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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: It's Calgary's Podcast on the Canada's Podcast Network.
[00:07] SPEAKER_01: Hello, this is Mario Toniguzi coming to you today with Calgary's Podcast, a member of Canada's
[00:13] SPEAKER_01: Podcast Network where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in the city of Calgary,
[00:19] SPEAKER_01: Alberta. PJ Leroux is a well-known Calgary businessman who owns and operates several bars and
[00:26] SPEAKER_01: restaurants in the city including Kraft, Beer Market, Trolley Five, St James Corner,
[00:33] SPEAKER_01: Home and Away and Rodney's. Welcome to the show PJ and thanks for taking the time today to be
[00:38] SPEAKER_01: here for our listeners. Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from and what your
[00:43] SPEAKER_00: business is all about. I'm from Calgary, born and raised and I started my life as an entrepreneur
[00:48] SPEAKER_01: in the entertainment and restaurant industry. Did you need financing to start at the beginning and
[00:55] SPEAKER_00: how has business been for you over the years? Going back in time when I first started,
[01:00] SPEAKER_00: I started my first business when I was in high school and I was a DJ so I didn't get any
[01:05] SPEAKER_00: financing for that but I definitely needed some equipment which I begged and got for Christmas
[01:10] SPEAKER_00: and things like that. From there I grew the business and the first establishment, bricks and mortar
[01:15] SPEAKER_00: establishment that I opened, I was 23 and I just scraped everything I had together to do that and
[01:23] SPEAKER_00: maxed out the credit card. There was no financing at that point. Fast forward until now and got
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: lots of restaurants across the country and obviously there's some financing involved but at the time
[01:33] SPEAKER_00: it was put everything that I had on the line to make do with what I had. What is your long-term
[01:39] SPEAKER_01: vision for what the company will look like in the future and do you have more expansion plans
[01:45] SPEAKER_00: up your sleeves? We opened in 2011 in Calgary and proud to say it's a born and bred Calgary concept
[01:51] SPEAKER_00: and it's been well received in all the markets that we've opened so we opened in Vancouver,
[01:57] SPEAKER_00: Emerton and then subsequently now we've been in Ottawa, Toronto and Cologne and so that concept
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: we're planning to continue to expand and we have our next location in Vancouver that we're
[02:10] SPEAKER_00: going to be opening in 1st quarter of 2020 and the plan for that is to continue to
[02:15] SPEAKER_00: open at least one a year or one every eight months and all over we're looking everywhere
[02:21] SPEAKER_01: primarily in BC and Ontario, sorry. What are the biggest benefits for you being an entrepreneur
[02:28] SPEAKER_01: in Calgary? Tell me some of the good points of doing business here and maybe some of the
[02:34] SPEAKER_01: issues and challenges that entrepreneurs make face right now in Calgary. Being born in bred in
[02:40] SPEAKER_00: Calgary I love the city and I love the spirit of the city and I think that's what a lot of us
[02:46] SPEAKER_00: entrepreneurs are drawn to. There's always a way to make it here and I think that's what's going on
[02:51] SPEAKER_00: in the market right now. It's been longer than I've ever experienced and I think it's getting worse
[02:56] SPEAKER_00: and that's the tough part where it's not getting better. Being in Calgary there's lots of mentors,
[03:02] SPEAKER_00: lots of great people to talk to, lots of resources to talk to. The negative is it's an oil primary
[03:08] SPEAKER_00: province and Calgary is even more centric in the oil. It's a very white,
[03:12] SPEAKER_00: color oil centric city and I think that's the challenge in this in this in this market and I think
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: the other challenge is that the government packs that way and unfortunately when you are reliant
[03:25] SPEAKER_00: very heavily on one industry, when it suffers the whole city suffers and I think that's the biggest
[03:32] SPEAKER_01: challenge in this market in Calgary. Now we do some of our best work outside the office. Is there
[03:37] SPEAKER_01: a place in Calgary either close to where you live or work, where you'd like to go to recharge,
[03:43] SPEAKER_00: get inspired, maybe just think about your business? There's a few places I think one of the benefits
[03:49] SPEAKER_00: of being in Calgary is being as close as we are to the mountains. For a long time in my life I spent
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: too much time working and not time enjoying what we have an hour away from ourselves. So I actually
[03:59] SPEAKER_00: tend to go to the mountains almost every weekend but in the city of Calgary I'm an avid runner so
[04:05] SPEAKER_00: I always run my way through anywhere I am and in Calgary I mean anytime I'm thinking about
[04:10] SPEAKER_00: something or if I need to have a few moments I usually get the runners on and hit the streets and
[04:16] SPEAKER_01: hit the pavement it's a beautiful city to run in. If you were to start all over again and you'd
[04:21] SPEAKER_01: just move to Calgary from somewhere else this time you don't know anybody knowing what you know now
[04:28] SPEAKER_01: what would you do and how would you do it to start all over again as an entrepreneur?
[04:33] SPEAKER_00: I think lots of people ask that question and I'm pretty happy with where I've been and what I've
[04:38] SPEAKER_00: been able to accomplish in my life. You know you always look back and you think I wish I would have
[04:43] SPEAKER_00: done this I wish I would have done that but ultimately everything happens for the reason you know
[04:47] SPEAKER_00: if our to start again is maybe to buy property you know being in the restaurant industry you generally
[04:55] SPEAKER_00: when you pick a great location it's hard to buy that property but if you if you can do it and
[05:00] SPEAKER_00: you're going to be there for a long time it's it's that's one thing I would love to have done.
[05:04] SPEAKER_01: How does your first day or first hour of your day look like when you get up in the morning?
[05:09] SPEAKER_00: Every day I get up and run at least five to six days a week on the weekends if I'm skiing I don't
[05:14] SPEAKER_00: run but a work day I'm always running and I always get my run in. Entrepreneurs are different
[05:21] SPEAKER_01: breed in some ways. Do you think they have to be weird or unique but in a positive way or just
[05:28] SPEAKER_00: wire differently? An entrepreneur does not get a paycheck and you know being able to to
[05:34] SPEAKER_00: fathom that in your life is you have to be wired differently you know sometimes looking from
[05:41] SPEAKER_00: the outside it looks like success all the time but you know there's a lot of things that get put
[05:46] SPEAKER_00: on the line to to get to where you are a lot of sacrifices a lot of it comes from your guts and
[05:52] SPEAKER_00: everyone has a feeling and sometimes just going with that feeling where where I think that's where
[05:57] SPEAKER_00: we're wired a little differently sometimes to a fault. What book are you reading right now? I am
[06:01] SPEAKER_00: actually reading delivering happiness a story of Zappos and the founder of Zappos but I just finished
[06:08] SPEAKER_00: off a book called The Slight Edge and I I get a book for my team and The Slight Edge was the book
[06:14] SPEAKER_00: and it's a it's a great book. What's it about and why did you get it for your team? The Slight Edge
[06:19] SPEAKER_00: is more of a personal development book and I love the book it's it's basically how every action in
[06:25] SPEAKER_00: your day you know what your choice of that action is can compound throughout so it's not just one
[06:33] SPEAKER_00: thing it's all the things that you do breaks down from food to exercise to business to you know how
[06:39] SPEAKER_01: you treat your family's great book highly recommended. Are there any online or offline tools that you
[06:46] SPEAKER_00: use on a daily basis for for your work? Being in the restaurant business social media is a very big
[06:52] SPEAKER_00: tool asset and just it's it's it's enabled my business to become more more connected with the
[06:59] SPEAKER_00: consumer but also more connected with other concepts so just being you know social media right now
[07:06] SPEAKER_00: you you can see things farther ahead than than what you could before so that's probably the
[07:11] SPEAKER_00: biggest tool that I use on a daily basis is just keeping active to what's going on around me.
[07:17] SPEAKER_01: Tell me about work and life balance how do you relax and not think about work and
[07:23] SPEAKER_01: besides running are there any other favorite activities that that you have in Calgary?
[07:28] SPEAKER_00: Your life is is enthralled in your work whether you're self-employed or
[07:34] SPEAKER_00: employed it's part of you and your family your surroundings have to embrace that and that's
[07:39] SPEAKER_00: that's kind of my philosophy at home my kids know everything that's going on so you know it's okay
[07:44] SPEAKER_00: to have a bad day or it's okay to bring it home but as long as you know I can wipe it off and
[07:50] SPEAKER_00: everyone understands what's going on and we move on as far as being with the family I think that's
[07:55] SPEAKER_00: you know an entrepreneur it is a true family business so they have to know what's going on
[07:59] SPEAKER_00: but you know you got to take time for them too and I think the biggest thing is to
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: shut off you know I turn off my phone when I when I'm when I'm with my kids and I'm dealing with
[08:08] SPEAKER_00: that at that time and you know just be with them at the moment. If you weren't doing what you're doing
[08:13] SPEAKER_00: now is there something you would like to do for a profession? To be very successful in your business
[08:20] SPEAKER_00: you have to love what you're doing and I truly love what I'm doing if there's anything else
[08:23] SPEAKER_00: as a profession I'm not sure I I think I I started as a DJ maybe just staying as a DJ would be
[08:29] SPEAKER_00: a little bit more fun but I love the entertainment aspect of my business so if I were to do anything
[08:35] SPEAKER_00: else it would be in that realm to make people happy and see a smile on people's face. Is there a
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: job you wouldn't want to do? Again in the restaurant industry there's a lot of jobs that would be
[08:45] SPEAKER_00: considered to be a lower class and you know but I've done everything in my business from
[08:52] SPEAKER_00: dishwasher to busing tables to bartending and everything's so important and the guest is is you
[08:59] SPEAKER_00: know they don't see everything but if your dish isn't clean you're not going to be very happy so
[09:04] SPEAKER_00: I don't think there's a job I wouldn't do I think ultimately it's what what ends up to the guest.
[09:09] SPEAKER_01: In business is there a favorite word quote or sentence that you'd like to use? Do the right thing.
[09:14] SPEAKER_00: We try to basically say everything look back at what you're planning to do and if it's not the
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: right thing then you you know you have to look look at it differently and we say it all the time
[09:24] SPEAKER_00: is this the right thing for the company or is this the right thing but ultimately if you can
[09:28] SPEAKER_00: live your life by doing the right thing every time you be a happy person. Is there a least favorite word
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: or sentence that you don't like to hear? The one thing that we try to stay away from in the company
[09:38] SPEAKER_00: is should you hear it all the time in any business and I should be able to get that done and I think
[09:45] SPEAKER_00: that often ends to I'm not going to be able to get it done or it's going to be passed on so
[09:49] SPEAKER_01: we try to stay away from anything that I should. If you had speaking of words if you had to pick
[09:54] SPEAKER_01: one or two words to describe yourself what would they be and why? Probably the biggest thing I'd say
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: is easygoing I'm a pretty laid back guy I don't like to spotlight don't like to line light I also
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: just genuinely care about what other people are doing or you know whatever business they're in
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: you know like to carry on that conversation to find out what's what's going on with them and
[10:15] SPEAKER_00: their life and what what makes them tech. Is there anything that keeps you up at night? There's a
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: lot of things that keep me up at night sometimes but I've gotten very good at turning it off and
[10:25] SPEAKER_00: and just you know realizing that there's nothing you can fix at 12 a.m. but you know there's always
[10:31] SPEAKER_00: things that come up that keep you up and ultimately it's just the passion for the business I think
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: that's the biggest thing that keeps you up sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. Now everybody
[10:40] SPEAKER_01: seems to have a bucket list these days what are the top things on your bucket list? I think the
[10:45] SPEAKER_00: biggest thing in the bucket list for me is just to continue to do things that we're not doing so
[10:50] SPEAKER_00: one of the things that we did as a family is our bucket list is to travel places that we've never
[10:54] SPEAKER_00: traveled before we ended up getting into a routine so now we're every time we go on vacation we're
[10:59] SPEAKER_00: going to go to a new place and I think that's a great bucket list item for us right now
[11:05] SPEAKER_00: and I have lots of other bucket list items from concerts to see to you know personal things the
[11:11] SPEAKER_00: golf certain places but family items are more important than us. Do you have any advice that you
[11:17] SPEAKER_01: received over the years that you can pass on to entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs?
[11:24] SPEAKER_00: I think the biggest advice I've received in gotten is to get a mentor you know get someone that
[11:30] SPEAKER_00: you aspire to be and and try to get advice from them I think that's the biggest advice I could
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: give for entrepreneurs and also just to go for it I think the biggest hurdle of getting into your
[11:41] SPEAKER_00: own business or getting out there is just doing it and I think just get out there and do it is my
[11:46] SPEAKER_01: advice to two others. There's small tropical island just off of Fiji that only has one phone booth
[11:53] SPEAKER_01: there with no internet we're going to drop you off there and you won't have a computer smart
[11:58] SPEAKER_01: phone tablet any other sort of device you can use a phone booth located there any time to call the
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: boat and we'll come pick you up. Now how long would you last before you made that call and what
[12:12] SPEAKER_00: would you do while you were there? Whenever you're caught in a position something like that you'd
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: probably just enjoy the moment for a bit you know try to figure out what you're doing but like I said
[12:22] SPEAKER_00: before I enjoy what I'm doing so I think if I were stuck there too long it wouldn't be too happy
[12:26] SPEAKER_00: so I don't know that call might happen pretty quick. Is there anything now you would like to add
[12:30] SPEAKER_00: before we leave us today? Thanks for having me on I'm a big fan of podcasts I think podcasts are a
[12:37] SPEAKER_00: great way to grow as an individual and you know it's exciting to be able to talk about my story
[12:44] SPEAKER_00: and what I've done here in the city of Calgary so thanks for having me. Is there a way people
[12:49] SPEAKER_00: can get in touch with you? On social media you can find me backwards LaRoupe PJ or just on my
[12:56] SPEAKER_00: my restaurants you can usually find me so a little craftier market at craftier market on all social
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: media and handles. Okay thanks PJ for being our guest on Calgary's podcast I've learned a lot
[13:07] SPEAKER_01: about you your business and I'm sure our listeners have as well. We'll see you next time. Hey there
[13:13] SPEAKER_01: thanks for taking the time today to listen to Calgary's podcast on Canada's podcast network. We hope
[13:21] SPEAKER_01: you enjoyed the show today make sure you sign up for our newsletters and write a review for us on
[13:28] SPEAKER_01: the iTunes and then connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn at Canada's podcast.
[13:36] SPEAKER_01: You can also check out what other entrepreneurs are doing across the country. See you next time.
