This video and transcript are from an interview that Ian Payton of Telsec Business Centres conducted with Judi Hughes, co-founder and President of Your Planning Partners Ltd. It’s the first in a series of interviews with members of our community with the goal of raising client visibility within the Telsec business community and elsewhere.

Judi Hughes, Co-Founder and President of Your Planning Partners

Ian: Hi, can you introduce yourself?

Judi: Absolutely! I’m Judi Hughes and my company is Your Planning Partners. I’m the President and Managing Partner.

Ian: Would you like to give us an idea about what your business does?

Judi: Your Planning Partners is a boutique management consulting firm. We work with established business owners who’ve been in business 3 to 5 years. Some up to 15 and 20 years have already seen some success with their business, but they hit a ceiling. So what we do is help them focus their energies and their skills on putting strategies in place to grow their business – but most importantly on implementing those strategies. So my tagline is: “We help you get clarity and we help you get focused on where you’re going. Most importantly, together, we help you take action.

Ian: How long has your business been around? How did you start it?

Judi: We’ve been in business since 1978. We’ve been in business longer than many of our clients have been alive! So we always joke about that – but it’s true. We’ve had four businesses and this is our fourth. Each of them has been successful. We’ve built them and sold them – so we’ve bought businesses and we’ve built businesses. But in each case, we’ve sold the business in the end. We started Your Planning Partners 10 years ago, so this is our 10th anniversary. Umm, and the rest of the question was how did we start?

Ian: Yes. What inspired you to start this particular business?

Judi: We’ve never worked for anyone else. I’m in business with my husband. The “we” is my husband and we have a team as well. But we’re the two key partners. The reality was that we always joked around and said we were too young to retire. But nobody else would hire us. When we sold our last company, we went to another consulting firm and we said, “this is what we love doing” and we told them our story and so on. That form helped us put it together the program we still deliver today, which is helping other business owners do exactly what we did is – build a business so you have equity in it. The first question I ask people when they want to consider working with us or starting a business is “do you want to build a business? Or do you want to create a good job for yourself?” Neither of those are right or wrong. But building a business is very different from working for yourself. They’re two very different things. So, what we do is help people build businesses.

Ian: What challenges did you face when trying to get started?

Judi: Our challenges today are the same as they were in our very first business in 1978. And they’re exactly the same challenges all of our clients have. The biggest challenge is not trying to do everything yourself. Create a team around you – not necessarily employing a team but creating a team that could do things better than you can because you can’t be all things to all people. If you’re doing everything, I guarantee that you’re not doing the things necessary to grow your business. One criteria for all our clients is that they already either have an administrative assistant or prepare to invest in an administrative assistant – because one of the biggest hurdles is that we spend ages and ages of time doing things that aren’t about growing our company, they’re about administering our business. And if you’ve got a good, strong supporter that can shine in that position, I can guarantee you will shine at doing the things you need to do for growth. So it’s all about hiring the right team, keeping them on board, helping them shine, and recognizing that you can’t do everything.

Ian: Did you encounter any unique challenges because you’re a woman?

Judi: The fact that I started my company with my husband and that we’re still in business together is somewhat unique. We have always had two incomes from one business, no matter what. We’ve had to put our children through university, buy ourselves houses, and so on. So I don’t feel any particular challenges as a woman. However, I belong to Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs. I spend a lot of time with other young women who are just starting in business. And the challenges are exactly the same now as they were 20 or 30 years ago. Getting the financial industry and institutions to take you seriously is very important. Women, to be clear, are very good salespeople so that isn’t necessarily a challenge. But for women to get financial institutions to take them seriously is really an interesting exercise. Women have an inclination to feel that they have to be caregivers of everything – and so that balancing act of family, home, business, marriage, relationships and friendships really is a learning curve. I have a couple of young women that I mentor and they’re faced with the same thing – learning how do they balance all of that. Today that’s probably the biggest challenge for women.

Ian: How has it been, having your office in a business office centre like Telsec?

Judi: We’ve been here for 9 of the 10 years that we stated the business. I say to our clients all the time to get your office out of the house or you cannot feel like a real business. It’s a much different feeling when you walk out of your home and you go to work. For a woman being at home, you’re constantly torn between being a business person and care giving. But if you’re going off to the office, everybody takes you seriously. So Telsec specifically? Well, the location for us has been incredible. Our clients have come in from Ajax, Durham, Halton and from all those side ramps off the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway, and they can park their cars nearby. Our clients who are in GTA and take the TTC love the fact that we’re totally accessible – and so location is huge for us. We’ve also been able to grow within Telsec – which is the other reason why I recommend people use business centres as their place of doing business. As we’ve grown, we’ve taken more office space. It’s also great to have a reception area, and have someone with a smiling face to greet people when they come in. I do recommend Telsec a lot. One of the jokes I always say is “besides, they always have free coffee on.” That’s absolutely critical because when someone’s just arrived and you’ve got a million things going on, it’s nice to offer that to them. The boardrooms…yeah the board rooms are great! Actually that’s another thing we do say to business owners in particular. Why would anyone go out and buy fax machines, copiers and all the things you need to be in business when you can be a part of a community like this where those things are already accessible to you. They’re top quality; you’re never going to be able to afford them yourself. You’ve got boardrooms for meetings, you’ve got an elegant presence for prospects – it’s just doesn’t make any sense to not do it. Besides, you don’t have to clean it! It’s cleaned for you at the end of the week. It’s done!

Ian: You mentioned growth. Did you go from a smaller office to a larger office without having to change your address?

Judi: First, we started with a mailing address that was probably 10 or 11 years ago. We had the mailing address, then a phone, then receptionists to answer the phone. Then we moved into the shared-office concept where we also had use of the boardrooms. Next stage of growth, we took on one office and a small office. Then the next stage of growth we took on a bigger office and subsequently another office. So, with each stage of the growth of our company, we’ve been able to move in to the next best space. And one of the nice things about moving into that space is that we never had internet problems – and that’s a really good thing, especially in today’s world.

Ian: Thank you so much.

GREAT QUALITY NEIGHBOURHOOD

18 King Street East is a quality boutique Class A building – East
of Yonge Street: easy street parking, less traffic, excellent restaurants and lovely treed parks – St. James Park @
Church & King and Berczy Park @ Wellington East, Scott and Front Streets – Very high energy and engaging
area.

RESTAURANTS/TAKE OUT

Leave it to TELSEC. Let our staff take care of the catering for the important business meeting room rental or
training seminar! Just let us know what types of food you prefer and for how many people and let us do the
rest. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, Telsec can provide anything from assorted sandwiches to a high-quality
hot sit-down meal. We’re always happy to take care of our clients! https://telsec.net/boardrooms-meeting-
rooms/

1. CRAFT BEER MARKET (OUTDOOR COURTYARD)
Courtyard backs onto our Telsec building, 18 King St. E
1 Adelaide St E (enter on east side of Yonge St., south of Adelaide)
Toronto
Ryan Halsall
info@craftbeermarket.ca
Tel: 437-922-BEER (2337)
www.craftbeermarket.ca
Toronto’s first chef-driven food hall, perfect for lunch or team outings, with a wide selection of seasonal
dishes and local brews.

2. Beerbistro restaurant and bar
Outdoor patio next to our Telsec building, 18 King St. E.
18 King Street East, Main Floor
Toronto
Omid Azad
info@beerbistro.com
Tel: 416-861-9872
www.beerbistro.com

3. CONVIVIUM DINING – HIGH-END (SOME TABLES BACK ONTO OUTDOOR COURTYARD)
Courtyard backs onto our Telsec building, 18 King St. E.
83 Yonge Street
Toronto
Soumini Agate
sa@myconvivium.com
General Manager
Sarah Watson
sw@myconvivium.com
Floor Manager
Tatiana Frelik (Events)
tf@myconvivium.com

Tel: 416-691-9909
www.myconvivium.com

4. RESTAURANT 20 VICTORIA – MICHELIN 2025 APPROVED
20 Victoria Street
Toronto
Declan
20vicreservations@gmail.com
Tel: 416-804-6066
Instagram for reservations: https://www.instagram.com/twentyvictoria/

5. JOEY KING STREET
20 King Street West
Toronto
Nora Elhanafy
nelhanafy@joeyrestaurants.com
Tel: 647-678-5639
www.joeyrestaurants.com
If you want to wow your business partners or clients, then grab and go from this contemporary dining
spot with a menu featuring international and regional dishes. Order their upscale east like sushi, salads,
steaks or that wagyu beef carpaccio. Yum!

6. DACASTO (take out)
37 King Street East
Toronto
Enrico Dacasto
enrico@dacasto.com
Tel: 416-214-0986
www.dacasto.com

7. DEB BREAKFAST. CO (take out)
20 Toronto Street
Toronto
Sade Henry
torontostgm@eatdeb.com
Tel: 347-880-8291
www.torontostgm.com

8. THE POKE BOX (take out)
36 Toronto Street
Toronto
Jeremy
info@thepokebox.ca
Tel: 416-929-0363
www. thepokebox.ca
For business teams that love to indulge but want to feel good about it, consider ordering from The Poke
Box. Their individual boxed meals are prepared with fresh ingredients and packed with protein! Great
for sushi lovers but without a mess.

9. CARISMA (ITALIAN)

15 Toronto Street
Toronto
Michael Pagliaro
info@carismarestaurant.com
Tel: 416-864-7373
www.carismarestaurant.com

10. NAMI (JAPANESE)
55 Adelaide Street East
Toronto
Mana
namirestaurant1984@gmail.com
Tel: 416-362-7373
www.namirestaurant.ca

11. TERRONI (ITALIAN)
57 Adelaide Street East
Toronto
Patti Shaw
info@terroni.com
Tel: 416-203-3093
www.terroni.com

12. SWAAGAT – THE REAL TASTE OF INDIA
36 King Street East
Toronto
swaagattoronto@gmail.com
Tel: 647-943-9754

13. WOODS RESTAURANT AND BAR
45 Colborne Street
Toronto
Robin Singh
info@woodsrestaurant.ca
Tel: 416-214-9918
www.woodsrestaurant.ca

14. aKin – Michelin 2025 approved
51 Colborne Street
Toronto
Mike Birdsey, Genral Manager
Eric Chong, chef + owner
info@atkintoronto.com
Tel: 416-363-0151
www.atkintoronto.com
aKin is a modern Asian-inspired fine dining restaurant located in the heart of Toronto. Offering a
meticulously curated 10-course blind tasting menu that highlights local and seasonal ingredients, with
influences from diverse Asian cuisines.

15. CANTINA MERCATTO

20 Wellington Street East
Toronto
Niam H
info@cantinamercatto.ca
Tel: 416-304-0781
www.cantinamercatto.ca

16. UNCLE TONY’S
38 Wellington St E
Toronto
Siva Sathasivam
uncletonyssiva@gmail.com
Tel: 416-455-6650
https://uncletonys.ca/

17. FRESH KITCHEN + JUICE BAR – vegan restaurant
47 Front Street East
Toronto
Lindsey Dauilmar
ldavilmar@recipeunlimited.com
Tel: 647-693-7556
www.freshkitchens.ca
This plant-based restaurant is so good you won’t even miss meat. It’s a great choice for delicious and
health-conscious food and a top pick for those with dietary restrictions. Choose from their lunch and
dinner menu or opt for their takeout bundles and get appetizers and entrees for multiple people.

18. THE FLAT IRON: A FIRKIN PUB
49 Wellington Street East
Toronto
JC Trujillo
Jctrujillo3@gmail.com
Tel: 647-561-7224, 416-362-3444
www.firkinpubs.com/theflatiron
If your team likes pub grub, then the Firkin’s traditional English food is for you. Order from their party
platter menu for large groups, which includes all your classic pub favourites like fish and chips, sliders,
skewers, tacos, nachos, charcuterie boards and more.

19. SCORE ON KING (Sports Bar)
Outdoor Patio + Heated
Church & King
107 King Street East
Toronto
Tel: 416-519-4654
www.scoreonking.com

20. RESTAURANT LUCIE
100 Yonge Street
Toronto
info@restaurantlucie.com
Tel: 416-788-9054
www.restaurantlucie.com

21. PIZZAIOLO
(no e-mail)
104 Yonge Street
Toronto
Tel: 416-860-0700
www.pizzaiolo.ca

Restaurants

1. Ryan Halsall

CRAFT BEER MARKET (OUTDOOR COURTYARD)

Courtyard backs onto our Telsec building, 18 King St. E

1 Adelaide St E (enter on east side of Yonge St., south of Adelaide)

Toronto, ON

M5C 2V9

Tel: 437-922-BEER (2337)

Website: www.craftbeermarket.ca

2. Michael Pagliaro

Carisma (Italian)

15 Toronto Street

Toronto, ON

M5C 2E3

Tel: 416-864-7373

Website: www.carismarestaurant.com

3. Patti Shaw

Terroni (Italian)

57 Adelaide Street East

Toronto, ON

M5C 1K6

Tel: 416-203-3093

Website: www.terroni.com

4. Declan

Restaurant 20 Victoria – Michelin guide approved

20 Victoria Street

Toronto, ON

M5C 2A1

Tel: 416-804-6066

Instagram for reservations: https://www.instagram.com/twentyvictoria/

5. Mana

Nami (Japanese)

55 Adelaide Street East

Toronto, ON

M5C 1K6

Tel: 416-362-7373

Website: www.namirestaurant.ca

6. Restaurant Lucie

100 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON

M5C 2W1

Tel: 416-788-9054

Website: www.restaurantlucie.com

7. Niam H

Cantina Mercatto

20 Wellington Street East

Toronto, ON

M5E 1C5

Tel: 416-304-0781

Website: www.cantinamercatto.ca

8. Siva Sathasivam

Uncle Tony’s

38 Wellington St E

Toronto, ON

M5E 1C7

Tel: 416-455-6650

Website: https://uncletonys.ca/

9. Pizzaiolo

104 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON

M5C 2Y6

Tel: 416-860-0700

Website: www.pizzaiolo.ca

10. Robin Singh

Woods Restaurant and Bar

45 Colborne Street

Toronto, ON

M5E 1E3

Tel: 416-214-9918

Website: www.woodsrestaurant.ca

11. Amadeusz Domyslawski

GUSTO 501

501 King St. E

Toronto, ON

M5A 1L9

Tel: 416-477-5647

Website: www.gusto501.com

Health and Wellness

1. Thom Tullo

Morpheus8 by Inmode

47 Colborne Street

Toronto, ON

M5E 1E3

Tel: 416-863-6564

Website: www.amanspa.ca

2. Altitude Athletic Training

56 Colborne Street

Toronto, ON

M5E 1E3

Tel: 416-366-3838

Website: www.altitudeathletictraining.com

3. Physioheath Studios

33 Victoria Street, #130

Toronto, ON

M5C 2A1

Tel: 416-368-2525

Website: www.physiohealth.com

Hotels

1. Jennifer Smith

General Manager

The Omni King Edward Hotel

37 King Street East

Toronto, ON

M5C 1E9

Tel: 416-863-9700

Website: https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/toronto-king-edward

2. Mark Perry

General Manager

Executive Hotels and Resorts (Boutique)

8 Colborne Street

Toronto, ON

M5E 1E1

Tel: 416-350-2419

Website: www.spazen.ca or www.cosmotoronto.com

3. Emeline Boul

General Manager

Hotel Victoria (Boutique)

56 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON

M5E 1G5

Tel: 416-363-1666

Mobile: 647-574-5832

Website: www.hotelvictoriatoronto.com

4. Omkar Sawant

Reservations Manager

One King West Hotel

1 King Street West

Toronto, ON

M5H 1A1

Main: 416-548-8100

Reservations: 1-866-470-5464

Website: www.onekingwest.com

5. Van Nguyen

General Manager

Cambridge Suites Toronto

15 Richmond Street East

Toronto, ON

M5C 1N2

Direct: 416-601-3757

Hotel: 416-368-1990

Website: www.cambridgesuitestoronto.com

Our Amenities

We are by far the most experienced and best coworking team in the market – established in 1980

We are the highest Tech centre in the market

We have a very modern, high quality, brand new facility located at:

18 King Street East, Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4 Canada

- 18 King Street East is a boutique Class A building – East of Yonge: easy street parking, less traffic, excellent restaurants and lovely parks – St. James Park @ Church & King and Berczy Park @ Wellington East, Scott and Front Streets – Very high energy and engaging area
- A few steps (a few seconds) to the Yonge Street subway/underground PATH network and streetcar available outside building
- Building is located in Toronto's vibrant financial district
- Plenty of parking available in the area including street parking and reserved parking in the 18 King building
- Adjacent to the building huge outdoor food courtyard - Beer Bistro www.beerbistro.com and Craft Beer Market www.craftbeermamrket.ca restaurants and bars with onsite catering services
- Onsite amenities: Tim Horton's, Beer Bistro, Convenience store and Starbucks across the street
- Nearby amenities: underground PATH network, numerous restaurants, banking, Starbucks plus a wide array of nearby shops and services
- New modernized office layout fully furnished with meeting spaces and training rooms plus café lounge area
- We are leaders in the service of training/meeting rooms with full conference facilities, high quality hot and cold catering
- Largest training room and conference facilities accommodate up to 60 people classroom style
- Ultra-high-speed - 1 GIG pipe = 1,000 x 1000 fiber-optic network, which will deliver internet connection speeds faster than most North American services
- Private shower room
- Indoor Reserved Parking at the current building rental rate
- Bicycle parking
- Rent a space to accommodate your team for meetings, training sessions, corporate events or coworking space or flexible office space for one day, one week, one month or one year, or whatever term suits your business
- Telsec has over 650 locations in 40 different countries worldwide available for their clients. Office clients receive up to 8 hours of meeting space per month at no charge at any ABCN member location. Plus, Office and Virtual Office clients may rent a space from any member location at special member rates which varies depending on the location
- King Edward Hotel is located across the street - recently completed a $40 million renovation and boutique hotels close by within walking distance

Dining and entertainment at high quality restaurants only minutes away – Carisma, Terroni, Woods Restaurant & Bar and Michelin Rated - Restaurant 20 Victoria. Plus numerous lunch and takeout eateries nearby

Please check out our 70 second video, click below:

Take a look at our facilities www.telsec.net

Telsec will Customize Your Client’s Office(s) Layout to Meet Their Requirements.

You are welcome to drop-in any-time, a quick call would be appreciated to ensure our availability Vanessa 416-574-1112 or Josie 416-606-4349 or e-mail josie@telsec.net.

An Interview With Judi Hughes of Your Planning Partners

Judi Hughes, Co-Founder and President of Your Planning Partners

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