ABOUT DENISE
I Became The Mentor I Needed
For more than 25 years, entrepreneurship has been one of my greatest teachers. I've built businesses, led teams, navigated growth, experienced setbacks and learned lessons that no textbook could ever have taught me.
I built a transportation company from one truck to a fleet of 30, more than 40 employees and nearly $10 million in annual revenue. Along the way, the company was recognized by Maclean's and The Globe and Mail as one of Canada's fastest-growing companies.
Before that, I spent years in real estate, where I sold 742 homes and more than $100 million in residential real estate.
I'm proud of what I accomplished, but when I look back, some of the lessons that shaped me the most didn't come from the successes. They came from the difficult decisions, the mistakes, the uncertainty and those times when I simply didn't know what the right answer was.
Those are the experiences that have had the greatest influence on how I work with business owners today.
When I think back to my years in business, there's one thing I really wish I'd had: someone who understood what it was actually like to be the owner.
I had accountants. I had professionals I could call when I needed specific advice. I had people around me. But that's different from having someone who has actually sat in the owner's chair and understands the weight that can come with it.
I would have loved to have someone I could talk things through with. Someone who could look at the business from the outside, ask me questions I wasn't asking myself, challenge me when I needed it and help me see things I was simply too close to see.
I didn't have that person.
Today, that's the kind of relationship I want to have with the business owners I work with. I'm not there to run their business for them or hand them a generic formula. I'm there to help them look at what's really happening, think things through and make better decisions about what comes next.
Why I Do This Work
More Than Business
One thing I've learned after all these years is that it's almost impossible to completely separate the business from the person running it.
A problem with profitability may actually lead us to a pricing or operational issue. A problem with employees may lead us back to leadership or accountability. And sometimes what appears to be a business problem has more to do with a decision the owner knows they need to make but hasn't made yet.
That's why I look at the whole picture.
Yes, we'll talk about numbers, profitability, opportunities and growth. But we'll also talk about leadership, people, decisions and what's happening with you as the owner.
Because building a better business isn't only about changing the business. Sometimes the biggest change starts with the person leading it.
And that's why I believe the impact goes far beyond business.
What The Flying Pig Means To Me
Most of us have heard the expression “when pigs fly.” It's usually said when something seems impossible, unrealistic or simply never going to happen.
I've always looked at it a little differently.
Throughout my life, I've seen what can happen when people allow themselves to think beyond what's currently in front of them. I've experienced it in my own life and businesses, and I've seen it happen with the people I've worked with.
That's what the flying pig represents to me.
It's not about pretending everything is possible just because we want it. It's about not deciding something is impossible simply because we can't see how it's going to happen yet.
Sometimes what seems impossible today is simply something we haven't figured out yet.
Beyond Business
When I'm not working with clients, speaking or writing, I enjoy spending time with family, enjoying life in New Brunswick and continuing to learn and challenge my own thinking.
I don't believe we ever really finish growing. I'm still learning, still changing my mind about things, still making mistakes and still figuring things out.
Maybe that's another reason I enjoy working with business owners so much. No matter how much experience we have, there's always something else to learn and another way of looking at things.
AWARDS in the Transportation Industry
MacLean’s Magazine - Growth 500
5-year revenue growth
2018- growth of 119%
2019- Growth of 162%
2020- Growth of 283%
THRSD (Trucking Human Resources Sector Council)
2017-2022- Employer of choice
Women in Trucking
Association
2020- Top Company for women to work for in Transportation
The Globe and Mail; Canada’s top Growing companies
3-year revenue growth
2019- Growth of 67%
2020- growth of 73%
2021 Growth of 79%
2022 Growth of 83%
Awards in Real Estate: Between 2003-2015
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby and Sapphire awards
Top 100 Exit Realtors in North America for listings taken, Gross Commissions earned and top sales.