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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Come to Lethbridge and join an innovative community for entrepreneurs.
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: With more than a quarter of the 100,000 population under the age of 34, Lethbridge brims with energy.
[00:12] SPEAKER_00: We'll help you to kickstart, innovate, and grow.
[00:16] SPEAKER_00: Lethbridge Southern Alberta's help for innovation and technology.
[00:20] SPEAKER_00: It's the right choice for business builders.
[00:22] SPEAKER_00: Go to chooselethbridge.ca slash entrepreneur and we'll help you moving grow in Lethbridge.
[00:31] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast, the number one podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.
[00:39] SPEAKER_02: Hello and welcome to Canada's podcast with Mario Toneguzi joining me today is Obed Morisse,
[00:46] SPEAKER_02: who is Bintek Founding Partner in Click Advisor and partner in Avail CPA LLP in Lethbridge.
[00:56] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us today, Obed.
[00:59] SPEAKER_03: Thanks very much for joining us today, Obed.
[01:01] SPEAKER_02: Let me just start by asking you what Click Advisor is and what it does.
[01:07] SPEAKER_03: It's just a planning platform. It helps advisors create plans for their clients and the goal is to reduce or eliminate the financial chaos that a lot of people face,
[01:21] SPEAKER_03: trying to manage all their financial to-do's.
[01:25] SPEAKER_02: Can you talk a little bit about the history of the company and how it came to be and when?
[01:32] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think it's cheese. It feels like probably a couple of years now when we first kind of got started building the technology and it started.
[01:42] SPEAKER_03: It is actually a spin off of a previous company. I was in the cloud accounting. I founded a cloud accounting firm.
[01:50] SPEAKER_03: We were getting pretty knowledgeable around financial technology.
[01:56] SPEAKER_03: I grew that cloud accounting firm up and ended up selling it off to Avail, where I'm a partner now.
[02:03] SPEAKER_03: Through that process, I learned a lot about client experience and how people were using financial technology.
[02:12] SPEAKER_03: We had the opportunity to partner with the National Research Council and help her to innovate and a few other organizations and got some seed money from them to start this project.
[02:26] SPEAKER_03: This idea we had that was to how can we make finances better for the average person?
[02:34] SPEAKER_03: How can we reduce some of that complexity that a lot of people face? I just thought it needed to be easier.
[02:42] SPEAKER_03: Thankfully, we had some really great partners that were willing to give us some support. Avail CPA is on that list of funders as well.
[02:52] SPEAKER_03: We went to build this technology and try to help people out.
[02:56] SPEAKER_02: Tell me a little bit about technology and innovation and why it's so important, especially now in the world of accounting.
[03:06] SPEAKER_03: Oh, geez. It's a really big deal now.
[03:10] SPEAKER_03: I think historically accounting has been pretty manual. A lot of manual processes.
[03:20] SPEAKER_03: We've been very slow to adopt some of the innovation and kind of slow to keep up with consumer demands.
[03:30] SPEAKER_03: That's really changed over, I don't know, even like the last five or 10 years with consumer demands, it's, you know, you can click a button and foods delivered to your door or you can pay a bill online.
[03:42] SPEAKER_03: Life is really, really convenient in a lot of ways. I think accounting has often been inconvenient and irritating in some ways.
[03:54] SPEAKER_03: That's not a knock on the profession. We haven't really kept up with consumer expectations.
[04:00] SPEAKER_03: I think we have the opportunity to do that now. Adopted a lot of technology and really thinking about user experience and creating something better for our stakeholders.
[04:15] SPEAKER_03: The good news is that there's a lot of smart people in accounting. So when they put their minds to things, things usually happen pretty quickly and to a high level.
[04:25] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I think the profession, like we're poised to kind of adopt and kind of be part of that trend instead of just kind of passengers, which is fantastic to see happen in the profession.
[04:36] SPEAKER_02: Okay, for a business, what are the main benefits of cloud-based accounting?
[04:43] SPEAKER_03: Oh, goodness. I mean, I think the simplicity, the automation, the, I guess the elimination of some of those things that don't always add value.
[04:54] SPEAKER_03: I see a lot of business owners struggle with the time it takes to just administer their business, you know, invoice people, collect documents, pay bills, capture time.
[05:06] SPEAKER_03: It's just a lot of tedious activities, the business owners face that don't really make them any money.
[05:12] SPEAKER_03: And then cloud accounting can bring some of that business, that process automation and make it a lot better for, you know, entrepreneurs and business owners that have been bogged down by a lot of that admin work is freeing themselves from that is a huge upgrade because we all know entrepreneurs, they work hard, they give a lot to their businesses.
[05:35] SPEAKER_03: The last thing they want to do is add more administration. So if we can, we can alleviate some of that.
[05:42] SPEAKER_03: I think we're heading in the right direction and that's a big change for cloud accounting. It's more of a value add instead of this kind of irritating to do.
[05:53] SPEAKER_03: There's now opportunities to kind of created an advantage by adopting some of those practices. So it's again, another great time to be in that field is for helping more than I think we ever have by using some of that technology.
[06:08] SPEAKER_02: Okay, what about your the partnership with and avail, what does that meant and what does it mean or a click advisor?
[06:16] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the partnership has been fantastic. So I mean, they're investors and click advisor, the partnership group, but I'm also a partner at avail and a member of the partnership group.
[06:27] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, it's been a really, really important part of click advisor in that we can help serve like real clients, you know, build technology around like actual use cases and there's been a lot of credibility that goes along with that.
[06:43] SPEAKER_03: The veil is, you know, 100 year old firm. It's one of the biggest in Alberta.
[06:49] SPEAKER_03: Dill with really smart talented people and when you can surround yourself with with people like that and the clients of the firm and trying to do something unique in that profession.
[06:59] SPEAKER_03: I think it's it's good for the firm. It's good for the clients and it's good for click and that, you know, we can we can kind of point to that that real use case.
[07:08] SPEAKER_03: It's not, you know, just a fantasy we created in our in our mom's basement, although we did that's created in our basement.
[07:16] SPEAKER_03: You know, putting it in live play and with the real professional firm is a really kind of unique place to start and we're fortunate to have that relationship.
[07:26] SPEAKER_02: Well, bad. Let's talk a little bit about yourself and your background. Are you are you from left with your original yard?
[07:33] SPEAKER_03: I am born and raised, you know, I left a article in Calgary and kind of be handed around BC for a while and eventually ended back in Luthbridge here.
[07:43] SPEAKER_02: Okay. And so let's go through some your education about high school.
[07:47] SPEAKER_03: Sure, I went to I went to LCI in Luthbridge and I hope no one checks my transcripts because I wasn't the world's best best high school student and I graduate from there and I had it up at Luthbridge College for a couple of years and then off to the University of Luthbridge to wrap up my my degree and and yeah, article in Calgary to get my my CA or I get CPA designation.
[08:16] SPEAKER_03: So I've kind of got got to where I am on the education front anyway.
[08:22] SPEAKER_02: And coming back to Luthbridge, when did you come back to stay and and why did you come back? Obviously, you know, sometimes the big city lights right attract young people right, but you obviously went back to to the bridge and why was that.
[08:41] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, it's for a girl for my wife.
[08:44] SPEAKER_03: I was attracted to the big city, you know, worked in Calgary and joy Calgary, that kind of thing. My wife, Kaylee was down in Luthbridge when we met and she eventually, you know, I migrated back to Luthbridge just to be closer to her.
[09:02] SPEAKER_03: That was a fantastic decision for me. I got a family and a daughter and a great spouse out of the deal. And yeah, I started to kind of set roots roots here.
[09:14] SPEAKER_00: Tech Connect, a center for entrepreneurship and innovation in Luthbridge has been spring-blooding entrepreneurs to success for 10 years and counting.
[09:23] SPEAKER_00: Our spirit of innovation is a way of life. We have an incredible environment. Our innovators are not afraid to stand apart because they know that in Luthbridge, we are brighter together.
[09:36] SPEAKER_00: We are Luthbridge. Come and join us. Go to chooseLuthbridge.ca slash entrepreneur and we'll help you move and grow in Luthbridge.
[09:47] SPEAKER_02: What year was that when you came back? Oh, geez, you're really testing me now. I would have had to been 2012, I'm thinking.
[09:55] SPEAKER_03: Around the world. Yeah, so it's been about 10 years, but I did enjoy, I did enjoy Calgary for sure, but you know what?
[10:02] SPEAKER_03: A lot of those opportunities now, like big city opportunities, are kind of available everywhere. You know, with the, I think COVID really proved that the world's a big place, opportunities to bounce, you know, technology and other ways we can access those opportunities.
[10:21] SPEAKER_03: I think that's a great opportunity for us to be able to get into the opportunities and if I can go off on a tangent here a little bit, the, when I found it, maximum, which was the Calgary County firm, we had staff to help Canada, we had clients through Canada, this is about five years ago, and that was a really novel idea at the time that we were kind of creating the CPA firm, you know, that was Canada wide, but out of Luthbridge.
[10:45] SPEAKER_03: That was that was really really unique and I think fast forward a few years and I think the case has been proven that, you know, it doesn't matter where you are in Canada, the opportunities exist and technology can allow, you know, that type of access to those types of things.
[11:01] SPEAKER_02: And I imagine being an entrepreneur and being obviously now family man, you know, there's huge advantages of living and doing business in a place like Luthbridge and a smaller community, right, as opposed to the Calgary or Edmonton Vancouver's of the world, right?
[11:21] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, the one downside, it's a little windy here in Luthbridge, anyone that knows the area, the upside, you know, is, yeah, the quality of life, I mean, cost of housing and commute time and, you know, access to different services is going to be a lot more convenient in a smaller center.
[11:39] SPEAKER_03: I already remember when I first moved back to Calgary texting my wife, you know, hey, I'm heading home, I'll be home in 45 minutes, going to stop for milk and I think I was holding like 15 minutes and, you know, it's, that's a big difference over the course of your entire life is, is that that lifestyle quality of life.
[11:57] SPEAKER_03: So that we enjoy it down here and yeah.
[12:01] SPEAKER_02: So tell me a little bit about economic development, Luthbridge and other organizations in Luthbridge have had a number of innovative and unique programs out there to foster entrepreneurship and to build entrepreneurships in the city.
[12:20] SPEAKER_02: Now, can you explain a little bit about tech connect your relationship with it and how it's built, you know, helping build that entrepreneurial spirit in the community.
[12:32] SPEAKER_03: It's, I can't say enough good things, it is a really big deal to have economic development tech connect creating that bad ecosystem.
[12:41] SPEAKER_03: I always tell the story of like five years ago, I walked in to the tech connect and say, hey, like we need to make a counting cooler, like how can we do that and everyone like laugh that way, there's like that's the ridiculous idea, there's no way we can make a counting cooler.
[12:57] SPEAKER_03: And, you know, fast forward like hey, we created several companies, I think we, you know, raised over a million dollars in seed funding, created like 17 18 jobs, you know, helped hundreds of clients move to the cloud and we had a lot of success and it was because of that ecosystem in our community, you know, the people like the leadership introducing all types of entrepreneur programs or access to grants.
[13:27] SPEAKER_03: And ifizers and you know lunch and learns and that you name it and I say it's it's truly one of our best kept secrets is that if you have an idea.
[13:38] SPEAKER_03: The the nurturing kind of ecosystem that is available there, there is no use like if we can make a counting cooler, we can pretty much do anything I kind of use it as a funny example because it's so ridiculous.
[13:51] SPEAKER_03: But the truth is, those types of things are possible through the programs, through the
[13:59] SPEAKER_03: people, you know, the leadership group that's there and just kind of all the organizations
[14:03] SPEAKER_03: that are working together to make that happen.
[14:05] SPEAKER_03: We're very, very fortunate to have that ecosystem.
[14:09] SPEAKER_03: And, you know, I walk in with almost nothing other than an idea and you know, walked out
[14:13] SPEAKER_03: with a couple of companies spinning one off and then founding another one and creating jobs
[14:18] SPEAKER_03: and all that stuff.
[14:19] SPEAKER_03: So, it's not to do my whole, it's totally because of all the great people and resources
[14:25] SPEAKER_03: that we're available to us then.
[14:27] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[14:28] SPEAKER_02: So, what are some of the benefits of being an entrepreneur in Lethbridge?
[14:33] SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
[14:34] SPEAKER_03: You know, I think that sense of community that you referenced earlier, it's really interesting
[14:39] SPEAKER_03: that, you know, the people that are supporting our businesses, you see them out the gym,
[14:45] SPEAKER_03: you see them through your volunteer activities, they are friends of a friend, it's a very,
[14:51] SPEAKER_03: very tight knit community and people really, truly care and will go out of their way to
[14:57] SPEAKER_03: help you.
[14:57] SPEAKER_03: And I think it's something I didn't really understand until I got a little bit more connected
[15:03] SPEAKER_03: and really tried to immerse myself in that ecosystem that you realized, wow, there's a lot
[15:09] SPEAKER_03: of support for entrepreneurs.
[15:10] SPEAKER_03: If you're willing to do the work, there is definitely programs and people out there that
[15:16] SPEAKER_03: will help you progress and mix and progress with those ideas.
[15:22] SPEAKER_03: So, I think, locally, we're very fortunate to have that sense of community and that support
[15:27] SPEAKER_03: available.
[15:29] SPEAKER_03: I think bigger markets, it's a little more bureaucratic, there might be more capital available, but
[15:34] SPEAKER_03: that kind of one-on-one support that you're going to get, you know, just pick up a phone
[15:39] SPEAKER_03: or send an email or something like that is you can't underestimate how valuable that
[15:45] SPEAKER_03: is or has been to me at least for sure.
[15:47] SPEAKER_02: Can you talk a little bit about being an entrepreneur in a place like Lecbridge?
[15:54] SPEAKER_02: And, you know, one of the key things, as you mentioned, all the people that you've hired,
[15:58] SPEAKER_02: you know, Lecbridge just had one of the advantages of, you know, having a university there,
[16:03] SPEAKER_02: having a college there, is the talent pool handy to have, you know, these two universities
[16:10] SPEAKER_02: there for that talent pool?
[16:12] SPEAKER_03: It really is.
[16:13] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're, I kind of, I personally sit on a few advisory committees with the post-secondary
[16:18] SPEAKER_03: education.
[16:20] SPEAKER_03: We do some co-ops at the startup and as well at the accounting firm and keep a lot of
[16:25] SPEAKER_03: those people in a chance we get.
[16:28] SPEAKER_03: And I think it's something you just, I've grown up in a post-secondary town.
[16:32] SPEAKER_03: So I've kind of grown accustomed to it, but we really are fortunate to have the caliber
[16:37] SPEAKER_03: of talent.
[16:38] SPEAKER_03: One of my best friends, Rick, he founded a company that was made up entirely of college
[16:45] SPEAKER_03: university students that went on to, he did a seven-figure exit down that company and
[16:50] SPEAKER_03: all through homegrown talent here in Lecbridge.
[16:53] SPEAKER_03: So I think that access to intellectual capital is really important and will just continue
[17:00] SPEAKER_03: to be really, really important as we progress through this information in the chair.
[17:05] SPEAKER_03: Okay, super.
[17:06] SPEAKER_02: One last thing, just wondering what the future holds for you and for the company as you,
[17:13] SPEAKER_02: as you look into the coming years.
[17:16] SPEAKER_03: Well, that's easy, just world domination, you know?
[17:18] SPEAKER_03: That's, I mean, that's every entrepreneur's dream.
[17:22] SPEAKER_03: I hate the term small business because every entrepreneur of their business is, you know,
[17:27] SPEAKER_03: poised to conquer the world and I've paid into that category for sure.
[17:31] SPEAKER_03: And of course, unrealistic, there's lots of work to do and that type of thing.
[17:35] SPEAKER_03: But I truly do want to try and make counting cooler and better.
[17:40] SPEAKER_03: I'm going to continue to work on that and grow our technology company and try and create
[17:45] SPEAKER_03: more financial wellness for people.
[17:47] SPEAKER_03: However, I do that.
[17:48] SPEAKER_03: So we'll see.
[17:49] SPEAKER_03: Well, I guess only the future will, we won't know for sure, but that's what I'll be focused
[17:53] SPEAKER_03: on for the foreseeable future.
[17:56] SPEAKER_02: Okay, super.
[17:57] SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks very much, you're a bet for joining us today.
[18:00] SPEAKER_02: That might pleasure.
[18:01] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me, Mario.
[18:03] SPEAKER_02: Okay, super.
[18:03] SPEAKER_02: That was a bed Maurice, who is founder of ClickAdvisor and also a partner in a Bale CPA,
[18:10] SPEAKER_02: LLP in Lethbridge.
[18:12] SPEAKER_02: This has been Canada's podcast network with Mario Tanaguzzi.
[18:17] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us today.
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: Bold, vibrant, technological.
[18:24] SPEAKER_00: In Lethbridge, our spirit of innovation is more than just the way we do business.
[18:29] SPEAKER_00: It's the way we live and the way we succeed.
[18:32] SPEAKER_00: We'll help you to kickstart, innovate and grow in Lethbridge.
[18:37] SPEAKER_00: Southern Alberta's hub for innovation and technology.
[18:40] SPEAKER_00: It's the bright, affordable choice for business builders.
[18:44] SPEAKER_00: Go to chooselethbridge.ca slash entrepreneur and we'll help you moving
[18:50] SPEAKER_00: rolling Lethbridge.
