Oct 14, 2026
Local stories, global reach: a conversation with Quill owner Fatima Zaidi
Discover how Quill owner Fatima Zaidi combined disciplined bootstrapping, proprietary data and a customer-first focus to scale corporate podcasting in Canada.
Authored by TELUS Business
The journey from a creative concept to a high-performing branded podcast used to be driven by guesswork around who was actually listening and whether the show generated real ROI. Fatima Zaidi is turning that process into a measurable science. As the founder and CEO of Toronto-based Quill Inc., Fatima recognized that enterprise brands needed more than standard creative production. They needed actionable data to prove business impact. By pairing a full-service creative agency with CoHost, their proprietary podcast analytics platform, she built a resilient model that delivers clear audience insights and high-impact storytelling for global clients like Walmart and PwC.
As a past #StandWithOwners contest winner and a four-time honoree on The Globe and Mail's Top Growing Companies list, Fatima has proved that achieving 4,186% three-year revenue growth does not require sacrificing quality or burning out your team. In this interview, she discusses how she navigated early pivots, bootstrapped her way to scale and why the most important asset in any business is the discipline to put your customer first.
What was the catalyst that accelerated Quill into achieving 4,186% three-year revenue growth?
Zaidi: Honestly, it was a pivot I almost didn't make. Quill started as a marketplace connecting podcasters with freelance editors and producers. It was fine, but the corporate brands coming to us did not want a list of freelancers. They wanted an agency to own the entire execution. So in 2020 we went all in as a full-service production partner, and around the same time we acquired boutique production shop Origins Media Haus.
When the pandemic hit and in-person video shoots and events were cancelled, brands needed a new way to connect with their audiences. Audio production could be recorded and produced completely remotely without sacrificing quality. We were ready for that shift because we had already built the agency model to support it.
The second catalyst was CoHost. We kept promising clients we would prove the ROI of their shows, but the tools on the market simply couldn't tell us who was listening. So we built our own platform. That changed the conversation with enterprise marketing teams because now we weren't just making a beautiful show, we were showing them the actual business impact.
How do you leverage AI and smart technology without sacrificing creative quality?
Zaidi: Our rule is pretty simple: AI handles the administrative work, and humans handle the storytelling. Things like transcription, show notes, research, pulling clips for social and early brainstorming save our producers hours every week. That saved time goes straight back into the parts clients actually pay us for, including the concept, the interview and the edit that makes someone feel something.
The bigger story for us is happening on the back end in CoHost. Every episode has access to AI-generated transcripts, turning one hour of audio into the raw material for a dozen content assets. We are also exploring how AI can help brands target the right listeners using structured data, even allowing marketers to query audience insights directly in the AI tools they use every day.
“However, technology is an accelerator, not the narrator. The story itself still comes from people.”
Quill achieved rapid scale primarily through a bootstrapped approach. How did you navigate funding your expansion?
Zaidi: Bootstrapping was the only door open to me in the beginning. I pitched investors and often walked out feeling like I was there to fill a diversity quota. So I started Quill with $10,000 of my own savings, left a six-figure salary and didn't pay myself for the first two years. That part was genuinely hard, but it gave me total focus. While a lot of founders were spending months on pitch decks, I was pitching customers.
Our second client was one of the largest banks in the country, and once an institution of that size trusted us, other doors opened. We have been cash flow positive essentially from day one because revenue pays for growth. We also made sure never to leave free money on the table. We applied for every grant and subsidy available, including IRAP, SR&ED, Futurpreneur, CanExport and hiring subsidies. In the early years, that added up to a few hundred thousand dollars and kept our runway alive. Canada gives founders a real chance to bootstrap if you are willing to do the paperwork.
"Surviving is about doing everything yourself. Scaling is about deciding what only you can do and building systems, people and tools around the rest."
What was the one operational decision that mattered most to your ability to scale?
Zaidi: It comes down to who we say yes to. Early on, every inbound lead felt like a lifeline and we took projects that weren't right for us. Those were always the ones that stretched the team thin because expectations didn't match what a podcast can actually do. Now we are much more selective. Before we sign anyone, we want to understand who the show is for and what it needs to achieve.
If a brand only cares about hitting a huge vanity download number without a real audience in mind, we will be honest that we are probably not the right partner. When a client shares our belief that a few hundred of the right targeted listeners matter more than tens of thousands of casual plays, the work gets better, the relationship lasts longer and my team isn't spending energy chasing unrealistic goals.
How do you protect team culture and maintain quality through rapid growth?
Zaidi: On culture, I have tried to build a place people are proud of beyond the work itself. We pledged 1% of our equity to SickKids, and twice a year the whole team spends a day volunteering together. We also direct a share of our profits to organizations like UNICEF and Save the Children Canada, sponsor refugee families and support wildfire relief.
There is a myth that you have to choose between building a highly profitable company and one that takes care of its people. We have never accepted that trade-off. Our team is 85% women, and so is 70% of our leadership, in an industry where that is still rare. Through years of fast growth, we have had almost no turnover. When people feel valued and the company stands for something, those things compound in the numbers.
How has the #StandWithOwners recognition validated your vision?
Zaidi: Recognition matters most in a young industry. When we first started pitching podcasts to big brands, a lot of marketing teams saw audio as a nice experiment. Being named a #StandWithOwners winner gave procurement teams and CMOs a reason to take a meeting, and the community TELUS surrounds you with has been just as valuable as the prize. Being named on The Globe and Mail's Top Growing Companies list four years running did the same thing for us.
“An award on its own doesn't close a deal, but what converts is what you do with it.”
Every time we are recognized, we turn it into a reason to reach out to prospects or share the story behind the numbers. Data, a strong point of view or a real lesson learned the hard way will always travel much further than a generic press release about yourself.
In honour of Small Business Month, what is the single most critical shift early-stage entrepreneurs should make?
Zaidi: Go back to your customer. This month, call five of your best clients and ask them what they would miss most if you disappeared, and what they wish you did that you don't. Then actually build around those answers.
“Today, every big business decision we make starts with what our clients and users are telling us.”
For owners who feel stuck between surviving and scaling, learn to step out of the day-to-day delivery. For me, that meant letting go of being involved in every show edit so I could focus on sales, partnerships and where the company goes next. You can't grow a business that still needs you in every room. And please advocate for yourself, because nobody else is going to do it for you.
Quill Inc. is proof that when you align technology with a clear market need, you can change the way an entire region approaches corporate communication.
As a proud supporter of Canadian business, TELUS Business is celebrating Small Business Month with savings on the right tech for your business, expert advice to help you grow and exciting giveaways. Whether you need reliable business internet, mobile plans or IT solutions, we have the infrastructure to support your journey. Explore our Small Business Month deals or connect with a specialist today to build a custom growth package.
