Latest / Authentic Living / Empowering Small Businesses: Vivian Okeke on Leadership, Growth, and Resilience

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Empowering Small Businesses: Vivian Okeke on Leadership, Growth, and Resilience · Authentic Living

0:01
Welcome to Authentic Living with Roxanne, a place where we have conscious conversations
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about things that really matter in our lives.
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And now here's your host, Roxanne Durhaj.
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Hi, everyone.
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This is Roxanne Durhonch.
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Thanks for tuning in again to Authentic Living with Roxanne.
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Today, I'm a special guest, someone that's local ish, like we talked about.
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She's in Mississauga, I'm in Niagara Falls.
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Vivian Okk.
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Vivian, so nice to have you today.
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So nice to be here.
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So let's let me tell you a little bit about Vivianne, and we're gonna have a lot to talk
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about.
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She's done a lot in the business world.
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She's a mother.
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She's a faith driven entrepreneur and an HR consultant and the founder of ProSupport HR
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Partners.
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It's an Ontario based consulting firm that helps small business owners build compliance,
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people first workplaces rooted in purpose and integrity.
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And she's just 12 of HR experience and a master's in HR from Rochester Institute of
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Technology.
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And she's also a single mom and an immigrant and knows what's to build things from the
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ground up with grit, grace, and god.
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She's offered a book Beneath the Cornerstone.
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It's a collection of stories and lessons of what it takes to build business strategy, soul,
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and staying power.
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So, Vivian, you've been on this path for a long time.
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So you said you're you're an immigrant.
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So where did you immigrate to Canada twelve years ago, or what was the path that got you on
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this journey to develop this business strategy related to leadership and HR?
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Okay, so for we're actually it was the first time I ever heard the word human capital.
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It was actually not human resources, it was human capital.
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So I was part of our youth leadership training program when I was about 19 years old and I
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heard about investing in human capital.
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I got interested in HR.
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My first role, my first work experience was as a HR assistant, and I started building that up,
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got a master's degree.
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And in 2019, I moved to Canada with my daughter.
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Wow.
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Yes.
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It was scary for me being a mom with a little girl.
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We talked about resilience earlier.
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Feel like it's my motto, it's what drives me resilience faced and that sheer tenacity to
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succeed.
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So this is where I am right now.
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I also worked in corporate as human resources.
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About two years ago I decided to, you know what, let me see, do this entrepreneurial
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journey full on.
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Again, I will talk about the resilience and faith, because as a single mother in a single
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parent home, you need that stability with regards to income.
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I'm doing it by faith and I'm building my business, helping other business owners that
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I've seen struggle with a lot of things.
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I see a lot of them want to do right by their businesses but do not know how.
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That's the reason I started Pro Support HR Partners, to just be that person that you can
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relate to, that understands it.
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The whole purpose of my business is not to intimidate a small business owner.
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It doesn't matter if you're a solopreneur or you have one or two people working with you.
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Want you to be able to sit down with me and know that you're talking to that friend who
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that
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So you try to be their like you said, you try to be their friend when you meet them initially
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to try to understand their needs.
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Can you hear me now?
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Yeah.
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Yeah, think it's the headphones that just gave out.
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Okay.
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So when you meet them initially, you're recognizing that obviously yeah.
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I I often say when you start a business, and I think of when I started my business fourteen
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years ago, I, like you, had been in corporate.
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I'd been consulting in my field of psychology, and then I start a business.
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And then it's me, just me in corporate.
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So you had somebody giving you the marketing plan.
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You had somebody kinda telling you what the new sales were.
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They were telling you kinda what the opportunities were, what research and
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development was, all that stuff.
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And then I was the executive that it collated and made sure my team delivered it accordingly.
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So many of those business owners, they pour the energy into branding, marketing, sales, but
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sometimes they ignore the back end of their business, which is I sometimes some of them do
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not have contracts.
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They don't even document the roles, and they just hire based on, okay.
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I like your personality.
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Oh, this is my cousin's friend or somebody I know.
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So they hire based on just faith, which is good, but you still need those documentation.
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You need your SOPs to be able to build your business to the point where you want it to be.
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By the time most of them reach out to me, it's always because something has gone wrong.
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Maybe somebody is ending the business relationship with them and probably walking
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away with sensitive information.
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They don't know how to navigate it.
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Or maybe a team member is basically confused about their job role or their expectation, or
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they have a legal threat.
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Maybe CRA has come or there's an audit from labor.
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That's when they run to me.
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Sometimes I'm able to come through, but other times I have to escalate it to a lawyer.
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I've had those experiences before.
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So what would naturally cost you $500 to pay?
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You're paying a fine of maybe $5,000 because of this mistake.
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And the truth is most of them are not really bad business owners.
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They really do care about their businesses.
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But if you don't have that structure in place, the foundation, that's why my book has the
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beneath the cornerstone, the human threat that shapes every business.
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If you don't, your good intention naturally will not even help.
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But you need to build systems and structures so you can have clarity on how to scale your
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business.
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So what do you find?
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So most people come in a critical situation.
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Like you said, it could have been something that had they had a lawyer on retainer or a
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lawyer that they've worked with in the past, they could run through, kinda say, I've got
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this issue with an employee.
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We've addressed it.
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We've looked at the policy.
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We've taken the steps.
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However, the employee's saying now it's harassment or, you know, how it kinda conspire
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all those things.
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So when someone's coming to you in that crisis, obviously, you address the crisis, and,
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hopefully, it's not too detrimental for them.
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And at that point, are you most do most small business owners start to think recognize they
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need a bit of strategy out of the crisis?
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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Yes.
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That's what I actually had I've had this, but I have something happen to me this early morning.
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Somebody called me.
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She's panicking because somebody she employed on a gig base, on a call basis, just told her
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she can't come in because she's not feeling well.
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And I looked at a contract.
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I said, you can't really do anything about this because your contract is just basic.
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There are no expectations there, so you can't do anything about this contract.
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You just have to deal with it.
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So she's worried about how she's going to go about this situation.
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So now she understands.
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We are building a strategy on how to look at what she has already.
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Does she have an employee handled?
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What are these policies that she has in place?
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It doesn't matter if you're employing subcontractors or full time employees.
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It's important to know that you need to have policies.
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It doesn't matter.
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That's your business.
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These are your guiding principles.
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I also talk to them about another thing I noticed is most business owners, small business
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owners do not have SOPs.
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I always tell them that, look, your SOP is like your bible, is your guiding principle.
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It just helps you give you that clarity.
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When somebody comes into your organization, they know the rules, they know the steps to
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take, they know how It also makes your job easier.
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It saves you time on training because that was another thing the person who called me earlier
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this morning was worried about.
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If I'm going to bring in somebody, I'm going on vacation on Friday.
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What am I going to do?
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How am I going to train this person?
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I said, did you document your training?
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Did you document your SOPs?
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Do you have anything documented?
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No.
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So we're going to work on those things.
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I'll try and get it done for her maybe by tomorrow in two days.
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Let's see how that works.
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So that's the issue I noticed that small business owners face.
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Yeah.
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I think and I think I've been guilty of that in many ways too, Vivian.
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I think and I'm around a lot of speakers, consultants, coaches in my role as as a part of
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the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
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It's people that have started businesses, and they're passionate.
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They're very they really wanna make a difference in the world.
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And they start they kind of start doing business because business starts coming to
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them.
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And what happens is they're just kinda rolling along, and then all of a sudden, now they have
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a business.
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And then it's kinda what's your system?
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Like, how do you when you get a call, how do you deal with it?
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Where does it go?
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And oftentimes, most people are, like, kinda dare in the headlights.
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And they say, Cause they're like, oh, I don't know.
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I just do it.
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And then like you said, a solopreneur, generally you do everything yourself at first.
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So you're HR, you're the person answering the phone, you're the responding to emails, you're
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everything.
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And then all a sudden you realize, oh boy, no.
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It's a little bit more it's actual business.
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I need support, but I don't know how to bring people on to your point.
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Right?
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It's kinda like I like somebody, so I think, oh, that'd be good for sales.
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And just because I like them doesn't mean that they have any kind of sales experience.
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So I think that you're so right with saying having that process in place, having it
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documented could probably save you a lot of time and probably sleepless nights, I would
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think, and probably a lot of overall money, especially as you're starting within Would you
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say it's harder within one to three years to get people to talk strategy?
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It's harder because they're basically looking at making money really.
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You can't blame them.
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They don't talk strategy, but strategy in the sense of the financial angle of it.
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But the strategy and the structure is something that usually generally gets overlooked in those
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early years.
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So I always tell my clients that, look, I know it's just you, but I don't look at you as just
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you.
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I look at you in the next five years.
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I'm sure in your business, you have a business plan, your financial projections, you're
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looking at in the next five years, you're going to be making a million dollars or something.
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I look at you as a huge club and conglomerate, you know?
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So I'm looking at you with so much potentials.
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I'm looking at you the way you're seeing your vision in five years.
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So the only way for us to get to that point in five years is if you're used to doing these
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things now.
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If you're used to those structures now, it makes it easier.
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Whoever comes into your organization just falls in line.
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So it's really about the owner or the CEO kind of not just having a mission and a vision, but
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really past that.
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If the if I'm the commodity for Roxanne or Hutch Consulting, I have a sense of what I do.
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I I speak.
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I coach.
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I train.
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I consult.
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But then in within that, there's so many things that have to get done before I get on that
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stage or before I get in front of that client.
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And it's almost like we reverse engineering it back to say in the first like, you're right.
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One to three years is can I make money in this business or do I need to go and get a job?
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And you get past that.
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And then after that, it's where do I what's where do I see the business going?
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And, like you said, in three, five, or ten years.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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So how do you figure that out with people?
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Do they do people know, or they kinda I don't know.
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They don't know.
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Okay.
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Some people, like I said earlier, they get in trouble and they come to me.
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Okay.
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So we we start building from there.
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Some know, especially people who have been in corporate before, they know and they come to
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me.
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So I find that people who have been in human resources, I have clients that have been in
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human resources that already understand that I need this, even though I just have one or two
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employees.
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But I need to have the handbook.
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I need to have the policies.
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I need to know that there are job clarities for whoever I'm bringing in to work with me.
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So there's no confusion.
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So sometimes they don't know this.
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You have to point them out, point these things out to them.
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Also, I also get clients who just want to write a contract.
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And when I will do the contracts for you or review what you already have, After that, we're
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going to talk about all the things.
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What are the policies in place?
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It's not just writing the contract or you downloaded a contract from the internet, which
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is fine, or you get GPT to help you write a contract.
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Do you understand the policies in place?
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Do you know what the ESAs are as the Employment Standard Act?
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Because you can get in trouble by misclassifying your employees.
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You can skew the line between having a contractor to a full time employee.
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So is that all how you structure out whatever documents or contracts you're signing with who
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you're bringing into your organization matters a lot.
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Sometimes you get audited because you know how the funny thing is, I also had a client in the
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healthcare industry who got audited.
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They don't tell you when they are coming.
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They just come.
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You
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kind of wish they would.
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They get this part.
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It's very subtle sometimes.
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Sometimes they're nice enough to just send that email.
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Sometimes they just come and as you're growing, you're getting noticed.
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Just people can tell what might happen.
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So they got audited and got in a little bit of trouble with the classification of the
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employee.
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They realized that they had more independent contractors instead of full time employees.
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They looked at their contracts and there has to be a difference.
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The expectations for a standard employee is different from the expectations for an
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independent contractor.
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So you need to know how you're drafting that contract.
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That's why you need either a professional HR or you can get someone who is an employment lawyer
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to help you look through your contracts just for that safety net.
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It's easy to download the free stuff, but it's also better to just not get into a bigger fine
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because you're getting in trouble.
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You have to pay fine.
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Those things cause unnecessary headaches.
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And you're facing an audit on top of
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then you probably think, I could
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just do independent contractor with everybody and save myself money for not having to pay
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benefits and CPP and all of that stuff.
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And then you realize, oh, there's actually a distinction between how many hours the person
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and you would know more about that.
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How many hours the person is working versus not, and what's the distinction?
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So I don't know that
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a lot.
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And something as simple as, oh, you have, oh, this is an independent contractor, but I gave
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him a laptop.
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He has a work laptop and he has to report to the office from 8AM to 5PM.
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So you're already screwing the lines between, oh,
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an employee.
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Employee.
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So something as simple as that.
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Do they have, did you give them a work, maybe a laptop?
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Are they assigned one?
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So if you're assigned one, then they're considered an employee.
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Yeah.
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Those are the things that what are the things that you're giving them and what are their
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roles.
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So those are the things that if you're not aware, you might get in a little bit of trouble
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because of that.
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So it's an education process as well.
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Like you said, initially, you're just kind of trying to get your sea legs and figuring out,
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okay.
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I have a I have something called a business.
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I now can keep the lights on and have the business flow as much as possible.
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And now I'd say I would say if you survive one to three years, then you're really kinda
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thinking, okay.
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How am I gonna sustain this?
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And probably talk about profitability and margins and all those things.
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And then it's kinda okay.
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How now what?
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Right?
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Like, the back end.
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Know?
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And that's what that was the one thing that I learned after I started my business was how did
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I knew really, Vivian.
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I knew little.
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And then people would talk about systems and what's your CRM and and what's your social
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media strategy, and how is it that your presence and your brand is and I'm like, all
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this stuff with I was I was very overwhelmed, to put it bluntly.
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And all I wanted to do was to be able to get in front of the client.
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That was my only thing that I wanna do, but there was all this other stuff that kept
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drawing me back.
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So I could see how your role would help to give a lot of support to small business
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entrepreneurs.
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Now tell us now you wrote about this.
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Right?
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So you obviously, you went through your path, and you came from where?
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Where did you come from, Vivian?
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What country?
17:39
Yeah.
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Nigeria.
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Nigeria.
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Okay.
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Yes.
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So very different to North America.
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I came from Trinidad, but I came at 17 as a foreign student.
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Still very different.
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A lot to get accustomed to.
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And your daughter's how old at this point?
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She's nine.
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She was nine.
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Wow.
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So when came here, she was twenty nineteen, she was she just she she turned three when we came
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here.
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Oh, wow.
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So she was a baby?
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Yeah.
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She was a baby when we came here.
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Did you have family here or did you come on your own?
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I had family, but the thing is culturally, Canada is different because you have to do it
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on your own per se.
18:18
Yeah.
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The people have their lives.
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You have to go to work, but you don't have that level of support.
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I didn't have that level of support.
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Let me speak for myself.
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I don't want to make a blanket statement.
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I didn't have that level of support like where you can go to work and then you have family
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that can help you go pick up a daughter from daycare, all those things.
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So it was a struggle.
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Sometimes I ask myself, what am I doing?
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It's paid off.
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I'm glad I made that move.
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I'm glad I made that move.
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But also, already because I went to school in America, I went to school in Rochester, New
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York.
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So I do also understand the North American culture to an extent.
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So
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it's not like it was the first time and you were moving here with her.
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You had lived you basically lived.
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Yeah.
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Lived at work.
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It wasn't like, oh, I have the fish out of the water and confused.
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But I didn't live here as a mother and I didn't live in North America as a mother.
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So it was a different it was a different experience for me.
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So would you say that there's some parallels between what you went through that probably
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comes through in your book in the stories?
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Did you find that some of the entrepreneurs that you interviewed on those books, was there
19:32
stories like yours or elements of resilience that I think, first of all, to be an
19:38
entrepreneur, you have to be resilient.
19:39
Period.
19:39
I was gonna say Lance.
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Yes.
19:42
Yeah.
19:42
And I always say, when we
19:43
think through, I was talking to a colleague the other day, sometimes you think, maybe I would
19:47
just go back to being an employee.
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And I said, you're wired a certain way when you're an entrepreneur.
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And a lot of people that are employees don't get it because they go, why would you want all
19:55
the other butter?
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But it's it's the when you develop something, and I don't know if you feel the same way, you
20:01
see that with a you're like, I did that versus having a paycheck, nine to five is also good.
20:06
But it's really it's that soul searching kind of conversation that you have to really have
20:11
with yourself, which I'm sure you go through a lot of hearing those conversations with
20:14
entrepreneurs.
20:15
So tell us a little bit about the book.
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What was the kind of the idea around the book?
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What I've written to, and I know what more mine came from.
20:23
What was your kind of thing that said, you know what, I think I need to put this out into the
20:28
universe?
20:29
So I wanted a book that I could share stories of what I've also experienced personally,
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because back in Nigeria, even though corporate, I had businesses.
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I was also an entrepreneur.
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And I also came from a family of entrepreneurs.
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My dad was an entrepreneur and I have uncles and family and I'm from a tribe, Igbo.
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We're known in Nigeria as the business people in Nigeria.
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So we're known entrepreneurs.
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So I would say it flows in my blood.
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It's like me too as well.
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I grew up around an entrepreneurial family as well.
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My dad was an entrepreneur from the time I was really young.
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So I kind of always had that thinking or I'd be on a Saturday morning there would be people
21:14
that were in the oil business.
21:15
They would be talking business and we would be running around playing.
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And then now you realize you're like, oh my goodness, I was getting educated to say about
21:23
things, just kind of overhearing things.
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So it is a mindset definitely.
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Yes.
21:28
Yes.
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Yes.
21:30
And I also came here, a lot of people knew that, okay, I have experience in human
21:34
resources.
21:35
I was working in corporate, my friends who had small businesses would always run to me, can
21:40
you help me with the payroll?
21:41
Can you help me with this?
21:42
What do you think about this?
21:44
So I usually used to give my advice for free.
21:46
But at some point I realised that, look, I want to be able to share this experience in my book
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with people.
21:53
And I wanted to tell it in a way that doesn't seem like the usual guide where they tell you,
21:59
boom, you get this.
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I wanted anyone who is reading the book to go on this journey.
22:05
And you feel like you can, I understand what legacy is because I'm reading the story of this
22:12
person, of Rachel?
22:14
Also, were so many other, every chapter has a different story of an entrepreneur, some from
22:22
personal experience and some that have working in human resources that have seen these things
22:27
are possibilities that can happen in businesses.
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But I wanted to share them as stories so that whoever is reading it will understand the
22:34
steps, the point where this issue started and the steps that was taken to solve those issues.
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So that was the reason I wrote my book.
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I wanted it to be very relatable because my business is the way I structure my business is
22:52
for it to be very relatable.
22:54
Right.
22:55
And being able to read stories, you can go, wow, that person's walking in my shoes.
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Exactly.
23:01
That's what I
23:01
What smart was that?
23:03
I didn't think about
23:04
that.
23:04
Exactly.
23:06
I had the person who does my social media, the company, she has a small business, she's a
23:11
small business owner also.
23:12
So she read my book.
23:13
She said, Oh, I never really thought about this.
23:16
So if I'm not there in my, I never thought about the fact that if I'm not around, my
23:21
business is not going to stand.
23:22
It's just me.
23:23
So I need to figure out a way to make sure I can go on vacation for two weeks and not look
23:30
at my laptop.
23:31
And that's a simple thing.
23:32
Right?
23:32
But you don't think about it because you're so accustomed to doing everything.
23:36
And then like, you're right.
23:37
Like that entrepreneur you're talking about that wants to go on vacation like, it doesn't
23:41
have the person coming in to take the calls, and they wanna go on vacation on what's today?
23:46
And they wanna
23:48
go on Friday?
23:49
That's a big headache.
23:51
How's the business gonna run?
23:53
Right?
23:53
Exactly.
23:54
So I wrote it for I always tell my because I realized that Roxanne, people don't like to
24:01
read.
24:04
I don't know why.
24:05
So I always say to entrepreneurs that I am friendly with, if you're reading my book, I'm
24:11
like, you know what?
24:11
You don't have to feel that you need to read from chapter one all the way to chapter 15.
24:16
Any chapter you open is a story on its own.
24:19
That was what I wanted because I know that there are people who do not have the time
24:23
really to sit and read a book from chapter one all the way to the end.
24:28
So I wanted to structure up my book in that way that you can start from the last chapter and
24:34
move on to the first one.
24:35
You can start from the middle and we'll move on as you like.
24:38
You can read one this month and you, or you're going through something in your business.
24:43
You can skim through my the, What's it called again?
24:47
I'm trying to remember.
24:50
Table of contents?
24:51
The the table of contents.
24:55
Can see Decide what you need.
24:56
Let me read this and see if this can help me.
24:59
It's just that little mini guide that you have, but it's not like an instructional manner.
25:05
It's a story that is very relevant.
25:07
Right.
25:07
And we love stories.
25:09
Right?
25:09
I mean, as a speaker, I could talk about mental resilience.
25:14
And then I tell a story about mental resilience and show them.
25:17
And then they remember, they go, oh, yeah.
25:19
I have one of those.
25:19
Right?
25:20
So stories are so powerful.
25:22
Yeah.
25:22
And nice that you can able to do that.
25:24
So if this is somebody that's thinking, I'm thinking about scaling up, let's say, they
25:28
could kinda go to that section.
25:30
Or if they're thinking, I don't like to be in front of the camera, but I need social media.
25:34
Oh, how have people done that?
25:36
Right?
25:36
Some people hate to talk to the camera, those types of things.
25:39
So it's nice.
25:40
It's because I think you you kinda wanna I'm gonna say it's kinda like you want that one
25:45
stop shopping.
25:46
Yes.
25:47
But you don't know where to go.
25:48
Right?
25:48
You need okay.
25:49
How do I structure contracts?
25:50
How do I talk to a prospect when I'm trying to get a year long contract versus, like, a one
25:56
and done.
25:56
You know, just different ways that you can learn those things.
25:59
And like I said, with the organization that I joined, I learned a lot of the back end of
26:04
creating a consulting and speaking business.
26:06
I had the brand, but I didn't have the systems in place.
26:10
A lot of people that start in the field like me were in similar positions.
26:14
So with your book, what is your greatest hope for the book and having written the book in
26:25
getting it out there, Vivian?
26:27
What is your greatest hope with the book?
26:29
I just want people to you look at the book, you go through the book, and then you learn
26:34
something from it.
26:36
It helps you.
26:37
It helps your business.
26:38
It helps you give, get that clarity that you want.
26:42
I always tell entrepreneurs to please, it's okay to pause.
26:45
I want you to be able to pause.
26:47
And when you pause on just pause for too long, pause and recollect your thoughts.
26:52
And you realize that I'm not the only one going through this.
26:57
People are going through this.
26:59
It's not just me.
26:59
It's not percolating me.
27:00
I'm not doing anything wrong.
27:01
I just need to learn how to do it better.
27:05
I want people to read my book and say, oh yes, thank you.
27:11
Of course.
27:13
So let's talk a little bit about legacy because I know we talked a little bit about that and
27:18
that's something that you said that was very important in writing the book and kind of your
27:25
story, which clearly you have a little one that's probably like a little sponge that that
27:30
is learning.
27:30
So tell me a little bit about the concept of legacy and leadership in business and kind of
27:36
what you're wanting the world to put out there in the world.
27:39
Okay.
27:39
So let me give you an example.
27:41
I grew up in a home that's where leadership was about service.
27:47
There's something my and I wrote it in my book.
27:49
My father, he died when I was 16, actually.
27:52
He used to say that I can't treat He had people that worked for him, so he always say, I can't
27:58
treat them differently from my family because these people are the reason we eat.
28:04
That was his exact words.
28:05
So it shaped me early on to see that employees are not just like numbers.
28:12
And also losing loved ones reminded me that how precious life really is and how it's important
28:21
to always protect both peace and my purpose.
28:24
So that's the legacy.
28:26
I'm trying to make sure that my parents left a legacy for me.
28:31
The legacy is what leadership has taught me right now, what I see leadership as.
28:36
That's the legacy they left for me.
28:38
And for me, I want my daughter to see me as that woman who did it.
28:45
Even if I failed in some aspects, I am resilient enough to keep trying.
28:50
I want her to see that.
28:52
As an immigrant woman who came to Canada with absolutely nothing, I've been able to build
28:58
from scratch.
29:00
Really, I've walked through seasons of loss and as a single mother, the financial strain, And I
29:06
still found the courage to keep showing up because I know I'm not just building something
29:12
for now.
29:12
What I'm building is a legacy.
29:14
I do not see my business as for just a few years.
29:18
I want to be known worldwide.
29:20
I want to be a global force.
29:22
So it might sound maybe unrealistic looking at where currently I am, but I know that it's
29:28
possible.
29:28
Legacy for me is not just what I have to accomplish, it's really how I want people to
29:34
feel when they are with me.
29:36
It's the way I want to raise my daughter, is because there are kids in my village that I
29:41
support.
29:41
I have a foundation where it's just something very personal to me.
29:45
I support them yearly.
29:46
I give them backpacks.
29:48
So this is just what I want to be remembered for that someone believed in them and that they
29:54
also matter.
29:56
So that's what legacy really is for me.
30:00
So it's not just about, it's not like I always say, and most entrepreneurs, It's like me with
30:06
when I started my journey.
30:08
Wanted to become a psychologist quite young because I wanted people to have voice.
30:12
Every choice that I made was, well, I went into the field and did everything related to
30:17
psychology, but then eventually ended up in business.
30:21
And sure enough, it's about mental resilience of voice impacting others.
30:26
So it's the it's the same thing except it's like, am I about?
30:30
And am I congruent with the things that I'm showing the world?
30:33
And like you said, like, when I am no longer or you are no longer, what is the whisper that the
30:38
universe is gonna hear because you left that behind?
30:41
And it's so interesting that you said that about your dad.
30:43
My dad would always say, you treat the person taking out the garbage the same as you treat
30:49
the CEO because you never they're all people, and they deserve the same level of respect.
30:55
So it's interesting how these significant figures impact you and then how it kind of
31:00
threads through your life.
31:03
So with reference to services, tell us a little bit more about the services and then I want to
31:08
talk about where people can get the book.
31:11
Services I provide, I do HR strategy.
31:15
I do HR audits.
31:17
I also focus on policies because it's very important to me.
31:21
It's what sets the tone for your business and how you treat people that work with you, your
31:24
employees and your support systems at work.
31:27
I do not offer recruitment, but I also do job clarity.
31:31
If you're doing a job posting, I come and help you with that.
31:34
You let me know this is what I want.
31:35
This is what I'm looking for.
31:36
I can help you draft up that, draft up the job posting.
31:40
So that's what I do for compliance policy handbook, all of that.
31:44
That's what I do for small business owners.
31:46
Fantastic.
31:48
And the book was launched in May.
31:50
Was launched in May.
31:51
Yes.
31:52
So tell us where everybody could get a hold of and tell us the name again and where they can
31:56
buy a copy of the book.
31:58
It's Benedicta Conestor.
32:00
I don't know if you saw it.
32:00
Look at it here.
32:02
You can get it on Amazon.
32:05
Amazon.amazon.ca, anywhere, any Amazon.
32:08
Just type up the title Beneath the Cornerstone.
32:11
Beneath the Cornerstone.
32:13
Well, this has been amazing and I think such a needed service.
32:17
Where were you fourteen years ago when I was starting mine?
32:19
Because I've gone through it.
32:21
And for other small business owners, you're in the same bucket.
32:25
And it's so important not to get into a crisis before you need to reach out to somebody like
32:30
Vivian.
32:30
Get around people that are doing it, getting around groups or small entrepreneurs, have
32:35
networks, and those types of things, but then make sure that you get the right support.
32:39
What I'd like you to know is that every everybody starts somewhere.
32:44
Right?
32:45
And we all are at times uncertain where we're gonna go.
32:47
But when you're if you're a small business and you're starting, just know that you can have
32:52
support anywhere.
32:54
And for me, what's new is that I am doing the first cohort of my course on the ROR, which is
33:00
mental resilient leadership for burnout leaders with live coaching, and that starts in the
33:05
fall.
33:05
We've almost filled up the first cohort.
33:08
If you're interested, though, please reach out, and I could share more information about that.
33:12
So, Vivian, again, thanks so much for hanging out with us.
33:15
And for everybody, thank you so much.
33:18
Make sure you hit the like button.
33:20
Give us a review because it allows me to have amazing guests like Vivian on who could share
33:25
their wisdom.
33:27
Okay.
33:27
Take care, everyone.
33:28
Thanks for tuning in to Authentic Living with We're see be you next chapter.
33:46
Time gonna on Authentic Living with Roxanne.