When Trade Feels Personal

Where Could I Fit in All This?

It started while listening to CBC radio. A segment about tariffs. Another layer of tension in Canada-U.S. trade relations. I can’t recall the exact headline, but I remember feeling sad. Stuck.

I’ve spent years in advertising, helping businesses show up in unfamiliar spaces, get in front of the right people, and earn trust in ways that feel human and grounded. But lately, it’s been shifting into something else. Something quieter, earlier. More relational. Through presence. Through alignment. Centered on relevance and resonance, not reach.

And that morning, I started wondering: could this approach support more Canadian businesses, especially now, when diversification isn’t a buzzword, but a necessity? Is it a way to begin relationships across borders, intentionally and humanly, before sales are even on the table?

Now, I’m not a trade expert. Not even close. But since then, I’ve been paying closer attention. I've been listening, reading, reaching out. I know I’m not the only one sensing it. This shift isn’t breaking news. But something about it feels different when you stop thinking of it as “a trade trend” and start noticing what’s really moving: trust. Familiarity. Assumptions we didn’t realize we were leaning on.

It’s not just about exports. It’s about relationships that used to feel steady, now feeling uncertain. And in that space of uncertainty, I see businesses not so much pivoting as pausing. Looking outward. Asking new questions. Quietly wondering what else might be possible.

This Isn’t Just a Trade Shift. It’s a Trust Shift.

We’ve long assumed that our closeness with the U.S. would protect us. But now, proximity doesn’t feel like protection. It feels like exposure.

And when trust wavers, even excellent businesses need new ways to be seen, understood and believed in, especially in markets that don’t know them yet.

The Gap Between Readiness and Reach

Most don’t have global sales teams. They don’t have in-market reps or legacy networks. Which leaves  quiet but pressing questions:

How do you form meaningful connections in new markets when the usual infrastructure isn’t there?

What do you do when your product or service is ready, but your visibility doesn’t extend past long-standing relationships? 

Sitting with the Possibility

I don’t have the full picture. But I’m wondering out loud: Is there something I could offer in this moment? Is there something that I could do to support Canadian businesses in starting new conversations?

Could a relationship-first approach offer something steady while so much else feels in motion?

That’s where I am. Exploring. Listening. Talking with Canadian business owners who are thinking about new markets. Sharing what I’ve built, a process that’s worked quietly but powerfully for clients trying to grow beyond the familiar, as something that might be possible. 

Not because I have the solution.

But because I care. And I want to see what might be possible, together.

Because sometimes, the first step is just starting the conversation and seeing where we might fit in all this.