How Riaz Sidi Built a Business Without Chasing Passion — And Why That’s Exactly the Point

In Episode 10 of the Irrepressibles Podcast, we sit down with Riaz Sidi, founder of Sidi.io, a high-growth marketing agency out of Ottawa. But behind the awards, success stories, and rapid expansion is a journey marked by hardship, reinvention, and an unconventional take on what it really takes to succeed. Riaz doesn’t credit his rise to passion. He credits it to something far less glamorous — but far more reliable: discipline.

1. You Don’t Need Passion — You Need a Skill That Delivers Value

While many entrepreneurs are told to "follow their passion," Riaz offers a different take. Passion, he explains, can be misleading — especially if it isn’t aligned with something the market values. Instead, he found success by identifying his high-value skill: performance-based sales and marketing. Even when he wasn’t passionate about the activity, he committed to mastering it — and that consistency created momentum. As he puts it, “You don’t need to love every part of what you do. You need to be useful.”

2. From Rock Bottom to Relentless Discipline

Riaz’s path wasn’t linear. After graduating into a recession-era job market, he found himself unemployed, depressed, and spiraling. At one point, he was nearly homeless — and living with relatives while trying to piece his life back together. It was during this period that a mentor introduced him to a goal-setting exercise that revealed a single word to guide him: discipline. That word became the foundation for everything that followed. Whether it was cold calling 100 people a day or rebuilding his confidence one rep at a time, discipline became the operating system for his personal and professional growth.

3. Show Up Daily — Even When It’s Hard

Riaz makes it clear: building a business is not one big leap — it’s a series of small ones every single day. From launching Facebook ad campaigns in hotel rooms during his corporate training days, to waking up with no leads and no one to blame but himself, Riaz had to develop mental resilience and a repeatable process. His biggest tactical takeaway? Detach from outcomes, and focus on high-quality activity. Make the calls. Build the landing pages. Create content. Learn from the “no’s.” And keep showing up.

Listen to the Full Episode

Riaz’s story is a masterclass in perseverance, clarity, and humility. If you're an entrepreneur wondering how to build something meaningful — especially when the path forward feels uncertain — this is the episode for you.

🎧 Listen to Episode 10 of the Irrepressibles Podcast now.

Let it remind you that success isn't about hype. It's about showing up with discipline, again and again.