How to Make Smarter Money Decisions (Without More Spreadsheets)

If you're an agency owner, consultant, or MarTech founder, get your questions ready, this one’s for you.

November 19, 2025

In partnership with

Hey friend,

This week’s issue is a little more focused. We just wrapped a short break and wanted to come back to something real: the financial decisions so many of us are navigating behind the scenes. You’ll still find news and jobs below, but we’re leaning into the questions that hit closest to home.

Tomorrow, we’re hosting something made for agency owners, solo consultants, and MarTech founders: a live, candid Q&A on the financial questions no one teaches you how to answer.

And it’s happening inside the SNMA.

Coming Up

Let’s Talk About the Money Stuff No One Teaches You About

If you’ve ever had to make a financial decision without feeling totally confident, you’re not alone, and tomorrow, we’re hosting something designed just for you: open Accounting Office Hours with SNMA community member and Strategic Accountant, Jordan Laker!

Accounting Office Hours is a live, monthly Q&A where Jordan answers the real questions business owners and marketers carry around but rarely get to ask. It’s casual, unscripted, and free from jargon or judgment.

Jordan works with founders, creatives, and consultants across Canada. His approach is clear, practical, and built for the way modern businesses actually run.

Maybe you’ve been putting off hiring because you’re not sure if your revenue can support it. Maybe you’re trying to figure out whether your pricing model makes sense, or what your accountant should be doing but isn’t. This session is your chance to ask.

No slides. Just candid advice on everything from bookkeeping blind spots to planning for scale.

Got something on your mind, big or small? DM Shaniece in the SNMA and Jordan will cover as many questions as he can live.

You don’t need to be good with numbers, you just need a space to stop guessing.

Live for 30 minutes tomorrow, November 20, in the SocialNext Marketing Alliance at 10 AM MST/12 PM EST.

Community Spotlight: Gillian Lemishka

This week we’re highlighting Gillian, Associate Director of Digital Strategy at Mediology, and her reminder that curiosity, empathy, and a non-linear path can be your greatest strengths in marketing.

Originally trained in sociology and theatre, Gillian didn’t start in strategy, she found her way into it by following what sparked her interest. Today, she brings empathy into every campaign, connecting data with real human stories.

“Marketing became a combination of everything I love: part psychology, part art, part science.”

Her advice? Stay curious, ask better questions, and don’t rush the journey. The magic is often in the mix.

Want more from Gillian?
Read her full story on Marketing News Canada and join the conversation in the SocialNext Marketing Alliance for a chance to be featured in a future spotlight.

SocialPacific 2025 - Photo by Neil Zeller

SNMA Webinar Calendar

Wednesday, November 26 | 10 AM MST/12 PM EST
Momentum Shift: Turning Challenges into Opportunities
Feeling stuck or stalled? In this energizing session, leadership expert Chris Wilson shares how to build lasting momentum through clarity, consistency, and purpose-driven action.

Thursday, November 27 | 10:30 AM MST/12:30 PM EST
Marketing with Impact: The Science of Effectiveness
Discover what’s really driving results in Canadian marketing. Paul Tedesco (ICA) shares new data, real case studies, and actions marketers should take now. Featuring a live Q&A with Mike Morrison.

SocialNext: Ottawa 2024. Photo by Mat Higgins-Savidant

SocialNext Conference Round Up

SocialNext: Ottawa

The first wave of speakers is live for SocialNext: Ottawa, our dedicated conference for nonprofit and public sector communicators, and pre-sale tickets are still available.

These sessions are crafted for mission-driven teams navigating tight resources, evolving audiences, and high expectations. A few standout topics:

  • Reputation Reset: Leading Through Challenge and Change

  • Beyond the Logo: What Brands Are Really Buying

  • Build Trust & Get Found: Brand-Building in the AI Era

Meet the speakers, explore the topics and grab a ticket at SocialNextOttawa.ca

On-Sale Now

Tickets are also on-sale now for:

And stay tuned for more to come on SocialNext: Montreal, SocialEast and SocialPacific 2026!

Canadian Marketing & Business Weekly Brief

Ferrero Joins Canada Soccer in Multi-Brand Partnership — Ferrero Canada is now an official partner of Canada Soccer, launching a multi-year deal that unites all four of its top brands (Ferrero Rocher, Nutella, Kinder, and Tic Tac) under one sponsorship banner. With FIFA 2026 around the corner, this is Ferrero’s boldest move yet into sports marketing.

New Survey Says Trade Tensions Are Hitting Solopreneurs as Hard as the Pandemic — Half of Canadian solopreneurs say global trade uncertainty is impacting their business as much as COVID-19 did. One in three have considered closing shop. The challenges are real, but so is the resilience.

AI Rollout Is Surging, But ROI Remains Rare — KPMG reports that 93 percent of Canadian businesses are using AI, yet only two percent are seeing returns. Companies are moving fast, but the value gap is growing.

Canada’s Nonprofit Sector Is Booming, But Not Without Tension — With more than $300 billion in revenue and tens of thousands of organizations, the nonprofit sector is big business. But questions around transparency, political influence, and funding competition are heating up.

AI Is Not Replacing Humans, It’s Reshaping Them — Eighty percent of Canadian business leaders say keeping people in the loop is essential when using AI. But only a small share have ethics policies or real AI hiring plans in place.

Generational Inclusion Is Canada’s Economic Edge — Six generations now share Canadian workplaces. Leaders are rethinking retirement, benefits, and advancement to unlock the full value of an age-diverse workforce.

Partnering for Creative Impact, What 20+ Marketing Leaders Reveal — A new free guide from Superside explores how great creative partnerships deliver standout work,  not just through craft, but through chemistry, shared vision, and the right human‑machine balance.

Run ads IRL with AdQuick

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You can learn more at www.AdQuick.com

Coast-to-Coast Job Opportunities

Have a great story or big news to share?
We’re always looking for fresh campaigns, smart strategies, and standout wins from Canada’s marketing community. Send us your news at [email protected] and you could be featured in an upcoming edition.

Thanks for reading and being a part of the MNC community!

We’re so happy you’re here.

Marketing News Canada

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