Anu Bidani is the CEO of STEM MINDS (a BCorp certified Social Enterprise) and Inno-Hive, an Innovative Learning Community – Not-For-Profit), two companies that focus on shaping the future of education by transforming learning experiences for both children and adults. STEM Minds is on a mission to empower youth to become fearless leaders by developing agility and a love of learning through STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). She believes in creating our future leaders, game changers, and problem-solvers to build a better, more agile society for future generations. With a dedicated teaching staff, a state-of-the-art learning environment, research, and development center, and a network of strategic partnerships, she has built both these businesses that are successfully expanding the reach and impact of education to all children!

Inno-Hive, an Innovative Learning Community, is a not-for-profit focused on supporting communities to innovate for skill-building regardless of age or geographic boundaries.

She is a passionate innovator, leader, revenue generator and entrepreneur with solid experience as a corporate executive where she witnessed the evolution and impact of accelerated technology changes on business processes from a Corporate lens. Her passion for innovation served as the catalyst for repeated successes in optimizing emerging business models to deliver agile profitability and value. With vetted expertise in the areas of strategy, product development, solutions development, project delivery, information security, and audit, Anu has built a solid foundation for her two entrepreneurial ventures – STEM MINDS and Inno-Hive, an Innovative Learning Community. She is also an SHEEO activator and supports other women entrepreneurs in their journey of following their passion.

Anu welcome to my series on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. Tell my audience a little about you.

I am a mom of 2 boys who inspired me to embrace my entrepreneurial venture Stem Minds after a 20+ Corporate career. I enjoy traveling, cooking, and challenging myself to new intellectual possibilities. I consider myself a fearless learner where the glass is always full. I believe in the power of positive thinking so miracles can happen. For me, integrity and authenticity are two ingredients that make me who I am and what I do.

You had a successful career as an executive in one of the banks. Why start a business?

After a successful career as a senior executive, I wanted more out of life. Everyone talks about their purpose and calling and I needed to find mine. When I left my job in 2015, I didn’t want to do the same. So, in search of my purpose and challenging myself I decided to solve a personal problem of inspiring my children to love STEM. In this journey, I have found the joy in inspiring children to love STEM. My business STEM Minds caters to this passion through a holistic STEM learning experience with hands-on activities. I have a state-of-the-art facility with 3D printers, laser cutters, robots, drones, virtual reality, and much more which makes learning fun, impactful, and sustainable.

Talk to me a little about STEM?

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math – STEM is a very important field to build skills in for the jobs of tomorrow. These fields enforce critical thinking, problem-solving, and many other 21st century skills that are innate to digital competencies that are required for success. These cannot be optional in a child’s learning portfolio but mandatory so they are prepared for what will be expected of them as they grow.

What are the future goals and expansion plans?

I am very excited about launching our Online platform – SMOA with gamification, virtual reality, and AI so children can enjoy formal learning at school and home through various toolsets. We are launching SMOA both nationally in Canada and in the USA. We are also working on some strategic partnerships to bring our programming into more school boards. We are working on academic research on our approach to blended learning through online tools in the classroom as well as accessibility in STEM for visually impaired youth. So, lots of exciting things happening at Stem Minds – stay tuned for the evolution!

Help me understand the good, bad, and ugly side of being an entrepreneur?

The good side is – I love the freedom and picking what I want to do when I want to do with no submissions of business cases! I enjoy the freedom to try things out without fear of failure.

The ugly side is that there is no segregation of work life and home life. Sometimes it interferes with the quality time I want to spend with my family but I also have to balance the responsibilities of running a business and supporting a team. So, time is always premium.

What are the skill sets required to be an entrepreneur?

In my mind three most important characteristics of being a successful entrepreneur are:

• fearless learner – you need to keep pushing yourself to learn new things whether it be about your product, customers or markets
• resilience – you need to know that you can get up and move forward every time you fall
• grit – courage to take risks without fear of consequences

My daughter is 14 and sometimes scared of math, science, and engineering. What advice would you give her?

I would tell her to be a fearless learner as we can learn anything if we put our minds to it. Even though math, science, engineering may seem scary, just remember that fear is only in your mind. Give yourself the opportunity to try building skills in these fields in your own way. If you enjoy fashion then wearable tech may be something to explore which combines fashion with coding. If you enjoy art then digital art, graphic designing are options to consider. There are lots of choices you just need to be open to learning.

Walk me through the steps of opening a business, like bootstrapping, business plans, market, competitive advantage, core competence, increasing footprint, and finding a niche?

For me opening a business requires planning and thought if you want it to be sustainable. Plan your finances – you may need a 3-year runway before you get a paycheque. Planning conservatively creates less chaos and panic.

New businesses generally have to be self-funded as there is not much financing available. So, plan to be lean and optimize your resources. Investing in automation to simplify processes is impactful.

You need to know the drivers behind your business, what pain points are you addressing and who is your real client. Understand the competitive landscape and find your unique value proposition.

I am a planned entrepreneur so I spend time building my business plan, financial models, key metrics for monitoring, documenting process flows, and procedures. I invested in these processes so I can grow without dependency on a few people, including myself. My staff can run my business without my presence. If you plan your business that way you have time to be a real CEO with vision, strategy, and forward-thinking.

It is important to find mentors, coaching, and other help to keep you on track. How did you achieve this?

I think mentoring and coaching are important. Having someone to talk to you about your ideas, being held accountable allow you to be better at execution and performance.

I did this by having a leadership coach when I really needed to push my performance. I joined network groups like SheEO and GroYourBiz to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. All of this gave me a safe place to grow and be my best.

Talk to me about your hiring process and what you look for and how you motivate your staff?

I hire based on potential. I have an awesome team, who is passionate about what they do. I motivate them through empowerment and trust. I know they will always do their best and if mistakes happen it is okay as this is part of growing and learning.

Give my viewers advice on balancing the family? 

Balance is all about deliberate choices. I don’t think there is anything like balance. It is setting your priorities and making choices.

The family should always come first so always make time. Time flies by fast so you want to make the best of it and cherish the moments.

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Hannah is a European based New Zealand blogger, whose mission is to help you live compassionately. Hannah contacted bloggers from around the world who focus on inspiring and empowering people on how to stay productive when you’re stuck at home. I wrote a piece on stick to your schedule.

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The strength of your personal financial resources is equivalent to the quality of your financial decision-making. –Wayne Charisa

Financial success isn’t just about the numbers in your bank account—it’s about defining what truly matters to your happiness and making choices that support that vision. I first learned this lesson during my very first week at a brokerage firm on Bay Street. David Wilkes, one of the most successful advisors I’ve ever met, pulled me into his office and shared three pieces of advice that have stuck with me ever since: buy a small house, keep the first wife, and drive your car for at least 15 years.

David’s wisdom extended beyond investing—it was about creating a life of stability, balance, and intentionality. Over the years, I’ve taken that guidance to heart, refining it into a set of strategies that have helped me—and can help you—build financial security and freedom. In this post, I’ll share 15 practical strategies for financial success, from setting goals and budgeting to investing wisely and living intentionally, all grounded in lessons I’ve learned from experience and observation.

What is financial success

Financial Success is how you define what is most important to your happiness.

It was my first week at the brokerage firm on Bay Street. David Wilkes pulls me into the office and tells me ‘Jerry, I am going to give you three pieces of advice. In other words, buy a small house, keep the first wife, and drive your car for at least 15 years.’ A great piece of advice from one of the most successful advisers on Bay Street. David was great at investing his money. He was one of the best entrepreneurs I have met. As a result, I have listened to the above advice, and here are my 15 strategies for financial success.

Write down your goals

It is important to write down your financial goals. It is your blueprint and vision for your financial success for instance.

Know the difference between wants and needs. Food, shelter, heat, hydro and water are needs in order to sustain your life. In addition, wants are cappuccinos, going to the movies, vacations, and an expensive watch. Make sure needs are covered and then take care of wants.

Set short term (less than a year), medium (1 to 5 years), and long-term goals (more than 5 years). Be precise, realistic; set a time frame and a dollar amount. Write beside the goals whether it is a need or a want. Figure out the cost of each goal, how many months you need to achieve it, and then how much money you need to save each month.

Create a budget

A budget is how you will spend your money in any given year. The budget tells you how much money you will have for the things you want to purchase. In my two decades of voluntary counseling, every single person who was ever referred to me never had or followed a budget. In other words, a budget also allows you to live within your means and gets you a step closer to financial success.

Create an emergency fund

As the name suggests, this is for emergencies. What happens if you are laid off? What happens if you are in an accident? The dishwasher breaks down or you need winter tires. In conclusion,  open a high-interest account at a bank and have at least 6 months of your salary saved up in this account.

Pay off your debts 

A Globe and Mail survey in 2018 found 48 % of Canadians live paycheck to paycheck. This is a stressful situation. Is it really worth carrying credit card debt at 21% interest? Once you are debt-free, you are not at the mercy of the lenders or anyone. You are free and can live life as you choose. Imagine if you paid off your mortgage, car and student loans. That means you do not have to pay rent or mortgage payments, no car or student loan payments. You can take it easy. You can take a less stressful job or work from home or work fewer days a week.

Save 10 percent

I strongly recommend that you start saving 10 percent of the money you earn. As you get more disciplined you can save more. Above all, this is your nest egg.

Save for retirement

At some point in our lives, the paycheck stops coming. Many of us will live at least more than two decades after we retire. We will need money for this. The best thing to do is to invest in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan.

Give to charity

The National Institute of Health did research on the brains of individuals who donate money. The act of giving money to a good cause activated pleasure centers in the brain. When you give money to a charity that is aligned with your goals and values you are making a difference and impacting other people’s lives.

Be patient

Rome was not built in one day. When you buy a home, do not go and buy a brand-new car, new furniture, install hardwood, new interlock and remodel the kitchen. The extra debt will add unnecessary pressure on you. Take your time and do one thing at a time to become financially successful.

Stay away from credit cards

The average credit card debt in Canada is $2,600. Many pay only the minimum balance. That means paying 21% interest on it. Use credit cards only if you have the money in the bank account.

Do not buy on impulse

This is your biggest enemy. It can derail any plan you have for simplicity and frugality. Avoid malls and do window shopping. Stick to your goals, budget, and plan and avoid online retail.  A walk, volunteering, going to the gym, talking to a friend, or having someone over can make up for retail therapy.

If you are married, keep the first wife

Many successful married men have asked me what is the best financial advice I can give them. I always tell them to keep the first wife. Divorce messes you mentally, emotionally and financially. Keep her and treat her well.

Keep track of your spending

Have an excel spreadsheet or write down your major expenses and expenditure so you know you have the funds in your bank account.

Invest in a TFSA

If you have extra funds, invest in the Tax-Free Savings Account. You are allowed to invest a certain amount every year and you do not have to pay tax on any interest, dividend, or capital growth in this account.

Do not keep up with the neighbor

Make a promise to yourself. You will not keep up with the neighbor. Do you really need to spend $40,000 on interlock? Do you need to install an outdoor pool which you will barely use? If you have a paved driveway, is an interlock driveway any better?

Drive the car for 15 years

If you buy a new car, as soon as you drive it out of the showroom it loses thirty-five percent of its value. You are better off buying a car that is one year old. If you do decide to buy a new car, drive it for the next 15 years or at least 300,000 km before you get a new one.

In conclusion, these are some of my strategies for financial success, let me know if you are using them and how they have worked out for you.

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