East Trade Winds
by Bernie Franzgrote
Private AI Won’t Fix SMB App Overload Until Apps Connect
About this podcast
Beyond networking. Forge alliances.
East Trade Winds is a free weekly gathering for business owners, solopreneurs, coaches, creators, and entrepreneurs who are done collecting business cards and ready to build something real.
Every Tuesday from 8 to 9 AM EST, we meet live on Zoom. One hour. Real conversations. Real introductions. No pitch decks. No pressure.
The format is simple: bring one challenge you're working through and one introduction you can offer. That's it. That's the room.
Since September 2023, ETW has been quietly building one of the most genuine B2B communities in Canada — and beyond. The people who show up aren't here to perform. They're here to connect, collaborate, and move forward.
This podcast channel captures those conversations — the insights, the guest appearances, the real talk that happens when business owners stop posturing and start helping each other.
Your hosts keep it grounded:
▸ Bernie Franzgrote — B2B connector, business strategist, and the architect behind the East Trade Winds ecosystem. Bernie has spent years building communities where introductions turn into collaborations, referrals, and revenue.
▸ Percy Barr of Percy Barr Consultancy — an AI consultant and trusted advisor with over 30 years in the tech industry. Percy helps business owners navigate key transitions — from moving operations online to integrating AI solutions that actually work. Practical. Honest. No jargon.
▸ Wayne Pratt of Motive8U — an author, life and business coach who helps professionals and entrepreneurs break through roadblocks, clarify their goals, and take real steps forward. If you're stuck, Wayne is the person in the room who sees the path.
Together, they create a space that's warm enough to be honest and structured enough to be useful.
ETW is free to attend. Always has been. The belief is simple — the right room changes everything, and access to that room shouldn't cost you anything to try.
Come for one session. See what it feels like when a networking group actually works.
Ready to be in the room? Register at easttradewinds.com and join us this Tuesday.
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Want to go deeper? Canada Growth Network is the next step — a $47 CDN/month membership that includes weekly Power Hour sessions, masterminds, real introductions, and a robust CRM platform that simplifies your entire tech stack. Find out more at canadagrowthnetwork.com.
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East Trade Winds. Every Tuesday. Free.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 91 episodes
- Private AI Won’t Fix SMB App Overload Until Apps Connect · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 9Jovan Strika of ElastaLink shares an early look at a private AI business desktop from @Hive. Why connected apps come before AI, and what it means for SMB owners tired of app…
- Public Speaking Tips: You Don't Have a Confidence Problem · 8 min · Season 4 Episode 8You think you have a confidence problem. You don't. Communication coach Nat Mailhot shares simple speaking tools for business owners with a pitch, podcast, or networking talk…
- Bank Loan vs Alternative Financing for Canadian SMBs · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 7A bank line of credit can look cheap and still cost you clients. Michael Yasny explains factoring, vendor deals, CRA debt, and which three advisors to hire early. For Canadian…
- Why AI Machines Are Skipping Your Business (And How to Fix It) · 8 min · Season 4 Episode 6You don’t have a sales problem. You have a findability problem. Joshua Altman shows how clear pricing, specs, and bios help AI tools and buyers find you
- Podcast Guesting Isn't a Someday Plan. It's a Calendar! · 13 min · Season 4 Episode 5Carl Richards of Podcast Solutions Made Simple shows solopreneurs, speakers, and small business owners how to set a goal, pick the right shows, and fill a calendar with podcast…
- Why Your Leadership Style is Actually Toxic (And How to Fix It) · 19 min · Season 4 Episode 4Julia Kline reveals the six sales wounds quietly driving your leadership behaviour ~ and the restorative justice framework that helps you fix it for good.
- Rejection Didn't Stop Him: How Batman's Writer Got Credit · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 3Author Marc Tyler Nobleman spent years chasing the truth about Batman's uncredited co-creator. It's a real story about persistence for anyone who's ever been passed over.
- Leadership Isn't a Strategy - It's a Conversation · 9 min · Season 4 Episode 2Executive coach Jessie-Lynn MacDonald on why real change starts with a conversation, not a strategy, and how one person's energy shapes a whole team.
- Profit Leaks: Why Your Business Is Weaker Than You Think · 13 min · Season 4 Episode 1Most owners have a diagnosis problem, not an advice problem. Sanjay Gupta shows SMB owners how to find the real constraints before chasing the next revenue goal.
- What Big Brands Know About Customer Loyalty | Vance Morris · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 49Disney taught Vance Morris how to charge more without changing the product. Here's the system behind it ~ for any service business.
- Old Patterns, New Results: Why You Must Change How You Think · 5 min · Season 3 Episode 48A former detective turned life coach makes the case that your mindset is an operating system, and it's overdue for an update.
- Your Business Depends on You? That's the Problem · 15 min · Season 3 Episode 46Fractional COO Natalie Hoop breaks down the founder's bottleneck, and how a 90-day reset can free you from it.
- Conversational Debt: Cost of Avoided Conversations | ETW · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 45GROWTH PILLAR: Leadership & Ops WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Team leaders / Anyone managing people or driving change WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: A clear framework for…
- Are You Networking Wrong? Here's What Actually Converts · 13 min · Season 3 Episode 44Brent Edwards breaks down the four steps every small business owner needs to turn connections into real business growth: no hype, no card-collecting, just a system that works.
- The 80/20 Rule Most Founders Get Wrong | Cut This Instead · 12 min · Season 3 Episode 55Mosongo Moukwa shows SMB owners how to stop spreading thin and start compounding profit through strategic focus and smarter decisions.
- Business Crisis Mode? This Is Exactly What You Need to Do | Diesha Cooper · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 41GROWTH PILLAR: Leadership & Ops WHO THIS IS FOR: SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Corporate escapees / Leaders building systems WHAT THEY'LL GAIN: Actionable insights, hard-won…
- Outbound HQ's Social Media Automation Feature Is Insane · 14 min · Season 3 Episode 40Most owners don't have a lead problem. They have a follow-up problem. Rahel shows how Outbound HQ runs your outreach and your social posts, without you doing it all by hand.
- I Built a Wiki-Based AI Operating System | Erica Layer · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 39Fractional COO Erica Layer shows the AI operating system she built in three months — daily planning, a second brain, and a weekly intelligence sweep. For solopreneurs who feel…
- Don't Close Another Deal Without Asking This Question · 13 min · Season 3 Episode 38Joseph McGuire of ClearSight Communications joins East Trade Winds to break down the negotiation mistakes that cost SMBs real deals — and the small human signals that change…
- Grant Writing Mistakes That Are Costing You Thousands | Vanessa Burns · 18 min · Season 3 Episode 37Stop leaving money on the table. Grant consultant Vanessa Burns shows small business owners how to fix their messaging, find the right grants, and actually get funded.
