<![CDATA[Open For Business Montreal]]>Every independent business in this city has two stories. The one on the sign, and the one behind the counter.


This show is the second one.


I'm Jason. I've spent 20 years in operations, and I run Pepper Consulting, a Montreal operations and leadership consultancy. Every episode I sit down with someone who built something here. A shop, a trade, a restaurant, a one-person agency, a contractor running crews across the province. People who started with an idea and grew it into something that actually works.


And then I ask the questions nobody asks them in public.


How did the first paying client happen. What did the good year actually cost you. What broke when you got busy. If you disappeared for a week, what would your customers notice first. The stuff owners talk about with each other at eleven at night, and never on a stage.


Because here is what I've learned in 20 years: almost nobody is failing because they are lazy, and almost nobody is winning because they are a genius. The difference is the systems underneath. Who does what. What happens when somebody doesn't answer. How work gets from sold to done to paid. It is unglamorous, it is invisible from the outside, and it is the whole game.


So these conversations go somewhere most business interviews don't. My guests talk about the month they took on more than they could carry. The client they should have said no to. The thing they still do themselves at midnight because they have never figured out how to hand it over. They are generous about it, because they remember being on the other side of it.


Then at the end of every episode, I take one idea from the conversation and spend ninety seconds on it alone, for you. One pattern, one example, one thing you can change this week. No pitch. Just the fix.


WHO THIS IS FOR

If you run a business, you will hear your own in here, and you will leave with something you can use. If you are thinking about starting one, this is the honest version of what you are signing up for. And if you just love this city, you will never walk past these places the same way again.


WHO IS ON IT

Independent, owner-run Montreal businesses. No franchises, no chains, no corporate talking points. One owner per episode, so it stays a conversation and not a panel.


Thirty minutes or so. Filmed. In English.


WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW

If you run a business in this city, or you know someone who should be in that chair, I would like to hear about it.

Book a time: https://calendar.app.google/VT6pwKgEUjgrzW2Y6

Or write to me: hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca


Open for Business Montreal is a Pepper Consulting show. More on the operations side at jasonpepper.ca.


Fix the system. Free the owner.


#MontrealBusiness #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessOperations #MadeInMontreal

]]>https://www.openforbusinessmontreal.caRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Mon, 09 Nov 2026 05:16:03 GMTTue, 13 Oct 2026 00:49:47 GMT60Jason Pepper<p>Every independent business in this city has two stories. The one on the sign, and the one behind the counter.</p><p><br /></p><p>This show is the second one.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm Jason. I've spent 20 years in operations, and I run Pepper Consulting, a Montreal operations and leadership consultancy. Every episode I sit down with someone who built something here. A shop, a trade, a restaurant, a one-person agency, a contractor running crews across the province. People who started with an idea and grew it into something that actually works.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then I ask the questions nobody asks them in public.</p><p><br /></p><p>How did the first paying client happen. What did the good year actually cost you. What broke when you got busy. If you disappeared for a week, what would your customers notice first. The stuff owners talk about with each other at eleven at night, and never on a stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Because here is what I've learned in 20 years: almost nobody is failing because they are lazy, and almost nobody is winning because they are a genius. The difference is the systems underneath. Who does what. What happens when somebody doesn't answer. How work gets from sold to done to paid. It is unglamorous, it is invisible from the outside, and it is the whole game.</p><p><br /></p><p>So these conversations go somewhere most business interviews don't. My guests talk about the month they took on more than they could carry. The client they should have said no to. The thing they still do themselves at midnight because they have never figured out how to hand it over. They are generous about it, because they remember being on the other side of it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then at the end of every episode, I take one idea from the conversation and spend ninety seconds on it alone, for you. One pattern, one example, one thing you can change this week. No pitch. Just the fix.</p><p><br /></p><p>WHO THIS IS FOR</p><p>If you run a business, you will hear your own in here, and you will leave with something you can use. If you are thinking about starting one, this is the honest version of what you are signing up for. And if you just love this city, you will never walk past these places the same way again.</p><p><br /></p><p>WHO IS ON IT</p><p>Independent, owner-run Montreal businesses. No franchises, no chains, no corporate talking points. One owner per episode, so it stays a conversation and not a panel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thirty minutes or so. Filmed. In English.</p><p><br /></p><p>WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW</p><p>If you run a business in this city, or you know someone who should be in that chair, I would like to hear about it.</p><p>Book a time: <a href="https://calendar.app.google/VT6pwKgEUjgrzW2Y6" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://calendar.app.google/VT6pwKgEUjgrzW2Y6</a></p><p>Or write to me: <a href="mailto:hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Open for Business Montreal is a Pepper Consulting show. More on the operations side at jasonpepper.ca.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fix the system. Free the owner.</p><p><br /></p><p>#MontrealBusiness #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessOperations #MadeInMontreal</p>episodicJason Pepperjason@pepperconsulting.cano<![CDATA[Building an Indoor Golf Business in Montreal | Golf Morag | Jennifer Ciccarelli]]>January 2025: two partners, both still working full time, and a 76-page business plan. A year later, they opened the doors of Golf Morag in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

Jason sits down with Jennifer Ciccarelli, co-owner of Golf Morag, to get into how it really works behind the counter: why the first question was "why" and not "what," how a gamified putting green keeps people playing, what a summer flood did to the business, and why a simple hello at the door might be the most underrated move in business.

Golf Morag: https://golfmorag.ca | Instagram @golfmoragmtl

Open for Business Montreal: real conversations with people who built something in Montreal.

Want help streamlining your operations? Book a free call with Jason Pepper Consulting: https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38

Want to be a guest on the show ? https://calendar.app.google/WPTnA8qKSNmNNnMm6

#OpenForBusinessMontreal #MontrealBusiness #SmallBusiness #Podcasts #GolfMorag

]]>http://pepperconsulting.ca95e14a0f-854e-42c4-bd1a-576aff7724b9Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:45:00 GMT<p>January 2025: two partners, both still working full time, and a 76-page business plan. A year later, they opened the doors of Golf Morag in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.</p><p>Jason sits down with Jennifer Ciccarelli, co-owner of Golf Morag, to get into how it really works behind the counter: why the first question was "why" and not "what," how a gamified putting green keeps people playing, what a summer flood did to the business, and why a simple hello at the door might be the most underrated move in business.</p><p>Golf Morag: <a href="https://golfmorag.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://golfmorag.ca</a> | Instagram @golfmoragmtl</p><p>Open for Business Montreal: real conversations with people who built something in Montreal.</p><p>Want help streamlining your operations? Book a free call with Jason Pepper Consulting: <a href="https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38</a></p><p>Want to be a guest on the show ? <a href="https://calendar.app.google/WPTnA8qKSNmNNnMm6" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://calendar.app.google/WPTnA8qKSNmNNnMm6</a></p><p>#OpenForBusinessMontreal #MontrealBusiness #SmallBusiness #Podcasts #GolfMorag</p>no00:48:552Building an Indoor Golf Business in Montreal | Golf Morag | Jennifer Ciccarellifull<![CDATA[1 Client to 20: Jordyn Shell on Boutique Marketing]]>What happens when the person you see is the person who does everything?


Jordyn Shell studied special education. She planned to open a horse farm. She was hostessing at a sushi restaurant in Dollard when two friends walked in and offered her a job she had zero qualifications for. Five years later she quit corporate, and today she runs a boutique marketing agency with almost 20 clients. She shoots, edits, schedules and invoices all of it herself.


In this episode of Open for Business Montreal, Jordyn tells us the parts nobody posts about:


- The morning she woke up with a pit in her stomach, and the exact numbers she refused to leave without

- The summer of 2026, when 70-hour weeks became 85+ and she lived in survival mode

- Why "no contract" nearly broke her schedule, and the 3-business-day rule that fixed it

- The thing almost nobody admits: she still feels bad billing people for her time

- Why she turns down clients who aren't operationally ready

- What she wishes someone had told her before she started


And stay to the end for Jason's "Ask the Consultant" takeaway on the one step in your business where you wait on someone else, and the one thing to put in your contract about it.


CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro: 1 client to almost 20

2:57 What "boutique" really means

5:06 Zero to one: the first paying client

9:54 A real week: 4 to 7 shoots, 70 hours

13:53 The pit in her stomach

18:13 The summer that nearly broke her

25:25 Contracts and client approvals

31:12 Scope creep

33:56 Why she feels bad billing

37:09 "You're not ready yet"

44:31 What she wishes she knew

47:39 What the next five years look like

50:16 Where to find Jordyn

53:48 Ask the Consultant


FIND JORDYN

Instagram: @jordynshellmarketing (she's most active here, so DM her)

Website: jordynshell.ca

Email: JordynShellMarketing@gmail.com


WANT TO BE IN THE SEAT?

Do you run a business in Montreal? Do you have a story, wins, or hard lessons to share? Email hello@jasonpepper.ca and let's talk about getting you on the show.


NEED THE SYSTEMS BEHIND YOUR BUSINESS?

Jason runs Jason Pepper Consulting, an operations and leadership consultancy for Montreal businesses. Book a free call: https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38

Website: pepperconsulting.ca


Follow, subscribe, and send this to the business owner in your life who needs to hear it. We fix the system. We free the owners.

]]>http://pepperconsulting.ca47796d9f-42c6-41e7-bcd5-442941ed7501Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:04:29 GMT<p>What happens when the person you see is the person who does everything?</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordyn Shell studied special education. She planned to open a horse farm. She was hostessing at a sushi restaurant in Dollard when two friends walked in and offered her a job she had zero qualifications for. Five years later she quit corporate, and today she runs a boutique marketing agency with almost 20 clients. She shoots, edits, schedules and invoices all of it herself.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this episode of Open for Business Montreal, Jordyn tells us the parts nobody posts about:</p><p><br /></p><p>- The morning she woke up with a pit in her stomach, and the exact numbers she refused to leave without</p><p>- The summer of 2026, when 70-hour weeks became 85+ and she lived in survival mode</p><p>- Why "no contract" nearly broke her schedule, and the 3-business-day rule that fixed it</p><p>- The thing almost nobody admits: she still feels bad billing people for her time</p><p>- Why she turns down clients who aren't operationally ready</p><p>- What she wishes someone had told her before she started</p><p><br /></p><p>And stay to the end for Jason's "Ask the Consultant" takeaway on the one step in your business where you wait on someone else, and the one thing to put in your contract about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>0:00 Intro: 1 client to almost 20</p><p>2:57 What "boutique" really means</p><p>5:06 Zero to one: the first paying client</p><p>9:54 A real week: 4 to 7 shoots, 70 hours</p><p>13:53 The pit in her stomach</p><p>18:13 The summer that nearly broke her</p><p>25:25 Contracts and client approvals</p><p>31:12 Scope creep</p><p>33:56 Why she feels bad billing</p><p>37:09 "You're not ready yet"</p><p>44:31 What she wishes she knew</p><p>47:39 What the next five years look like</p><p>50:16 Where to find Jordyn</p><p>53:48 Ask the Consultant</p><p><br /></p><p>FIND JORDYN</p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jordynshellmarketing/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@jordynshellmarketing</a> (she's most active here, so DM her)</p><p>Website: <a href="https://jordynshell.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">jordynshell.ca</a></p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:JordynShellMarketing@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">JordynShellMarketing@gmail.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>WANT TO BE IN THE SEAT?</p><p>Do you run a business in Montreal? Do you have a story, wins, or hard lessons to share? Email <a href="mailto:hello@jasonpepper.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">hello@jasonpepper.ca</a> and let's talk about getting you on the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>NEED THE SYSTEMS BEHIND YOUR BUSINESS?</p><p>Jason runs Jason Pepper Consulting, an operations and leadership consultancy for Montreal businesses. Book a free call: <a href="https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://calendar.app.google/WoDaXSa2FcGbwqj38</a></p><p>Website: <a href="https://pepperconsulting.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pepperconsulting.ca</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Follow, subscribe, and send this to the business owner in your life who needs to hear it. We fix the system. We free the owners.</p>no00:54:2911 Client to 20: Jordyn Shell on Boutique Marketingfull<![CDATA[The Story Behind the Counter]]>Every business in this city has two stories. The one on the sign, and the one behind the counter. This show is the second one.


I'm Jason. Twenty years in operations, and I run Pepper Consulting here in Montreal. Every episode I sit down with someone who built something in this city and ask how it actually runs. The good years, the ones that nearly broke them, and the job they are still doing themselves at midnight. Then I close with ninety seconds on how to fix that same thing in your own business.


No gurus. No ten steps to seven figures. Just the real version, from the people who built it.


Follow now so the first episode lands as soon as it drops.


Built something in this city and want to be in that chair? hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca


Open for Business Montreal is a Pepper Consulting production. We fix the system, and we free the owner.

]]>http://pepperconsulting.cad4e062f4-1765-4c4b-a397-d1ec084d8ad9Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:04:27 GMT<p>Every business in this city has two stories. The one on the sign, and the one behind the counter. This show is the second one.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm Jason. Twenty years in operations, and I run Pepper Consulting here in Montreal. Every episode I sit down with someone who built something in this city and ask how it actually runs. The good years, the ones that nearly broke them, and the job they are still doing themselves at midnight. Then I close with ninety seconds on how to fix that same thing in your own business.</p><p><br /></p><p>No gurus. No ten steps to seven figures. Just the real version, from the people who built it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Follow now so the first episode lands as soon as it drops.</p><p><br /></p><p>Built something in this city and want to be in that chair? <a href="mailto:hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">hello@openforbusinessmontreal.ca</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Open for Business Montreal is a Pepper Consulting production. We fix the system, and we free the owner.</p>no00:02:36The Story Behind the Countertrailer