Grassroots Enterprises

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

From ‘No’ to ‘How Do We Scale This?’—The Shift That Made All the Difference

After 20 years of boots-on-the-ground work and six years of pitches, we finally got a “yes” to a solution that had been dismissed too many times to count.

For two decades, we’ve tried to partner with others on an initiative to address one of the most complex problems in systems innovation.

Most of the time, the reaction was the same: polite nod, maybe a few sharp questions, then silence. The solution proposed was never quite understood, never quite de‑risked, never quite credible enough.

This time was different.

In hindsight, I’m not sure the shift was… More...

Thursday, March 19, 2026

What If “Breaking Even” Is a New Way of Winning?

I recently watched an interview with John Mayer, a Grammy‑winning American singer‑songwriter and guitarist known for early‑2000s hits like “Your Body Is a Wonderland” and “Daughters.”

In the interview, Mayer shared that he and film/TV director McG recently bought a historic film and recording studio originally built and used by Charlie Chaplin. It later became home to the Muppets and A&M Records — not exactly a low‑profile piece of real estate.

When asked by the interviewer if he was worried about the financial risk of the investment of the reported $44M in Chaplin’s old studio.… More...

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Canada’s Productivity Problem is Social, Not Just Economic

This week, I had a meaningful conversation with a guy who cares deeply about his work in community economic development. While clearly hardworking and innovative in his thinking, he was honest in admitting that the barriers he encountered while attempting to implement systemic, creative, practical solutions often left him frustrated, angry, and maybe even a little depressed.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon.

We keep hearing that Canada has a productivity and innovation problem. We respond with tax credits, big bets on research and development (R&D), and another round of strategy documents. And yet, the gap with… More...