Every successful business has a story that didn’t make it into the press release. Join host Jeff McLarty as he sits down with business owners who’ve been in the trenches—building, scaling, failing, and fighting their way to success. Each episode of Owner’s Roundtable dives deep into the moments that matter: the decisions that changed everything, the failures that taught the hardest lessons, and the operational strategies that actually moved the needle. This isn’t about inspiration—it’s about implementation. It’s about learning from people who’ve already made the mistakes so you don’t have to.
Owner's Roundtable
Claim This Podcastby Jeff McLarty
14 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇨🇦
Podcast Overview
Every successful business has a story that didn’t make it into the press release. Join host Jeff McLarty as he sits down with business owners who’ve been in the trenches—building, scaling, failing, and fighting their way to success. Each episode of Owner’s Roundtable dives deep into the moments that matter: the decisions that changed everything, the failures that taught the hardest lessons, and the operational strategies that actually moved the needle. This isn’t about inspiration—it’s about implementation. It’s about learning from people who’ve already made the mistakes so you don’t have to.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
11/24/2025
2 verified contact emails on file for Owner's Roundtable
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Recent Episodes
June 22, 2026
Joy as a Business Strategy: Creating Unforgettable Customer Experiences with Amanda Chin
<p><strong>How do you turn a dental appointment into an experience people genuinely enjoy?</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Amanda Chin, Owner of Norwood Dental — a two-location dental practice in Edmonton she co-owns and runs with her husband, Dr. William Chin. Amanda comes from outside dentistry entirely, running the business and operations side with a perspective shaped more by hospitality and experience design than clinical practice.</p><p><br></p><p>Amanda has spent years observing what makes people want to be somewhere and translating that into a dental context. She thinks carefully about every point of contact a patient has with the business, from the waiting room to the chair to what happens after they leave. The result is a practice that has built its reputation almost entirely on how it makes people feel, in an industry where most businesses compete on clinical credentials alone.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What you will learn in this episode</strong></p><ul><li>Every market is saturated. Amanda's argument for why that is actually beside the point.</li><li>The experience is the only thing a patient can evaluate after an appointment. How Amanda built a business model around that fact.</li><li>Why getting a team to deliver a culture of surprise and delight is harder than building the culture itself, and what Amanda did when her best idea met immediate resistance.</li><li>What restructuring from 30 direct reports to four actually changed, and why meaningful leadership requires a number you can personally manage.</li><li>Why Amanda looks to hospitality and restaurants rather than other dental clinics when she wants to improve her practice.</li><li>How community presence before a first appointment changes the relationship a patient has when they finally walk through the door.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>About Amanda Chin</strong></p><p>Amanda Chin is the Owner of Norwood Dental, a two-location dental practice in Edmonton, Alberta. She co-owns the business with her husband Dr. William Chin and oversees all business operations, team development, and the experience systems that have become Norwood's defining quality. Active in the Edmonton community and passionate about making dental care accessible and genuinely enjoyable, Amanda has built a practice known as much for its culture as for its clinical care.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty</strong></p><p>Website: focalpointedmonton.com</p><p>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/</p><p>Vision to Execution Scorecard: <a href="https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/">https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact Amanda Chin</strong></p><p>Website: https://norwood.dental/</p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-chin-yeg/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-chin-yeg/</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sign up to get new episodes to your inbox: </strong><a href="https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw">https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Read more on the Focal Point Edmonton blog: </strong><a href="http://focalpointedmonton.com/blog">focalpointedmonton.com/blog</a> </p>
June 8, 2026
Exit Ready: How to Build a Business Worth Buying with Gil Poulin
<p><strong>What would a buyer actually pay for your business, and do you know the answer before they do?</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Gil Poulin, Owner of The Affordable Business Partner. Gil has bought and sold 42 businesses of his own over 45 years and supported close to 200 others through the sale process. In this conversation they get into what actually determines whether a business sells, why most owners are looking at their own business from the wrong angle, and what it takes to hand something off in a way that holds up after you leave.</p><p><br></p><p>Gil has been on every side of this transaction. He has bought distressed businesses and turned them around. He has helped owners price businesses they spent decades building. He has watched buyers walk away from good businesses because the story was not told clearly. His standard for what makes a business sellable is straightforward and does not leave room for wishful thinking.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What you will learn in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Why less than 50% of businesses that hit the marketplace actually sell, and what separates the ones that do.</li><li>How to look at your business from the outside in, the way a buyer sees it before you do.</li><li>What processes buyers are actually looking for and why most owners cannot articulate them even when they exist.</li><li>Why the training period after a sale matters more than most sellers realize, and how Gil structures it.</li><li>How to take the emotion out of pricing your business without losing sight of what you built.</li><li>Why staff are often the most underestimated asset in any business sale, and one story that proves it.</li><li>What to have ready before you consider going to market, which is more than most people think.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>About Gil Poulin</strong></p><p>Gil Poulin is the Owner of The Affordable Business Partner, a business brokerage and advisory practice focused on helping independent business owners buy and sell small businesses valued under $2.5 million. Over a 45 year career as a business owner, broker, and selling trainer, he has been involved in hundreds of transactions across a wide range of industries. He is well regarded for his expert guidance on what it takes to build something worth selling. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty: </strong></p><p>Website: <a href="http://focalpointedmonton.com">https://www.focalpointedmonton.com/</a></p><p>LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/</a> </p><p>Vision to Execution Scorecard: <a href="https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/">https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact Gil Poulin: </strong></p><p>Website:<a href="https://theaffordablebusinesspartner.com/"> https://theaffordablebusinesspartner.com/</a> </p><p>LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-p-732b1420/"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/gil-p-732b1420/</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sign up to get new episodes to your inbox: </strong><a href="https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw">https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw</a></p><p><br><strong>Read more on the Focal Point Edmonton blog:</strong> <a href="https://focalpointedmonton.com/blog/">https://focalpointedmonton.com/blog/</a> </p>
May 25, 2026
Earning the Room: How to Lead a Team for the Long Game with Brendan Thompson
<p><strong>What does it actually take to step into executive leadership at a company that was already running before you were born?</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Owner's Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Brendan Thompson, President of Bernie's Electric Supplies Ltd. Brendan is third generation at a company his grandfather founded in 1976, and has been President since 2023. They get into what the executive leadership transition actually looks like from the inside, how to bring change to an organization with deep roots, and what it takes to build a team that can carry a business into its next 50 years.</p><p><br></p><p>Brendan came up through almost every department at Bernie's before taking the top role, from the warehouse floor, to purchasing, to inside and outside sales. That ground-level foundation shapes how he thinks about hiring, developing people, and building systems that hold up over time. His approach is deliberate and long-term oriented in a way that most leaders only develop after they've already made the expensive mistakes.</p><p><br></p><p>Bernie's Electric is in its 50th anniversary year and actively planning for expansion. This episode is a study in what it looks like when executive leadership is built on genuine operational fluency rather than title alone.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What you'll learn in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>How to enter an established leadership team and win trust without dismantling what's working</li><li>Why small wins matter more than bold moves when you're new to the top role</li><li>How Brendan uses monthly conversations tied to variable pay instead of annual reviews, and why it changed his organization</li><li>The case for growing people into roles from within rather than hiring finished products from outside</li><li>What presenting a united front in management actually requires, and why alignment has to start in the room before it can reach the floor</li><li>How Brendan used EOS/Traction as a consistent implementation framework rather than chasing new ideas with every new book</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>About Brendan Thompson<br></strong><br></p><p>Brendan Thompson is the third-generation President of Bernie's Electric Supplies Ltd., an independent electrical wholesaler based in Edmonton, Alberta. He holds a business degree with a major in human resources from the University of Lethbridge and is a Red Seal journeyman electrician, a combination that gives him an unusually broad understanding of the business he leads. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Books and resources mentioned:</strong></p><ul><li>Traction by Gino Wickman</li><li>Leadership 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves</li><li>EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)</li><li><a href="https://technologyalberta.com/">Tech Alberta</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Looking for tools and support growing and managing your business? Contact Jeff McLarty: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://focalpointedmonton.com/">Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mclarty-16a0b225/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://vision-to-execution.scoreapp.com/">Vision to Execution Quiz</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact Brendan Thompson: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.bernieselectric.ca/">Website </a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/b-j-electric-supplies-ltd/">LinkedIn</a></li></ul><p><br><a href="https://s8zsh.share.hsforms.com/2y-GeC0XOT5CllU620jMQAw"><strong>Sign up</strong></a><strong> to get new episodes to your inbox</strong></p>
14 total episodes available
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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