Making it in Toronto

At 28, Dwayne ‘Dukez’ Holness is the CEO of Corex Creative, a digital media production company based in Toronto. We’ve all heard this story before: A kid growing up in the hood starts heading down a dangerous path because he’s hanging with the wrong crowd. Then one day, a significant event alters the course of...

Aisha Addo, 25, is the creator of Toronto’s first, women’s-only ridesharing service, DriveHer. Think of it as an Uber for women only. All female drivers and all female riders.   In our chat, Aisha made it clear that DriveHer isn’t just a transportation or technology company.  Instead, it’s meant to create a community of empowered...

Saron Gebresellassi is the owner and lead attorney at Gebresellassi Law (soon to be Saron and Associates) and she’s also very accomplished in a number of other arenas. Just google her name and you’ll see why I won’t bother listing all her accolades. Let’s just say she’s legit and she’s also currently involved in a...

In season 8 of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Nana Osei pitched his eco-luxury eyewear line to the panel of venture capitalists – attempting to obtain funding to grow his small business. The ‘dragons’ were not sold on the idea and Nana walked away without securing any of their money. Fast forward 3 years and Nana has...

Hamza Khan and Kareem Rahaman are the innovators behind the 3 year old; Toronto based digital marketing start-up, Splash Effect.   After years of individual freelancing, the guys recognized that they would increase their odds of landing major accounts if they pooled their resources and joined forces.   Splash Effect is now a thriving company,...

Patties vs Doubles, Injera and Chill and Jollof Wars. 26 year old Eden ‘The Black Foodie’ Hagos is the mastermind behind these innovative food events. She has been featured on CBC radio, Globe and Mail and the Metro newspaper.   After graduating from York University and unable to afford grad school, Eden started searching for...

At 27, Idil Omar is your classic high-achiever. She’s bright, articulate and has an uncanny ability to juggle numerous commitments without missing a beat.   However, after receiving her Human Resource (HR) Management certification a few years ago, she found herself in the same position most recent graduates do. Jobless with no experience.   She...

Kiana ‘Rookz’ Eastmond represents the new face and sound of entrepreneurship in Toronto. At 27, she is the owner of Sandbox Studios, a recording studio and artist development incubator – and a confessed serial entrepreneur. In just a few years she went from nightclub security guard, to managing one of the city’s most talented recording...

28 year old Pauleanna Reid is perhaps the boldest and most self-assured person I’ve ever met. Check her out on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll see what I mean. However, to be fair, you can’t achieve the levels of success that Pauleanna has without being supremely confident. Pauleanna’s journey has been remarkable. In high school she...

At age 15, Aaron Charles was kicked out by his parents and forced to move into a group home. Seven years later, he bought his first investment property and now has a portfolio valued at close to $10 million. In this episode, he explains how he was able to transcend a life of uncertainty to...