The Profit or Pivot Podcast

Branding & Leadership Lessons From Heinz, SodaStream, & Pepsico | Rena Nickerson

Every brand is trying to influence you but only a few succeed. Why? Because great brands understand human psychology better than their competitors.

In this episode of the Profit or Pivot Podcast, I sit down with Rena Nickerson, the General Manager of the Quaker and Sabra brands in Canada, who has spent her career understanding how people think, what motivates them, and how to turn that into real business growth.

We go deep into the mechanics of brand building, behavioral influence, and the subtle line between persuasion and manipulation. How do you shape perception? How do you create emotional attachment? Why do some brands scale to millions while others burn out?

Rena also opens up about her own corporate path: learning she was going to be fired, the wake-up moment that forced her to rethink her leadership style, and how that experience reshaped how she approaches communication, team dynamics, and personal identity and being Jewish in the corporate world today.

If you care about marketing, growth, influence, or building something that actually lasts, this episode is for you.

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About Rena Nickerson

Rena is a respected leader within the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. As General Manager, Quaker Canada, she has led a national team of 650 since 2023. Prior to that, she was GM, SodaStream Canada for 7 years, tripling the business.

Prior to joining PepsiCo as a GM, Rena started her career as a marketer on top brands such as Colgate, Campbell and Kraft. You can find her on LinkedIn, where she spends way too much time.

LinkedIn

Q&A with Matan: What VCs look for, what we do with failings startups, how to raise VC & other great questions

Matan joins the founders at the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute to answer their many questions about building startups, raising money, and standing out. 

 

Q1 What do I look for in a startup when investing

Q2 Thoughts on "impact investing"

Q3 What do I do when a company is failing

Q4 How to break into VC

Q5 How would I redo my career / life if given the option 

Q6 Dealing with failed founders trying again

Q7 Differences between Canadian and Israeli founders

Q8 Options for a failed business

Q9 SAFEs vs equity deals

Q10 How much control do VCs want and need

Q11 What do I get excited about when meeting founders

Q12 How to leave a lasting impression

Rebuilding 30+ Companies in Post-Soviet Russia & Building the #1 Ranked Incubator in the World

Ever wondered how the Russian oligarchs were made? This episode gives you a glimpse into that world… through someone who lived it, built through it, and survived it.

In this episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast, Matan speaks with Marat Ressin, an entrepreneur who built and bought over 30 businesses after the fall of the Soviet Union, escaped the rising control of the KGB to Canada, and went on to build the #1 ranked university-linked business accelerator in the world.

Marat shares his unbelievable journey:

• Becoming the 22-year-old director of a government venture before the USSR collapse
• Buying Soviet factories about to go bankrupt and turning them into profitable businesses
• Facing pressure from the KGB to sell his companies and become one of their men
• Building major real estate and business turnaround projects in Canada
• Creating the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) and training 2,000+ entrepreneurs
• His core lessons on communication, raising money, problem-driven business creation, and AI

This is one of the most insightful, candid, and inspiring founder stories you’ll hear.

About Marat Ressin

Marat is the founder of the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI), a globally top-ranked university-linked accelerator, professor, turnaround specialist, real estate developer, and serial entrepreneur with 30+ business acquisitions across multiple industries.

Learn more about YEDI

Connect with Marat

What Startup Founders Get Wrong About Scaling & Other Important Lessons | Ryan Henry

By his mid 20's, Ryan Henry became Head of Engineering for a fast growing mobile game developer. It was his first exposure to scaling a tech company, which he later leveraged at Freshbooks, a Canadian "unicorn" startup (over $1 billion valuation). At Freshbooks, Ryan hired 100 engineers in 1 year, a real rocket ship. He shares his insights on scaling a business, hiring the best people, how AI will change the tech landscape, and other important learnings.

Ryan also launched a startup and now runs a VC fund, Sand Hill North, where he invests in Seed stage companies in Canada and the US.

In this conversation, we focus a lot on what is considered a venture scalable business, how VCs think through an investment, and why entrepreneurs need to adopt a VC scalable perspective if they choose to raise money.

Entrepreneurs and investors will gain a lot from hearing Ryan's perspective.

Don't miss out!

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About Ryan Henry

Ryan manages venture investments at Sand Hill North, focusing on pre-seed and seed B2B software in Canada and the US. They invest in day-0 companies with a particular focus on robotics, energy and AI. Previously, Ryan co-founded Wisely, an AI-powered fundraising enablement platform for charities, and scaled FreshBooks from their series-A.

With over a decade of leadership experience, Ryan has built SaaS, AI, fintech, mobile games and AR apps and worked with brands like Disney, Mattel, and McDonald's.

Connect with Ryan

Website 

LinkedIn 

X: @IAmRyanHenry

Prolific VC Investor: What Every Startup MUST Do to Raise Money Successfully

Geoff became an accidental entrepreneur building a 150 employee business and becoming a prolific angel investor with investments that include a $500 MILLION exit.

Geoff's journey illustrates the unpredictable path of entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and being open to unexpected opportunities. Geoff and I discuss how to build a business, the many tough choices one has to make, and the big mistakes entrepreneurs make in their journey.

We also discuss how to more effectively raise venture capital, pitfalls to avoid, and whether or not VCs rely on luck or skill to succeed themselves. If you're an aspiring VC investor or entrepreneur, you don't want to miss out on Geoff's insights! 

Connect with Geoff:

LinkedIn 

Looking for an accelerator:  altitudeaccelerator.ca

How Mastering Sales as an Introvert Made Me Rich | Alex Siplyarksy

By age 22, Alex Siplyarsky failed in his 1st business, was $40,000 in debt, and had his 1st child on the way.

Life looked bleak and he didn't know how to dig himself out of this deep hole. However, Alex defied the odds. Initially struggling with sales, he transformed his life by understanding what makes buyers tick and how to overcome an initial "no" and influence people to buy.

Starting with the humble beginnings of selling chocolates in middle school, Alex honed his sales skills through telemarketing and even selling diamonds. These experiences taught him how to build confidence, handle rejection, and thrive.

Alex developed his GRAC principle, which is his philosophy of selling:

Give value first, Resilience, Accountability, and Continued growth.

💡 His journey is a masterclass in entrepreneurship, focusing on relationship-building, marketing insights, and knowing when to pivot.

Alex offers practical advice. If you are building a business, looking to develop your sales skills, or looking to be inspired, you don't want to miss this episode!

Why the Housing Crisis is Getting Worse & Product Lessons from a $100M Startup Exit | Mark Freedman

🏠 Is Canada’s dream of home ownership officially dead?

In this episode of the Profit or Pivot Podcast, I sit down with Mark Freedman, entrepreneur, investor, and former Head of Product who helped lead a startup to a $100M+ exit, to talk about building and scaling businesses, product leadership, and why real estate in Canada and other major cities is becoming increasingly out of reach.

Mark shares how he helped grow a SaaS company from $600K ARR to over $10M and what those lessons taught him about value creation, conviction, and execution. Now, as a partner at Stonefield Capital, he turns that same discipline toward real estate lending and investing, and offers an unfiltered take on Canada’s housing market.

We discuss:

• Why owning a home in Canada may soon be impossible for most
• The real cause of the housing affordability crisis
• Lessons from scaling a business to a $100M exit
• Why conviction and discipline matter in every market, housing or tech
• Why most startups underprice their products (and how to fix it)
• The art of letting go of bad customers

Whether you’re a founder, product leader, or investor, Mark’s journey is packed with lessons about growth, conviction, and building lasting businesses, and it’s a must-watch for anyone who cares about building wealth, investing smart, and understanding the future of real estate in Canada.

About Mark Freedman

Mark is a seasoned technology and financial services professional/entrepreneur with a track record of driving rapid growth and operational scale. Most recently, he helped grow Mortgage Automator from a 12-person, $500K revenue startup into a 65-person, $10M ARR company, culminating in a nine-figure acquisition within four years.

Before that, Mark held diverse roles across sports engineering, higher education, and financial services, as well as a brief period in consulting. He now serves as Managing Partner at Stonefield Capital, a private lending firm based in Canada, where he has helped grow assets under management by over 30% year-over-year, currently surpassing $50M.

A lifelong technologist and father of two, Mark is passionate about community building, mentorship, and leveraging technology to streamline traditional finance operations.

Connect with Mark

LinkedIn

Email:  ✉️ Mark@stonefieldcapital.ca

How I Built & Exited 2 Startups Without ANY Venture Capital | Jeremy Zuker

Join me as I sit down with Jeremy Zuker, a seasoned entrepreneur who has successfully built and sold multiple marketplace startups.

In this insightful conversation, we'll delve into: Growth Strategies: Learn how Jeremy scaled WagJag to 180 employees and $50 million in revenue.

• Bootstrapping Success: Discover why Jeremy chose to avoid venture capital and the benefits of bootstrapping.
• Overcoming Challenges: Hear about the tough decisions and setbacks that every founder faces.
• Building Strong Teams: Learn the importance of company culture and team dynamics.
• Angel Investing: Gain insights into Jeremy's perspective on investing in early-stage startups.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a seasoned entrepreneur and gain valuable insights into the world of startups and investing.

Learn more about Jeremy, Spacer & Scoop Commute