Mastercard and Pier Five are working together to empower small businesses. Mastercard and Pier Five are working together to empower small businesses. Since 2022, Pier Five and Mastercard have worked together to empower small business owners across Canada. Together, they’ve launched the annual Small Business Fund. Now in its 3rd year, Mastercard is providing $100,000 CAD in funding to women-owned small businesses. Through this initiative, along with networking events and educational content, both brands remain committed to supporting and uplifting small business owners across all industries. Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Mastercard and Pier Five launched the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund to help close the gender funding gap in Canada. Women owned small businesses in Canada receive 150% less funding than male owned small businesses and through the fund, Mastercard & Pier Five have worked to identify high-potential recipients, with Mastercard distributing $10,000 CAD in funding to each recipient. In addition to funding, recipients are given access to resources and a Priceless experience with mentors and business experts! Small businesses like yours are the foundation of our local communities, and we’re here to help you do more. At Pier Five, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and leveraging the power of our people, resources and network to be a force for good in the communities that we serve. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Discover Past Recipients 2024 2023 2022 Fund Recipients 2024 ImaginAble Solutions Lianna Genovese Remix Snacks Isabelle Lam Shawish Market Amanda Bernard Mahara Mindfulness Sheba Zaidi & Genevive Savundranayagam Paintillio Jess Devenport & Lyssa Kayra LESLEY HAMPTON Lesley Hampton Bruized Monique Chan & Justice Walz BocoBoco Lauren Rochat Folds Wear Nina Kharey The Magpie Cakery Libby Brewer-Dulac & Maggie Frith Fund Recipients 2023 Joni Linda Biggs Loba Kate Bouchard Spice Girl Chai Rebecca Pereira Dandylion Carolyn Chen Zing Jannine Rane Inoki Bathhouse Helen Yin Guests On Earth Jackie Prince Cubed Style Christine, Candace & Camille Oliver U Grow Girl Crystal Wood & Leha Marshall Colour The Trails Judith Kasiama Fund Recipients 2022 Barbet Andrea Grand Aaniin Retail Inc. Chelsee Pettit Rise Arts Co. Shivani Sen Apricotton Jess Miao & Chloe Beaudoin Parkerview Brews Kombucha Amy Kaban Priceless Experiences Mastercard and Pier Five offer in-person programming for small business owners to help them connect and learn from one another, as well as small business mentors and experts. From founders dinners to roundtable discussions, our goal is to build long lasting relationships and empower a community of energetic and ambitious entrepreneurs. Read about the 2024 Priceless Experience here. To learn more about how to get involved in Pier Five & Mastercard small business programming, join our mailing list and follow us on Instagram at @pier.five and @mastercardca .

5 Essential Tax Strategies for Small Business Owners to Save Money Managing your small business taxes effectively can mean the difference between keeping more of your hard-earned revenue or overpaying the government. We partnered with tax expert Mark Solis, Founder of Solis Financial , to bring you five essential tax-saving strategies for small business owners that can help maximize savings and build long-term financial security. 1. Incorporate Your Business & Pay Yourself Smartly If your business is generating consistent revenue, incorporation can help you take advantage of lower corporate tax rates. Instead of taking all earnings as a salary, consider a mix of salary and dividends to lower your personal tax bill. A salary is subject to payroll taxes but provides RRSP contribution room, while dividends are taxed at a lower rate but do not generate RRSP room. This strategy provides flexibility and can help optimize your tax situation. 2. Maximize Small Business Tax Deductions Every eligible business tax deduction you claim reduces your taxable income. Common small business tax write-offs include: Home office expenses (if you work from home) Vehicle costs (if used for business) Advertising and marketing Office supplies and business meals Tracking and categorizing expenses properly ensures you don’t leave money on the table when filing your business taxes. 3. Use an Individual Pension Plan (IPP) or RRSP to Reduce Taxable Income Saving for retirement while lowering your small business taxes is a win-win. If you’re incorporated, an Individual Pension Plan (IPP) allows for higher contribution limits than an RRSP and is a great tax-deferral tool. If you’re a sole proprietor, contributing to an RRSP helps reduce taxable income while building long-term wealth. 4. Set Up a Health Spending Account (HSA) for Tax-Free Medical Expenses Health and dental expenses can add up, but with a Health Spending Account (HSA), you can cover these costs 100% tax-free. HSAs allow small business owners to deduct medical expenses as a business expense, reducing taxes while providing essential health benefits for themselves and their employees. However, to qualify, business owners must earn more than half of their income from the business. Be sure to review all HSA eligibility criteria to ensure compliance. 5. Split Income with Family Members to Reduce Your Tax Burden If your spouse or children help out in your business, consider paying them a reasonable salary for their work. This strategy shifts income to lower tax brackets and helps reduce your overall tax burden. Just ensure their compensation aligns with the work performed to meet CRA requirements. About Mark Solis – Small Business Tax Expert With over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Mark Solis founded Solis Financial Services to help Canadians maximize tax savings and achieve financial security through proven insurance and investment strategies. His career began as an Associate Financial Advisor with The Co-operators, where he eventually managed his own office before launching his independent brokerage. Today, he partners with Canada's top insurance and investment companies to deliver the best financial planning solutions to his clients.

2024 Recipient: ImaginAble Solutions Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing ImaginAble Solutions, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founder: Lianna Genovese Location: Toronto, ON Discover ImaginAble Solutions online: Website // Instagram About ImaginAble Solutions ImaginAble Solutions is a women-led social impact company transforming assistive technology to improve the lives of children and adults with hand disabilities. Its flagship product, Guided Hands , is a patented mobile support system designed to help individuals with limited hand mobility write, draw, and use technology independently. By shifting control to gross motor skills in the shoulder and featuring ambidextrous handpieces, the device accommodates various levels of hand spasticity and tone. Guided Hands is widely used in classrooms, hospitals, and nursing homes, promoting communication, creativity, rehabilitation, and independence. Viral videos highlighting its transformative impact have driven sales in 22 countries, with plans to expand to Australia and the UK in 2026. Support from the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund will help ImaginAble Solutions scale manufacturing, enhance outreach in the U.S. education sector, and grow its sponsorship program to provide Guided Hands devices to families in need, breaking down financial barriers and advancing accessibility. How will the fund make an impact with your business? With support from the Mastercard x Pier Five Fund, ImaginAble Solutions will dedicate $5,000 to launch the Guided Hands sponsorship program, providing assistive devices to low-income families, and $5,000 to expand manufacturing capacity in Hamilton with additional 3D printers. The sponsorship program was recently announced during the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, where founder Lianna Genovese received the Respect Award alongside Shaquille O’Neal. This announcement will create a powerful platform to raise awareness and support for the initiative among philanthropists and celebrities. Expanding production in Hamilton will enable ImaginAble Solutions to meet growing demand while keeping Guided Hands proudly made in Canada. What is your long term goal for the company? Within 3-5 years, ImaginAble Solutions aims to have Guided Hands in every school across Canada and the United States, ensuring students with limited hand mobility can access quality education and self-expression. The company plans to leverage Educational Service Agencies (ESAs), which receive federal funding to purchase assistive technology for classrooms, as a key entry point into the education market. By working with ESAs, which act as bulk purchasers for over 115,000 schools, ImaginAble Solutions can tap into a $97M market opportunity and significantly improve the learning experiences of students with hand disabilities. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here .

A Conversation With Addam Rodriguez of The Arrivals With the growing importance of digital in fashion commerce and customers spending so much more time online, a strategic digital identity isn't just a nice to have; it’s a necessity. We spoke with Addam Rodriguez, Digital Art Director of New York based outerwear studio The Arrivals, about his process and system for developing consistent visual concepts and a strong artistic language for the brand. @addamrod Hey Addam, awesome to be connected! For those who might not be familiar, tell us a little about yourself. Hey! I’m Addam and I am the Digital Art Director for the outerwear brand The Arrivals. Growing up in LA, I was always surrounded by photography. My uncle was a photographer and was always around taking pictures and had some super expensive cameras which I got really into. When I got a bit older I went to school for audio engineering but I always found myself out taking photos and realized I liked that way more. Out of school, I got a graphic design job at a brand in the arts district in LA but started doing photography for them as well and also worked in the warehouse. It was great to be a part of all aspects of that business because it allowed me to understand the go-to-market and storytelling aspects of the brand which made for better photography and visuals. My next job after that was for this ready to wear brand called Frankie. I worked with the lead designer and travelled with the brand between NY & LA, basically just taking photos of the whole process of the brand. After a few trips, I knew I wanted to come out and live in NY and get better at my photography out here. I met with The Arrivals and they offered me a graphic design role. I was nervous about taking another graphic designer position but I loved the brand and the overall culture. Once I got into the role though, I told them I could shoot too and over time it turned into more of a photography role and now the digital art direction role that I have today. That’s a wild journey but seems like it all worked out. What is your process for coming up with your visual concepts for The Arrivals? We’re a small team so everyone is involved in everything. Early on, I’m in conversations with the designers and production teams so I can get a really solid understanding of the product. Being in the warehouse at my first job definitely taught me to learn the product cycle well so that I could bring in all of those details into the final visual concepts. Internally we all talk about concepts and once we land on an idea, it’s up to me to figure out how we communicate that to our audience and I work alongside the creative director to bring it all to life. I spend a lot of time looking at data from past campaigns to see what’s working, what kind of things have our audience been responsive to in the past, stuff like that. Once we have product samples I’m then able to start working out the visual flow and moodboarding and we’ll A-B test a ton. I have to create content for everything like email, ads, social and web so there’s a lot of planning since we don’t (and you never should) use the same content for everything. To make things easier, I have built out a pretty robust system for how I shoot to develop consistency and a visual language that our customers will recognize and remember us for. Once I’m happy with the flow, I draft out the final shot list and then work out the planning for production. This whole process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months but it’s always super fun to put together. That system you mentioned definitely shines through. The Arrivals content is some of the most coordinated in the game from campaign to campaign. Why is aligning product and content styling so important for you and the brand? That’s great to hear [laughs]. I have a huge appreciation for what goes into making the garments so I want to ensure the work I do represents all that effort put in by the design teams. Our products are very elevated and with good styling it can become even more elevated. I’ve started experimenting with other mediums besides photo like 6k video which everybody said we didn’t need but it allows for the smoothest transitions and flows that I feel mimic actions in our daily life and make the content so approachable and appealing. The pandemic has really expedited the growth of digital, especially consumer’s adoption/habits of shopping online. What should new brands keep in mind when developing a visual identity for their brand? This is a great question. I’ve tried so many things throughout the years and I think most importantly, it’s important to figure out what you really love and to build on that. Don’t try to be like everything else you see just because it’s popular. Even if what you are working on doesn’t work out right away, don’t give up. Keep experimenting and refining and build a system over time that works for you. A visual identity is like a house. You can design the interior as many times as you want as long as you hold on to the foundation of the building. That’s great advice for brands! What are some tips you’d give to individuals looking to bring their skills to a brand as an art director? Learn as many tools as possible. You don’t need to be the best at any of them but a knowledge of the different tools will allow you to put together initial ideas and then you can bring in the experts to help you bring it to life. Even if you can get the concept to 10% baked, that will help everyone understand the vision and then you bring in the pro editors, retouchers, colour specialists, etc. Another thing I’d say is go big on networking. You also don’t always need to connect with the biggest names. There are so many people doing amazing work behind the scenes that can give you great advice or introductions. This was huge for me when coming to New York. Lastly, it’s important to be patient. Things take time. I’ve been here for about 4 years and it’s all just starting to click for me which is exciting. Now I just need to keep pushing! Totally agree! So now that things are clicking, what do you have your sights set on next? I want to make the shopping experience for our customers even better using interactive video and stronger graphics. I’ve built the house and now it’s time to renovate the interior with new visuals to create a better moment for the customer. I’m all about that moment! Who doesn’t love a good moment?! Lastly, we’re finally starting to see some normalcy again and it’s looking to be a wild summer! What are you most looking forward to doing again in NYC as things open back up? Honestly, just meeting people. It’s hard to stay creative when everything is locked down. I knew so many people who moved out of the city at the start of the pandemic and they’re coming back now. I can’t wait to meet up with them and see what they’re working on. I think we’re seeing a new wave of creatives who are about to take this industry by storm and I’m excited to witness it in person! Check out Addam and The Arrivals on Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest designers, artists, activists, entrepreneurs and more.

Chasing Your Curiosity With Carolyn Chen of Dandylion The powers of curiosity are truly incredible! Carolyn Chen, founder of dog care brand Dandylion has learned this throughout her life as a serial entrepreneur with years in the beauty industry and now pet care industry. As she follows her passions and curiosities, she finds that doors continue to open, much of which by the people she meets along the way and the communities she builds with likeminded individuals. We got the chance to speak with Carolyn about her experience founding Dandylion and tapped into her tricks and advice for new entrepreneurs looking to turn their everyday passions into full-time businesses. Hi Carolyn, for those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself and Dandylion? My name is Carolyn Chen and I am the founder of Dandylion which is a community powered dog grooming brand on a mission to clean up and add transparency to the dog grooming industry. Dandylion launched just over a year ago and was inspired by my life as a parent to a dog with itchy and easily irritated skin, finding that there weren't a lot of products out there that were effective and transparent (like the products in human skincare/grooming) in terms of the ingredients in the solution. Where did the name come from? I wanted a name that captured the essence of a childlike carefree-ness to the world. One day I was listing to that song "Dandelions" by Ruth B and loved how the word captured that feeling. I also liked the play on words with “dandy” and “lion. It also helped with trademarking which, from my time founding other brands, I know is very important when it comes to picking a name. Speaking of other brands, we know you have some history founding beauty brands. How did that help inform the process for creating Dandylion? Yes, so I've had 4 years as a DTC beauty brand founder. It all starts with understanding the problem you are trying to solve for. For Dandylion, I was trying to solve the itchy skin issue for my dog, but I wanted to validate the idea to see if other dog parents experienced the same pain point. I started with 100 interviews with dog parents and then once I dialled in on the problem, I brought in a vet dermatologist and human skincare chemists to help develop a solution for dogs. It was important to have experts to bring the latest thinking from human formulation and understand how to best formulate for dogs. For example, the PH level of dog skin is different than human skin, which is something we learned from our vet dermatologist. Since its launch, Dandylion has seen hugely positive reception IRL and online. Can you speak to what you think was key to achieving this. A few things for sure. Asides from the product needing to perform well, we try to come up with innovative solutions and formats and involve our community ever step of the way. The community that we have built has been so integral in helping Dandylion grow so quickly. From support on social to friends and family helping me pack and ship boxes, everyone has really come together to help which I am so thankful for. Looking more at the product, from the packaging to the creative ads, everything seems very premium and almost high-end. Why was that important for you? I'm glad you see that! It took me a very long time to develop and I learned Adobe Illustrator on my own to design this [laughs] so thanks for noticing! My brand is really going to be for this next generation of dog parents so when I look at the brands they're consuming, I have to fit within that. I'm looking at brands like Glossier or Recess or Aesop which connect so well with millenials and Gen Z and that was how I drew inspiration for Dandylion. Dandylion comes in at a price of $22 per bottle whereas most brands come in around $8-$10. Has there been any difficulty entering the market as a more premium product? So far it's been well received but I think it all comes down to brand values which are: High quality ingredients Proven by experts and scientists Eco-conscious formula and packaging Better Value. Dandylion uses less product per application so you get more uses out of each bottle than the regular brands That's great to know and we definitely understand this. With the brand growing so quickly, what are you thinking about most as you scale? For us it's always about planning ahead and being prepared for things before we need them. So, thinking about things like supply and demand. If I have 10 orders per day now, what does it look like when I have 100 orders per day and what do the pieces around supply chain and operations look like then. the set up process to scale those operations so it's very important to look ahead. Another big thing for me is optimizing cash flow. So, finding ways to hold onto money longer, whether that is finding ways to pay suppliers later or finding ways to get money from customers sooner. If you can optimize for cash flow and plan ahead, you'll be in a great spot to grow. Those are 2 great pieces of advice! Before we let you go, what are some pieces of advice you'd give to any young entrepreneur that is looking to start their own business? The biggest thing is to follow your curiosity and see where that leads you. Try as many things as possible, fail fast and learn from it. I think this will give you a lot of new perspective that you can incorporate into any project that you're working on. I also think goal setting is very important but keep those goals flexible. It's great to have something to work towards but you want to ensure that if something changes, you can account for that. Lastly, surround yourself with people who uplift you and can make the process of starting something a lot more enjoyable! Make sure to check out Dandylion on Instagram for news on new products and community events and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with inspirational founders just like this!

A Conversation With Ostrya Equipment Photo: @samuelpasquier As a new brand, it can be very hard to go up against the big dogs. Finding a hole in the market and filling that space with a unique offering is key and Ostrya Equipment, a technical wear brand from Montreal, Canada is doing just that. Having observed many of the Canadian outer and activewear brands like Arc'teryx and Lululemon, which are designed in Canada but not actually made there, Ostrya founders Francois and Simon are putting Canada back on the map with hand made, top quality technical garments designed and produced here in Canada. With a team of less than ten but a passion as large as hundreds, Ostrya is showing that the best things can be achieved locally and has attracted a very large network of tech heads and fashion lovers alike. Taking things day by day but with visions of the future, Ostrya is focused on its mission and making big waves one stitch at a time. Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time to chat. Over the last year and a half, GorpCore - outdoors technical fashion - has become a mainstream style choice for many. While Ostrya is technical first, how important is the consideration around fashion for the brand? It’s great that technical wear has been adopted so heavily into mainstream fashion. We’re always thinking about this but we try not to let it influence the designs too much. Our main focus is creating products that can outperform any other. It’s cool to see that the fashion clientele are starting to look more at technical wear and made in Canada products and we’re happy they like our pieces but it’s always function first for us. We also know that price point may be a factor that can impact who is consuming our products. We sell expensive products because they’re the best and made by hand here in Canada. There’s no fashion or hype tax here. We’re breaking our backs to make the best product. If people are down to support that, then that’s great, no matter how they’re consuming it. Would there ever be an expansion into more fashion first products do you think? We’ll definitely make some product that is less technical down the line but not necessarily as a way to please the fashion clientele. Our goal is to continue to show that we can make more great products in Canada so that will always be the core meaning behind our product lines. I don’t think we’d ever just make a fashion line though. While fashion may not be the core focus, you’ve definitely caught the eye of some top tier fashion retailers. How does it feel to be a technical first brand selling in stores like SSENSE and Better Gift Shop? It’s definitely a pretty cool thing [laughs]! SSENSE was actually the first retailer to place a wholesale order with us which was awesome. They can buy from the biggest brands all over the world so to see them support us as the smaller local brand was an incredible feeling. It’s wild thinking about how they carry our chalk bags and people buy them. It’s funny because we don’t really know what people are buying them for though. Maybe people are buying the chalk bags to put a wine bottle in and that’s fine with us. It’s a really nice and well made bag so maybe that’s enough for them to buy and if it then inspires them to try climbing one day because they have the bag, that would be the best possible thing to happen. Love that attitude! The both of you come from technical design and production backgrounds so the foundation for creating the garments has always been there. What was it like coming at Ostrya from an entrepreneurial angle where you were now also responsible for things like brand development, finances and building a team? Oh man, it’s really intense. It’s a lot of work but it’s super fun. We both really complete each other. We have the same vision and that is super important to run a business. We’re learning every day. It’s like a never ending puzzle. There’s constantly new problems that you need to solve and things can take a long time and it can take a while to see the money. We have some nice days and some tough days but overall when I think about it, having Ostrya is great. When we were shipping things to retailers a while back, I just looked at it and thought “this is crazy'', seeing those boxes that used to be just rolls of fabric and now we’re packing garments. It’s crazy to step back and see it all happening now and having those moments where the team can chill and have a beer and just be happy about all the progress we’ve made makes all the hard times worth it. Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs just starting out? It’s funny because we get asked this every now and then but we’re still super young and learning every day. I guess there must be some things we’re doing right though [laughs]. The main thing I’d say is that there’s no right time to start or launch your project. It’s easy to work and wait to launch forever but you’ll never be totally ready. You just need to start and then learn as you go. Once you’re going, don’t be afraid to seek out for help and advice and get another opinion. There are a lot of people around you that know things better than you and will be willing to give their time if you ask for it. Those are great tips. What would you say is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made? Hmm, that’s a tough one. It’s not necessarily a mistake but sometimes we laugh about how it would have been so much easier not to establish ourselves as a made in Canada brand. That’s what we are and our passion is in quality made in Canada goods so we’ll never change that but we know it would be so much easier if we just made it overseas. That’s our differentiator though so we know we have to stick with it. Lastly, while we bundle up for a brisk winter, what can we expect to see from Ostrya over the next few months? For Spring 2022, we’re making trail running and climbing gear as well as some more casual gear like hemp shirts and shorts. That will be more of a line or full collection than this past Fall/Winter line was and we’re super excited to have a bigger offering. While we’re growing so much though, we want to keep things small and close to home. We don’t want to grow too quickly to a point where we lose control. We want to ensure things are always enjoyable for everyone here on the team. Interesting. Have you thought about that growth more long term, like where you might want to be in 5 or 10 years? We’re taking everything one day at a time but we’re also trying to think about things more long term now. It’s hard for a young business to think like this because there’s a lot of uncertainty but, at the moment, we’re thinking about 5 years down the line a bit. We want the vibe of the company to be really great and focus on the culture for all of the people that work here. That’s key no matter what the growth looks like long term. If we can have a great culture and keep putting out the best possible product, that’s the win. Love that! Any final thoughts? Come to your showroom! It’s so good to be able to feel these clothes in person and try them on. Every time people come by and try on the jackets, they absolutely love them and it’s always a good time chilling here. For updates on new releases and events coming from Ostrya Equipment, follow their Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

2022 Recipient: Aaniin Introducing Aaniin, one of the five recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2022! Who: Chelsee Pettit Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Aaniin, which means hello in Ojibwe/anishinaabemowin, started as a streetwear brand that uses syllabics as the design focus to raise awareness for Indigenous culture. Each garment, made by Chelsee herself, includes a tagged QR code which allows the wearer to start the conversation about indigenous languages as well as pass on the information to others. Most recently, the business has developed into a full-time pop-up at Toronto's Stackt Market which houses products from Aaniin as well as other local Indigenous artists and designers. The main goal of the brand is to serve as a platform that can help create opportunities for other Indigenous creators and spread awareness around the beauty of Indigenous culture. Why was mentorship from Mastercard so important for you? As first time founders, many of us are getting into positions where we can pave paths for others but it's first very important for us to be able to learn from others who have already been out there themselves and done that. Being able to take their insights and established practices and find ways to turn that into opportunity for marginalized communities has been really important for me as a small business owner. "The fund has allowed me to hire staff for my store and give me the time and freedom to fundraise further, while keeping control with indigenous minds and allow me to build economic prosperity within the indigenous communities." "We think the future of small business in Canada is Indigenous." Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2022 recipients here .

Aiori Aiori Who: Andrea Wong Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners

2023 Recipient: Inoki Bathhouse Introducing Inoki Bathhouse, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Helen Yin Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Inoki Bathhouse was founded by Asian-Canadian management consultant turned serial-entrepreneur Helen Yin, to offer accessible and affordable spa-grade tea bath experiences at home. The brand offers homemade tea bath sets, coupled with a digital app offering curated music and bath ritual tools. This combination transforms any bathroom into a tranquil sanctuary through the art of mindfulness and bathing. Inoki Bathhouse offerings are rooted in cultural practices of traditional medicine and bathing, featuring ethically-sourced premium tea and herbal plant ingredients that benefit both the mind and skin. The tea baths are packed with powerful tea antioxidants and contain an abundant amount of nutrients for the skin. Unlike bath bombs, soaps, and syrups, Inoki’s bath blends are pH balanced, safe for sensitive skin, and provide a unique aromatherapy experience. The business is also passionate about giving back, with over $25,000 CAD donated to the #StopAsianHate movement along with many in-kind donations and volunteering hours given to local charities and non-profits. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? The $10,000 will go towards our first full-time hire. As the business continues to grow rapidly, I have hit my maximum output and having someone to help me full-time will allow me to focus on larger projects and innovations for the business that have been left to the side for too long. Some of these ideas include trade shows around Canada, developing new bath mixes to expand our product catalog, and working on finding a new office/warehouse space for the company in the near future as we have already outgrown our current space. What is your big goal for the future of the business? My long term vision for Inoki Bathhouse is to become, not only the world's first, but largest remote bathhouse company, accessible by anyone. I'd like to expand our product line to cover bathhouses inspired by every region in the world and create timeless, aesthetic bath ritual items that transform the home into a peaceful sanctuary. Most importantly, I want to help this generation find moments of peace and prioritize their well-being in the way I did during my own critical time of need in this chaotic and busy worl Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here .

An Introduction to norda™ When You Can’t Find It, Make It Many of the guests on Pier Five can be considered problem solvers. Whether through community work, knowledge sharing or product creation, the best results come from real needs. The latest group of problem solvers to grace Pier Five with their presence comes from decades of experience as endurance athletes and lifelong shoe craftsmen who, after years of being unsatisfied with the product offering on the market, decided to take matters into their own hands. Without any further ado, we are pleased to introduce norda ™ , the world’s newest trail running footwear brand, created by runners for runners. While norda ™ was made possible by people all over the world, the brand is run by four individuals in Montreal and the East Townships in Quebec, Canada who set out on a mission to create the world’s lightest, fastest and most durable trail running shoe. While there are other brands out there with deep pockets, norda ™ feels they have the ability to take the sport by storm. This ability starts with the incredible team that makes up norda ™ . Running Is A Team Sport The company was founded by, husband and wife, Nick and Willa Martire who have spent many years as high-performance runners, bikers, skiers and hikers and nearly equal time as pioneers in the footwear industry. The two have collectively held leadership roles with major companies Aldo, Authentic Brands Group and Pretty Ballerinas LTD, developing and launching numerous high-tier brands in North America. The second half of norda ™ is equally as impressive. The brand’s Head of Design, Louis-Martin Tremblay, founder of Atelier LMTL, designs for Aime Leon Dore, KITH & SSENSE, and Gerard Cleal, who is the founder of Thompson + Cleal Agency and previously worked as Design Director for ALDO, serves as the Creative Director for norda ™ . Between the four partners with over sixty years of combined footwear experience, an incredible product, a strong international network of creators, producers and athletes, and the support of many of the best running stores around the globe, norda ™ has all the tools to make a big splash in the space. The Shoe The norda ™ shoe is unlike any other trail running shoe that exists and was made to prove that high performance and sustainability should always run together. The shoe, norda ™ 001, is made from Dyneema®: the world’s strongest and lightest fiber ™. Dyneema delivers the lowest carbon footprint per unit strength of any material. Seventy-five percent of the energy used to manufacture Dyneema Fiber® comes from renewable energy sources. The sole of the shoe is a brand new design made in collaboration with Vibram, a leader in shoe design and footwear soles, and was inspired by the Canadian Shield, the largest and strongest pre-Cambrian rock formation on Earth. The soleplate is engineered with Vibram® Litebase® technology to conserve energy and enhance your performance with a thirty percent duction in overall sole weight. The Vibram® MegaGrip® rubber delivers superior durability, traction and the strongest possible grip on both wet and dry surfaces. The norda ™ 001 was made with patience, perseverance and grit and was built to unlock every runner’s full potential. Whether you’re running around the block or fifty kilometers, norda ™ believes that everyone deserves the best and was made to deliver the ultimate running experience without compromising on the company’s sustainability goals. A Conversation With Co-Founder Nick Martire Over the next three months, Pier Five is proud to introduce a new series of content with some of the coolest people in footwear, product design, brand direction and running, made possible only by our friends at norda ™ . To kick things off, we sat down with norda ™ co-founder, Nick Martire, to chat about the journey of starting norda ™ with his wife, what it was like to build a team with a shared vision, global product manufacturing during a pandemic and much more. Read the conversation below and when you’re finished, head over to norda ™ website for an in-depth look at the sneaker and the ability to pre-order the norda ™ 001 before it sells out! Hey Nick! It’s so great to be chatting about norda ™ and this launch. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit more about how the idea of norda ™ came to be? Hey guys! Really excited to be connected. The idea of norda ™ came from my wife, Willa. We’ve both been endurance athletes for nearly all our lives and after a certain point, we couldn’t find a shoe that was light enough, strong enough and fast enough for us. We were having a conversation about this and Willa looked at me and said “why don’t you make it?”. At first it was a wild thought, but we have worked in the footwear industry for so long and I thought “ya, we could actually do this!”. Love that! If you can’t find it, make it. The norda ™ 001 is made using materials and technology from some pretty incredible companies, Dyneema and Vibram, which we can’t imagine are easy to just link up with. How did that come together and what drove you to want to work with them? We knew this shoe had to be driven by science and technology to achieve our goals. We went out looking for leading edge materials, and examined what elite rock climbers, hikers and hardcore backpackers were using. That led us to Dyneema, a material whose properties are simply unmatched. Nobody has been able to make a shoe like we did out of Dyneema and we set a mission to break the historical boundaries of performance and sustainability. It took a global team of equally like minded and stubborn people to make this happen but at the end of the day, we got it done. For Vibram, we were able to partner with them to engineer a completely new sole. They are leaders in that space and our Head of Design, Louis-Martin Tremblay, was able to create something really incredible with them, featuring all of their best technologies in weight, feel and grip. The result is a sole that Vibram calls “the Dream”, because it is their highest performance running sole ever made; and it’s exclusive to norda. That’s very cool. Besides making the best shoe from a performance standpoint, why was making a shoe with sustainable materials and processes so important for norda ™ ? It’s critical that we take responsibility for our actions. The apparel and footwear industry are some of the most polluting industries. Shoes are not recycled in any way, shape or form, and while we’re not there yet, we believe the strongest impact we can make today is to go up the supply chain to make shoes in a more sustainable manner. The goal was to make the ultimate cutting edge shoes with the smallest footprint. Most brands ignore this because it’s hard and expensive, but we won’t do that. We can’t imagine the manufacturing process was easy during the pandemic. How did you navigate everything? It definitely wasn’t easy. Many manufacturers only want to go into sure things, especially during the pandemic. We reached out to our network and friends who we have worked with for many years. You would be surprised how much goodwill there is from the people in your circle, and how much they are willing to help if they believe in your vision. For us, the R&D team in Europe and Asia was beyond committed to making this product a reality. We were working with manufacturers overseas and technology and material that had never been used to this extent in running shoes before so it was a lot of back and forth but we kept pushing. It was hundreds of hours of calls with people all over the world and, at times, we thought we wouldn’t be able to complete certain parts that we wanted to, but our team never stopped believing in our mission and what we were trying to accomplish. Well it was worth every minute. Now that the shoe is ready for launch, can you share some info about the launch strategy for the norda ™ 001? We’re very excited for the launch. Our Creative Director, Gerard Cleal, led some amazing work with Canandian creative agency LG2 and visual production house L’Eloi, to put together our digital launch strategy. We have also had the support of some of the most experienced endurance athletes and explorers from around the world to help us build awareness for the shoe’s release. The shoe goes live for pre-sale on our website on July 14th *psst it’s live now!* and we will be releasing the shoes in some of the best running shops in North America, as well as some distribution with a couple international stores. We plan on expanding internationally further in 2022. Later in August we will also be releasing a very special collaboration that we cannot wait to share more information about soon. Pier Five will have special coverage of this collaboration later in the series so be on the lookout for that! We can’t wait for all of that and are so excited to put some miles in these shoes. Lastly, for those who may not have explored the world of trail running before but might look to norda ™ to be their introduction, what tips would you give to those looking to hit the trails for the first time? Firstly, you need the right shoes! Trail shoes have more traction than road shoes, and they’re built for stability on ever changing ground. Decide where you are going and get prepared. If you’re lucky you can find a great trail in the city’s parks, or a provincial park. Make a plan for the day. Figure out how far you’re going to go and make sure you have the right amount of food and water. The weather can change quickly depending on how long you plan to be out for. Lastly, slow your pace down compared to road running, take breaks and enjoy the scenery around you. The magic of trail running is that you get to experience views and sensations that only being in a wild natural setting can provide. If you’re as stoked as we are to hit the trails with norda ™ , be sure to check out their instagram and website for more information on the norda ™ 001 and upcoming news and releases. Keep it locked to Pier Five as we continue to roll out content over the next few months with some of the coolest people in footwear, product design, brand direction and running, made only possible by our friends at norda ™ , and stay tuned for a special announcement from Pier Five & norda ™ at the end of the series.

A Day In Montreal With LeBicar Earlier this summer, Pier Five had the pleasure of meeting up with Montreal based artist David Bicari, aka LeBicar, for a jam packed day of art, music, food and great conversations. After a wonderful visit to David’s studio in the Mile End neighbourhood and a skate sesh out back, David was kind enough to show us his lay of the land and what started as a plan for a quick meet up turned into a full day experiencing some of the best spots and events in the city. From salmon tartare avocado toast to one of Montreal’s coolest new galleries, multiple Aperol Spritz stops and VIP at the Mural Festival BBQ and concert, there was no shortage of good times and we can’t thank David enough for his hospitality. A little bit about LeBicar… David has been at the forefront of the Montreal art scene for quite some time. With a unique style, David’s black and white continuous line drawings can be seen all over the city, from gallery displays to storefront walls, murals, home goods and on the bottom of skate decks being ridden down the streets. David is a big advocate for getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things and while his style is consistent and recognizable, he isn’t afraid to take on new challenges and this has led to a flourishing career and many incredible relationships along the way. Hey David! It’s great to be in your studio. Tell us about the space. Great to have you guys. I just recently moved into this space and am loving it. I share it with some awesome creatives and brands which helps us all create better work. There’s a ton of space in here too to work on all of my different mediums; canvas, decks, paper, etc. I like doing different mediums every day to keep things interesting and keep me out of my comfort zone. So much great art here and it’s really cool to see the behind the scenes space. You’ve talked about being inspired by contrast and duality, which can be seen through the stark black & white palette of your work. Can you talk about this inspiration a little bit more? I like to think about the spectrum of people in the world and how stark the differences in lifestyles can be. The black and white in my work is my representation of both ends of that spectrum. The contrast, while simple, is very meaningful to me. This idea of black and white also stems from my early days as an artist in which I started with simple pen on paper drawings. It’s all like a bit of a dance on the paper for me. A lot of artists with simplistic styles sometimes get criticized for a “lack of creativity” (which we do not agree with). How would you respond to this statement? There’s something beautiful about mastering simple design. Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy or bad. You wouldn’t tell Jack Johnson to play heavy metal. When he is only playing a ukulele and singing his songs are still incredible [laughs]. I am a big fan of the “less is more” ideology and I know not everyone likes that but it doesn’t mean that less equals less creative. Great answer! Do you ever miss colours? I feel like I have something to say with black and whit but my door isn’t closed to colours. I’ll often save the colours for my client work when I have to work with their brand colours. Ultimately for me though, storytelling is the most important thing. If the story needs colours, I’ll use it. My series “Imparfaitement Special” (Imperfectly Special in English) was inspired by fruit at the grocery store that was marked on sale for its imperfections using an orange sticker. I still saw the beauty in the fruit and the imperfections and brought that into my work so there was colour there. Again, it always just has to be about the story. Speaking of clients, you’ve also done a number of collaborations, from shoes and apparel to skateboards and drink brands. How do you choose which brands to work with and which to say no to? I’ve been lucky enough to reach a place recently where the phone has been ringing which is a great thing. I love collaborating as I feel it makes me a better artist and most brands that reach out to me have done their research and know me so luckily I don’t have to say no to many people. If I don’t feel that there is a natural connection I might say no, or I’ll work to educate them about my work to try and make something work out. I also have gotten hit up in the past for free jobs or ones that pay in “visibility” which I don’t like. Exposure or visibility is nice but I can’t pay my rent with visibility. I’ve worked hard to understand my value and I know I can bring exposure to other people as well. I don’t need to be making tons but mutual value creation is important. That’s a great mentality to have. What would you say to a new artist that is looking to determine their “value” or what they should maybe be charging for work? One thing to remember is that value doesn’t always equal money. That doesn’t mean work for free but there are other ways to gain value for sharing your work. It could be trading time, services, ideas, etc. I can’t really say how much time or what services you should get in return. That’s up to you but just remember money isn’t everything. That being said, I do think it’s important to charge when you can, even if only a little, to build your negotiating skills. Lastly, above all else, I always say that the first person you need to sell your work to is yourself. Be confident in your work and that will take you everywhere. All great points but that last tip is definitely key! Let’s talk about skateboarding! How long have you been skating for and how does it influence your day to day style? Skateboarding is a huge part of my life. It is responsible for opening my eyes to so many different things within music and art. I used to always go into skate shops and just admire the skate decks on the wall. I was so enamoured by the art aspect without even knowing it. Now when I’m creating work, a lot of the stories are inspired by the skate scene. The best part about skateboarding though to me is that it allows me to connect with more people. I have my crew of guys that I go skate with at night and when I’m out there, my mind is completely cleared of stress and I just focus on the skating. It’s like a form of meditation and the people that I’m with create such a positive vibe. It’s also taught me to persevere. Some of these tricks take months to learn but you keep trying until you get it. Art is that way too. What’s a trick you’ve been working on for a while? I was just out in Vancouver with some friends and had a small line of a nose slide and then into a backside 50/50. Nothing crazy but felt good. Besides skate culture, flowers or floral elements often seem to make their way into your creations. Why the flower and do you think it is important for artists to have a symbol or shape that is a recurring theme in their art? I think whether it’s a symbol, shape, colour palette or line style, having something consistent throughout your work is important for recognizability. It allows you to take the people that love your work with you as you grow and progress through your journey. That doesn’t necessarily mean never changing, but having something, even if it’s small, be consistent will do a lot for your long term growth. That makes a lot of sense. Lastly, what are 5 tips you’d give to aspiring artists looking to “make it” as an artist? Don’t keep ideas in your head. Put things on paper so to speak and don’t overthink it. Even if it’s not perfect, that’s ok. Don’t be afraid to share your work with others and collect feedback. It’s ok to feel vulnerable but if you open your work up to people, for the most part they will be excited and try to understand what you’re doing. It’s ok if others have their own interpretation of your work at first but have conversations with them and fill them in on your vision. Let them know the story of your pieces instead of just putting out a design and letting it sit. Think about what you want to accomplish with your art. Do you want to just make your own art? Do you want to design for others? Having this understanding will guide you in the right direction. Have fun. Art doesn’t always have to be that serious, even if it’s your full time job. Just enjoy it and your best work will come out. Make sure to follow LeBicar on Instagram to get updates on all of his new work and releases and don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

Putting In The Hours With Jess Sanchez of Santa Isla A common through line in entrepreneurship is resilience but the idea of always "pushing through" is often easier said than done. What helps is having something to push through for and Jess Sanchez, founder of Colombian-Canadian jewelry brand Santa Isla has a thing or two to say about purposeful commitment after building her business across the world for over a decade. Created with the Embera Chami (meaning people of the mountain in their traditional language) artisans of Colombia, Jess has fostered a community around her Colombian culture that shines light on this centuries old art form that she knows she can never stop supporting. We got the chance to speak with Jess about her ups and downs as an entrepreneur, how she has adapted the business over the years between multiple countries, the reality for anyone looking to start a business, and where she hopes to take the brand next. Read the full interview below! Hey Jess, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! For those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business Santa Isla? Absolutely! So I'm Jess, the founder of Santa Isla which is a jewelry brand. Santa Isla is my love letter to Colombia. It's an exploration of where I come from, woven with my Canadian identity. I consider the pieces of Santa Isla little tokens of Colombia for everyone to wear and hold. All of the pieces are made with lovely Embera Chami artisans who weave spiritual intentions that you can hold and feel. Looking back at your Instagram, it seems the brand has been around for a while but evolved quite a bit throughout the years. How did it start and what was that evolution like? It started 12 years ago when I came across these Embera artisans in Colombia and really loved the bead work they had created. I bought two pieces and was wearing them around in all of the big cities in Colombia I was travelling to and so many people were asking me about the necklaces, what they were and where they came from. It was a bit dumbfounding to me, like "how can something that comes from here and is so rooted in our heritage be so unknown to so many of our people" and it pushed me to spend more time learning about this craft and the history behind it and made me want to make some of them myself. I spent a lot of time trying to find and connect with these Embera artisans to learn and once I did, that's where Santa Isla started; but it was a passion project, not meant as a business. To learn more about the Embera Chami, click here. For almost 8 years I was making really extravagant and large pieces but it wasn't until 2 years ago after a bit of a break during COVID that I started to pivot to merge these traditional techniques with more fashion-forward designs like rings, anklets and necklaces that are the driver of the brand now. Wow, so you've really put in the time to build this! Absolutely. As an entrepreneur, you have to put in the time. I understand that the time part isn't very sexy. We don't want things to take time. We want them to move but unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - it's really an exercise in patience. You really have to put in the time to get to know your business and your offering and then you can't stop. You spoke about this fairly significant pivot from more traditional to fashion-forward pieces. What was the reason for that shift? After so many years of creating these traditional pieces, which were mostly bought as display or art pieces, I decided I wanted the brand to be more accessible and in order to do that, I had to change the offering. Once I started getting into smaller, more fun and easy to wear pieces, it completely changed things for the brand. Was it scary making such a big change like that? I've had so many moments of doubt and asking myself, like "what am I doing" but I think that those moments of reflection are really important. As an entrepreneur, there are going to be so many moments where something isn't working but you can't stop; but you can pivot! The place you start might not always be the place you finish and that's ok. The important thing though is just don't stop. We love a brand with purpose and it seems that Santa Isla is exactly that. Can you speak more about that connection with the Embera Chami artisans and the part it plays in the brand? That is everything for me. That is my "why". For a brand, I think that your story is everything. Running a business is not easy but it's much easier to stick with it when there's something attached to it that's outside of you. Working with and supporting these artisans is the only reason that I've kept going after all of these years. It was hard and for a long time I wasn't making money but I kept on going because these people are amazing and they've been helping me learn more about my identity so how can I not continue to give back. As Santa Isla grows, where do you hope to see the brand go long term? If there was another brand I had to compare Santa Isla to, I'd want it to become like a Telfar where everybody has one, and it's cool that everybody has one. I want us to be worldwide with drops selling out and me being able to get Santa Isla into the hands of everyone, being accessible. I want it to be the marker of a community where everyone is proudly wearing Santa Isla and supporting this culture. Love that! Lastly, on your crazy journey with the brand, what is one piece of advice you'd give to an emerging entrepreneur? If you're ever feeling stuck or down, go help somebody! Even with a simple compliment, it can change people's attitudes and if you can find ways to then weave that into your business, it changes the game and can be a big motivator for you to keep going. If you want to become a part of the Santa Isla community, make sure to follow them on Instagram for news on all of the brands upcoming drops and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creative entrepreneurs coming soon!