At UpSide, we believe that small businesses drastically improve communities. That’s why we want to highlight local business leaders in our community. We’re more than accountants; we are business confidants.
Come take a walk on the upside with UpSide Accounting’s founder, Mike Widdis, and have a laugh with us (or at us!) as we talk business.
In the third episode of Take a Walk on the UpSide, Mike Widdis challenges Nicola Toon from Hulahoop Photography to the BeanBoozled Challenge at Creme Cafe. Watch Mike and Nicola’s hilarious reactions as they eat disgusting Jelly Bean’s while discussing inside business tips from their industries!
Learn more about Nicola Toon here.
Transcript
Mike Widdis:
Hello, and welcome to the third episode of “Take a Walk on the UpSide.” We’re here today with Nicola Toon from Hulahoop Photography. We’re at Creme Cafe and we’re going to be doing the BeanBoozled Challenge today.
Nicola Toon:
Oh, wonderful.
Mike Widdis:
So for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, we’re going to be asking each other five questions and for each one that we get wrong we’re going to have to eat a jelly bean. Now, they’re the same colors, but some are good-flavoured and some are bad-flavoured, like Canned Dog Food.
Nicola Toon:
I don’t know, I think that sounds pretty good.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah?
Nicola Toon:
Why not?
Mike Widdis:
Okay, well, hopefully you’ll get the Canned Dog Food then.
Nicola Toon:
We’ll see.
Mike Widdis:
So first, let’s hear a little bit about you. What do you do?
Nicola Toon:
My name is Nicola Toon. I am the photographer at Hulahoop Photography down here in Hespeler Village, and I’m sort of excited to be here doing the BeanBoozled Challenge… As long as I get Canned Dog Food.
Mike Widdis:
We’ll see what we can do about that. So let’s dig into the questions. Ready for this?
Nicola Toon:
I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
Mike Widdis:
So generally in business, there’s a philosophy called the “Triple Bottom Line.” Standard three P’s. Do you know what that is?
Nicola Toon:
The three P’s? Triple Bottom Line, the Three P’s. I’m going to say, People, Professionalism, and…. Peanut Butter?
Mike Widdis:
So close, so close. People, Planet, and Profits.
Nicola Toon:
Really close. Especially with the Peanut Butter.
Mike Widdis:
So I guess I get to spin the challenge. What have we got here?
Nicola Toon:
Well, it’s on the line between toothpaste and dead fish, so I’d say it’s definitely on the toothpaste one.
Mike Widdis:
On the toothpaste one, okay, berry blue. Could be toothpaste.
Nicola Toon:
So, do I have to eat it?
Mike Widdis:
You do.
Nicola Toon:
Okay. So it’s either going to be berries or toothpaste. I think I got off pretty easy on this first one.
Mike Widdis:
That’s pretty lucky.
Nicola Toon:
That’s toothpaste. Thank goodness it’s just minty.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, no kidding.
Nicola Toon:
Is it my turn to ask you?
Mike Widdis:
Your turn, go ahead.
Nicola Toon:
In a low-light setting, if you were to be photographing somebody, would you use an ISO of 200, 400, or 1600?
Mike Widdis:
I feel like 1600.
Nicola Toon:
You are correct.
Mike Widdis:
Woohoo! Alright!
Nicola Toon:
When you’re photographing someone in a low-light situation, you want to have your ISO higher. But be careful because if you use an ISO that’s too high, you could get some grain or noise in your photograph. I guess you’re not eating dead fish.
Mike Widdis:
Lucked out on that one. Okay, question number two. Ready?
Nicola Toon:
I guess.
Mike Widdis:
When you’re operating in business, what are the three main things that you’re trying to do? What makes you a successful business?
Nicola Toon:
What makes you a successful business? I feel like this could really differ, depending on the business.
Mike Widdis:
True, but just generally, like what are you in business for? What are you trying to do?
Nicola Toon:
I’m going to say that you’re trying to provide something innovative and different to your clientele. You are trying to be profitable.
Mike Widdis:
Yes. That’s important.
Nicola Toon:
And what would the third thing be? Oh, hiring the right people is something that you want to do.
Mike Widdis:
Supporting your local community. Yep, you got it. I think you won on that one.
Nicola Toon:
You think?
Mike Widdis:
Yeah.
Nicola Toon:
I don’t know, I feel like you helped me along a little bit. Should we both spin and eat for that one? So I’ll spin and then we’ll see. Oh, yummy, it landed on mouldy cheese, or caramel corn.
Mike Widdis:
Okay. I’ll do this one.
Nicola Toon:
Okay, cheers.
Mike Widdis:
Ready, cheers.
Nicola Toon:
Oh my God, that’s definitely not caramel corn.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, that’s mouldy cheese.
Nicola Toon:
Yeah. My eyes are watering. I’m just swallowing, that’s it.
Mike Widdis:
Okay, now that that’s out of the way.
Nicola Toon:
Okay, Mike, question for you.
Mike Widdis:
Ready.
Nicola Toon:
Alright, if you were photographing a camera-shy toddler, which of these lenses would you use: an 85mm, a 70-200mm, or a 24-70.
Mike Widdis:
I have a camera-shy toddler. Infant.
Nicola Toon:
She would definitely know the answer to this question.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, I’m sure she would, she talks about stuff all the time.
Nicola Toon:
Right, especially this sort of stuff.
Mike Widdis:
I have no idea what. I’d say the third one, what was it, the 25-75.
Nicola Toon:
The 24-70? I’m sorry, Mike, but that would be incorrect. When you’re photographing somebody who’s a bit camera-shy, you want to use this, which is the nice long one, and allows you to get really far back from them and give them the space that they need so it’s like you’re not even there.
Mike Widdis:
That makes sense.
Nicola Toon:
Looks like you’re eating some beans.
Mike Widdis:
Alright, go ahead, let’s see what we got.
Nicola Toon:
Dead fish, dead fish, dead fish, dead fish. OH, dead fish.
Mike Widdis:
Strawberry banana smoothie, or dead fish.
Nicola Toon:
Or dead fish? Yum!
Mike Widdis:
See this guy right here? Dead fish. I think that’s worse than mouldy cheese.
Nicola Toon:
I think you’re probably right.
Mike Widdis:
I’m just gonna swallow it.
Nicola Toon:
I think I may have eaten some mouldy cheese in my life before, but not dead fish. Well, unless it was cooked.
Mike Widdis:
Are there any good ones in here? Or when you spilled these on the floor, that’s what you did when I was getting the coffee.
Nicola Toon:
It’s true, I spilled the beans.
Mike Widdis:
You just put the good ones underneath the couch. I can still taste it. For the third question we’re going to change it up a little bit. We’re going to do some rapid-fire, some easy questions, five in under a minute.
Nicola Toon:
They’ll be easy you said?
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, easy for you I think. Ready?
Nicola Toon:
I’m super ready.
Mike Widdis:
What’s the meaning behind your name Hulahoop Photography?
Nicola Toon:
Well, when I first started with the business, my primary focus was children. To some degree, it still is, so I wanted a name that was sort of classic and fun, that represented the genre of photography I would do. So we came up with the name.
Mike Widdis:
Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your work?
Nicola Toon:
There’s an amazing photographer out of Australia. Her name is Barb Doyle, and her business is Chinky Art Photography. Her work is incredible, playful. She has an eye that I think can’t be replicated. I’ve met her, done a workshop with her, she’s amazing, and I think she shaped a lot of the direction of my work.
Mike Widdis:
What exactly do your photographs say, and how do you get them to say that?
Nicola Toon:
I like to really tell a story with the imagery, storytelling images are-
Mike Widdis:
Oh, there’s the minute timer.
Nicola Toon:
That was it? I thought it was going to be so long.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah. So just cause this is my favorite question. How do you get what is in front of the camera on to the film in just the way you want.
Nicola Toon:
I really feel like it’s something that can’t be taught, or even explained. It’s just an innate ability to see things in a different way. It’s really funny because you could have two photographers standing beside each other, looking at the exact same thing in front of them, and they’re going to capture it in a completely different way, which is the whole point. That’s the best part.
Mike Widdis:
Either you have it or you don’t?
Nicola Toon:
I guess. What do I possibly use this for in the studio? Is it for non-verbal communication, is it for training babies, or nothing at all?
Mike Widdis:
Non-verbal communication.
Nicola Toon:
That is incorrect.
Mike Widdis:
It’s a clicker.
Nicola Toon:
It’s a clicker.
Mike Widdis:
Does it have a technical name? Or is it just a clicker?
Nicola Toon:
It’s sometimes referred to as a cricket, and actually, in WWII, the soldiers who used these things as a non-verbal communication device. So they would click it once, and there it goes! That’s why it’s a cricket, it jumps out of your hand when you click it. So they would click it once, and if the person that they were confronted with responded with two clicks, they knew they were a friend. Otherwise, they were an enemy. I, in my business, use it to train babies, so when I have a baby in the studio, this “look at me, da-da-da-da,” gets old really quickly, so using that clicker will get them to give me perfect eye contact, what I’m looking for with the camera.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, it’s a good trick, you know, to get their attention.
Nicola Toon:
Yep, and I think that means, you gotta eat-
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, okay, you gotta spin too, cause you gotta eat too.
Nicola Toon:
Well, it’s either. Lime, yum. Or, Lawn Clippings.
Mike Widdis:
Lawn Clippings?
Nicola Toon:
Super yum.
Mike Widdis:
I don’t feel that that’s that bad.
Nicola Toon:
Okay then, let’s see. Ready?
Mike Widdis:
Here we go.
Nicola Toon:
Cheers!
Mike Widdis:
Cheers!
Nicola Toon:
That is a freshly cut grass, right there.
Mike Widdis:
I got lime.
Nicola Toon:
Oh really? Oh wow.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, it’s pretty good. I’m enjoying this after the last two.
Nicola Toon:
Tastes like summer.
Mike Widdis:
Lucked out on that one.
Nicola Toon:
Mm-hmm. It’s not as bad as the cheese, for sure.
Mike Widdis:
Is that right?
Nicola Toon:
But it’s still, I wouldn’t want to eat it again.
Mike Widdis:
No, no, you wouldn’t buy it on purpose.
Nicola Toon:
No.
Mike Widdis:
So, next question. In bookkeeping. There’s two sides to everything.
Nicola Toon:
Right.
Mike Widdis:
Double entry. What are they called now?
Nicola Toon:
It’s called the credits and the debits?
Mike Widdis:
You got it, yep.
Nicola Toon:
Yes!
Mike Widdis:
Yeah, hey, good job! Give me some of that good luck.
Nicola Toon:
Okay, good luck.
Mike Widdis:
Okay, thanks.
Nicola Toon:
Hulahoop Photography does not photograph the following genre: weddings, cake smashes, or professional headshots?
Mike Widdis:
Weddings.
Nicola Toon:
You are correct. I do not photograph weddings, just faces and parties.
Mike Widdis:
Awesome. I like it.
Nicola Toon:
Double right, high five.
Mike Widdis:
Double right! Okay, so last question. I know that when you were a kid, you wanted to be an artist when you grew up.
Nicola Toon:
You’ve been doing your research.
Mike Widdis:
A little bit. Which two famous artists owned dachshunds?
Nicola Toon:
Oh my gosh, I should really know this! I have four.
Mike Widdis:
Four? Wow.
Nicola Toon:
Famous artists, shoot. I totally know this! I know everyone who owns it.
Mike Widdis:
Just to give you a little hint, they’re famous artists. Like I’ve heard of them.
Nicola Toon:
I know. Was it like, Da Vinci? Someone a really long time ago, right? Gosh, I’m gonna have to eat a bean!
Mike Widdis:
Mm-hmm, I think so.
Nicola Toon:
I don’t know! I give up, who is it?
Mike Widdis:
Warhol and Picasso.
Nicola Toon:
Oh, Picasso! I would totally buy a Picasso if there was a dachshund in it.
Mike Widdis:
Me too. Who wouldn’t, really?
Nicola Toon:
Alright, I guess I’m, am I spinning?
Mike Widdis:
No, I spin.
Nicola Toon:
You spin. And I’ll eat. Oh, oh yay, it’s either Tutti Frutti, or Stinky Socks. This really freaks me out. Okay, here we go. Is it weird that I can’t tell if it’s Tutti Frutti or Stinky Socks?
Mike Widdis:
Yeah.
Nicola Toon:
I feel like it may be Tutti Frutti, but I think it’s Stinky Socks.
Mike Widdis:
Maybe it rubbed off on the other one or something.
Nicola Toon:
Maybe.
Mike Widdis:
I feel like if it isn’t super gross-
Nicola Toon:
It really isn’t good either way.
Mike Widdis:
Oh okay, well, I was gonna say, if it’s not good, it’s gotta be Socks. Unless you don’t like Tutti Frutti.
Nicola Toon:
Maybe. You know, it’s kind of gross.
Mike Widdis:
Okay. Have a sip of coffee there to wash it down.
Nicola Toon:
Mm, coffee, Tutti Frutti, and Stinky Socks, this is kinda gross.
Nicola Toon:
Now, this is a bit of a personal question as well, cause I know that you really pride yourself on being the un-boring accountant. So I want to know from you, what is the most insanely boring activity that you can imagine? And don’t say accounting.
Mike Widdis:
You know those guys who sit on the side of the roads sometimes in cars and they are literally counting cars? I mean, they’re just on a clipboard, all day long. You go away for a while, shopping or whatever hours, and they’re still there.
Nicola Toon:
I think they’re called surveyors, aren’t they?
Mike Widdis:
I don’t know, whatever they are, sounds super boring. I’d rather do accounting.
Nicola Toon:
Okay, but I’m gonna say that is a wrong answer, because that involves counting, which involves numbers, which is sort of like accounting. So you’re wrong, so I’m gonna spin.
Mike Widdis:
Just so I eat a bean.
Nicola Toon:
Oh, you know what, it landed on rotten egg, but we’ve already experienced that, so I’m gonna say, we should do the one next to it, which is either Chocolate Pudding or Canned Dog Food. Go, go, go, go.
Mike Widdis:
My worst nightmare come true. Okay, I guess it’s one of these. This one is kind of black, but this one is kind of purple, I think that’s what it is.
Nicola Toon:
I think that’s probably it.
Mike Widdis:
Definitely not dog food. Pudding.
Nicola Toon:
It’s not dog food? I’m gonna try it.
Mike Widdis:
That’s gonna be dog food.
Nicola Toon:
Oh my God. I can’t, I can’t even swallow it.
Mike Widdis:
It’s that bad? Really?
Nicola Toon:
Yeah, try it, let’s hope you get-
Mike Widdis:
Oh yeah.
Nicola Toon:
Oh yeah, it’s really bad. Here! So gross.
Mike Widdis:
It tastes like my dog’s breath smells.
Nicola Toon:
Oh, don’t, you just took it to a whole new level.
Mike Widdis:
You know when they come up to you and just give you a really big kiss?
Nicola Toon:
That is really gross.
Mike Widdis:
Yeah. So, thanks for watching, and please join us next time for our next episode. Comment below if you have a challenge that you want to see us do, or if you’d like to subscribe to the channel, if we made you laugh at any point during this video. Thanks, and we’ll see you at the next one.
Nicola Toon:
See ya.