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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Podcast, the number one podcast for entrepreneurs in Canada.
[00:10] SPEAKER_00: I'm Phil Bliss, founder of Canada's Podcast.
[00:13] SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to meet Mars Power, who's the CEO of SA Capital Partners.
[00:19] SPEAKER_00: Mars's expertise includes private placement and investment, obviously raising capital, structuring debt and equity capital,
[00:26] SPEAKER_00: and managing the risk and investment, developing new business opportunities and leading new due diligence teams.
[00:37] SPEAKER_00: He has a proven ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships at all levels within an organization.
[00:46] SPEAKER_00: So, as welcome to Canada's Podcast, it's great to have you.
[00:51] SPEAKER_00: I know you're just over the border in Chicago, but when we chatted, you said that you certainly helped to finance a lot of Canadian operations.
[01:02] SPEAKER_00: And I think it's important to meet every so often people in your position to get some kind of feedback for those people that are out trying to raise money to get the money.
[01:15] SPEAKER_00: To realize a vision, if you like.
[01:20] SPEAKER_00: And you are an entrepreneur, you're the founder and everything else, so I think that's great.
[01:25] SPEAKER_00: But before we go into sort of a general conversation, just do, I always ask,
[01:32] SPEAKER_00: tell us a little bit about yourself, what you're doing now, why you're talking to me, if you like, that kind of thing.
[01:40] SPEAKER_02: Well, first off, Phil, thank you for having me on your podcast, Big Fan.
[01:46] SPEAKER_02: You know, I really, you know, think that what you're doing for the Canada region in terms of spring awareness to a lot of entrepreneurs, small business owners in terms of just giving them some more insight is invaluable.
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: Actually, just to give you a sense, I mean, we as sort of in the business side of it is we actually have the highest entrepreneurship.
[02:10] SPEAKER_00: We're about 20% of the country is entrepreneurs in businesses.
[02:17] SPEAKER_00: Very impressive.
[02:20] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so a little bit about myself.
[02:23] SPEAKER_02: So I, yes, I am the CEO of SA Capital Partners at SA Capital Partners essentially started this business to primarily focus in terms of working with early stage growth stage ventures that are seeking capital.
[02:40] SPEAKER_02: Any sort of M&A types of needs and bringing a different type of model to the table prior to this, I owned and ran my own boutique investment banking group out of Chicago.
[02:51] SPEAKER_02: I focused more on the middle market did that for a number of years and started SA Capital about, you know, five, six years ago.
[02:59] SPEAKER_02: So in terms of working in the Canadian region work with a number of clients in Canada.
[03:10] SPEAKER_02: Obviously, there's a synergistic fit, you know, being, you know, our neighbor up north.
[03:15] SPEAKER_02: You know, a lot of US based investors are looking to heavily invest into the Canadian region.
[03:23] SPEAKER_02: So just it just completely opens it up, you know, when, you know, dealing with a lot of early stage growth stage businesses.
[03:31] SPEAKER_02: You know, this is something that, you know, over the last, I want to say, you know, five to 10 years things have definitely changed, you know, a bit in terms of things opening up and, you know, cross border type of transactions and so on and so forth.
[03:47] SPEAKER_00: So you meet tons of entrepreneurs.
[03:51] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I mean, I look to your background and it's very much, you know, in sort of investment economics analysis.
[04:02] SPEAKER_00: But now you're obviously leading a group that's raising raising money for, you know, to realize sort of entrepreneurial kind of opportunities.
[04:14] SPEAKER_00: From, you do you think entrepreneurs are wired differently, you meet them all the time.
[04:19] SPEAKER_00: So it's good to get an observation, you know, what's your impressions of entrepreneurs as an investor and slash analyst?
[04:30] SPEAKER_00: I mean, is there some sort of profile, can you give us some insights into who we are or what we should be?
[04:40] SPEAKER_00: You feel like just trying to get that?
[04:42] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I definitely think there is certain characteristics that fit any entrepreneur.
[04:50] SPEAKER_02: You know, right off the bat, you know, obviously taking a look at it, you know, there's a level of, you know, having that ability to take risks.
[05:00] SPEAKER_02: You know, I don't think, you know, you're going to be a successful entrepreneur if you're not willing to take risks.
[05:05] SPEAKER_02: I think being, having that quality of being able to multitask as well is something that's, you know, somewhat necessary in order to be successful as an entrepreneur.
[05:16] SPEAKER_02: And just being open-minded, you know, a lot of, you know, when you're starting a business and some amount of what industry you're starting in and there's a level of trial and error.
[05:27] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, you're going to make some right decisions and you're going to make some wrong decisions, but, you know, it's having the ability to go back and, you know, being able to pivot is something that I feel is very necessary for any successful entrepreneur, especially in this climate.
[05:44] SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, right now we're in a place where it's extremely competitive.
[05:50] SPEAKER_02: You know, over the last several years, you know, there's more early stage growth stage companies more than there has ever been in the past.
[05:59] SPEAKER_02: So it's having that ability to, you know, really withstand the competition and, you know, being able to really, you know, bring something to the table that's, you know, somewhat innovative, somewhat different.
[06:13] SPEAKER_02: And just being very open-minded, you know, when coming, you know, entering this space.
[06:23] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, you're in the north, but on the US side, you notice that so the difference between the Canadian,
[06:40] SPEAKER_00: sort of entrepreneur that's, you know, emerging, looking, looking for financing versus the US one, I'm just wondering.
[06:52] SPEAKER_02: You know, from that perspective, I think, you know, any entrepreneur, you know, obviously, I think it that matters more.
[07:00] SPEAKER_02: You know, obviously, if, you know, when you're looking at certain entrepreneurs that are coming out of the more, you know, out of the Toronto region compared to something that's a little bit, you know, not as, you know, city like.
[07:14] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I think that's really where you see, you know, somewhat difference.
[07:19] SPEAKER_02: Obviously, entrepreneurs that are coming out of a more of a city type of atmosphere. It's a little bit there really used to the competition and, you know, they understand that, you know, from the onset.
[07:29] SPEAKER_02: There's a lot more competition than, you know, maybe compared to, you know, if you're not in, you know, a big city for that matter.
[07:39] SPEAKER_00: You're an entrepreneur yourself. I mean, you know, you, you've, you've built something that does the task of investment.
[07:49] SPEAKER_00: What are you most excited about today in your business? I mean, you know, from say five years ago.
[07:58] SPEAKER_02: You know, I think that the biggest thing that really excites me is the direction that a lot of companies are going in.
[08:08] SPEAKER_02: You know, five years ago, seven years ago, it was a very difficult place space to be in when you're starting an early stage growth stage business.
[08:19] SPEAKER_02: Essentially, you had, you know, especially in the States, you primarily had to go down that Silicon Valley route, that easy route.
[08:28] SPEAKER_02: These days, the emergence of many different types of investors, you know, whether it's your smaller family offices, your high-net worth individuals, angel investors.
[08:37] SPEAKER_02: It's completely opened up the doors and there's been a lot of success stories.
[08:42] SPEAKER_02: So a lot more investors are a lot more open to investing into early stage growth stage companies as opposed to, you know, several years ago when, you know, it was a very considered a very risky space to invest into.
[09:00] SPEAKER_00: So in terms of early stage, you know, you've got all kinds of listeners of viewers, so look at these things that are those people.
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: What must, what, you know, what do they need? What, what, what things mustn't they miss out? Okay.
[09:23] SPEAKER_00: You see, you see people like that every day of the week and obviously certain ones make it through others don't.
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: What are the ones that make it through have those others don't?
[09:38] SPEAKER_02: You know, I'll be very candid with you. I think, you know, a lot of times less is more.
[09:46] SPEAKER_02: And I find that the entrepreneurs or, you know, the companies that are starting out, you know, sometimes they try to pack on too much, too quickly.
[09:57] SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, the ones that kind of focus on one sector and you understand even though they may have a strategy eventually to branch into other types of industries products, whatever the case may be.
[10:14] SPEAKER_02: I think it's better to focus, you know, and take it slowly as opposed to doing too much at once.
[10:21] SPEAKER_02: And that scares a lot of investors because, you know, right away they realize that the more different products or different industries that you're tackling, the more capital it's going to require.
[10:33] SPEAKER_02: So I think, you know, the one-stack kind of do understand that and they've tried to focus, you know, and take it one step at a time.
[10:41] SPEAKER_02: Those are the ones that, you know, do have a higher success rate than, you know, as opposed to somebody who's trying to do everything at once.
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: Okay. So let's move away from those insights, which are great, by the way. That's super.
[10:54] SPEAKER_00: You know, you're here as an entrepreneur yourself.
[10:58] SPEAKER_00: You know, what's the greatest challenge you've faced in your business today?
[11:03] SPEAKER_02: You know, I think, you know, it's keeping the communication channels open on all areas.
[11:12] SPEAKER_02: And what I mean by that, you know, whether internally, within, you know, speaking to your employees, you know, understanding what's going on, you know, being open-minded to, you know, like I said before, have it make those adjustments, whether it's your own business model, whatever the case may be.
[11:29] SPEAKER_02: You kind of have to evolve as time progresses.
[11:34] SPEAKER_02: It's also very important to have strong communication channels, you know, whether it's your clients or customers or whatever the case may be.
[11:43] SPEAKER_02: In terms of really understanding from them, you know, certain things that they may not understand and, you know, kind of walking their hand through the, you know, holding their hand throughout the process.
[11:56] SPEAKER_02: For a lot of entrepreneurs, it is, you know, when they are starting out from scratch, it is a lot of times when they do come to us, it is their first rodeo in terms of, you know, raising capital.
[12:08] SPEAKER_02: And sometimes there's certain things that they may not understand.
[12:11] SPEAKER_02: So from a timeline perspective, it's really communicating that the right way and making them understand that, you know, it's, it does take time sometimes.
[12:19] SPEAKER_02: And you really have to, you know, have that ability to present it and, you know, not have a one-size-fits-all approach, you know, when speaking to an investor.
[12:29] SPEAKER_02: Doing your homework and understanding, you know, certain investors, one certain things a certain way.
[12:35] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, just communicating those things. So I think communication is, you know, someone, you know, that's always the biggest challenge, you know, when starting any business.
[12:43] SPEAKER_02: You know, whether it's internally or it's externally in terms of dealing with your customers or clients.
[12:53] SPEAKER_01: In terms of investment, what's hot at the moment?
[12:58] SPEAKER_00: There's been changes, I mean, I'm pretty familiar with the tech side of things.
[13:02] SPEAKER_00: So I'm just curious to see, you know, what are the things that, you know, your investment can clients are interested in.
[13:16] SPEAKER_02: You know, technology tech is always going to be a very hot space.
[13:20] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, obviously, if you can figure out an easier way to do something, that's going to entice any investor because that's going to be a very easy, you know, product or service to present to, you know, certain demographic.
[13:37] SPEAKER_02: Healthcare has always been something that is obviously at the forefront of everything, especially coming out of a pandemic.
[13:45] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, a lot of people are looking for, you know, better ways to do certain things.
[13:52] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, tech, healthcare.
[13:55] SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, obviously, products and services, you know, at any time you can introduce something that, you know, what's a different spin on something.
[14:06] SPEAKER_02: That may already exist or something that's completely different.
[14:10] SPEAKER_02: Has always been something that excites a lot of investors.
[14:15] SPEAKER_00: You know, in terms of building your own business, it kind of flipped between advice and yourself.
[14:21] SPEAKER_00: I mean, but, you know, what's the best piece of advice that you received that you kind of keep in your back pocket and use all the time?
[14:33] SPEAKER_00: Open door policies.
[14:34] SPEAKER_00: All the time.
[14:36] SPEAKER_00: But, yeah, there.
[14:38] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I try to keep an open door policy.
[14:42] SPEAKER_02: Like I said, you know, I can't say it enough. Communication is very important.
[14:46] SPEAKER_02: And it's one of those things that, you know, as you do communicate with your employees internally, it's not something that you just want to brush off or ignore.
[14:57] SPEAKER_02: You have to be open minded.
[15:00] SPEAKER_02: So when listening to, because, you know, keep in mind a lot of your employees are in there.
[15:06] SPEAKER_02: You know, every day dealing with, you know, customers and clients.
[15:10] SPEAKER_02: So they have a lot of invaluable feedback that they're going to bring to the table.
[15:15] SPEAKER_02: So it's really, you know, listening to them and, you know, keeping those doors open and, you know, having an open door policy where they feel comfortable to come to you to communicate.
[15:26] SPEAKER_02: You know, certain things that they feel, you know, can, you know, possibly improve your business model or, you know, you know, if it makes sense to make certain changes.
[15:37] SPEAKER_00: So let's have some fun questions.
[15:40] SPEAKER_00: I told them pretty serious stuff.
[15:44] SPEAKER_00: If you weren't doing what you were doing now, what would you be doing instead?
[15:53] SPEAKER_01: Well, that's a really tough question. I'm not going to lie.
[15:58] SPEAKER_02: I probably would have said if you asked me this question, you know, maybe 15, 20 years ago, I probably would have told you, yeah, I want to be an NBA basketball player.
[16:10] SPEAKER_01: You know, I love speaking, you know, I love speaking to people.
[16:19] SPEAKER_02: You know, I like giving advice. So I like the advisory components.
[16:25] SPEAKER_02: Maybe I would be like yourself and, you know, have my own podcast, you know, something along those lines.
[16:30] SPEAKER_00: You know, I was asked people what book are you currently reading, but it could be listening to, you know, or if not that, what would you recommend to people that they shouldn't, they shouldn't, you know, take time and listen to it or read it.
[16:50] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm a huge podcast person. So I mean, obviously, I'd like to listen to various different podcasts in terms of recent books.
[17:03] SPEAKER_02: I just read Grand Cardone's 10X rules.
[17:06] SPEAKER_02: I thought it was a well written book.
[17:09] SPEAKER_02: You know, he gave a lot of insight in terms of, you know, his business and you know, keep him, you know, even if it's a completely different industry, it's always great because an entrepreneur's journey is very similar, even though, you know, it may be a completely different industry.
[17:24] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, obviously he's specializes more in the real estate side of things.
[17:28] SPEAKER_02: But there's always a sales component to any business that you do. So anytime you again, valuable sales secrets or insights, it's definitely going to help you in a major way.
[17:41] SPEAKER_00: So the fun thing I was asked this, and you've listened to my podcast. I know you are mourning over a night person.
[17:49] SPEAKER_02: I am definitely more of a night person. You know, I feel like that's when I get a lot of 80% more in the 80% morning and 20% night person. That's interesting.
[18:02] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[18:03] SPEAKER_02: I definitely get my creative juices flowing a lot more in the evening time.
[18:09] SPEAKER_02: But, you know, in this industry, you sometimes, whether it's mornings or nights, you've kind of thrown in there, you know, right away.
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: If you had the big one word to describe yourself, what would it be and why would you choose that word?
[18:26] SPEAKER_01: I think the one word to describe myself is ambitious.
[18:42] SPEAKER_01: That's good.
[18:44] SPEAKER_02: And I've always been one of those people that really believed in accountability and taking ownership on certain things.
[18:58] SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I think, you know, when you start any business, the goal is to, you know, really, you know, not only push your business, but to do good things and, you know, it all goes together.
[19:11] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I think, you know, the reason why I feel like anybody, you know, has a strong ambition is to eventually it is to help people.
[19:22] SPEAKER_00: So, what's keeping you up at night these days?
[19:26] SPEAKER_02: The economy.
[19:29] SPEAKER_02: You know, I definitely think the economy is something that's keeping a lot of entrepreneurs up.
[19:35] SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of uncertainty, especially here in the United States and globally everywhere.
[19:39] SPEAKER_02: Oh, same thing.
[19:41] Speaker UNKNOWN:
[19:42] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[19:42] SPEAKER_02: So, it's the same things, you know, and I think, you know, a lot of being an entrepreneur in whatever industry, it's a lot like playing chess.
[19:54] SPEAKER_02: You want to be three steps ahead.
[19:56] SPEAKER_02: So, in doing that, you really want to, you know, have your ears out there in terms of understanding, you know, what's going on, you know, from an economic perspective and how one could pivot and make adjustments and changes.
[20:11] SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm hate to say, but we're coming to the end of my 25 minutes here. It was really fast.
[20:20] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, I really, how can people get a hold of you?
[20:26] SPEAKER_00: You know, especially because, you know, you're obviously in the investment side.
[20:30] SPEAKER_00: So, I'm sure there's going to be quite a few entrepreneurs that might want to connect with you.
[20:38] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, the easiest way would be to go to our website directly, www.sacapitalpartners with an S-L-L-C.com.
[20:50] SPEAKER_02: There you could definitely get to look all or, you know, get, you know, or email information, shoot us an email.
[20:57] SPEAKER_02: That would probably be the best way to get a hold of us.
[21:00] SPEAKER_02: I could also, you know, leave you with our main number, which is 212-252761.
[21:08] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[21:10] SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks very much for coming on as we kind of change this around a few times for both BCB.
[21:17] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I know, you know, Winnipeg, you know, it's like I told you, like coming out of the new year, these holidays took a little bit longer than, you know, we were used to the last several years.
[21:27] SPEAKER_02: But I want to thank you for having me on.
[21:30] SPEAKER_02: Like I said, I'm a big fan.
[21:31] SPEAKER_02: I think you're doing a really good thing, you know, for a lot of entrepreneurs in the, you know, the Canadian region.
[21:38] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I really appreciate you having me on.
[21:43] SPEAKER_02: Thanks very much.
[21:44] SPEAKER_02: Appreciate that.
[21:45] SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
[21:45] SPEAKER_02: Bye-bye.
[21:46] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, take care.
