Shows
Just Good Business 🍁Chief Economist Douglas Porter Discusses Canadian Economy: Trade War, Inflation, and Economic OutlookAl welcomes Douglas Porter, Chief Economist at the Bank of Montreal, to the podcast to discuss Canada’s current economic landscape. They delve into topics such as Canada's economic performance in the first quarter of 2025 and the effects of trade wars with the U.S. on Canadian businesses and consumers. Porter shares valuable advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs navigating this uncertain economic climate. He also offers his perspectives on the 'Buy Canadian' movement and inter-provincial trade barriers, and what they could mean for the economy. To lighten the mood, Sean McCormick, VP of Busi...2025-05-0623 min
Just Good Business 🍁Was The Tax Holiday In Canada Worth It For Canadian Businesses?This month, Al welcomes back Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services to talk about consumer spending data in the first half of the tax holiday in Canada.Was it worth it for Canadians? Obviously every bit of savings helps. But what about Canadian Businesses? Did it change anyone’s shopping behaviour?Listen now to find out.Also This Episode:Daniel Stranges, Senior Events & Sponsorships Specialist at Moneris with a look at February’s Events CalendarLinks of Interest:Moneris Data ServicesSecond Harvest Sweepstakes
Subscribe now!2025-02-0608 min
Just Good Business 🍁What Was The Busiest Shopping Day This Past Holiday Season?In the first episode of 2025, Allan welcomes back Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development at Moneris' Data Services, to discuss holiday spending trends from 2024 and their implications for 2025. They touch on the significance of Black Friday sales, regional differences in consumer spending, and predictions for economic recovery.
Subscribe now!If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.2025-01-1710 min
The Voice of RetailTaylor Swift Takes Toronto, Black Friday_Cyber Monday Flash results with Sean McCormick, Vice President from Moneris Data ServicesOn this episode, I welcome Sean McCormick, Vice President Business Development from Moneris Data Services, for a deep dive into the numbers behind consumer behaviour during the holiday season and beyond. Together, we unpack the fascinating data-driven impact of Taylor Swift's Toronto tour, which saw local spending skyrocket by an impressive 45% in downtown areas. Sean shares how payment insights reveal trends across hotels, restaurants, retail, and even specialty sectors like jewelry and accessories.The conversation also shifts to the performance of key retail events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which delivered significant year-over-year growth in 2024—up 11% an...2024-12-1335 min
Just Good Business 🍁How Ronald McDonald House Is Helping Canadian Families HealIn this episode, Kate Horton, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (RMHC), pays Al a visit to discuss the organization's mission to support families with critically ill children. She shares insights into the history and impact of RMHC, including the challenges faced by families and their need for support.Kate also highlights heartwarming stories of families helped by RMHC and details ongoing campaigns and ways small businesses can contribute.Also in this episode:Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris talks Taylor Swift numbers.Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at...2024-12-0623 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To Bridge The Cashless Gap In In-Person Charitable GivingOne of the victims of moving to a more cashless society in the past has been charitable organizations that rely on people’s generosity during in-person donation opportunities. There are many people who simply just don’t like carrying cash with them.For the past few years, we’ve been following the progress of Canadian startup tiptap as they’ve grown from a conversation-starting curiosity, to a fixture on many national charitable campaigns, and not-for-profit institutions.Al has a sit-down with tiptap Director of Sales Mark Jordan to talk about a couple of these national campaign...2024-11-0529 min
The Voice of RetailRCC + Leger 2024 Holiday Consumer Survey with Luc Dumont, SVP Insights & Adrian Bachmann, AVP, Leger + Sean McCormack, VP MonerisOn this episode a recording of the RCC x Leger Holiday Shopping livestream dissecting the 7th annual, 2024 RCC+ Leger Holiday Shopping Survey. We discuss holiday shopping dynamics and navigate what sales and value mean this year, gift card preferences, online vs. in-store shopping trends, and key factors driving retailer choices.My guests Luc Dumont Senior Vice President, Insights and Andrian Buchmann AVP from Leger & Sean McCormick, Vice President Business Development from Moneris Data Services will discuss what the insights of this year’s survey mean for retailers.Survey Highlights and RCC members can download the entire...2024-10-2556 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To Successfully Apply For A Business GrantOver the past few months we’ve talked a lot about grants and programs, both from the government and corporations, but how do you apply for these grants?This month, Al speaks with “Grant Angel” Stephanie Sang, Founder at Granted Consulting. As her nickname implies, Stephanie knows all about grants and shares her expertise with us. Also in this episode:Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services shares consumer spending data.Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of Ocober’s events calendar.Links of Interest:granted.caRonald McDonald...2024-10-0124 min
Fight Back with Libby ZnaimerToronto's Crime Wave & Jagmeet Singh Ends Agreement With LiberalsTUNE INTO THE TOWN: TORONTO GRAPPLES WITH VERY VIOLENT LONG WEEKEND
Libby Znaimer is joined by Alex Blumenstein, Co-Founder of The Peak, Karen Stintz, a Conservative Party of Canada Candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence, a former Toronto City Councillor and the CEO of Variety Village, and Toronto City Councillor Paula Fletcher of Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth.
It was a deadly Labour Day weekend here in Toronto...11 shootings including 3 homicides. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to make changes to the criminal code. And, licensed participating convenience stores start selling alcohol in Ontario today. How will that go?
JAGMEET SINGH DITCHES SUPPLY...2024-09-0552 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To Better Align Your Brick and Mortar Store With Your Online StoreWhat came first? Your brick and mortar business or your ecommerce business? Whichever one you chose, one thing is almost certain, if you have a brick and mortar location, you most likely have a way to sell your product or service online as well. You may have noticed some challenges with keeping both channels synchronised, whether its with inventory management, scheduling, or sales. In this month’s episode Al speaks with expert Jason Grossman, Senior Product Manager at Moneris about how you can better align both those channels.Al also speaks with Mayumi Bae, Founder of The Pl...2024-09-0433 min
Just Good Business 🍁What Are Examples of Corporate Support For Small Business In Canada?We’ve taken a look at government support for small business in Canada, but what about corporate support? Al is visited by Gerardo Welter, Vice President – Marketing & Business Insights Canada and Latin America at American Express. They talk about Amex’s Shop Small campaign, and they also share some promising trends for shopping small in Canada based on consumer shopping research.Another great event to support small business in Canada is the Elevate Festival. Al brings you on-the-scene interviews with participants from last year’s festival to give you a taste of what you can expect this year.2024-08-0226 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To Build An Elite Sales TeamAl meets with 4 members of Team Moneris. All of them have represented Canada in international competition, all of them elite athletes, and all of them are part of Moneris’ sales team.What is it about sales that attracted them to a career in sales? What is it about their pursuit of athletic excellence that makes them good sales professionals? How can you apply this knowledge to your sales process?Listen now to find out.Also in this episode:Mallory McWirtier, Sr. Social Media Specialist at Moneris cohosts.Jacqueline Tsai, Head of Client Re...2024-07-0242 min
Just Good Business 🍁What Support Is Available for Indigenous Entrepreneurs In Canada?June is National Indigenous History Month and to celebrate, we’re talking about Indigenous business development in Canada. Al welcomes Hosna Kadary, National Market Leader Zero Barriers to Business at BMO to talk about the support programs available for Indigenous Entrepreneurs in Canada and to share some of their success stories.Also in this episode:Sydney Lupton, Marketing Intern at Moneris cohosts.Jessie Bell, Senior Product Manager at Moneris talks about Moneris’ latest integration with Apple Tap to Pay on iPhone.Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris shares consumer spending data around the 2024 NHL PlayoffsLi...2024-06-0318 min
Just Good Business 🍁What Can Your Business Expect From 2024 Tourist Season in Canada?It’s May, and while in many parts of Canada we had a milder than usual winter, it seems Spring is taking its time getting started, but it’s here now. That means the start of tourist season.So how can your business take full advantage of this year’s tourist season? What can we expect after a few years of rising numbers out of the pandemic? Is there still room for more growth?Al welcomes Joe Passarelli from Discover Global Network to talk about what to expect from the upcoming tourist season and what advice...2024-05-0236 min
Just Good Business 🍁How Do Large Sporting Events Affect Your Business?This month’s episode is going to have a sport theme, but if you don’t follow sports you may want to listen anyway because it’s about how sporting events affect your business.Last month a couple of major sporting events took place. One, we cannot legally mention—it involves American football, Taylor Swift and Usher. The other big event was the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto.Whenever there is a bid for a large sporting event, a new sport venue, or even a new team, you’ll hear owners and politicians talk about the positi...2024-03-0421 min
Just Good Business 🍁Giving Back To Your Community And Accessibility For Your BusinessWe are now officially in the holiday season, and depending on your business, it can be one of the busiest times of the year. It is also one of the most charitable times of the year and we’d like to focus on that this month.Al welcomes his featured interview Helen Seibel, Head of Community and Employee Giving at BMO to talk about why it’s important for businesses to give back to their communities. He also welcomes Kat Hamilton and Wayne Henshall from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) who bring some helpful tips...2023-12-0530 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To SEO Your Small BusinessHaving a website without proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is like opening a shop in a dark alley in the world’s largest city without proper signage leading customers to your door. Only those who know where to look will find you, everyone else will just walk on by to the next shop with proper signage and brighter lights.SEO can be daunting without some basic understanding of how search engines work. This month Al is joined by co-host Sheena Lyonnais, Manager Digital Marketing (Web) at Moneris who teaches him some of these basics. Then he goes de...2023-11-0322 min
Just Good Business 🍁Side Hustles: Are They A Growing Trend In Canada?This year on Small Business Month, we’ve given our podcast a bit of an SEO and branding makeover. Introducing Moneris’ newest podcast bringing small business owners and entrepreneurs the tools, advice and—most importantly—the data you need to start that business or take your business to the next level. It’s just good business! That’s the podcast! It’s Just Good Business.In this October episode of Al speaks with Anurag Kar, AVP, Money Movement Products at Interac Corp. about the growing trend of Canadians taking on side-hustles and what that means to the workforce and...2023-10-0327 min
Just Good Business 🍁Why Entrepreneurs Should Attend Elevate FestivalSeptember is all about the Elevate Festival 2023 in Toronto. Al dives into the 3-day technology and innovation festival with Alex Rayment, Senior Director Partnerships & Key Accounts at Elevate and Vithu Vijayaratnam, Manager Innovation Programs at Elevate. They talk about all the reasons entrepreneurs should attend this festival from world-class speakers, to cutting-edge content tracks, to next-level networking.Al also speaks with Shawna Miller, VP of Marketing and Communications at Mastercard. They’re a founding sponsor of the Elevate Festival.Also in this episode:Sydney Lupton, Marketing Intern at Moneris co-hosts.Sean McCormick, Director, Business De...2023-09-0125 min
Just Good Business 🍁How To Use Big Data To Help Your Small BusinessAl explores the potential of harnessing big data for small businesses and learns about the importance of data-driven decision-making.He is joined by Brian Ford, VP, ATB Business Solutions and Victoria Clark, AVP, Payment Product at ATB to talk about how they’re supporting business in Alberta.Also in this episode:Tobii Sanwo, Communications Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some consumer spending dataElla Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of August’s events calendar.
Subscribe now!If you have a payment-related or b...2023-08-0119 min
Just Good Business 🍁Setting Up Your Online StoreThe pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of many businesses in Canada. Many who were behind in their digital transformation journey were sent scrambling to get their business online. Those that were ready, were generally more resilient during the most trying times.This month, Al welcomes Sean Barkulis, VP, Global Strategic Partnerships – Payment & Fintech at Wix to talk about how their world-class platform is helping businesses with that transformation.Also in this episode:Kristina Anguelakieva, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hosts.Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some ecommerce consumer dataMadeline Dalglish, Marketing In...2023-07-0418 min
Just Good Business 🍁Small Businesses Embrace Digital Wallet AdoptionCan you believe it’s already June? This year is just flying by!It’s the first full year back to normal for many businesses, so we thought we’d take a look at how things are going so far and what are some of the challenges being faced by small Canadian businesses. Al welcomes Jim Filice, VP and Head of Commercial and Money Movement at Visa Canada to talk about those challenges, and how digital payments are helping to ease some of the pain.Also in this episode:Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern at Mon...2023-06-0120 min
Just Good Business 🍁Can Your Business Benefit From Unattended Payment Solutions?It’s Unattended April!As technology advances, we’re seeing an increasing number of ways to pay without the need for human intervention. From vending machines to parking meters to self-service kiosks, unattended payments have become ubiquitous and convenient.This month Al speaks with Mark Langmead, Director, Revenue & Compass Operations at Translink to talk about how transit companies have adopted unattended payment solutions to great success.Also in this episode:Sam Wong, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hostsDoug Hatton, VP, Client Solutions at Moneris talks about Open Loop paymentsSean McCormick, Director, Business Deve...2023-04-0425 min
Just Good Business 🍁The World Cup Effect On Canadian BusinessLarge sporting events can have a big impact on many different kinds of business. We just had one of the world biggest sporting events in Soccer’s World Cup and coming up this month is one of the biggest sporting events in North America (HINT: It’s a ‘Super’ event).Al Speaks to Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris about this past World Cup and how it affected spending here in Canada. He also speaks with René-Pier Plourde, Content Marketing Manager at UEAT, who talks about the upcoming big game in the US, how that may affec...2023-02-0123 min
Just Good Business 🍁A Look Ahead At 2023Happy New Year!Every year around this time we tend to look back at the previous year and then forward to what is to come. This episode will be no different. We will look back at some of the final spend data of 2022 with our resident expert Sean McCormick, Director of Business Development at Moneris. Then we will look forward to 2023 with Jordan Williamson, VP Product Strategy and Data Solutions at Moneris.Also in this episode:David Litwin, Senior Communications Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of J...2023-01-1616 min
The Voice of RetailBonus Episode: Black Friday & Cyber Monday Exclusive Flash ResultsWelcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.In this extraordinary Black Friday and Cyber Monday bonus episode, Sean McCormick, Head of Growth Strategy, Spendscape, Moneris joins us with breaking news and real spending numbers telling us the tale of the tape for 2022 Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Sean leverages powerful analytical tools to provide a snapshot of year-over-year and week-over-week consumer spending numbers. Let's listen in now!https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsmccormick/https://www...2022-12-0516 min
Just Good Business 🍁How Are Charities Becoming More Digital?It’s that time of year again! Time to get gather with family and celebrate the holidays. It’s a festive time, but it’s also a time when people feel their most charitable, so this month we’re talking about Charities and Not-For-Profit Businesses.How do these types of business differ from conventional for-profit businesses? What are charities doing to become more ‘digital’ in an increasingly cashless society?Al speaks with Mark Jordan, Managing Director, tiptap Foundation about an interesting solution for charities looking for cashless and contactless payment options.Also in this episode...2022-12-0127 min
Just Good Business 🍁Getting Your Business Ready For The Holiday Shopping SeasonThe leaves are turning, the air is getting cooler, pumpkin spice is flowing and Christmas music is playing everywhere! These are all signs that holiday shopping season is fast approaching. Are you ready? Is your business ready? In this month’s edition of Shop Talk, we’ll help you get ready.Al speaks with Patrick Wiltshire, Director of Core Payments at Moneris about the release of our newest POS terminals Moneris Go and Moneris Go Plus just in time for those holiday sales.Also in this episode:Dave Daga, Director, Creative Services at Moneris co-h...2022-11-0120 min
Just Good Business 🍁Top 5 Things New Businesses Need To Get StartedIt’s our favourite time of year and it has nothing to do with pumpkin spice, or Halloween parties—those are just bonuses!October is Small Business Month and while we like to celebrate our small Canadian businesses year-round, in October we like to go that extra mile. After all, Moneris is the ‘Proud Partner of Small Canadian Business’.Al is joined by co-host Tanya Nagi, Manager, Social Media at Moneris to talk about Moneris’ ‘Call For Small’ grant initiative. He also speaks with Aziz Smailagic, Senior Account Manager at Owner. Aziz lists his top 5 things new bus...2022-10-0426 min
Just Good Business 🍁How Your Business Can Make The Most Of Canada's Short Tourist SeasonTourist season in Canada is short, so small businesses in that sector need to make the most of the few months they have to welcome those out-of-town visitors.In this episode Al speaks with René-Pier Plourde, Head of the UEAT University to talk about how restaurants can improve their dine-in experience and increase revenue. He also speaks to Jordan Williamson, Director of Product Strategy & Development at Moneris about Dynamic Currency Conversion.Also in this episode:Angel Zou, Product Specialist at Moneris co-hosts and talks about Moneris Go AppétitSean McCormick, Director, Sales & Marketing at...2022-07-0125 min
Just Good Business 🍁Help Your Customers Make Large Purchases Easier On Their BudgetsThe beginning of summer can be an expensive time of year. Folks prepping their outdoor areas for entertaining, landscaping, buying that new BBQ or shed. These are all big purchases.So how can your business help your customers make those purchases easier on their budgets? Al welcomes Brian Weiner, Vice President, Head of Product and Digital at VISA Canada on the podcast to talk about a potential solution, VISA Installments.Also in this episode:Neetu Sidhu, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Moneris co-hosts and talks about National Indigenous History Month.Kip Macartney, Director, Emerging...2022-06-0124 min
Just Good Business 🍁Are Canadians Early Income Tax Filers Or Last-Minute Crammers?Tax Season is here!Spring isn’t the only season that has sprung! It’s also tax season!In this month’s tax-themed episode, Al speaks with Moneris’ Tax Manager Hanna Ghadban in our ‘Feature’ Interview to talk about all things income tax.Also…Are you an early filer of income tax like this month’s co-host Rick Stephan or are you a last-minute crammer like Al? Where do the majority of Canadians rank on that scale? In this month’s ‘By The Numbers’ Sean McCormick will help answer this question with real consumer dat...2022-04-0126 min
Just Good Business 🍁Gift Card Strategies For Your BusinessIn the February edition of Shop Talk Podcast, the theme is Valentine’s Day!Al is joined by Louis Davis as co-host to talk a little about Black History Month, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Valentine’s Day.In the featured interview Al speaks with gift card expert Ashley Jamieson about the kick-off to Gift Card Season. Ashley provides some tips and tricks and best practices when implementing a gift card strategy for your business.Also in this episode:Sean McCormick with last year’s Valentine’s Day numbers and how they can be predi...2022-02-0119 min