More Money Podcast - 279 A Dragon's Secrets to Success - Manjit Minhas, Investor on Dragon's Den, Serial Entrepreneur & Podcast Host

Episode Date: May 5, 2021

On today’s podcast, I’m interviewing entrepreneur, Dragon investor, and new podcast host Manjit Minhas! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t starstruck while interviewing Manjit since I am a huge fan of CBC’s Dragon’s Den. I couldn’t be more excited to share with you our conversation from how she became an entrepreneur as a young engineering student, to behind the scenes of Dragon’s Den as well as her newest venture as host of her podcast, The Manjit Minhas Podcast. Manjit Minhas is the co-founder and owner of Minhas Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries with her brother Ravinder Minhas. Since starting her business at the ripe age of 19 years old, Manjit has gone on to grow her business portfolio, which includes over 30 Canadian businesses stemming from the 6 seasons she’s been a Dragon investor on CBC’s Dragon’s Den. In November 2020 she decided to hit record on her conversations with fellow business leaders and CEOs by way of her podcast, “The Manjit Minhas Podcast” so that she could share their stories and insights into achieving success. She currently resides in Calgary, from which she was born and raised with her husband and two young daughters. Manjit believes there isn’t one set path to becoming an entrepreneur and her story is a great example of that. As long as you’re keen to learn and have the self-awareness to know what you don’t know then you’re already on the right path. I hope you find today’s episode just as inspiring as I did when I recorded it! For full episode show notes visit https://jessicamoorhouse.com/279 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to the More Money Podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Morehouse. Welcome back to the show. This is episode 279. And like I teased last week, I do have a bit of a celebrity on the show. I'm so excited to have her on the show. I'm kind of shocked I have her on the show. I was a bit starstruck when I interviewed her. I will be completely honest because I'm a huge and I mean, huge Dragon's Den fan. So for this episode, I have the one and only Manjeet Minhas on the show. So if you're also a big fan of Dragon's Den, you're very familiar with her. She's been on the show for, I believe, seven years, over seven years, which is pretty crazy. So in case you don't know Dragon's

Den, I mean, if you're American, you're like, what is this? Well, it is our shark's tank. It actually came before shark's tank. I will have you know, because actually you may not know this. Some of the original dragons that were on the Canadian Dragon's Den are now on the American shark tank. So there's two Canadian sharks. You may not know this, but there are. And I'll let you figure out who they are. So Manjeet Minhas is an award-winning born and raised Calgarian and engineering student who turned into a beer baroness. I like that title. I like that a lot. And she founded Minhas Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries at the ripe age of 19 years old with her brother, Ravinder, who has grown the company to the 10th largest

brewery in North America, selling over 7 billion pints of world-class beer. Not only that, and which is lovely to have another podcaster on the show, she has a podcast now where she dives deep into, well, the world of entrepreneurship. And she knows a ton of people, you know, who are some heavy hitters that are now on our show called the Manjeet Minhas podcast, where and she interviews, you know, top business leaders and CEOs to gain insight and to hear how you too can walk the path of success. Because and that's, I think, a big reason why I'm a big fan of her, but also of Dragon's Den in general is it really does promote the idea of working for yourself starting your own business, which honestly, before Dragon's Den, I never really thought about it. I didn't think that was

something that was even possible because I didn't know anyone in my life. My parents didn't know anyone that ran their own business. So I had no concept that you could be anything but an employee. So it's kind of a cool and also, hey, guess what? I'm running my own business have for over four years. So it's one of those things where it's like you never know where life will take you and you never know what good idea may turn into your future career. You never know. So it's one of those things where it's like, you never know where life will take you. And you never know what good idea may turn into your, you know, future career, you never know. So we talk a lot about just her journey, but also some really great tips she has for people who want to start their own business or become self employed. And some things that you shouldn't do and things to, you know, just keep in the back of your mind. It's not easy being an entrepreneur. Honestly, I cannot imagine doing what Manji does. That seems intense. It seems really intense,

but she's obviously loves it and is very good at it. So very excited to have her on the show and to share this interview with you. But before I get to that interview, here's just a few words I want to share about this podcast episode's sponsor. This episode of the More Money Podcast is supported by VIPKID. If you've been listening to my podcast since the very beginning, then you may already know that for me, starting a side hustle in my 20s was a literal game changer. It was the reason that I was able to save up an emergency fund, start investing, travel, and achieve so many other financial goals that would have been very difficult if I relied solely on my salary.

And in this weird time where many of us are still stuck at home or looking to find new ways to earn extra income, there's one side hustle I would have jumped at. Teaching students English online through VIPKID. VIPKID is a platform where people in the US and Canada can teach English as a second language to kids around the world. All you need is a bachelor's degree, at least two years experience teaching or working with children, and that could be anything from nannying to coaching or mentoring, even parenting, and eligibility to work in the United States or Canada. Not only that, you can expect to earn between $14 to $22 US per hour plus incentives and you have 100%

flexible scheduling. That means you can work when you want, wherever you want. All you need is a strong Wi-Fi connection. To learn more about VIB Kid, which was named one of Glassdoor's top 10 best places to work in 2019 and 2020 and the number one company for remote jobs, visit jessicamorehouse.com slash VIP kid. Once again, to learn more, visit jessicamorehouse.com slash VIP kid or check out the show notes for this episode. Thank you so much for joining me on the More Money Podcast, Manjeet. It is a thrill to have a dragon on the show. Like I'm a huge fan. So I can't believe I have you on the show. I'm so excited. Thanks for having me. I look forward to chatting.

Yeah. And you're a fellow podcaster now. So you started your own podcast, the Manjeet Minhas podcast in November of 2020. It sounds like this is 2020 was the year to start a podcast, wasn't it? I mean, good job. Good idea. I think we for sure need more podcasts and podcasts by women and podcasts about entrepreneurship by women. So I'm thrilled that you have your own show. But before we kind of dive into a little bit of that, you have such an amazing story. I was doing a ton of research on you before this show. And oh my gosh, your resume is it's crazy. I mean mean the fact that you really dove into entrepreneurship at such a young age 19 when I was just I mean not doing that let me tell you I was not doing that myself

um it's so exciting and inspiring to see you know it was just an idea and you took some risks and it clearly very much paid off kind of take us through what happened. You were 19 years old and you decided to start kind of an alcohol business with your brother. How did this start? Yeah. I was 19. I was an engineering student at the U of C. I really did think engineering was my future, my career. My dad was a petroleum engineer here in Calgary. Hence, they ended up here. I'm born and raised here. My brother, a year and a half younger than I, also headed down that path. And then, well, we saw an opportunity in the liquor space, which was a good premium quality spirit at an everyday fair price. And the reason why we saw that opening in that niche was because my dad

was laid off in 1993 when there was a downturn in the oil patch, as there is now, unfortunately, actually, in Alberta. And with really no other prospect ideas or any other careers that he'd ever done. You know, back in that day, you did something and you did it forever until you retired. And so after 15 years of being an engineer and not having really any other opportunities, by chance, our premier Ralph Klein at the time in Alberta privatized retail liquor entirely, which is still actually quite astonishing that since 1994, this is still the only province that has that in this country. And so he actually dove

into being an entrepreneur without knowing anything about sales, marketing, alcohol for that matter, for goodness sakes, but saw that he still had to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. My mom was a stay-at-home mom at that time. And so he dove feet first into taking that risk to opening up a liquor store. And so I was a teenager. I was 13, 14 at that time. And so we helped in the family business, my brother and I. It was docking shelves, carrying out booze to patrons' cars, mopping floors, like doing all of that stuff that you would do with any family business, whether it was alcohol or convenience. We always used to joke that too bad he didn't sell chips because we couldn't consume the

alcohol at 13. But yeah. And so I guess, you know, I never really absorbed the fact that how much I was taking in by being at the business and actually having a fair bit of responsibility as a teenager, you know, from understanding finances to everything from leases to sales to marketing to how to, you know, HR and just everything that goes into making a business run and work. And so, you know, like I said, when I was 19 and after my first year of engineering, I thought that, you know what, there was an opening that wasn't being really catered to in the Alberta market. And so we brought out a line of spirits,

you know, the most popular that did the most amount of volume. And we got them co-packed, which was also is a very long story too. We didn't dream of being like actually making them ourselves. We were a sales and marketing company. And I think that in today's age, everybody thinks that when they start something, they have to like completely make it from scratch themselves, which isn't the case. And, and so we, yeah, we, we did well and, and still actually have Blarney's Irish Cream in most provinces in this country that we started then and, you know, Alamo Tequila and a variety of products. And then we got into beer. About three years later, discovered that there was a massive market that was not being attended to in Canada,

which was we felt a bucket beer and beer that was made with only four ingredients. And one of those not being rice and or high fructose corn syrup. And so we started Mountain Crest at Classic Lager in Alberta. And wow, that really did well for us very, very quickly. And then we never looked back. We grew from there. And then we got into the manufacturing side a couple of years later and bought our first brewery and then made our own breweries and distilleries around the world.

So that's a quick summary. Yeah. Yeah. So that's interesting. I actually want to go back to what you said because I don't know quite anything about how to start a beer company. But I think, like you said, most people assume if you want to start a business, you have to create the product from scratch yourself, making it in your kitchen and all that kind of stuff.ing. And so, you know, there were our

recipes or our brands, but it was not our manufacturing facility. It was in our distillery or our brewery. And so I think that that really in the beginning was one of the smartest things that we did. It wasn't by plan. Of course, we didn't have enough money or expertise to start a brewery or distillery from scratch. But the great thing that it does, and I tell people this all the time, that there is a certain point that you do need to become the manufacturer. However, not to begin with. First, you need to get the brand right. You need to get the product right. You need to get the marketing right. You need to know what people want. You need to get the price point right. There's so many things that you need to get right before you

actually need to become the manufacturing. Because I, a great mentor of mine always told me that, listen, manufacturing and then selling the product are two different businesses. And I completely agree. Getting that product from raw ingredients to the door is one business. And then getting it to shelves and to a person's home is a completely another business. And I think that too many people don't see that. And I think that that is so important that people recognize that they both have a time and a place, but not at the same time,

especially when you're starting, especially when you're a startup business. They take too much energy and also too much money that most people don't have. And they divert your energy in two very different directions. And so it was important for us to have a great product at our door and then us to sell it and then figure out what exactly we needed in our portfolio, what customers wanted to a degree, but what we also wanted to provide them and to go from there. And then a couple years later when we bootstrapped this company, we took no loans, no investors. And a couple years later, then when we had some money in the bank and by reinvesting it, then we decided, okay, now we actually need not only to own the manufacturing for scalability, for efficiency,

but also to reach into different parts of our business, which were going to be private label. For example, we wanted to do private label with Trader Joe's across the United States, with Costco, with Walmart. And so in order to do those things, we needed to be in control of the manufacturing. And that's when in 2006, we actually then bought the brewery that was producing the beer for us. Wow. Yeah, I feel like so it's actually fascinating, too, that you were able to, you know, not have any investors or not take on any debt, because I think that's another assumption from, you know, people who want to start their own business, they immediately think I should go to the bank and get a loan. And I mean,

as someone who's like in personal finance, which is all about like, let's not get debt if we don't need to, I totally agree. If you can avoid debt, if you can just, you know, use the cash that you're earning and reinvest it. And yes, it may take, you know, slower or, you know, it may take longer, but I think in the end that you'll be ahead because then you don't have debt. But what would you say to people? Because I think a lot of people have this misconception. You need to grow quickly and you also need to take on debt and get investors. I don't know.

I don't know why people think this. Maybe it could be from all the shark tank and the dragon's den because, you know, you're always giving a piece of the pie away. But, you know, it seems like actually it's pretty great when you don't have to give any pie away. Well, I think that, listen, everybody's journey and story and situation is different. I don't I'm not a believer in debt. That's also the way I was raised

a little more definitely fiscally traditional and conservative, especially since my parents, you know, were immigrants to this country and came with very, very little. And, and so, yeah, you know, I think that every company is different. Sure. If I look back on my, on my own story, if I would have taken even a loan, you know, we started with $10,000 and that was it. And if I would have taken a loan, yes, I could have grown faster in Canada and especially in the East and not let so many competitors steal our ideas from the West because there was no bucket beer out East when we started. And yeah, when I look back, I think that it definitely delayed some expansion and allowed more competition to brew and copycats. And so I look at it that way. I could say, yeah,

it might not have been a bad thing to take a loan. I personally don't think an investor was right for us because my brother and I were very headstrong and also knew that we wanted to do what we wanted to do. And we wanted to make decisions quickly without going to others. That was what was the holy grail for us and why entrepreneurship was so exciting for us to be involved in. That we wanted to make our own decisions. We didn't want anybody to run it by or to tell us no. And I think that too, having that quick decision-making skills is really important when you are starting and figuring out what you really need to do

and where you need to be in order to find those customers. So I think there is a time and place for investment. I do think bringing on an investor, and sure, I'm biased to this, the last seven years of Dragon's Den, that, you know, I think that you can avoid mistakes that you would otherwise make in a bubble on your own.

You also can, you know, get a helping hand to get into, you know, some big box retail and or, you know, navigate the digital world, which is not necessarily to do. You know, I don't I really don't believe in those in those unicorns. And so I think I've always subscribed to the fact that your time and energy, your energy and time is currency. And so I think that you do need to spend it wisely and also invest it wisely and understand that what your goals are and how you're going to get there. And if that sometimes means because you don't have a partner and or others, you know, on your team that you can go to, sometimes an investor actually can be all of that in one. It can be a partner. It can be an investor. It can be a bank. It can be a mentor. It can be a sponsor. It can be a network. So I think that everybody's situation is different and you really do need to know what you are looking for, but also what you're willing to

give up for it. And like you say, it can be speed, it can be scale, or it can be, you know, equity and it can be top line revenue. So if it's a royalty or there's so many different ways to structure it. But and so I think that it really does depend on on your individual goals. Now, since you mentioned you started out as an engineer, but you didn't have like a formal business or marketing background. So you learned pretty much everything, you know, just from from trial and error learning, possibly some mentorship, like, I think a lot of people find that as the biggest barrier, they have a great idea, or, you know, potential business, but they're like, but I don't have a background in this. I mean, that was definitely something that really kind of stalled me for a

number of years. I'm like, I don't have a business background, how am I going to start a business? Is it possible to actually learn this stuff on your own? Or is it, you know, kind of essential maybe to find someone who is who does have that experience to kind of guide you? It's totally actually great. And I think it makes you ahead of the bunch if you don't have a background in business. I never took a business, a marketing, a finance, an accounting course ever. And I think that, sure, in hindsight, I should have taken some accounting courses. That would have been nice. I'm good with numbers, thank goodness. And I actually hired an accountant to teach me how to read a balance sheet and a P&L statement, et cetera, et cetera. But as far

as the business and the marketing go, I really do think that as great as a post-secondary education and as I am a strong believer in education in general, I do think that when you take those, you do start thinking like everybody else and you do get kind of confined to a box in the way that things are done. And there is no way things are done. You know, they're done as to what works for you, what works for your pocketbook, what works for your mission, what works in your own gut. And so I think it was a real advantage that my brother and I had engineering backgrounds and not business backgrounds. I think that it really did help set us apart amongst our competition, not only in Canada, but definitely worldwide. I would say though, you do have to have some courage

and courage doesn't mean that you don't get afraid. It just means that you don't let fear stop you, that you don't know what you're getting into. And I think that's okay. As long as your ears are open and your eyes and you're listening and you're paying attention and that you want to learn. I found a great way to learn. What I didn't know was to hire some great people around me, but also to ask a lot of questions. And in lots of cases, like I said,

I hired people to teach me. I was very focused on what I knew I didn't know. And I think that that's okay. Nobody knows it all and nobody can do everything. It's important to be self-aware as an entrepreneur as to where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are and kind of focus in investing in the weaknesses. Therefore, you can make those strengths and or just make them not extreme weaknesses that can sometimes handicap

a lot of entrepreneurs and founders. But I do believe in definitely not being scared just because you think you don't have the right credentials. I believe in potential. I believe that we should all rate each other definitely by our potential, not what our degrees or our CVs say. Not at all. Exactly. And like you said, it's really important to see what kind of, you know, tools you have in your toolbox that other people may not have. And they may be actually an asset, not a hindrance. Do you find even though,

you know, at your level of success, you're still constantly learning more about kind of marketing and business and entrepreneurship? Like, is it kind of a never ending, I guess, you know, education? Yes, without doubt. Every day, I find I'm learning, of course, in the last year, even more so. Yeah. But every, every day, I really do try to get uncomfortable. I try to learn something from a variety of places, whether it be podcasts. I read a ton of books. I read two newspapers still every day, like actual physical newspapers.

It's kind of a ritual me and my husband do in the morning stills. I watch a lot of different documentaries and TV shows and I talk to a lot of people. And I think, and that's why I started my podcast because I was talking to friends and I thought, let's hit record because I think a lot of other people would find our conversations interesting

to find out the stories of other CEOs and leaders as to how they've done it and what hurdles and challenges they've done it and what the hurdles and challenges they have. Because I do really strongly believe that when we all talk about our struggles and our failures, because I do believe that we don't talk about them enough as successful CEOs or leaders, is that we all recognize that we are all so much more alike, that we all go through the same things.

And that if, you know, I really just always want to inspire people, well, you know, if she can do it, so can I. And without knowing anything, but also understanding that it takes time, I'm still grinding, definitely, every single day. You know, I'm the 10th largest brewery or we are the 10th largest brewery and there's nine steps to go. So I'm always still waking up with driving, firing my belly to like climb, right? And as soon as that stops, I will stop being an entrepreneur.

But yeah, I'm always, always learning. Even if it's from my kids these days, my girls definitely have taught me a lot about technology that I did not know. Oh my gosh. Well, that was another question I have is like, is balance, I think a lot of people are searching. It's like, can I have, you know, the successful career and not be, you know, stuck in this kind of hustle culture where we're just grinding it out 24 seven, and then ultimately, you can get burnt out? Is there a such thing as balance? Or what are things that you do to, you know, maintain your sanity, especially during COVID? Because I know, you know, I read an article that you had to pivot your

business a little bit and you know, did the sanitizer thing. Like you were just probably super busy during 2020. How do you kind of stay on top of things and not get burnt out basically? Because I know that's a big problem with entrepreneurs. Yeah. So first, I truly believe work-life balance is bullshit. And it's because there is no ideal magical formula to make, you know, your 24 hours just blissfully half and half, right? Yeah. It all comes together. Work and my personal life, it all is intertwined and it's all the time, both things. I have responsibilities, definitely, you know, as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, as a daughter-in-law, as a sister-in-law, as an aunt.

Like all of those personal things are very real to me. And I take those responsibilities definitely very seriously. But also on the work front, definitely. I have, you know, a couple thousand staff members and team members that are definitely relying on me too. And lots of things going on there too. And so they rely on me just as much. But one thing I discovered is that having this idea in my head of being able to do it

all was not happening. And as soon as I had my first daughter 10 years ago, I discovered, listen, I just have to be happy every day at the end of the day. And happiness bring, me being happy brings the best out in me. And the best, Manjeet is a better mom, is a better CEO, is a better sister, is a better wife, is a better human to be a better sister, is a better wife, is a better human to be

around. And also in the end of the day, it is definitely something that I discovered that I can't do alone. It takes a village to raise a family and it takes a village to raise a company. And we have to understand, as I think women especially, is that we have to ask for help. We have to seek help. And then most importantly, we have to take it., is that we have to ask for help. We have to seek help. And then most importantly, we have to take it. Nobody says that you have to cook every meal and clean every bathroom and do every piece of laundry and take them to every recital and be there. But also nobody says that you have to be at every meeting

and making every presentation and every pitch and signing every check. You know, I think that you do have to discover what works for you, that you can rely on in both sides of your life, but also what really not only you're passionate about, but what you're good at and what makes you happy at the end of the day. Because, you know, it's a short life. And I really do believe that

it is not something that you can have this perfect balance of. I really do believe in work-life integration rather than balance. And also in answer to your second question, I do not buy into the myth that I need to burn out in order to succeed. Absolutely not. When things are going tough, yes, I have a very tight schedule and every hour of my life is booked. And I like it that way because I'm feeling tired mentally, physically, you know, or both, I take a break. I am the first one to communicate, listen, I am done right now.

And if I do any more, it won't be helpful to me or to you. And so I think that it's really important that we realize and actually listen to what our body and our brain is telling us when we do need to take a break, when you do need to have some time to think. I schedule in thinking time, to be honest, because otherwise you don't get enough of it. Otherwise you just are going from one thing to the next to the next. And so, yeah, sometimes it creeps up on you when you really least expect it. And over the last year, it definitely has. And I don't think that we all can say why and when, but there's a lot going on. I have two little girls that are at home. I've got elderly parents

and in-laws, and there's just a lot to worry about. And even amongst ourselves, my whole schedule, like I used to travel three days a week on average for the last 20 years. And I've been at home for the last year. So like, there's a lot to take in for me too, right? And I think that that's okay, that we do understand that what we need is okay and burnout does not help anybody.

No, yeah, that's's definitely it's just like a conversation I've been seeing a lot, you know, online and my, you know, kind of circle of other kind of women entrepreneurs is like balance. But also, it's like, I like how you say integration, because I feel like that is more realistic. I mean, and but also, yeah, it's so, so important to not hustle yourself to the point where you're not productive or you don't want to do what you were so passionate about before, because that's not going to help anybody. So really taking care of yourself, because I think sometimes we're the last we take care of everybody else except for ourselves. And then then it's too late. So we need to be mindful of that. I want to talk a little bit about since you are a dragon. Have you been on Dragon's Den for how long? How many years? This is my seventh year, my seventh season. Wow, that's amazing. So huge fan of the show. I've actually learned a lot about entrepreneurship from watching the show and what to do and not to do. No, you and the rest of Canada. Right? It's a great education. I mean, so I mean, I'm assuming part of the reason you wanted to be on the show was to kind of,

you know, you mentioned expand your portfolio. And so you're investing in a ton of different companies. What was kind of the experience? Like, I mean, you've been on the show for so long, but you know, when you first started, what were your kind of expectations? Like did I, cause I mean, I don't know anything behind the camera. So I'm like, are these deals real and how does this actually work? And are you obligated to actually invest in them or is it like

how yeah tell me tell me some of the insider scoop because I'm so curious how this all works yes so um when I got the call seven years ago I was definitely excited I'm a big fan of the show too I've known almost all the dragons in real life. And they all had loved their experience, definitely had great things to say. But also it was important to me because I do believe that representation matters. Yes. And I was excited to get the call not only for myself, but for my daughters, for my nieces, for, you know, just every other little brown girl and brown boy in this country that did see themselves sitting up there after nine years of the show being on air. And I also wanted to be able to say exactly this, that listen, you can be an entrepreneur if you have no background,

if you have studied engineering, if you'd studied anything else, you know, that there is no set path to be an entrepreneur. If you enjoy it, if you're passionate about it, if you have an idea, it can be you sitting up here. And also at any age, it was, that was very important to me too. I was 33 years old, which was, yeah. That's crazy. I'm like, I'm 34 and there's no, like, that's just wild to me. You achieve so much. Yeah. It was, it was definitely something that my brother actually, cause I was like, oh great. And I thought, oh my God, being in front of the camera, I had two very young girls. I had a one and three year old at home when they called me and I thought, you know, filming takes a month and I had to move to Toronto for it. Like had a one and three year old at home when they called me and I thought, you know, filming takes a month and I moved to Toronto for it, like just the logistics.

And my family stepped up. My husband and my brother said, we will make the rest work on the company side and also on the home front. You got to go. And I said, okay, reluctantly. But I'm glad I did. Definitely. And in answer to your question, yes, it is the definition of reality TV. Because we don't know anything about the pictures before they walk through those doors, down those stairs, through those doors this now, this season. We only find out their name seconds before they come because often they're very nervous and they can't get out their name. Other than that, we know nothing. We get 45 to 60 minutes with them. They cannot hand us any paper. The math is what we are writing down. They do not give us the math. They do not give us financial statements. They don't give us anything. So all of that is done in our heads and on paper. All of us are very good at math.

And yes, we don't have an obligation to invest in anybody. It is our own money. It's not CBCs or taxpayers or there's no fund that we get to pull from. It's our own money. Hence, we get to say and do what we want. Sure, there's editing. And, you know, 45 to 60 minutes gets down to about six, seven minutes. So you don't see a lot of the back and forth. But they give you really the meat of the pitch.

And you get a good sense of what happened. And in voiceover, Diane Buckner tells you a lot of the things that happened in that hour-ish. And then there always is due diligence because we are in a bubble. We can't call a friend or email or text. So we make a deal, definitely shake hands. And we go back and there's lawyers and accountants involved and we go through a due diligence process and then things happen. And yes, I have 31 investments. Wow. In the last six years.

And they range in everything. I definitely have a portfolio that is heavy on CPG products. Definitely. It's my expertise, manufacturing, sales, distribution, retailing, all that kind of stuff. And so everything from fashion to fire extinguishers to baby products. I never thought I would invest in, for example, animal or pet products, but I have a fabulous ugly sweater company for your dogs. And, you know, and so, yeah, it really is in the end of the day, to be honest, an investment in Canadian entrepreneurs. You know, my first, whenever somebody comes, it's not about the product or the service first and foremost. It's about the entrepreneur. Do I think that they're going to win? Do I think that they are going to be coachable?

Do I think that they're going to be able to handle the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur? Because nobody's success story, even with my own or with my help, it won't be a straight lineup. There will be bumps along the way for them also. And so, you know, we're all human at the end of the day. And we want to know that we want to work with somebody too. It's not only about the money. And so it has, yeah, I have met some really fantastic entrepreneurs through this process, and we'll continue to. That's so exciting. Is there any, I guess, some of your favorites? I

mean, you have a huge portfolio of companies you've now invested in through Driggins Den. What are some of the ones that you're like this was such a great experience or like this product or service is kind of blown up oh there's so many and favorite like that's that's kind of a loaded word it's like i know who's your favorite child your favorite baby i know i know it honestly depends on the day of the week and and that can mean like who's made you the most returns who has seen know, growth from an idea on paper to actually product on shelves and doing well. So like, it's just so wide ranging. Who have you seen? Like I've seen some just individuals grow so amazingly as people. And, and I, and so like, that is, that is a loaded question. Okay. Let me, yeah. So, okay. I'm actually

curious now. Yeah. Who have you seen as in terms of an entrepreneur who's grown the most since they first pitched at you to now? Oh, I would say, um, this couple from Montreal, um, Ben and his wife, um, from Montreal that have this company called Make My Belly Fit. And it's a jacket extender for when you're pregnant and then afterwards to put the baby in. And they have, oh my goodness, come so far. And I invested in them in my first season in the den. And it's just been such a joy to see them grow and their journey and all of their line extensions. And it's just been fantastic. And it is one of those things that you do see so much growth happen. And even the product,

once I get my hands and my team gets my hands on it, it usually looks like it from packaging to marketing materials to everything. It changes. And it's actually quite always interesting to be a part of that for me even. Because we're not a new company anymore. To have that excitement of a startup and have your first big sale and your first big seeing it for the first time come off the manufacturing line. It's just so exciting and so fabulous to be a part of. Is there been, you know, something you've invested in that's been the most surprising in terms of maybe like how much it's grown or the revenue

that it took or just like the kind of a reaction from customers? Yeah, I would say the most, the reaction from customers is always interesting. So Peapod Mats was something that I invested in and it's done really well too. And we, I was always interested to people opening up about their stories about, you know, their children and how bad potty training was. And then kind of flipping on the flip side to say, yeah, you know, with my parents, this, you know, with my parents, this would be an, and we just, once people started talking and we got the product out, it was really interesting to see how our customers were telling us how they wanted to use it. And yeah, it was, and it's just been really interesting to actually see how surprising it

is. Even a simple thing is our Haven fire extinguisher. You know, it's a fire extinguisher that is heat activated, not smoke activated. And once it's activated, then it lets the fire suppressant out automatically. And, and I thought, well, I thought, I thought, well, I can't believe this hasn't been invented yet. All our smoke detectors are smoke activated. It's not actual temperature, like the science and the engineering behind it was pretty fantastic. And it was nice to see Lowe's, you know, get behind us and distribute it nationally. And so, yeah, you know, I could go on and on about all of the great products that I'm looking around, even in my office, that have come to fruition because of the show. You know, Toddler Monitor, like I say,

you know, two fabulous sisters from Vancouver, Party Skirts, like it goes on and on. And I think that the nice thing also has been that the wide range of entrepreneurs from young, like I say, those two young sisters to, you know, a 70-year-old pharmacist who, after being a pharmacist for 50 years, invented a butt cream and has been, like, so successful.

So I think that it's one of those things that it's just nice to be a part of the journey with these fabulous Canadians. Absolutely. And I think that's the big reason I love Dragon's Den especially is because it is talking about Canada and Canadians specifically and really promoting entrepreneurship in canada where you know on tv we just see a lot of you know american news and stuff like that it's nice to to kind of see no this is possible in canada we should support each other and shop local and nationwide and everything like that but i want to talk a little bit about your podcast which you launched in november so uh you mentioned you know you have a lot of um successful friends and entrepreneurs that you know and you know, you have a lot of successful friends and entrepreneurs that

you know, and it makes sense to have a podcast. Tell me a little bit about that. What kind of inspired you to get going? Was it just like, okay, we're in this pandemic, this is, you know, this is a good time to probably do this. And, and what was the kind of focus you wanted to have for your podcast? Yeah, you know, definitely. Like I said, I had thought about it before, but just really never found the time. And then all of a sudden I found myself having all this time because I was not traveling anymore. And I never discovered, um, or that, you know, I should have been meeting at events and dinners. Um, we started talking about, you know,

our stories and, and, and things, um, that, that, uh, were happening, um, at that time in, in many people's businesses, but then also reflecting a lot, I think on our journeys, um, and where we wanted to go next. And I thought to myself, you know what, it would be actually really interesting to be a fly on the wall because I found myself learning a lot about people that I had known for a very long time, I thought, and I thought I knew everything about them. And so I thought, you know what, if I'm learning a lot, I really do believe that there's a lot of Canadians out there that would love to hear about, you know, more about business and entrepreneurship and what goes on in a leader's mind and all the challenges that they have overcome. And so we started doing it a little bit formally, which meant hitting record.

And it has, yeah, which, which meant hitting record. Um, and I, it has, yeah, definitely been quite a fantastic journey. We, on my debut day, I was excited that we hit, um, you know,

in the top 10 of Apple podcasts, business and entrepreneurship. Um, so it, it kind of confirmed the fact that people wanted to hear from me and, and from my guests. Um, and then we continued on. We did 10 episodes our

first season and I'm starting right now to record the second season and third season. So yeah, it's been really fantastic for me. And like I said, I'm learning so much through it because it's also interesting for me to be on the other side of the mic. I've been the one that has been interviewed the last two decades. So I like to always try new things. And this is definitely one of them. I mean, I've found the reason I've had this podcast for so long and will do it until it doesn't make sense anymore is what a great reason to talk to so many smart people and learn from them. I mean, this has been the best thing I could have ever started is talking to amazing and then having the opportunity

to talk to people like you and learning so much and hearing their different experiences. Because like you said, it's so important to talk to people. I mean, that especially when you're an entrepreneur. I mean, for me, that has been life changing, like having those really important conversations you probably wouldn't have had otherwise. So I'm curious, before I let you go, what are some of those things that you've learned from some of your guests that were kind of a surprise? You're like, oh, I didn't know that. Or, oh, that's something new I've learned. And I'll keep that in the back of my head. Yeah. You know what? Definitely. I would say how much all of our stories are similar rather than they're different. How much resilience so many people

have had. And it's quite, and sacrifices that they have made. I think we all think that, you know, it's only us that have to make a variety of sacrifices in it because it is a lonely world when you're an entrepreneur often. So I do, I really did find it very interesting to know how we are all so similar in a lot of ways, just as humans, no matter what our title is or what our paycheck is. And how this last year has really made many of us self-reflective and introspective as to our journey, how we got here, where we are now and what we want to do next. And how we never really thought, I think many people, about it and reflected on it as much.

And I think that that has really been important. So talking about everything from, you know, brand messaging and managing in a crisis and the future of office culture and hospitality and advice to your younger self. I ask everybody that question and I always find that interesting. Entering new and different industries, it's always fascinating to me that how everybody is doing new things and trying new things. It's just not, we're not one trick ponies anymore, no matter who you are. And that was really interesting to me. I think when I was talking to Jim Patterson, I myself was looking at him and thinking, wow, like you've done so much and you still are like hustling and still not slowing down. And I thought to myself, wow, okay, this is somebody who, you know, is,

is really not only finding new ways in order to drive himself and to find new opportunities, but there are always new opportunities to be had. And I think that the pandemic has showed that even more. And I see that whether it be Dragon's Den or talking to individuals on my podcast is that this, there are lots of opportunities still to be had. It's just about going out and opening your eyes to them and taking the risk and the chance in order to, in order to start on that challenge. Yeah. Okay. So one last question, and then I will let you go because you kind of like, Oh, I'm going to ask her this question. What is a piece of advice you would give your younger self? Like, it seems like you've done pretty well, but do you have any advice

for your younger self? Oh, lots. But I would say, you know, I would say, I would say go into it a little more eyes wide open as to the sacrifices that you're going to have to make. I did not, I was not aware of a lot of them as I was making them even. And I think that we all just think that we make sacrifices with money and risk money. But no, there was a lot of time and energy and relationships and fun. I sacrificed a lot of fun because I started young, which I'm having more of now, I guess. But I would say that, yeah, carve out some more time to understand really consciously

what the sacrifices you're willing to give up. Yeah, I think that's good advice for everybody, right? Yeah. That's, that's for, for sure. Um, well it was such a pleasure having you on the show. Um, I'm, I can't wait to, you know, share, you know, your podcast with people that I know who want to get into entrepreneurship and listen, uh, myself to, uh, learn even more. Where can people find more information about you and check out your podcast? I'm on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's called the Manjeet Minhas Podcast. Pretty simple. Amazing. Amazing. Thanks again for joining me. It was a pleasure having you on the show. Thanks, Jessica. And that was episode 279 of the More Money Podcast with the lovely Manjeet Minhas. Make

sure to check her out at manjeetminhas.com. And you can also find her on Twitter and Instagram at Manjeet Minhas. I will, of course, link to her, you know, all of her things, her podcast, her website in the show notes for this episode, jessicamorehouse.com slash 279. And like I mentioned, she has a podcast and it's very easy to find because it is just her name, the Manjeet Minhas podcast, very easy. So as you listen to this show, maybe right after this episode, check her podcast out. Why not? Especially if you want to learn more about the world of entrepreneurship. And you know, I mean, she really does have some amazing guests on her show talking about, you know, business and being a CEO and just how to crush it basically.

So go check that out. And again, the show notes, you can check out the show notes for any episode on this show. If you want to learn more about a past guest, if you just go to my website, jessicamorehouse.com slash podcast, or for that specific episode that you're listening to, because everyone has a number, just go to jessicamorehouse.com slash the number of that episode. So yeah, I hope you really like this. I love doing episodes with people that are just doing things that I can only dream of. Like I'll never be at that level, but I'm cool with that. It's so inspiring to see that someone really did go from, you know, starting something very small at 19 to where

she is now. It's so inspirational. And also, hi, we need more women just killing it in the world of business and also people of color. So I am just so still starstruck from having her on my show. I have some things that I need to share with you on a different topic. But just give me a hot sec. I just have a few words I want to share about this podcast episode sponsor, and then I will share some very exciting things with you right away. This episode of the More Money Podcast is supported by VIP Kid. Looking to level up your financial situation by adding on a side hustle? I'm obviously a huge fan of side hustles since not only did my own side hustle help me save and invest for my future at a faster rate than my salary could have allowed, it ultimately led me to a whole new career, this podcast. So if you're looking for a way to earn some extra money while shaping adorable young minds at the same time, you may want to check out becoming a virtual English

teacher with VIPKID. You can earn between $14 to $22 US per hour plus incentives, work whenever and wherever you want, get access to hundreds of workshops and classes to help you grow in your career. And the best part is you don't have to spend hours crafting your own teaching curriculum. As a teacher, you would get access to VIPKid's world-class curriculum, and all classes are one-on-one, so students stay super engaged and there is no class prep required. All you need to be eligible is a bachelor's degree, at least two years experience teaching or working with children, and eligibility to work in the United States or Canada. To learn more about VIP Kid, which was named one of Glassdoor's top 10 best places to work in 2019 and 2020, and the number one company for remote jobs, visit

jessicamorehouse.com slash VIP Kid. Once again, that's jessicamorehouse.com slash VIP Kid, or check out the show notes for this episode. Okay, so what is this exciting news that I have you waiting to hear? Well, the exciting news is that on Tuesday, May 25th at 7pm Eastern Time, I will be hosting a live webinar about investing. That's right. I haven't done a webinar in ages. I haven't done an investing webinar on my own for a very long time. So it is very much overdue, especially since, you know, I do have my wealth building blueprint for Canadians course out, you can sign up to apply. And there's so many students have already gone through the entire course and are taking action building their wealth out of those high fee mutual funds into their own DIY ETF portfolio and are crushing it. And it is

so exciting to see. So I thought this would be a good time to do a webinar, a little refresher for any of you that want to learn more about investing. This is going to be about specifically investing for Canadians. So sorry, my friends who are not Canadian. I mean, you can still join, of course, but I will be kind of focusing more on investing in Canada. So if you want to learn more about, you know, what you should know to start investing or what you should know if you want to, you know, be a passive investor, either using a robo advisor or going self directed. And what are some things that you should really look out for? What are some mistakes that you may be making? All these important things? Well, guess what? You can sign up right now. If you go to jessicamorehouse.com slash webinar,

you'll be able to sign up and save your virtual seat. And then you'll be able to join me Tuesday, May 25th at 7pm Eastern Time for an amazing webinar. So can't wait to see you there. Another thing I'm going to remind you about is I am of course doing my big book giveaway still have, you know, several weeks to go. Actually, it looks like this podcast is actually going to go a little bit longer than normal, definitely till the end of June, which is very exciting. So and there's more authors coming on the show. So more books to give away, but you can go to jessicamorehouse.com slash contest or check out the show notes for this episode, jessicamorehouse.com slash 279 to enter any, you know, you can enter to win all of the books, you'll obviously only win one of the book because I'm the one choosing the winners. And I will notice that you're, you know, there multiple times, that's okay.

But you can enter to win all of the books. And then hopefully you'll be one of the lucky winners. And I will announce the winners. Well, you know, pretty much near the end of this podcast season, which is looking to be the end of June, like I kind of mentioned. So yeah, lots of and more, like I mentioned, exciting books that I will be able to add to all the, you know, big book giveaway. It's a big book giveaway after all, isn't it? What else would I suppose? Okay, one other thing to remind you, as you kind of heard in the previous episodes, and I mentioned it right now, didn't I? I have an investing course called Wealth Building Blueprint for Canadians. So if you're a Canadian that wants to learn more about investing and actually how to take action, I show you how. I have shown my students how

to literally go from I have no idea what I'm doing to being a confident, do it yourself investor, buying ETFs, buying individual stocks if you want, and feeling confident about it because I lay out exactly what you need to know. So if you want to learn more about that, I have a link to the show notes, but also you can just go to JessicaMorehouse.com slash WBB. There's also some testimonials and reviews on that page. So you can check out what other students are saying. So that is it for me for now. I will be back next week with a fresh new episode of the podcast. So thank you so much for listening and a big shout out and thank you to my podcast editor Matt Rideout. I'll be back here next Wednesday, like always. So I look forward to

seeing you then have a good rest of your week and weekend. Stay safe, stay healthy. See you next week. This podcast is distributed by the Women in Media Podcast Network. Find out more at womeninmedia.network.