Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but their stories are often untold. Join Faheem Savja as he dives into the personal stories of entrepreneurs who turned ideas into realities.
Coding to Carats: Aasim's Journey building Fuse Jewelry
Aasim Sayani, founder of Fuse Jewelry, discusses transitioning from software engineering to custom fine-jewelry, highlighting the challenges and rewards of building a tech-first brand focused on community; this is an interview.
31 Oct 2025
From Car Kid to Dealer Group Owner | Adi Desai’s Journey with DoubleClutch.ca & Advantage Auto Group
Adi Desai discusses his journey from automotive journalism with DoubleClutch.ca to owning Advantage Auto Group, emphasizing relationship-building and resilience in the automotive industry in this interview.
17 Oct 2025
Building Petal Pregnancy: A Flushable Test Redefining Privacy in Women’s Health
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 accelerators (and winning Tree Frog Accelerator’s pitch competition), and confronting R&D and manufacturing realities without losing momentum.
You’ll hear how lifelong best friends became co-founders, how they translate feedback from both women and maleinvestors, what they learned about regulatory, IP, and unit economics, and why community matters when you’re pushing through setbacks. If you care about femtech, privacy, andbuilding from zero to one, this one’s for you.Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: https://instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod (https://instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod)
📱 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
3 Oct 2025
From Campus Club to Climate Tech Champion | The Story of Nuha Siddiqui and erthos
Nuha Siddiqui recounts her journey from a university club project to founding erthos, a sustainable materials venture, detailing the challenges and triumphs of building a climate tech company in an interview.
10 Sept 2025
Leaving the Ladder to Build His Own Firm | The Story of Miguel Alexander Centeno and Tax Hack
Miguel Alexander Centeno shares his journey of leaving a Big Four accounting firm to establish TaxHack Accounting Group, focusing on building a scalable business and redefining work-life balance, in this interview.
5 Sept 2025
Homemade Formulas to National Shelves | Connie Lo - Three Ships Beauty
Connie Lo, co-founder of Three Ships Beauty, shares her entrepreneurial journey from accounting to national retail success with host Faheem, revealing insights on resilience and purpose.
22 Aug 2025
Military Service to Master Dog Trainer: The Story of In-Line K9
Host Faheem interviews Josh Rowlands, Founder & Head Trainer of In-Line K9, about his transition from military service to building a successful dog training business focused on owner education and mission-driven growth.
8 Aug 2025
Growth, Grit, and Giving Back | The Journey of Gift Better Co.
Co-founders Olivia Villalta and Vanessa Griffiths discuss building Gift Better Co., sharing how they secured a $500K corporate contract and overcame operational hurdles, in an interview with Faheem Kajee.
25 Jul 2025
Views to Ventures: Life Beyond YouTube| Sean Callaghan - Creator Mill
Host Faheem sits down with Sean Callaghan, founder of Creator Mill Inc., in an interview that explores his journey from YouTuber to entrepreneur, revealing the realities of content creation and the challenges of staying authentic.
11 Jul 2025
Transforming the Food Startup Space | Azrah Savin-Manji - Syzl
Azrah Savin-Manji, CEO of Syzl, discusses her journey building a platform for food entrepreneurs and overcoming challenges as a woman and immigrant in the Canadian food startup ecosystem in an interview with Faheem.
27 Jun 2025
From Kitchen Counter to Ottawa Staple | Susan Hamer – SuzyQ Doughnuts
Susan Hamer of SuzyQ Doughnuts recounts her journey from a home-based experiment to establishing an Ottawa culinary landmark, discussing challenges and growth in this interview.
18 Apr 2025
Service, Sports, and the Power of Words | Rahim Karmali – Serv Translation Agency
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 in the translation market
The early days of Serv and learning from a tough business split
How AI is reshaping the industry — and why localization still reigns
Balancing the demands of family and entrepreneurship
Why authenticity and persistence are critical for success
With lessons in grit, growth, and staying grounded, this episode is a candid look at the hustle behind a business that helps brands be understood around the world.
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
Chapters:
(0:00) Intro
(0:37) Founding Serv Translation Agency
(3:37) Pivoting and Launching with Partners
(7:26) Why the name "Serv"?
(9:21) Experience in Northern Pakistan
(11:55) Athletics and Business
(13:44) Parenthood and Entrepreneurship
(16:46) No Days off - even on vacation
(18:36) Seeing your product out in the wild
(20:17) The impact of AI in the industry
(23:18) Impact of Rahim's Family on Entrepreneurship
(28:33) Business Development on crutches
(31:06) Moving the business to Toronto
(34:02) Relationships - in life and business
(37:20) Lessons from Nine Years in Business
4 Apr 2025
Taking the Leap: Batool Salim on Entrepreneurship, Parenthood & Building Mosaic Realty
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 realities of navigating the Toronto real estate market, balancing parenthood with business ownership, and the importance of streamlining operations to scale.
This conversation is filled with real insights on what it takes to manage both a thriving business and a growing family—all while keeping a vision for the future. If you’re an entrepreneur, parent, or dream of starting your own venture, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice.
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
Chapters:
(0:00) Intro
(0:48) Launching Mosaic Real Estate
(4:50) The Dynamics of Working with your Spouse
(8:57) Balancing Parenthood and Entrepreneurship
(11:24) Taking the Leap of Faith
(13:09) Navigating Peaks and Valleys in Business
(14:30) Insights on the Toronto Real Estate Market
(16:21) Celebrating Milestones and Achievements
(18:46) Future Aspirations for Mosaic
(20:42) Advice to Future Entrepreneurs
21 Mar 2025
Building a Firm, a Family, and a Future: The Story of Mansoor Law
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 community-driven mindset has shaped their business.
They open up about:
🔹 The challenges (and perks!) of building with your spouse
🔹 How their clients and community fuel their growth
🔹 The most rewarding parts of running their own firm
🔹 The reality of entrepreneurship—beyond the highlights
🔹 What they’d tell their younger selves about business ownership
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to start and scale a business with your partner, this episode is packed with real insights, honest reflections, and valuable advice.
Our guests this week: mansoorlaw.ca
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
Chapters:
(0:00) Intro
(0:24) Formation of Mansoor Law
(4:50) Building with your spouse
(8:27) Scaling with the community in mind
(10:58) Client-first advantage
(14:25) Being parent-entrepreneurs
(22:33) Most rewarding part
(26:43) Future of Mansoor Law
(31:03) Advice to their younger selves
(33:57) Reality of being an entrepreneur
7 Mar 2025
Entrepreneurship, Community, and a Whole Lot of Donuts | Jiten Grover - Dipped Donuts
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 locations, navigating the food industry, and weathering the impact of the pandemic.
From leaving an office job to testing if entrepreneurship was the right fit, Jiten’s journey is packed with insights on resilience, building a strong team, and embracing the grind of running a small business.
If you've ever dreamed of starting your own venture, this episode is filled with real talk, hard-earned lessons, and of course, some seriously sweet inspiration. 🍩🎙️
Note: This episode contains occasional strong language.
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
Chapters:
(0:00) Intro
(0:42) How it all started - Donut Inspiration and an "office" job
(7:31) The Pandemic and Toronto love
(9:45) Importance of cash flow & marketing
(11:34) Expansion to 2nd location
(14:36) Managing time & staff as a founder
(18:49) Maintaining quality while growing
(20:45) Dr. Dre - the mixer
(21:45) Expanding presence online
(26:24) Jiten's biggest challenge - the brand
(31:50) Jiten's biggest reward
(33:23) The creative donut process
(37:08) The best donut he's ever made
(38:38) What would he tell himself - 9 years ago
21 Feb 2025
Breaking Barriers in Real Estate: Age, Hustle, and Culture | Fatima Jaffer
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 balance, she breaks down therealities of entrepreneurship that go beyond the highlight reel.
This conversation also explores the influence of family and culture on career choices, especially as children of immigrants in North America. Plus, Fatima flips the script—turning the tables on Faheem to dive into his own entrepreneurial journey.
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business, overcoming industry barriers, or making bold career moves, this episode is packed with relatable insights, hard-hitting advice, and real talk you don’t want to miss!
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
Chapters:
(0:00) Intro
(0:42) Real-Estate grind right out of grad
(3:51) Doing real-estate full-time
(5:50) Hustling from a young age
(7:11) Fear of starting out
(8:04) Establishing credibility at a young age
(11:49) Struggles of balancing life and growth
(21:20) Shifting priorities with age
(23:03) Impact of Family & Culture on Business
(26:00) Pressure to pick a career too early
(30:39) Rise and fall of agents during the pandemic
(35:25) It’s a people business
(36:30) Having a strong support system
7 Feb 2025
The Search Fund Journey: Taking Risks, Raising Capital & Balancing Family Life | Cory Gottfredson
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 entrepreneurship while balancing life as a father of three.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to set up a fund, bring on investors, and successfully acquire a business, this episode is packed with real-world insights you don’t want to miss!
Welcome to Behind the Business.
Thank you for tuning in to our first season! Tons of new content on the way.
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/behindthebusiness) :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/ (http://www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/)
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/ (http://www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/)
(0:00) Intro
(1:13) Cory's path to starting his Search Fund
(3:15) The concept of a Search Fund
(5:13) Bringing on Investors
(7:46) Snow Crane Capital - defining the search
(12:02) Impact on family life & a lonely search road
(18:51) Small Business Acquisitions vs Search Funds
(21:10) The perfect deal - that fell through…
(25:13) Shifting approach to finding the right business
(29:24) The market for acquisitions
(31:57) Finding the right partners and firms
(36:39) What's next for Snow Crane Capital?
(39:37) Cory's advice to searchers
24 Jan 2025
Restaurant Realities, Launching Buddha Burger and Mentorship as an Entrepreneur | Raaziq Bhimani
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.
Welcome to Behind the Business.
Thank you for tuning in to our first season! Tons of new content on the way.
Stay connected with #behindthebusiness :
📱 Instagram: www.instagram.com/behindthebiz_pod/
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/behind-the-business-podcast/
(0:00) Intro
(0:23) Deciding to Leave Toronto
(2:56) Regret of not trying
(5:33) Born for restaurants!
(7:05) Did you always know restaurants were the career path?
(9:16) Realities of the restaurant game
(11:38) Glorifying entrepreneurship
(13:03) Managing staff in the restaurant industry
(19:03) Raaziq's biggest challenges in building Buddha Burger
(25:40) The future of Austin's food scene
(28:04) Deciding to Franchise or Build
(31:00) Perpetual restaurant owners are crazy...in love with it
(34:48) Technical knowledge before entrepreneurship
(37:48) Mentorship as an entrepreneur
(42:36) Raaziq's advice to before becoming an entrepreneur
10 Jan 2025
Quitting the Dream Job, Managing Doubts and Starting Out | Salima Kassam - Sustain + Grow Digital
On our very first episode of Behind the Business, Salima Kassam of Sustain and Grow Digital (https://www.sustainandgrowdigital.com/)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 content on the way.
(0:00) Intro
(0:27) Quitting the dream job
(7:55) Starting small and the first client
(11:00) First year in business
(13:24) Realities of entrepreneurship
(16:09) Impact of Salima's Dad
(18:04) Dealing with people
(19:39) Scaling the business
(22:56) Find a mentor
(24:27) Just figuring it out
(26:27) Adjusting to your clients
(32:01) Are all entrepreneurs a little crazy?
(34:26) Imposter Syndrome is real
(39:18) Can you live with the regret of not trying entrepreneurship?
(43:08) Looking back, what would you tell yourself?
Who has been a guest on Behind the Business
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Aasim Sayani
Adi Desai
Nuha Siddiqui
Miguel Alexander Centeno
Connie Lo
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
14,509
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
61
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
51
Contact Behind the Business
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