Often You Need To Lose Something To Gain Something.. This Is One Of Those Times.

My name is Shayna Mandel, I'm a 38, from Toronto and this is my Friendly Company. I’d like to tell you more about how The Friendly Company came about and why its here... I'm super excited, nervous, anxious and terrified (to be honest) about starting my own business. I want to thank you for visiting and taking an interest in what we are doing.

My whole life I've been good at talking to others. I tend to make people around me feel comfortable by being open and honest about myself. I make friends pretty easily and talk to people of any age or background. I've never thought much of it.... just who I am.

The idea started as a 1-900-Venting Line. Where you could call to complain about anything, and someone would just listen to you (doesn’t that sound nice?). As the idea ruminated, I realized it wasn’t a very solid ‘starter business’ but could potentially be a good feature someday. In the meantime, coming from a family of entrepreneurs, my brain has always been full of different business & product ideas. (More on those fun crazy ideas another time!) I knew I wanted to build something for myself just didn’t know what it would be.

Then, on Oct 16, 2018, 3 days after my birthday and 7 hours from our last phone call my super healthy, hockey playing father unexpectedly passed-away at age 69. It was an aortic rupture and there was nothing they could do. Life got a little crazy after that but as I worked through my sadness and grief a new intention started to form.

So, as I do with any stressful event, I go right into action mode – no time to feel - only to think about what needs to be done. Of course, I cried, wondered why I didn’t push harder when we spoke and I could hear something wasn’t quiet right, wondered if the doctors did enough... but regardless, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was gone. So, after years of training, my brain decided to force itself to see the positive (my coping mechanism for depression since I was 13). Instead of focusing on what I lost, I decided to appreciate what I’d gained from having that amazing man as my father.

Marc was a great guy. I mean… a real solid good-hearted man. He always strived to do ‘the right thing’. He gave his time and money to a lot of charities and community organizations (20+ years as a cub scout leader!). I am proud of who he was and what he’d accomplished.

On the day of his funeral, I asked 'Alexa' to play Frank Sinatra. He loved to sing and Frank was his favorite. The second song was ‘My Way’ … (you know…. “I did it my way”). At first, I just sang along, then I actually listened to the words, then I balled my eyes out. I recognized that he had left an amazing legacy behind, that he left a lot of good deeds and happiness in this world and really, those have long-lasting ripple effects on the people they touch.

My dad was still working and I didn’t really think about the positivity he was still sharing with the people around him. When I was sorting out his affairs, I encountered many people telling me that just seeing my father walking into their office would brighten their day. He always had a huge smile, a funny story and would make great conversation.

Then one day it hit me, with a few of the other ideas already bouncing around this was the final puzzle piece. Friendly Company! There are so many people who just need that shared smile, someone to listen, or a safe place to talk to make their day better. It was a simple action that people needed, it was a friend someone safe to share stories and chat with. I wanted to find a way to continue giving people that source of friendly company throughout their day.

I started working on the idea last summer (2019) and as the year progressed so has my concept. It’s a new idea and it’s a big idea but I believe in it and the impact it will have. Although this business happens to coincide with Covid, it is not the force behind this idea. Covid has definitely increased the general understanding and need for this service but spreading positivity and the lack some people have for a safe connections is something that reaches far beyond this 'covid moment'.

This is the basic business concept. There are many more ideas running through my head that I can't wait to implement and share...

Equal Employment – With special focus on retirees, the physically disabled, mental health sufferers, stay at home parents, and family caregivers who have a hard time keeping traditional full time employment.

Flexible Work – This work has low barriers to entry and schedules are customized to personal availability AND we offer competitive wages as full or part time employees.

(no sub-contractors here!)

Giving Back – We will ALWAYS donate 20% of every call to charity. Hopefully we can donate even more over time.

Circular Giving Effect – It’s a feel good project for everyone involved.

- Our Guests are getting a great positive service, they are helping our employees with stable work & donating 20% without thinking about it.

- Our Friends receive competitive pay and feel good knowing they’re making a difference through their conversations with guests.

- Our Donations will be making it directly into the hands of those who need it most. Through partnerships with grassroots community based initiatives we ensure our donation dollars don't get lost on marketing, high overhead, or inflated administrative costs.

Our mandate is simple, we really just work to bring some simple joy into people's daily lives. Whether we do that through a enjoyable friendly phone call, showing your donation at work, or sharing positive news stories. The goal is that this company will see the effects of our work reach well beyond expectation and create something that will positively impact generations to come.

I hope you see the exciting potential of our work and want to follow our progress and are willing to share with your friends & family.

Please subscribe so you don’t miss any feel good positive posts, the opportunity to meet new friends as they come on board & to see first hand, those donation dollars going where they are needed and best utilized.

Thanks for the read and have a good day!

Shayna