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BEANS,
Phil Beans
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Phil Beans
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Of course I was the kid with a lemonade stand…
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to build something of my own. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses. Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to build something of my own. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses.Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to do something for me. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses. Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to build something of my own. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses. Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to build something of my own. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses.Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to business and why people buy. I studied advertising at Sheridan College to sharpen my entrepreneurial thinking - not to chase a traditional agency path.
Growing up, I managed musicians, launched a magazine, and took on roles that kept me close to creative energy and decision-making. At the same time, I almost always held more than one traditional job. From washing dishes and running a martial arts academy in high school, to waiting tables, teaching tennis, door-knocking sales, and managing street-team promotions throughout college, I learned how different environments actually operate. After graduating from Sheridan, I also spent time at boutique ad agencies in Toronto, seeing firsthand how brands and campaigns are built behind the scenes.
When I was 22, I joined a startup called Tesla Motors to help launch the first mass-market electric vehicle. Our team for Canada consisted of ten people, two shared computers, and we tracked sales leads in an Excel sheet I built - yes, that’s genuinely how we started. It was scrappy, fast, and demanding.
By 2015, I was the top salesperson for Tesla Canada, selling CAD $18 million that year while also co-managing the highest foot-traffic Tesla store in the world. We crushed 80-hour weeks during EOQ, broke global store records, and I eventually moved in with colleagues next to our Canadian HQ. That period permanently reshaped how I think about pressure, execution, and performance at scale.
After Tesla, I co-founded a clean tech startup, briefly worked at Porsche, and by my late twenties felt a strong pull to build something of my own. I began writing for Autostrada Magazine and working as a photographer, then expanded into copywriting and web design. Within a few months, I officially registered Phil Beans International in 2019.
Not long after, I was approached by a motorsports software startup to support their content and digital marketing efforts. The results - and my work ethic - led to a closer relationship with the lead investor, who soon pulled me onto a new venture: a fintech project focused on programmable payments.
Almost overnight, I stepped into a Product Manager role - managing a team of four developers, teaching myself UX/UI design, and navigating global payment regulations. At the same time, I was still selling and signing customers for the original marketplace business, running their weekly newsletter read by 3,500 people with a 32% open rate, and managing their ads and content strategy. When the fintech reached launch readiness, I was fully removed from the marketplace and spent time abroad - bouncing between Singapore, Dubai, and the Cayman Islands - pursuing a payment license.
It was a tremendous education, but ultimately the fintech didn’t have the financial firepower required to scale. Funding was pulled in September 2024, and I returned full-time to independent work - applying everything I’d learned to e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation, and performance-driven growth for small businesses.Which brings us to the current iteration of Phil Beans International.
Today, it’s a full-stack marketing and digital studio spanning strategy, creative direction, content production, websites, and paid acquisition. Instead of working inside a single startup, I now get to help many founders, operators, and teams navigate their own pursuits. And if it wasn’t already obvious - I have a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and genuinely love what I do. That’s exactly why we should work together.
Get in Touch
Whether you’re growing an established business or launching something new, I’m happy to take a look and talk it through.