S02|06: Releasing Entrepreneurial Potential with Jenn Hunter

11/19/24 • 36 min

Leah Sarich interviews Jenn Hunter, Co-Founder of PayShepherd, a contractor management platform for heavy industry. They discuss Jenn's journey into entrepreneurship, the challenges of digitizing workflows in heavy industry, and how PayShepherd has transformed contractor-client interactions. They also touch on the experiences of working in a male-dominated field and the changing landscape for women in heavy industry.

Jenn shares her journey of balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood while prioritizing personal wellness. She discusses transformative changes she implemented, including better nutrition, sleep, and physical movement, which enhanced her productivity and well-being. Jenn also emphasizes fostering a healthy work culture at PayShepherd, highlighting flexibility, team support, and the value of life’s big moments. She explains how the company’s approach positively affects clients and their communities, offering valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

About Jenn Hunter

Jenn Hunter is a Co-Founder of PayShepherd, a contractor management solution that automates contract compliance, resulting in real-time cost reporting, shared accountability, and effective risk management, providing clients with improved operating margins. PayShepherd is ranked #13 in “Forbes 2024 Best 200 Canadian Startup Employers” and “2024 Products That Count” winner in the category of AI & Data.

Jenn's focus is on customer outcomes. She brings deep domain expertise from her background in heavy industry and has navigated every phase of the customer journey, from solutions and delivery to end-user support. Jenn is an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 finalist, an associate member of the A100, as well as mother to 3 boys under the age of 5.

Contact Thin Air Labs:

Contact Jenn Hunter:

Transcript

Jenn 00:02

It's all personal to me. It's my baby, like I've sacrificed so much personally for this, and this has afforded me so much personally as well. And so the blend to me is just, it's just my time. And you know, whatever is the highest priority in the moment, gets my time.

Leah 00:19

Hi, thanks for being here. And welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. I'm Leah Sarich, your host, and I'm super excited to talk to more founders about the human experience of being an entrepreneur. In this podcast, we're digging into what it really feels like to build a company from nothing. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years. So, I've interviewed thousands of people, but entrepreneurs, not that many, and yet they have the best stories. They're solving big problems, and they're creating an incredible impact. But it is hard work. So, why would they do this? Let's find out.

Leah 01:06

Joining me in studio today is Jenn Hunter, co-founder and director of operations for PayShepherd, a contractor management platform for heavy industry. Hey, Jenn.

Jenn 01:14

Hey, Leah.

Leah 01:16

Thanks so much for doing this.

Jenn 01:17

Of course happy to.

Leah 01:19

So fun to have you in the studio. Let's go right back to the beginning, as we do with all of these conversations, how did you actually get into entrepreneurship?

Jenn 01:27

I wouldn't have thought that I would be an entrepreneur. It definitely wasn't something I thought about growing up. But it wasn't something I was exposed to a lot. But a colleague that I'd worked with for many years had, you know, left the company that we were both at, and he was starting something and he asked if my husband and I wanted to invest. And so I actually got to kick the can without taking a lot of risk. I still had a full-time job, I didn't have to, you know, lose that financial security for my family. But I was able to kind of join the hustle and see what that was like. And it was a really great stepping stone for me to actually take it on full-time, which I would consider kind of the real baby as PayShepherd.

Leah 02:01

Okay, cool. So, you dipped your toe in the water with this first operation? And how did you feel about it? Even from the get-go? What did it feel like to you?

Jenn 02:10

I mean, it felt really natural for me like the hustle, you kind of like picking up the evenings and...

About Jenn Hunter

Contact Thin Air Labs:

Contact Jenn Hunter:

Transcript

Jenn 00:02

Leah 00:19

Leah 01:06

Joining me in studio today is Jenn Hunter, co-founder and director of operations for PayShepherd, a contractor management platform for heavy industry. Hey, Jenn.

Jenn 01:14

Hey, Leah.

Leah 01:16

Thanks so much for doing this.

Jenn 01:17

Of course happy to.

Leah 01:19

So fun to have you in the studio. Let's go right back to the beginning, as we do with all of these conversations, how did you actually get into entrepreneurship?

Jenn 01:27

Leah 02:01

Okay, cool. So, you dipped your toe in the water with this first operation? And how did you feel about it? Even from the get-go? What did it feel like to you?

Jenn 02:10

I mean, it felt really natural for me like the hustle, you kind of like picking up the evenings and...

Previous Episode

S02|05: Celebrating Small Wins to Maintain Motivation with Megan Leslie

This episode of The Founder Mindset follows the fascinating journey of Co-Founder Megan Leslie’s journey to create NanoTess, a pioneering biotechnology company that is transforming wound care and skin health. Host Leah Sarich explores Megan’s passion for problem-solving, along with the drive and the nagging doubts that come with entrepreneurship. Megan discusses her perfect synergy with her Co-Founder/business partner (also spouse) and the unique way they tackle challenges in the business together. One of Megan’s biggest takeaways in business is the importance of celebrating small wins to maintain motivation and morale, both as the Founder and for the benefit of your team. Taking the time to acknowledge your accomplishments makes all the struggles worthwhile.

The episode highlights the Founders' leadership approach, which includes leading by example, maintaining a cross-functional mindset, and recognizing that the ripple effects of the product are often just as important as the product itself. Megan discusses the challenges of selling their vision, not just their product, and the importance of how it is received by the market. Megan also shares her vision and dream to build community through storytelling, making a lasting impact on her customers and the wider community. Tune in to hear the inspiring journey of NanoTess, the challenges they faced, the breakthroughs they achieved, and the invaluable lessons they've learned along the way.

About Megan Leslie

Megan holds degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Finance. Her professional work experience has focused on designing and implementing enterprise-wide strategy and workforce transformations for Fortune 500 companies through a human-centered design approach. Megan has worked with members of large enterprise Executive Leadership Teams (C-suite) to achieve alignment and vision for long-term people-centered, Future of Work business strategies. At NanoTess, Megan is leading the company in creating new frontiers of opportunity within healthcare through catalytic innovation, beginning with skin and wound healing.

With a vision to end the silent pandemic of complex wounds and improve skin health, NanoTess is on a mission to provide leading edge technology to improve patient outcomes, address the needs of both patients and healthcare providers, and reduce healthcare costs. To date, NanoTess' technology, NanoSALV Catalytic, has helped thousands of Canadians heal.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Brené Brown - FFTs

Contact Thin Air Labs:

Contact Megan Leslie:

Transcript

Megan 00:02

We move so fast in like, we integrated NanoSALV across an entire hospital. Okay, what's next? And they, our team cheerleader, steps back and says, We integrated NanoSALV across an entire hospital! This is a huge win. So it's the same with wins and with challenges. It's, what's next?

Leah 00:24

Hi, thanks for being here. And welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. I'm Leah Sarich, your host, and I'm super excited to talk to more founders about the human experience of being an entrepreneur. In this podcast, we're digging into what it really feels like to build a company from nothing. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years. So I've interviewed thousands of people, but entrepreneurs, not that many. And yet they have the best stories. They're solving big problems. And they're creating incredible impact. But it is hard work. So why would they do this? Let's find out.

Leah 01:12

Joining me in the studio today is Megan Leslie, co-founder and CEO of NanoTess, a biotechnology company that has developed a product called Nano self, a Health Canada approved medical device for improving wound care and skin health. Megan, thank you so much for being here.

Megan 01:26

Thank you so much for having me.

Leah 01:28

This is so fun. This is probably one of my most favorite things to do is to sit around and talk to founders. So thank you for being here.

Megan 01:35

It's a pleasure.

Leah 01:36

Let's go right back to the beginning. So tell me how you decided to become an entrepren...

Next Episode

S02|07: Building Healthcare for Tomorrow with Dr. William Cherniak, Founder & CEO of Rocket Doctor

In this episode, Leah sits down with Dr. William Cherniak, the visionary Founder of Rocket Doctor, a digital healthcare platform that's changing the way patients access healthcare. Dr. Cherniak shares how his work inspired his ideas, from his time working in global health in sub-Saharan Africa to his role as an ER physician. From these experiences, his primary goal became finding a way to use technology to solve healthcare access issues.

Leah and Dr. Cherniak explore the challenges and triumphs of building Rocket Doctor, including navigating government regulations and the evolving landscape of virtual care. Dr. Cherniak emphasizes the importance of healthcare equity and how Rocket Doctor provides critical care to underserved populations. From managing a startup to maintaining a work-life balance, this episode is packed with insights on creating impactful healthcare solutions.

About Dr. William Cherniak

William Cherniak BSc MD MPH CCFP(EM)/DABFM is an Emergency Physician with training in family medicine and global public health. He is a Co-Founder and Board Chair of Bridge to Health Medical and Dental Canada & USA and the Founder and CEO of Rocket Doctor Inc, a Medicaid-focused Shopify for clinicians that integrates a unique support system, advanced AI-fueled software and wireless medical devices to enhance care. Bill has had research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, Academic Medicine, PLOS ONE and given numerous speeches in Europe and North America on digital health as well as global public health and development.

Bill completed his medical school at the University of Calgary and residency at the University of Toronto. He completed a cancer fellowship at the U.S. Federal Government's Center for Global Health in the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health as well as a Master in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a concentration in health in crisis and humanitarian assistance, while a Sommer Scholar with a full-scholarship. He is an Adjunct Professor with Northwestern University, Associate Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Thin Air Labs:

Contact Dr. William Cherniak:

Transcript

Dr. Cherniak 00:02

I don't think you can work at Rocket Doctor if you're just coming in for a paycheck, it's not gonna work. But you have to really, like, be interested in the problem, I think, and then, like, what we're trying to do, essentially, and I think most of our team is like, the folks on our team have been with us for anywhere from two to four years now.

Leah 00:20

Hi, thanks for being here, and welcome to Season Two of The Founder Mindset, brought to you by ATB. I'm Leah Sarich, your host, and I'm super excited to talk to more founders about the human experience of being an entrepreneur. In this podcast, we're digging into what it really feels like to build a company from nothing. I was a broadcaster for over 20 years. So, I've interviewed thousands of people, but entrepreneurs, not that many. And yet they have the best stories. They're solving big problems and they're creating incredible impact. But it is hard work. So, why would they do this? Let's find out.

Leah 01:06

Joining me today is Dr. William Cherniak, founder and CEO of Rocket Doctor, a digital health platform that allows physicians to provide comprehensive care to patients virtually. Hey, Bill, thanks for doing this.

Dr. Cherniak 01:21

Hey, no problem. Thanks for having me.

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