members during this period of remote work, how her board has responded to the situation, how they are approaching sales discussions these days and some of things she does to keep her team pumped up and motivated. You'll hear how Emilie and her team have been able to navigate the current situation successfully and she shares her thoughts on leading her team through these challenges to be able to stick to their plans and continue to achieve their goals.
Links:
Kira Talent - https://www.kiratalent.com/
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Mike Pinkus, Co-Founder and Partner at ConnectCPA, Chartered Accountants. The episode is a Q&A session with Mike regarding the efforts of the Canadian Government to help businesses through the Covid-19 situation, the different programs that have been rolled out so far, and what businesses are doing to get through these difficult times.
During this episode we cover the different options available to companies in Canada. We go through the different wage subsidy programs, how you qualify, how revenue is recognized and who potentially is left out of these programs. We also cover what's available to solo entrepreneurs, how the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program works, and how tax payments have been deferred to help improve cash flows for Canadian businesses. We also talk through the Canada Emergency Business Account and how you qualify for this loan.
Mike and the team at ConnectCPA have been assisting many clients over the past few weeks who are dealing with these challenges, and applying for these programs. He answers specific questions and provides a lot of very helpful guidance for Canadian businesses. We really appreciate him taking the time to share his expertise and guidance.
It's important to note that Mike joined us on April 14, 2020, so any changes to these programs that happen after this date are not covered in this conversation. If you have any questions regarding your specific circumstances, please reach out to Mike directly for assistance.
Links:
ConnectCPA - https://www.connectcpa.ca/
Mike Pinkus on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepinkus/
Mike Pinkus email: [email protected]
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan - https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html#businesses
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For this Black Swan episode of the podcast, we are joined by two employment lawyers who are part of Caravel Law, Dan Black and Ellen Swan. The episode is a Q&A session with the two of them to discuss some of the key employment questions that Canadian companies have right now given the COVID-19 risk and during this period of social isolation.
During this episode we cover a range of topics including the different options available to companies if their employees are still physically needed in a work environment, how to manage arrangements where the burden is shared by all employees instead of a select number of layoffs, and how layoffs and terminations are managed when you cannot meet with your employees in person.
Ellen and Dan have been assisting many clients over the past few weeks who are dealing with these challenges, both companies and individuals who have been affected. They answer specific questions and share their general advice for both sides in this discussion.
It's important to note that Dan Black and Ellen Swan are sharing their thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode lucky number 13 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Ally Compeau. Ally is currently part of the team at Flipp, which is a very exciting company, but we wanted to speak with her about her company Woof Signs, which was shut down in 2018. Caravel Law purchased a sign from Woof Signs and it was a great experience and a beautiful sign. Ally shares the full story of Woof Signs - from the decision to start the company through the decision to shut it down. It's a difficult decision to shut down your company, and Ally describes the process of dissolving her corporation as taking longer and costing more than she expected. This is a part of the start-up journey that doesn't get talked about as much, so it was great that Ally was willing to share her story with us on the podcast for others to learn from. Her dog even joins the conversation to pay tribute to Woof Signs!
Following the conversation with Ally, (22:00) we're joined by Randy Witten, a corporate and commercial lawyer with Caravel Law. Randy outlines some of the things that owners need to consider if they are faced with shutting down a business, key things that a founder needs to keep in mind and what to look for in contracts and agreements that could have an impact on his/her responsibilities.
It's important to note that Randy Witten is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Woof Signs - https://www.facebook.com/woofsigns
Flipp - https://flipp.com/home
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
Special Guest Star: Frankie!
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We have a very special episode of the Business Decisions podcast this week - our first solo guest episode. Our guest this week is Ben Baldwin, the Founder of The Founder City Project. Ben is also the Co-Founder of ScaleDriver and a board member of the Drucker Institute.
Our goal with the podcast was to share stories from founders and business leaders that highlighted key decisions or key moments that helped shape a company's success, and that others could learn from. Ben's work with the Founder City Project shares that same vision. Bring founders together and let them share their experiences and learn from each other. Bring teams together and provide the coaching and training they need to build momentum and drive results. The Founder City Project has only been in place for just over 2 years and over 1000 founders and teams have worked with Ben and the team at FCP, giving his programs a 9.8/10 in terms of whether they would recommend FCP to others. He was kind enough to visit us at Caravel Law to talk about his efforts. He shares how the idea got started, some of the common fears and challenges that founders share, and why he is so focused on improving the performance of teams, or as he calls it, "upteaming."
It's important to note that this discussion features thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Founder City Project - https://foundercityproject.com/
Scale Driver - https://www.scaledriver.com/
Drucker Institute - https://www.drucker.institute/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 11 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Tehsin Bhayani, the Founder & CEO of Serind Labs, and Founder & CEO of Air Mason. Serind Labs has been building apps for entrepreneurs for many years and has built up a strong reputation for their innovative work. Occasionally the developers work on projects as part of internal hackathons for fun and to build skills. One of the projects that emerged from Serind Labs was Air Mason, an application that helps companies create beautiful employee handbooks. Without a lot of effort from the Serind Labs team, Air Mason took off and acquired a number of customers, and soon Tehsin was working as the CEO of both companies. Tehsin talks with us about how Air Mason was created, how it grew organically and how he's managed the process of spinning it out from Serind Labs as a stand alone business.
Following the conversation with Tehsin, (26:30) we're joined by Anjali Banka, a corporate and commercial lawyer with Caravel Law. Anji shares her thoughts on what you should consider when spinning out a new idea as a separate business, and what some of the alternatives might be. She also talks through how two companies who are sharing a CEO, and/or sharing services and resources like HR and Finance, should think through those arrangements.
It's important to note that Anjali Banka is sharing her thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Serind Labs - http://www.serindlabs.com/
Air Mason - https://www.airmason.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 10 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Eric Delapenha, the Founder of Strands Hair Care. (https://strandshaircare.com/) Strands makes shampoo and conditioner that is customized for each person, based on an analysis of each customer's hair biochemistry. Customers send in a small hair sample and some additional information, and Strands sends back a complete hair profile along with the ideal products to help each customer achieve their hair goals. It's a fascinating business, both for the science as well as the logistics of sending out customized products at scale. Originally from Jamaica, Eric has a degree in Biology from University of Southern California and worked at Fulgent Genetics before starting Strands. He shares with us how the business got started, how they work to ensure customers are comfortable sending them a hair sample, and how they identify the right ingredients to achieve different hair goals and offer so many different variations of their products.
After the conversation with Eric, (23:30) we're joined by Ian Bies, an IP/IT lawyer from Caravel Law. Ian also has a degree in Microbiology & Immunology from McGill University, and has worked as General Counsel for a biotech company. Ian shares his thoughts on the kinds of agreements that need to established if you are going to ask consumers to send in personal materials, and how any policies need to be communicated to ensure that there is a clear understanding of how the sample will be used and that you have informed consent from your customer.
It's important to note that Ian Bies is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Strands Hair Care - https://strandshaircare.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 9 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Monica Abramov, the CEO and Co-Founder of Lunata Inc. (https://lunatabeauty.com/ and https://www.unplugged-beauty.com/) Monica and her Co-Founder, Anastassia Boguslavskaya started Lunata to bring innovative cordless hair styling tools to the market and to free women from cords. Monica talks about the journey from idea to physical product, how they got those products listed with some key retailers, building a direct to consumer business, and what it's like to be on Dragon's Den. (Received 3 offers!) It's a great conversation with lots of helpful information for anyone who has ever had a new product idea and wondered about the steps involved in bringing that idea to life.
After the conversation with Monica, (31:30) we're joined by David Zender from Caravel Law. David shares his thoughts on getting products sold through retailers, the types of agreements that are involved, key points to focus on when you negotiate, and the kind of testing that may be required.
It's important to note that David Zender is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Lunata Beauty - https://lunatabeauty.com/
Unplugged Beauty - https://www.unplugged-beauty.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 8 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by David Burnie, the Principal and Founder of The Burnie Group. (https://burniegroup.com/) Over the past 8 years David has built The Burnie Group into a successful mid-sized consulting firm with expertise in strategy, automation and innovation. The Burnie Group has built an impressive roster of clients and has ranked as one of Canada's top 100 fastest growing companies for the past three years. David talks with us about the importance of building strong client relationships, and some of the challenges associated with negotiating contracts when each client project is unique. After the conversation with David Burnie, (22:00) we're joined by David Cummings from Caravel Law. David shares his thoughts on service agreements, how companies can tackle issues like scope creep, how they should think about IP ownership as projects evolve, and how an agile development process should be covered during negotiations with clients.
It's important to note that David Cummings is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
The Burnie Group - https://burniegroup.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 7 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Anurag Banerjee, the Co-Founder and CEO of Quilt.ai. (https://quilt.ai/) This is a fascinating company based in Singapore that is capturing massive amounts of data and mining it for critical insights to help provide companies and non-profits achieve their goals. The hope is that this platform will help us understand each other, even when we disagree, and increase the amount of empathy in the world. Anurag talks about the incredibly ambitious goals they have for Quilt.ai and when they’ll know they’ve arrived. After the conversation with Anurag, (28:30) we're joined by Kim von Arx from Caravel Law. Kim shares his thoughts on what companies should keep in mind if they are collecting and storing data and gives a brief overview of what Canadian companies should know about GDPR and how and when it applies to them.
It's important to note that Kim von Arx is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Quilt.ai - https://quilt.ai/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 6 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Glen Brown, the Owner of Highbury Jewellery. (http://www.highburyjewellery.com/) Glen tells us about how he's grown Highbury, the differences between a custom jewellery business and retail stores, and some of the steps that go into making the beautiful pieces that he designs and creates for his clients. We talk about the agreements that he has in place with his key suppliers and with his clients, and how he's built his business on the strong relationships he's established over time. He also shares his personal favourite under-appreciated gemstone! After the conversation with Glen, we're joined by Phil Kennedy from Caravel Law. Phil shares his thoughts on the risks associated with operating a business without written contracts in place with key stakeholders, suppliers and customers, and some alternatives for companies who are looking for a more user-friendly solution than long complicated written contracts.
It's important to note that Phil Kennedy is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Highbury Jewellery - http://www.highburyjewellery.com/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 5 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Allan Skok, the Co-Founder and CEO of Massago. (https://massago.ca/) Allan tells us about Massago, an app that brings a Registered Massage Therapist to your home or work on your schedule. We spend most of our time talking about how they built up Massago over the last four years - how he approached building his network of RMT's, the keys to making it a safe and positive experience for both clients and RMT's, and what it was like to transition from running a brick and mortar spa to becoming CEO of a tech company. After the conversation with Allan, (19:00) we're joined by Ellen Swan from Caravel Law. Ellen shares her thoughts on key points to focus on in agreements if you're building a business based on using freelancers or contractors and also how business owners should think about their safety obligations when connecting freelance contractors with clients.
It's important to note that Ellen Swan is sharing her thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Massago - https://massago.ca/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 4 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Geoff Hawker, the President of Hazemag Canada and Hazemag USA. (https://www.hazemag.com/en/homepage/) Geoff tells us about Hazemag, a company that has been in business since 1946 and has a rich history of innovation that continues to this day in the mining and mineral processing industries. We spend most of our time talking about his decision to sell his company to the Hazemag parent company in Germany 5 years ago - how he approached the decision, the keys to making it a successful transaction for both sides, and what it's like to transition from business owner to part of a management team. After the conversation with Geoff, (22:00) we're joined by Jeff Klam from Caravel Law. Jeff shares his thoughts on how business owners can prepare for eventual sale of a company and how an owner should think through the process as well as the post-deal situation.
It's important to note that Jeff Klam is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Hazemag - https://www.hazemag.com/en/homepage/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For Episode 3 of the Business Decisions podcast, we're joined by Christian Weedbrook, the Founder and CEO of Xanadu Quantum Technologies. (https://www.xanadu.ai/) Christian provides an introduction to quantum computing and how the team at Xanadu are pushing science forward and building the world's most powerful computer. We discuss some of the challenges associated with building a team in a brand new industry and planning for office space when your team is growing as quickly as Xanadu is growing. After the conversation with Christian, (21:00) we're joined by Esia Giaouris from Caravel Law. Esia shares her thoughts on how fast growing companies should approach lease and sublease negotiations and when start-ups have the most leverage.
It's important to note that Esia Giaouris is sharing her thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone's specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Xanadu Quantum Technologies - https://www.xanadu.ai/
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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For the second episode of the Business Decisions podcast I am delighted to be joined by Duwayne Wright, (@soundwrightpro) an incredibly talented producer, songwriter and musician who, along with his partners, has built a very cool and very successful business, Alumni & Co. Duwayne shares some inside knowledge on the music industry, some of the challenges associated with protecting his work and how important it is to maintain a solid reputation in the industry. Duwayne is passionate about music and technology and has built a solid business by focusing on the work itself and building strong relationships in the industry. He’s very thoughtful about his craft and about helping artists and anyone trying to build a career in music or sound production.
As a special bonus, we also get to hear him in action as he creates a new track live on the podcast and he shares the finished result with us.
Following that conversation with Duwayne, I speak with Alex Stack, an intellectual property lawyer with Caravel Law. Alex shares his thoughts on how an artist can protect his/her work, and how to best defend yourself against any accusations that your work is not your own original creation.
It is important to note that Alex Stack is sharing his thoughts on general topics and questions and not anyone’s specific business or legal situation. Nothing you hear on this podcast should be considered legal advice.
Links:
Caravel Law - https://www.caravellaw.com/
Duwayne Wright - https://soundwrightpro.com
Host: Stuart Wood, Caravel Law
Theme Music: The Box Jellys
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