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The new year is a clean slate, a time to double down on what works, take a few big swings, and leave the dead weight behind. In partnership with NorthGuide, BetaKit asked Canadian founders about the habits they’re sharpening, the bets they’re making, and the buzzwords they’re banning in 2025.
Myomar Molecular
skiKrumb
Fig Financial
Tenure Rewards
Responses were submitted in writing by contributors and are shared as provided, with only minor edits for brevity or clarity.
What’s a habit you’re adopting in 2025?
“In 2024, I made one specific day of the week a ‘no calls day,’ where I have zero calls or meetings, and it’s been a game-changer. In 2025, I’m doubling down on that habit and adding a second ‘no calls day’ weekly.”
“I’m focusing on trying to do one thing at a time instead of trying to multitask—it just doesn’t work and ends up being more distracting. For me, this means setting clear priorities each day, blocking time for important tasks and uninterrupted times, and being more present in whatever I’m doing.”
“Health, fitness.”
“A healthier lifestyle—nothing crazy, just the basics (good food, exercise, and sleep).”
“I will go to Crossfit four times a week. This is for my mental and physical health, I need to exercise to keep up with my busy schedule and be strong to be able to do things without depending on anyone! In practice, I will have to set time on my daily schedule to have some ‘me’ time and go to Crossfit!”
“Everything at this stage of our startup is about picking which one of the thousands of things we could be doing to move the business forward. It’s sometimes easy to focus on what we haven’t done and in 2025 we will focus on celebrating the incredible accomplishments we make every single day.”
“I’m making it a habit to truly listen more in 2025—not just as a leader, but as someone who wants to better understand the people we’re helping. It’s easy to get caught up in plans and projections, but nothing replaces the value of hearing directly from customers.”
“More physical wellness and mental wellness! I want to train like the high performance athlete I once was and carry that over to Tenure. This looks like more time in the gym, on the ski hill, in a cold tub, meditating, visualizing and game planning each day, month and quarter execute at a high level in our business.”
What’s a moonshot goal you have for 2025?
“Become the #1 acne care brand for Gen Z at Sephora. The first step is investing in deeper partnerships with Sephora, building an incredible marketing calendar for 2025, and continuing to launch products that truly resonate with our community.”
“Right now, my focus is on getting physically strong. There’s something empowering about feeling strength in your body. It’s important because working out helps me manage stress, stay focused, and recharge, which makes me better in every area of life.”
“Hit the gym seven times a week for 90 days.”
“To map (the inside of) a whole city.”
“Speak about my research at science conferences around the world and professionally is to enter the US market with our at-home test of muscle health. The first step is to publish our findings in scientific journals and start shipping our test to stakeholders in the USA.”
“In 2025 I want skiKrumb to launch at the 15 largest resorts in the United States. Thus far we’ve focused on Canadian resorts and we expect that this momentum will carry quickly into the United States.”
“Help 10 times more Canadians consolidate debt through Fig’s platform in 2025 than 2024 and save them millions in unnecessary interest payments. This goal is personal to me because I’ve seen the transformation that financial empowerment can bring for people, families and communities.”
“We’re looking to hit $1M ARR in our first year in market for Tenure. First step is to execute a game plan for personal health and for our Q1 to meet and exceed our goal. This is important to me because Tenure has the opportunity to change the employee landscape and have an incredible social impact that will change many lives moving forward. We are creating the giving platform that will make more work cultures better.”
What’s something you want to do more of in 2025?
“In 2025, I want to spend more time connecting directly with our community—whether it’s through TikTok, meet-and-greets, or even popping up at events. In 2024, our founder-led content really struck a chord with our community. My co-founder and I reached over five million views combined on our personal TikTok accounts, creating a deeper connection with our customers.”
“I want to dedicate more time to being a subject matter expert. With rapid advances in technology, the strength of a CEO lies in understanding how to apply those changes to your industry and the problem you are solving.”
“Giving back to the Toronto tech community. There is a lot of exciting growth happening in Canada and I’d love to support in any way that I can.”
“High quality, in-person interactions!”
“Hiking! I love hiking, it connects me to God, It helps me to recharge and feel gratitude!”
“More skiing! Despite being at 20 resorts in the last year, I haven’t had many opportunities to ski for fun. Next year that will change!”
“I want to lean harder into partnerships in 2025. Fig doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and collaboration is key to driving meaningful change. Whether it’s teaming up with FinTech innovators, engaging community organizations, or working with policymakers, partnerships can amplify impact.”
“Personally I want to move more and get in peak physical health. In work I want to bring in more coaching tactics from my 20 years of high performance volleyball coaching to Tenure.”
What’s something you want to do less of in 2025?
“Less limiting our dreams for Blume! Over the years, we’ve embraced rigorous financial discipline and a deep understanding of our numbers, and those practices will absolutely continue into 2025. However, I’m also ready to bring more creativity back into the business. It’s time to build on that foundation by infusing more magic into our collaborations and product development, pushing boundaries, and dreaming bigger.”
“Reduce the number of times I’m late to reply to emails.”
“Less 1:1 meetings at work and more open group collaborative discussions.”
“Paperwork and admin.”
“I would like to rush less, I am always rushing to get to meetings, to pick up kids, to get to places.”
“I want to do less of the day-to-day aspects of the business in 2025. When I grew my software consulting company to 30 people I learned how to delegate and step back and let talented people do what they do best. While I can do every aspect of the business, I look forward to focusing largely on relationships and leadership in the coming year.”
“I want to spend less time on initiatives that don’t drive measurable value for our customers. It’s easy to get caught up in ‘checkbox’ activities that might look good on paper but don’t move the needle where it matters most. My focus in 2025 will be on outcomes, not outputs.”
“I want to reduce the amount of alcohol I drink to go along with more physical and mental wellness for 2025.”
Going into 2025, how many unread emails do you have in your inbox?
“Zero, because I use Superhuman. :)”
“Less than 30.”
“20.”
” I just looked and I have 2,833 emails! It’s crazy!”
“4,000.”
“Not that many. At Fig, we take pride in our culture of ‘getting stuff done.’ This approach often means fewer emails, as we prioritize connecting in person when possible and staying highly engaged over Slack. Taking action ensures we spend less time discussing and more time delivering value to our borrowers.”
“Too many emails from companies scheduled to onboard with Tenure.”
What tech buzzword are you banning from your vocabulary in 2025?
“Low-hanging fruit.”
“AI.”
“Leverage.”
“Open AI.”
“Disruption. It’s thrown around too often and feels reductive of what we’re trying to achieve. At Fig, we’re not here to disrupt for disruption’s sake—we’re here to innovate with intention. Every solution we develop and every process we refine is rooted in one goal: helping Canadians build better financial futures.”
“Pre-seed from VC’s websites that really only invest in seed stage.”
“VCs are too slow!”
What do you think Canada’s New Year’s resolution should be?
“Creating real opportunities for small businesses and female founders. In 2025, I’d love to see Canada step up with more grants, tailored resources, and mentorship programs for female founders.”
“Canada’s resolution should be to inspire and support more people to become tech entrepreneurs. We need more founders in our ecosystem, and that means creating an environment that truly nurtures and sustains them at every stage of their journey.”
“Let’s get our shit together!”
“Getting the fundamentals right again.”
“Improve quality of life through muscle health monitoring!”
“Canada should work towards a massive reduction in government interference with small business and work towards a truly open free market.”
“Canada needs to make financial literacy a bigger priority. As someone who has spent over a decade championing financial education through Junior Achievement Canada and Junior Achievement Quebec, I’ve seen firsthand how equipping young people with financial skills can transform lives.”
“Stop complaining and ACT! Do something about it—in 2024 we identified Canada is horribly unproductive, we are risk adverse and aren’t willing to invest in our next generation like our US counterparts. Let’s ACT, let’s take risks in 2025, let’s invest in our own more and let’s build the next generation of startups that will be the darlings on a global scale!”
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If your organization is getting stuck or you’re not sure where to start in tackling your innovation challenges, give NorthGuide a call. Our systems approach and deep bench of experts can help your organization create a big impact in 2025.