Al welcomes Douglas Porter, Chief Economist at the Bank of Montreal, to the podcast to discuss Canada’s current economic landscape. They delve into topics such as Canada's economic performance in the first quarter of 2025 and the effects of trade wars with the U.S. on Canadian businesses and consumers. 

Porter shares valuable advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs navigating this uncertain economic climate. He also offers his perspectives on the 'Buy Canadian' movement and inter-provincial trade barriers, and what they could mean for the economy.

 To lighten the mood, Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development at Moneris Data Services, joins Al to share early consumer spending data from this year’s NHL Playoffs.

Links of Interest:

• BMO Economics
• Moneris Data Services

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Rising costs, labour shortages, sustainability, and yes, tariffs, these are just a few of the challenges facing the food service industry in Canada. What is being done about it? Al sits down with Max Roy, VP of Federal and Quebec at Restaurants Canada to talk about it.

Also, we all know how important trust is in business, but how do you measure trust? Bruce MacLellan, Chair at Proof Strategies has been measuring trust in Canada for the past decade and each year they release the Cantrust Index to share their findings. Al speaks with Bruce about their findings.

Links of Interest:

• Restaurants Canada
• RC Show 2025
• Proof Strategies
• CanTrust Index
• Moneris’ ESG Report

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

As an entrepreneur in this country you may not be aware of all the help available to your business, and frankly, who has time to research? 

In this special bonus episode of Just Good Business we do the work for you. James Hicks, President and CEO of Moneris has a sit-down with the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Federal Minister of Small Business to talk about the state of small businesses in Canada, and some of the supports available to entrepreneurs and small business owners and where to find them.

Links of Interest:

• Government of Canada Benefits Finder

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Al meets with 4 members of Team Moneris. All of them have represented Canada in international competition, all of them elite athletes, and all of them are part of Moneris’ sales team.

What is it about sales that attracted them to a career in sales? What is it about their pursuit of athletic excellence that makes them good sales professionals? How can you apply this knowledge to your sales process?

Listen now to find out.

Also in this episode:

• Mallory McWirtier, Sr. Social Media Specialist at Moneris cohosts.
• Jacqueline Tsai, Head of Client Relationships at Interac talks about Moving Day in Quebec.
• Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris shares consumer spending data.
• Teagan Hollenberg, Communications Intern at Moneris talks about July's events calendar

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

June is National Indigenous History Month and to celebrate, we’re talking about Indigenous business development in Canada. Al welcomes Hosna Kadary, National Market Leader Zero Barriers to Business at BMO to talk about the support programs available for Indigenous Entrepreneurs in Canada and to share some of their success stories.

Also in this episode:

• Sydney Lupton, Marketing Intern at Moneris cohosts.
• Jessie Bell, Senior Product Manager at Moneris talks about Moneris’ latest integration with Apple Tap to Pay on iPhone.
• Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris shares consumer spending data around the 2024 NHL Playoffs

Links of Interest:

• Building trust with Indigenous businesses
• Specialty Lending: Zero Barriers to Business
• Slapshots and Spending Sprees: How the NHL Playoffs Put Canadian Cities on a Power Play

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

It’s May, and while in many parts of Canada we had a milder than usual winter, it seems Spring is taking its time getting started, but it’s here now. That means the start of tourist season.

So how can your business take full advantage of this year’s tourist season? What can we expect after a few years of rising numbers out of the pandemic? Is there still room for more growth?

Al welcomes Joe Passarelli from Discover Global Network to talk about what to expect from the upcoming tourist season and what advice he might have for businesses in tourist areas.

Also in this episode:

• Niyati Budhiraja, Blog Content Specialist at Moneris cohosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris shares consumer spending data around tourist season.
• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern presents the final instalment of Merchant Journey
• Daniel Stranges, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist talks about May’s events calendar

Links of Interest:

• Starry-Eyed Spending: The 2024 Total Eclipse doubles consumer spending in Niagara Falls and Hamilton
• Discover Global Network
• Discover Signage
• Saving Graze

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

This month we’re talking about the RC Show by Restaurants Canada. It’s Canada’s leading foodservice & hospitality expo. Al talks to Anna Pham, Director of Content & Programming at Restaurants Canada about what to expect at this year’s show and how you can make the most of your visit. Al is also joined by Maryam Saeed, Chief Risk Officer at Visa Canada to talk fraud prevention and what entrepreneurs can do to keep their business safe from fraudsters.

Also in this episode:

• René-Pier Plourde, Content Marketing Manager at UEAT cohosts.
• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern presents the fourth instalment of Merchant Journey
• Matt Rovet, Senior Events Producer at Moneris talks about April’s busy events calendar

Links of Interest:

• eCommerce North
• RC Show
• Ecommerce Success Blueprint: Your Ultimate Guide to Marketing and Shipping
• UEAT
• Saving Graze

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

This month’s episode is going to have a sport theme, but if you don’t follow sports you may want to listen anyway because it’s about how sporting events affect your business.

Last month a couple of major sporting events took place. One, we cannot legally mention—it involves American football, Taylor Swift and Usher. The other big event was the NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto.

Whenever there is a bid for a large sporting event, a new sport venue, or even a new team, you’ll hear owners and politicians talk about the positive economic impact it will have on business in the area. This month we’ll share with you some real data showing that impact. Is it real? Listen to find out.

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris co-hosts and takes us Behind the Numbers.
• René-Pier Plourde, Content Marketing Manager at UEAT shares restaurant data from last month’s big events.
• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern presents the third instalment of Merchant Journey

Links of Interest:

• Saving Graze
• UEAT
• Moneris Data Services

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

February is the perfect month to show your customers some love! To help you with that, we’re going to share some helpful tips you can use to boost sales leading up to this Valentine’s Day.

We’ll also bring you the second instalment in our Merchant Journey series with Sydney Lupton featuring Saving Graze.

Also in this episode:

• Sam Wong, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hosts.
• Kip Macartney, Director of Emerging & Value Add Services/Products at Moneris is our expert on gift cards.
• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern presents the second instalment of Merchant Journey
• Amber Lynn, Solution Sales Consultant at Moneris
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris  gives a rundown of February’s events calendar.

Links of Interest:

• Saving Graze
• Valentine’s Day Spending on Significant Others to Reach New Record, NRF Survey Shows
• Is Your Small Business Ready to Win Hearts This Valentine’s Day?

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

We hope you had a safe and happy holiday season!

This time of year, many businesses are getting back to normal after a busy holiday retail season, others are just getting back to work after a welcome break.

As we all look ahead to what 2024 may bring, it is common to make resolutions for the coming year. These usually involve some form of self-improvement. Businesses are no different. If their fiscal year lines up with the calendar, right now, they are setting up their resolutions—or goals and targets—for the coming year. What are your business’ resolutions? Don’t have any? Maybe we can help you think of some.

Also in this episode:

• Rick Stephan, Director, Digital Channels co-hosts.
• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern presents the first instalment of Merchant Journey

Links of Interest:

• Forbes Article: Five Practical Small Business New Year’s Resolutions For 2024
• Saving Graze

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

We are now officially in the holiday season, and depending on your business, it can be one of the busiest times of the year. It is also one of the most charitable times of the year and we’d like to focus on that this month.

Al welcomes his featured interview Helen Seibel, Head of Community and Employee Giving at BMO to talk about why it’s important for businesses to give back to their communities. He also welcomes Kat Hamilton and Wayne Henshall from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) who bring some helpful tips on how you can make your small business more accessible.

Also In This Episode:

• David Litwin, Senior Communications Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris brings the latest consumer spending data from this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Having a website without proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is like opening a shop in a dark alley in the world’s largest city without proper signage leading customers to your door. Only those who know where to look will find you, everyone else will just walk on by to the next shop with proper signage and brighter lights.

SEO can be daunting without some basic understanding of how search engines work. This month Al is joined by co-host Sheena Lyonnais, Manager Digital Marketing (Web) at Moneris who teaches him some of these basics. Then he goes deeper into it in this month’s feature interview with SEO expert Rob Rapiti, Digital Marketing Consultant at Cansulta.

Al is also joined as always by Sean McCormick, Moneris’ Consumer Spending Data Expert to get a preview of this year’s holiday shopping season.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

It’s March, and the #1 topic on the minds of most Canadians is tariffs. How will this affect purchasing decisions moving forward? Al welcomes Gary Sands, Senior VP @ Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) to the podcast. They talk about how independent Canadian grocers are already preparing for the imminent tariffs and what this could mean for consumers.

March is also Fraud Prevention Month. Al chats with Amisha Parikh, VP Security Solutions @ Mastercard. They talk about Mastercard’s latest research on the impact of fraud on Canadian’s financial health.

Also This Episode:

• David Litwin, Manager, External Communications at Moneris with insight and advice about Fraud Prevention Month.

Links of Interest:

• Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG)
• Mastercard Trust Centre
• Cybersecurity Assessment Tool
• Fraud Prevention Tools
• What The Fraud : Fraud Prevention Resources

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

This year on Small Business Month, we’ve given our podcast a bit of an SEO and branding makeover. Introducing Moneris’ newest podcast bringing small business owners and entrepreneurs the tools, advice and—most importantly—the data you need to start that business or take your business to the next level. It’s just good business! That’s the podcast! It’s Just Good Business.

In this October episode of Al speaks with Anurag Kar, AVP, Money Movement Products at Interac Corp. about the growing trend of Canadians taking on side-hustles and what that means to the workforce and the economy.

Also in this episode:

• Sam Wong, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hosts.
• Benoit Maheux, Product Line Manager with UEAT is our expert on restaurant kiosks
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some consumer spending data from Canada’s largest cities
• Daniel Stranges, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris talks about the upcoming events for Small Business Month.

Subscribe now!

If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

September is all about the Elevate Festival 2023 in Toronto. Al dives into the 3-day technology and innovation festival with Alex Rayment, Senior Director Partnerships & Key Accounts at Elevate and Vithu Vijayaratnam, Manager Innovation Programs at Elevate. They talk about all the reasons entrepreneurs should attend this festival from world-class speakers, to cutting-edge content tracks, to next-level networking.

Al also speaks with Shawna Miller, VP of Marketing and Communications at Mastercard. They’re a founding sponsor of the Elevate Festival.

Also in this episode:

• Sydney Lupton, Marketing Intern at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some of our recent joint research with Angus Reid
• Matt Rovet, Senior Events Producer at Moneris talks about the upcoming Canadian Consumer Behaviour webinar.

Links of Interest:

• Elevate 2023 Festival
• Canadian Consumer Behaviour Webinar

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Al explores the potential of harnessing big data for small businesses and learns about the importance of data-driven decision-making.

He is joined by Brian Ford, VP, ATB Business Solutions and Victoria Clark, AVP, Payment Product at ATB to talk about how they’re supporting business in Alberta.

Also in this episode:

• Tobii Sanwo, Communications Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some consumer spending data
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of August’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of many businesses in Canada. Many who were behind in their digital transformation journey were sent scrambling to get their business online. Those that were ready, were generally more resilient during the most trying times.

This month, Al welcomes Sean Barkulis, VP, Global Strategic Partnerships – Payment & Fintech at Wix to talk about how their world-class platform is helping businesses with that transformation.

Also in this episode:

• Kristina Anguelakieva, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some ecommerce consumer data
• Madeline Dalglish, Marketing Intern at Moneris gives a rundown of July’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Can you believe it’s already June? This year is just flying by!

It’s the first full year back to normal for many businesses, so we thought we’d take a look at how things are going so far and what are some of the challenges being faced by small Canadian businesses. Al welcomes Jim Filice, VP and Head of Commercial and Money Movement at Visa Canada to talk about those challenges, and how digital payments are helping to ease some of the pain.

Also in this episode:

• Sydney Lupton, Digital Marketing Intern at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris shares some consumer data about the restaurant sector
• Matt Rovet, Senior Events Producer at Moneris gives a rundown of June’s events calendar

Links of Interest

• UEAT
• Moneris Data Services

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

This month is all about Talent as Al speaks with Moneris’ Talent Acquisition team about the candidate experience.

Al is also joined by Michelle Slater, Senior Director North American Marketing at Indeed. Michelle shares some data and provides her tips on how to improve the candidate experience.

Also in this episode:

• Jacqueline Campbell, Sr. Talent Attraction & Employer Brand Consultant, Talent Acquisition at Moneris co-hosts
• Josh Dunton, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition at Moneris talks about the importance of a positive candidate experience
• Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events and Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of May’s events calendar.

Links of Interest

• Webinar: Boosting customer interactions with speed, efficiency, and security.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

It’s Unattended April!

As technology advances, we’re seeing an increasing number of ways to pay without the need for human intervention. From vending machines to parking meters to self-service kiosks, unattended payments have become ubiquitous and convenient.

This month Al speaks with Mark Langmead, Director, Revenue & Compass Operations at Translink to talk about how transit companies have adopted unattended payment solutions to great success.

Also in this episode:

• Sam Wong, Marketing Strategy Manager at Moneris co-hosts
• Doug Hatton, VP, Client Solutions at Moneris talks about Open Loop payments
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris brings the consumer spending data
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of April’s events calendar.

Links of Interest

• Choose Moneris & Save
• eCommerce North French Innovator Challenge

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

March Is Fraud Prevention Month!

Fraud continues to be an increasing problem for businesses. In Canada, it has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses each year. So how do you protect your business from fraudsters? It starts with awareness and the right tools.

In this month’s episode, Al speaks with Aviva Klein, VP Digital Payments and Cyber & Intelligence at Mastercard. Aviva talks about what Mastercard is doing to keep their cardholders and businesses secure.

Also in this episode:

• Jacob Goguen, Manager Fraud Detection & Investigations at Moneris co-hosts and shares fraud data in the ‘By The Numbers’ segment.
• Maria Cameron, Director, Portfolio and Process Risk Management at Moneris provides some tips to protect your online business from fraud.
• Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of March’s events calendar.

Links of Interest:

• Women in Sales Fireside Chat
• Canadian Consumer Behaviour Webinar

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Large sporting events can have a big impact on many different kinds of business. We just had one of the world biggest sporting events in Soccer’s World Cup and coming up this month is one of the biggest sporting events in North America (HINT: It’s a ‘Super’ event).

Al Speaks to Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development at Moneris about this past World Cup and how it affected spending here in Canada. He also speaks with René-Pier Plourde, Content Marketing Manager at UEAT, who talks about the upcoming big game in the US, how that may affect the restaurant business, and how restaurants can prepare for the increased business.

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick co-hosts.
• Patrick Wiltshire, Director, Core Payments at Moneris talks about tipping.
• Matt Rovet, Events Producer at Moneris gives a rundown of February’s events calendar.

Upcoming Events:

• B2B Webinar with Visa - Strategies for savings through B2B payments
• UEAT Webinar – A Restauranteur’s peak-time playbook

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Happy New Year!

Every year around this time we tend to look back at the previous year and then forward to what is to come. This episode will be no different. We will look back at some of the final spend data of 2022 with our resident expert Sean McCormick, Director of Business Development at Moneris. Then we will look forward to 2023 with Jordan Williamson, VP Product Strategy and Data Solutions at Moneris.

Also in this episode:

• David Litwin, Senior Communications Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris  gives a rundown of January’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

This month, Al welcomes back Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services to talk about consumer spending data in the first half of the tax holiday in Canada.

Was it worth it for Canadians? Obviously every bit of savings helps. But what about Canadian Businesses? Did it change anyone’s shopping behaviour?

Listen now to find out.

Also This Episode:

• Daniel Stranges, Senior Events & Sponsorships Specialist at Moneris with a look at February’s Events Calendar

Links of Interest:

• Moneris Data Services
• Second Harvest Sweepstakes

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

It’s that time of year again! Time to get gather with family and celebrate the holidays. It’s a festive time, but it’s also a time when people feel their most charitable, so this month we’re talking about Charities and Not-For-Profit Businesses.

How do these types of business differ from conventional for-profit businesses? What are charities doing to become more ‘digital’ in an increasingly cashless society?

Al speaks with Mark Jordan, Managing Director, tiptap Foundation about an interesting solution for charities looking for cashless and contactless payment options.

Also in this episode:

• Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development, at Moneris talks about what we can expect this year for #GivingTuesday
• Stephen Mattis, Vice President at RBC, shares his expert advice about not-for-profit businesses.
• Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris  gives a rundown of November’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

The leaves are turning, the air is getting cooler, pumpkin spice is flowing and Christmas music is playing everywhere! These are all signs that holiday shopping season is fast approaching. Are you ready? Is your business ready? In this month’s edition of Shop Talk, we’ll help you get ready.

Al speaks with Patrick Wiltshire, Director of Core Payments at Moneris about the release of our newest POS terminals Moneris Go and Moneris Go Plus just in time for those holiday sales.

Also in this episode:

• Dave Daga, Director, Creative Services at Moneris co-hosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development, at Spendscape gives us the latest data on chargebacks heading into the busiest season for chargebacks.
• Angel Zou, Product Specialist at Moneris, talks about gift cards and how they can help your business this holiday season.
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of November’s events calendar.

Links of Interest

• Moneris Go
• Moneris Go Plus
• New Moneris Commercial (En/Fr)

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

It’s our favourite time of year and it has nothing to do with pumpkin spice, or Halloween parties—those are just bonuses!

October is Small Business Month and while we like to celebrate our small Canadian businesses year-round, in October we like to go that extra mile. After all, Moneris is the ‘Proud Partner of Small Canadian Business’.

Al is joined by co-host Tanya Nagi, Manager, Social Media at Moneris to talk about Moneris’ ‘Call For Small’ grant initiative. He also speaks with Aziz Smailagic, Senior Account Manager at Owner. Aziz lists his top 5 things new businesses need to get started.

Also in this episode:

• Nicole Kosmayer, Co-founder, COO at Bookmark with some great advice on building a great ecommerce site
• Sean McCormick, Director, Business Development, at Spendscape gives us an overview of Moneris’ partnership with Angus Reid on the latest consumer spending behaviour and sentiment data
• Amanda Ibrahim, Sr. Events & Sponsorships Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of October’s event calendar.

Click here to learn more about Call For Small 2022.

Links of Interest:

• www.ownr.co
• www.bookmark.com
• CNIB | Connecting the Dots
• Startup Day

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

September is a very busy time for many people, especially parents and teachers gearing up for back-to-school. It’s also a busy time for businesses, as many return from summer vacation and gear up for the holiday season drive.

If you’re a Canadian technology company or a tech entrepreneur, a BIG event on your September calendar should be Elevate Festival 2022! Why?

In this month’s episode, Al speaks with Gbemi Akande, Director of Innovation at Elevate. Learn about how Elevate is helping Canadian tech start-ups and fueling innovation in Canada.

We also hear from a couple of those start-ups as they share their story with Al.

Also in this episode:

• Theresa Wetzel, Sr. Manager, Events & ESG at Moneris co-hosts
• Christal Earle, Founder, CEO at Brave Soles
• Aditiya Dutta, Co-Founder at Fleur & Co.
• Ella Urquhart, Sr. Communications Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of September’s events calendar.

Links of Interest

• Elevate
• Elevate Festival 2022
• eCommerce North
• Brave Soles
• Fleur & Co.
• Moneris.com

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

The way customers pay for goods and services has changed drastically. The events of the past two years has accelerated that change. But what about Business-to-Business transactions? Have there been any improvements with how businesses pay each other?

In this episode Al speaks with Ballal Ahmad, VP Product Management at Mastercard to talk about how businesses are paying their vendors. 

Also in this episode:

• Atia Sabour, Manager, B2B Marketplace Strategy at Moneris co-hosts
• Jon Purther,Director of Market Insights at Payments Canada brings relevant Canadian B2B data
• Robert Wilkinson, Vice President B2B at Moneris is our resident B2b expert
• Ella Urquhart, Sr. Communications Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of August’s events calendar.

Subscribe now!

If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Tourist season in Canada is short, so small businesses in that sector need to make the most of the few months they have to welcome those out-of-town visitors.

In this episode Al speaks with René-Pier Plourde, Head of the UEAT University to talk about how restaurants can improve their dine-in experience and increase revenue. He also speaks to Jordan Williamson, Director of Product Strategy & Development at Moneris about Dynamic Currency Conversion.

Also in this episode:

• Angel Zou, Product Specialist at Moneris co-hosts and talks about Moneris Go Appétit
• Sean McCormick, Director, Sales & Marketing at Spendscape talks about tourism spending trends.
• Amanda Ibrahim, Communications Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of July’s events calendar.

Subscribe now!

If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

The beginning of summer can be an expensive time of year. Folks prepping their outdoor areas for entertaining, landscaping, buying that new BBQ or shed. These are all big purchases.

So how can your business help your customers make those purchases easier on their budgets? Al welcomes Brian Weiner, Vice President, Head of Product and Digital at VISA Canada on the podcast to talk about a potential solution, VISA Installments.

Also in this episode:

• Neetu Sidhu, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Moneris co-hosts and talks about National Indigenous History Month.
• Kip Macartney, Director, Emerging Solutions & Value Added Services at Moneris talks about installment payment solutions.
• Sean McCormick, Director, Sales & Marketing at Spendscape talks about consumer spending trends.
• Amanda Ibrahim, Communications Specialist at Moneris gives a rundown of June’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

The month of May signals many beginnings, the beginning of warmer weather, flowers, budding trees, and for many, it’s a great time to begin a new job.

By all accounts, the current job market is at an all-time high for those who are looking for new employment so this month’s theme is ‘Talent Acquisition’. We’ll help your business navigate this challenging job market.

Moneris’ Director of Talent Acquisition Sim Ozel co-hosts, and in our feature interview, Al speaks with Michelle Slater, Director of Marketing at Indeed Canada, the #1 job site in Canada.

Also in this episode:

• Jacqueline Campbell, Recruitment Marketing Specialist from Moneris shares some tips for optimizing your recruitment efforts
• Theresa Wetzel, Sr. Manager, Events & ESG at Moneris gives a rundown of May’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Tax Season is here!

Spring isn’t the only season that has sprung! It’s also tax season!

In this month’s tax-themed episode, Al speaks with Moneris’ Tax Manager Hanna Ghadban in our ‘Feature’ Interview to talk about all things income tax.

Also…

Are you an early filer of income tax like this month’s co-host Rick Stephan or are you a last-minute crammer like Al? Where do the majority of Canadians rank on that scale? In this month’s ‘By The Numbers’ Sean McCormick will help answer this question with real consumer data.

Also in this episode:

• Clyde Seymour, CPA, CA, MACC, Principal – International Income Tax from Ryan ULC, shares some excellent tax information for small business owners
• Ella Urquhart, Communications Specialist at Moneris with a rundown of April’s events calendar.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

March is Fraud Prevention month!

In the March edition of Shop Talk Podcast, we’re talking about fraud prevention.

Al’s co-host is Yale Holder, VP CEx at Moneris. They talk about the importance of fraud prevention for your business.

In the featured interview Al speaks with the Chief Customer Experience Officer at Kount, Rich Stuppy about fraud trends. Rich also provides valuable tips and insights on how you can protect your business from fraud.

Also in this episode:

• Shawn Cologna, Director of Business Banking Fraud at BMO with some insightful data about fraud
• Daniel Trunzo, VP Portfolio Management & Enterprise Risk Management at Moneris answers the question, “What are some easy and affordable ways to protect my business from fraud?”
• Amanda Ibrahim, Communications Specialist at Moneris with a rundown of March’s events calendar.

Upcoming Events:

• March 7: Moneris CFO Winnie Leung at Dress For Success Toronto: Your Hour, Her Power (toronto.dressforsuccess.org/ for tickets)
• March 11: Integrated eCommerce Essentials (ICE) Workshop by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (boardoftrade.com/events for tickets. Use the code: MONERISICE at checkout for full bursary)
• March 23: Second cohort of eCommerce North (ecommercenorth.ca/ for more details)

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

In the first episode of 2025, Allan welcomes back Sean McCormick, VP of Business Development at Moneris' Data Services, to discuss holiday spending trends from 2024 and their implications for 2025. They touch on the significance of Black Friday sales, regional differences in consumer spending, and predictions for economic recovery.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

In the February edition of Shop Talk Podcast, the theme is Valentine’s Day!

Al is joined by Louis Davis as co-host to talk a little about Black History Month, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Valentine’s Day.

In the featured interview Al speaks with gift card expert Ashley Jamieson about the kick-off to Gift Card Season. Ashley provides some tips and tricks and best practices when implementing a gift card strategy for your business.

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick with last year’s Valentine’s Day numbers and how they can be predictive for 2022
• Amy Maraone answers the question, “What does Omni-Channel mean for both businesses and the customer?”
• Theresa Wetzel talks about the ‘Second Harvest Hero Sweepstakes’

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

In this inaugural episode, Al is joined by co-host Kelly Servos to help ring in the new year and the new podcast.

This month's featured interview is with Peter Goldsztajn, Director, Corporate Data Analytics at Moneris. Al and Peter look back at all the data from 2021 to see how Canada is recovering from the economic shutdown.

Also in this episode:

• Maria Cameron, Director, Portfolio and Process Risk Management talks about chargebacks and how you can protect your business from them.

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Subscribe now!

If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

In this episode, Kate Horton, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (RMHC), pays Al a visit to discuss the organization's mission to support families with critically ill children. She shares insights into the history and impact of RMHC, including the challenges faced by families and their need for support.

Kate also highlights heartwarming stories of families helped by RMHC and details ongoing campaigns and ways small businesses can contribute.

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris talks Taylor Swift numbers.
• Amanda Ibrahim, Senior Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris.

Links of Interest:

• Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada
• Moneris Data Services

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

One of the victims of moving to a more cashless society in the past has been charitable organizations that rely on people’s generosity during in-person donation opportunities. There are many people who simply just don’t like carrying cash with them.

For the past few years, we’ve been following the progress of Canadian startup tiptap as they’ve grown from a conversation-starting curiosity, to a fixture on many national charitable campaigns, and not-for-profit institutions.

Al has a sit-down with tiptap Director of Sales Mark Jordan to talk about a couple of these national campaigns The Poppy Campaign and The Red Kettle Campaign to learn how tip tap has helped them bridge the cashless gap.

Also in this episode:

• Neal Isaac, Managing Director, Open Banking & Payments at ATB is our expert on open banking
• Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services shares consumer spending data.

Links of Interest:

• Atb.com
• Open Finance Network of Canada
• Fintechs Canada
• Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Budget 2024: Canada’s Consumer-Driven Banking Framework
• tiptappay.com
• Mark@TipTapPay.com

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

Over the past few months we’ve talked a lot about grants and programs, both from the government and corporations, but how do you apply for these grants?

This month, Al speaks with “Grant Angel” Stephanie Sang, Founder at Granted Consulting. As her nickname implies, Stephanie knows all about grants and shares her expertise with us.  

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services shares consumer spending data.
• Ella Urquhart, Events Manager at Moneris gives a rundown of Ocober’s events calendar.

Links of Interest:

• granted.ca
• Ronald McDonald House Canada
• RMHC Great Games Challenge
• Small Business Forum

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

What came first? Your brick and mortar business or your ecommerce business? Whichever one you chose, one thing is almost certain, if you have a brick and mortar location, you most likely have a way to sell your product or service online as well. You may have noticed some challenges with keeping both channels synchronised, whether its with inventory management, scheduling, or sales. In this month’s episode Al speaks with expert Jason Grossman, Senior Product Manager at Moneris about how you can better align both those channels.

Al also speaks with Mayumi Bae, Founder of The Plant Based Workshop and winner of the Visa She’s Next Grant Program. They talk about how and why she started her business and what her plans are for the grant.  

Also in this episode:

• Sean McCormick, VP Business Development at Moneris Data Services shares consumer spending data.
• Matt Rovet, Senior Events Producer talks about September’s busy events calendar

Links of Interest:

• Moneris Total Commerce
• The Plant Based Workshop
• She’s Next, Empowered By Visa
• 2024 Elevate Festival
• Trellis Transit
• Glow Ritual
• Canada Fintech Forum 2024
• eCommerce North Innovator Challenge
• Toronto Oktoberfest

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If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.

We’ve taken a look at government support for small business in Canada, but what about corporate support? Al is visited by Gerardo Welter, Vice President – Marketing & Business Insights Canada and Latin America at American Express. They talk about Amex’s Shop Small campaign, and they also share some promising trends for shopping small in Canada based on consumer shopping research.

Another great event to support small business in Canada is the Elevate Festival. Al brings you on-the-scene interviews with participants from last year’s festival to give you a taste of what you can expect this year.

Also in this episode:

• Daniel Stranges, Sr. Events & Sponsorship Specialist at Moneris cohosts.
• Sean McCormick, Director Business Development at Moneris shares consumer spending data.

Links of Interest:

• Shop Small With American Express
• 2024 Elevate Festival
• African Bronze Honey
• After 9 Inc.
• HypeDocs

Subscribe now!

If you have a payment-related or business question you’d like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.

Just Good Business is a Moneris podcast production hosted by Al Grego.