Behind the Business

Adi Desai turned a childhood obsession into a career—first launching DoubleClutch.ca in 2012, then pivoting into ownership with Advantage Auto Group (Hyundai &Stellantis). He shares how automotive journalism opened doors, why he built relationship-first stores to counter dealer stereotypes, and what COVID taught him about cash flow, team retention, and resilience. We also get real aboutfamily balance, South Asian expectations, ...

What if a pregnancy test put privacy first?

Co-founders Vicki Schenkel and Angie Ibrahim share how Petal Pregnancy is building a flushable pregnancy test to bring dignity, discretion, and better design to one of the most intimate moments in women’s health. We get into the real founder journey: mapping a broken aisle at retail, running 100+ validation calls, partnering with Western’s Ivey MBAstudents for research, joining accelerato...

What if your student club project became a company fighting the plastic crisis?

That’s the path Nuha Siddiqui took—spinning a University of Toronto Enactus idea (eco‑packers) into erthos, a sustainable materials venture focused on plastic alternatives and packaging that can actually work in real supply chains.

In this episode, Nuha walks through the founder journey—from campus labs to global stages—and the community that made...

From Big Four to founder. From burnout to building something better.

In this episode, we sit down with Miguel Alexander Centeno, a Latino entrepreneur, parent, and the founder of TaxHack Accounting Group, to unpack what it really takes to build a scalable service business from scratch.

We talk about:

• Quitting Big Four with a toddler at home
• Building the first version of his professional services firm
• Saying no to the wrong clients...

🎁 Behind the Business Listener Exclusive:

Enjoy 20% off all Three Ships Beauty products with code BTB20, valid from Sept 1 to Nov 30 at threeshipsbeauty.com. Excludes kits/bundles.

Connie Lo left a career in corporate accounting to co-found Three Ships Beauty, a skincare company on a mission to make effective, natural products accessible to everyone. What started with a simple idea grew into a nationally recognized brand featur...

Note: This episode contains occasional strong language

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Josh Rowlands, Founder & Head Trainer of In-Line K9, to talk about how working with dogs became more than a career — it became a form of therapy, a calling, and a thriving business.

Josh shares his journey from a 20-year military career to launching a dog training company that now serves hu...

On Episode 4 of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Olivia Villalta and Vanessa Griffiths, the dynamic duo co-founders that are building Gift Better Co., a corporate gifting company built around meaning, impact, and a whole lot ofhustle.

Olivia left a demanding corporate career and Vanessa was searching for her entrepreneurial outlet. Together, they built Gift Better Co. from the ground up, navigating growth, pressure, and b...

On Episode 3 of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Sean Callaghan YouTuber-turned-entrepreneur and the founder of Creator Mill Inc. What started as a passion for making videos with friends became a full-fledged career on YouTube.

Sean opens up about the realities of content creation: the pressure of metrics, the challenge of staying authentic, and the mental toll of turning passion into performance. He shares his evolution ...

On this episode of Behind the Business, Faheem sits down with Azrah Savin-Manji, the dynamic co-founder and CEO of Syzl, a platform helping food entrepreneurs find kitchen space and build their businesses.

Azrah shares how a craving for home-cooked meals as a student turned into a tech-driven mission to solve a major gap in the food industry. From relocating to Toronto to scale her vision, to navigating co-founder dynamics with her ...

Season 2 of Behind the Business kicks off with Sue Hamer, the founder of Ottawa’s beloved SuzyQ Doughnuts.

What began as a kitchen experiment during a Canada Post strike turned into one of the city’s most iconic donut shops. In this honest and inspiring conversation, Sue shares her journey from craft shows and farmers markets to opening her first storefront, all while raising a family and staying grounded in her values. 

We dive in...

In the Season 1 finale of Behind the Business, Faheem Savja sits down with Rahim Karmali, Founder and CEO of Serv, a fast-growing translation agency. From working on his honeymoon to navigating the challenges of fatherhood and entrepreneurship, Rahim shares the raw and real story behind building a business from scratch.

Rooted in service and shaped by his background in competitive badminton, Rahim opens up about:

• Spotting a gap i...

On Episode 7 of Behind the Business, Batool Salim, Founder and Agent at Team Mosaic Realty, shares her journey of launching a real estate business while raising a family—sometimes quite literally from the nursery.

From taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship to systemizing her business for long-term success, Batool opens up about the highs and lows of building Mosaic RealEstate alongside her husband. She dives into the realiti...

On Episode 6 of Behind the Business, Maha Mansoor & Michael Nistorescu, the husband-and-wife team behind Mansoor Law, join Faheem Savja for a conversation about building a thriving law firm while raising a family.

From launching their practice to scaling with a client-first approach, Maha and Michael share the realities of working together as spouses, the lessons they’ve learned as parent-entrepreneurs, and how their communi...

On this episode of Behind the Business, Jiten Grover, Owner of Dipped Donuts, sits down with Faheem Savja for a candid conversation about turning a childhood passion into a thriving business.

Jiten shares how Toronto’s vibrant community—especially Kensington Market—shaped his vision and brand, inspiring him to create one of the city’s most beloved donut spots. Heopens up about the challenges of launching his first and second loc...

In this episode of Behind the Business, Fatima Jaffer, Real Estate Consultant at Texas Realty, joins Faheem Savja for a raw and insightful conversation on the grind of building a book of business from the ground up.

Fatima shares what it’s like to enter the real estate industry at a young age, navigate cultural expectations, and standout in a competitive field. From hustling to close deals to the challenge of creating work-life bal...

On this episode of Behind the Business, Cory Gottfredson, Founder of Snow Crane Capital, joins Faheem to share his journey into the world of Search Funds—from taking the leap into entrepreneurship to raising capital and navigating the challenges of deal-making.

Cory opens up about the highs and lows of searching for and acquiring a business, what happens when deals fall through, and how he manages the pressures of entrepreneur...

On our second episode of Behind the Business, Raaziq Bhimani of ⁠Buddha Burger ⁠joins Faheem to talk about the restaurant game, building food culture and his approach on mentorship and people as an entrepreneur. Raaziq also shares his hockey and bollywood aspirations along the way! Tons of laughs and wild stories in this one. If you've ever wondered what the heat of the kitchen is like, you don't want to miss this one. W...

On our very first episode of Behind the Business, Salima Kassam of Sustain and Grow Digital joins Faheem to talk about quitting her dream job at Meta, managing the daily mental doubts of becoming an entrepreneur and her first year in business. Tons of laughs sprinkled with some harsh realities. This episode is one that anyone can relate to.

Welcome to Behind the Business.

Thank you for joining in our first season! Tons of new c...