What Is A Lobbyist & Does Your Business Need One?

Julie Starr • February 23, 2022



A lobbyist is a professional that works to help influence political decisions on behalf of individuals or organizations. In essence, they can help your business lobby for different policies, actions, or decisions by the government. You work together to enact change that doesn’t just benefit your business, it benefits industries and the wider picture as well. 

There are plenty of famous lobbyists throughout the years, but current President Joe Biden’s son is perhaps the most well-known right now. It’s estimated that a large part of Hunter Biden’s net worth came from his time as a lobbyist. Naturally, lobbyists need to have an understanding of politics, but does your business need one? Some businesses won’t need a lobbyist at all, but yours could. Here are some things to consider:

Are there any roadblocks in your way? 

Many industries will have numerous roadblocks that can stop businesses from doing important things. The healthcare industry is a fantastic example of this, with all sorts of rules and regulations determining what businesses can or can’t do. If you run a company that develops new healthcare technology or products, you may need a lobbyist to help fight for new regulations – or for existing ones to change – allowing you to carry out your important work to its full potential. 

Effectively, this is one of the key uses of a lobbyist for businesses. They can help you promote different rules, regulations, or actions that the government can take to remove roadblocks. Of course, you have to prove why these roadblocks need to be changed or removed. If you can do this, your lobbyist will do everything they can to help you get the desired outcome. 

Do you want to raise awareness about something?

Similarly, lobbyists are great at shining a light on particular things within businesses or industries. They bring awareness to situations, ensuring that politicians and the government know they’re happening. As a result, they can lobby for changes that help a particular issue or cause. 

One perfect example of this is climate change. Your business may be a massive advocate for climate change , which is fantastic. You’ve carried out your own research, demonstrating that things need to change within your industry. You want sanctions or regulations to be put in place that demand companies follow certain rules. Your company might be the only one that’s doing certain things to reduce its carbon footprint. As such, you know this is nowhere near enough to help battle climate change . So, having a lobbyist on your side can help you raise awareness about this. You present your findings to politicians and campaign for change. If you’re successful, it could mean new regulations are put in place to reduce carbon emissions throughout your industry. 

Of course, climate change isn’t the only issue. What about things like the gender pay gap? If this is a cause your business is keen to shine a light on, a lobbyist can help you fight for change by pushing the government to introduce fair waging policies. 

The point is that, if your business has a cause it’s fighting for, you could benefit from working with a lobbyist or a lobbying firm. 

Are there lots of laws and regulations in your industry?

Finally, a lobbyist can be very useful if your industry is packed full of laws and regulations. We already mentioned the healthcare industry, but other i ndustries with lots of regulations include insurance, oil & gas, utilities, and investments. These laws exist to help regulate the industry and ensure businesses aren’t doing anything wrong. However, they can be extremely hard for you to understand or keep updated with. 

In this sense, a lobbyist can help you understand all of these regulations. They can keep you updated, while also providing a line to governing bodies to explain what you need to do and why you need to do it. This can help your business maintain compliance throughout its existence. 

Of course, if you are going through these regulations with a lobbyist, and don’t like the look of some or feel they should be changed, you can work with them to create a campaign to change them. At this point, you’re back at the first point we made!

Don’t worry, your business doesn’t need a lobbyist. There are only a few instances where you can benefit from working with one, so be aware of what your company does and the industry you’re in. If you feel like you can benefit from working one – and help exact some real change – your best bet is to search for and contact a lobbying firm. 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.