About Startup Sandwich Podcast | Entrepreneurship in Bite Sized Lessons
Welcome to the Startup Sandwich Podcast, powered by YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute) where the layers of innovation meets success.
Startup Sandwich is a podcast for entrepreneurs and innovators who are hungry for real stories and practical insights from startups and growing businesses.
In each episode, we dive into the journey of a founder covering early-stage struggles, business growth strategies, product development, funding, and the messy realities of entrepreneurship. Hosted in a relaxed, story-driven format, guests share the “bread and butter” of who they are, the “toppings” of what they’re building, and the bold, flavour-packed "secret sauce" from their startup journey.
Whether you're launching a tech startup, scaling a non-profit, or looking to break into the business world, this podcast delivers startup advice, founder interviews, and actionable tips to help you grow.
Publisher
YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute)
Stop Saying You Don’t Have The Money To Start — Dr. Marat Ressin
Marat Ressin has rebuilt more than 30 failing businesses — and says he has never used his own money to do it. His answer to "I don't have the money to start a business" is the most useful 40 minutes you'll spend this week. Dr. Marat Ressin is President of YEDI, the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Toronto, founder of Mares Group, and holds a PhD in economics specialising in small business crisis management. He bought a bankrupt bakery for almost nothing in post-Soviet Russia an...
19 Aug 2026
How to Grow Your Nonprofit Beyond Grants & Donations
What does it really take to keep a nonprofit financially sustainable for 20 years? In this episode of YEDI’s Startup Sandwich Podcast, host Ric Phillips speaks with Kathy Laszlo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of DANI (Developing and Nurturing Independence), about the realities of building and growing a nonprofit. DANI started with seven families, a one-week camp, volunteers, and no funding. Today, it supports adults with developmental disabilities through multiple programs, lo...
20 May 2026
From Side Hustle to Entrepreneur: Marketing Lessons Every Founder Should Know
In this episode of Startup Sandwich, host Ric Phillips sits down with marketing expert, author, speaker, and lecturer Sanjay Dhebar to unpack what entrepreneurs often misunderstand about marketing. Sanjay explains why going viral is not a reliable business strategy, why marketing is much more than social media, and why the best organizations are marketing-led and sales-driven. He shares practical advice on building a marketing plan, understanding your value proposition, identifying your targ...
22 Apr 2026
How Women Entrepreneurs Can Build Confidence, Visibility, and Business Growth
In this episode of the Startup Sandwich Podcast, Ric Phillips, communication specialist at YEDI, sits down with Abimbola Akinnuoye, Founder of Leading Ladies Connect and Co-Founder of Karisverse, to talk about the real challenges women entrepreneurs face when building and growing a business. From visibility and storytelling to funding, confidence, community, and brand growth, this conversation explores why so many women in business still downplay what they do and why that can hold them back....
11 Mar 2026
Before You Start a Business: How to Tell If Your Idea Is Viable
Before you start a business, one critical question matters: is your idea actually viable? In this episode of the Startup Sandwich Podcast, powered by the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI), Rick Phillips speaks with Fabio Crespin from United Way about the reality of entrepreneurship, how to evaluate a business idea, and why a good idea alone isn’t enough to build a successful startup. Many entrepreneurs start a business based on passion or inspiration, but without understand...
24 Feb 2026
What 30 Years in Canada’s Construction Industry Taught Me About Business, Risk & Opportunity
In this episode of the Startup Sandwich Podcast, Rick Phillips sits down with construction entrepreneur Patrick McCormick, founder of Demo For Your Reno, to discuss his journey from Ireland to Canada and the lessons learned from building and scaling a construction business over three decades. Patrick shares how his entrepreneurial mindset started early, why hearing “no” is part of success, and how risk is not luck — it’s a skill developed through knowledge and experience. From spotting oppor...
9 Feb 2026
Why Networking Events Don’t Work (And What Actually Builds Opportunity)
Most entrepreneurs attend networking events hoping to meet investors, partners, or clients — yet leave with business cards and no real opportunities. Why? In this episode of the Startup Sandwich Podcast by the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) https://yedi.ca/ , we speak with Karen Fox https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerenfox/ , founder of OhHi https://www.ohhi-global.com/ , a relationship-building technology designed to turn chance encounters into meaningful professional connec...
14 Jan 2026
How to Build a Beauty Brand Without Big Money or Big Investors
The global beauty industry is a multi-billion dollar market, projected to reach over $677 billion by 2025, with skincare leading at 40%. How do you break into this billion dollar industry without big money or big investors? In today's episode, we talk with Flavia Zhamo, who pulls the curtain back on how beauty brands make it to the shelves and fighting founder burnout. Flavia Zhamo is the founder of Everyday Chemist, a boutique skincare brand, and EC Studios, a cosmetic R&D lab. Wit...
10 Dec 2025
Secrets to High-Impact Recruitment and Solving Hiring Challenges
In today's episode, we learn how Eitan Rachlis connects companies with the top 1% of talent in tech, finance and the nonprofit sectors across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. With over 15 years of experience in recruitment, Eitan specializes in placing the top 1% of talent in high-demand engineering and tech fields. His expertise covers robotics, software, engineering, cybersecurity, and IT serving startups, Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions and the non-for-profit sectors. He launch...
12 Nov 2025
Disrupting the Needle and Reproductive Health
In today's episode, we learn how Latchmi Raghunanan used her background in product development and public sector leadership, to make fertility treatment more compassionate, accessible, and pain-free. Entrepreneurs will learn the trials and triumphs of bringing med-tech to market. Maman Biomedical is developing the world’s first needle-free microneedle patch for fertility treatment. The flagship product, Maman Patch, will deliver sustained-release hormones through dissolvable microneedles - d...
8 Oct 2025
From Retail Roots to Breast Cancer Survivor Mission
Alicia Vianga turned 19 years of working in the hospitality industry into an innovative retail business and empowering non-profit supporting breast cancer survivors. In 2005, she founded Premier Jour, a boutique that provides customers with unique shopping experience as well as certified bra and breast prosthesis fittings. Alicia worked with a major hospital in Toronto on the development of an official Bra and Breast Prosthesis Fitting Guide. This work inspired Alicia to create after ...
10 Sept 2025
Building a global brand with purpose and profits
In today’s episode we learn how Tanya Hayles turned a Facebook group of 8 friends into a million dollar global brand that consults with the federal government and billion dollar organizations. Tanya is an award-winning event consultant and director of the ioe agency who lives at the intersection of culture, sports, tech and community. She helps brands translate culture into connection and converts community into consumers. She is also the founder and board chair of Black Moms Conn...
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