It started with a dream and a shared family vision of building not just a successful business, but a lasting legacy and a foundation for generations to come. In 2021, Erica Herbert and her children—Tiffany, Chanelle, Brittney and Nicholas Ramsubick—opened Ode, a thriving, modern hotel in the up-and-coming Little Portugal neighbourhood of Toronto. For Erica, who immigrated to Canada at age 11 from Tobago, it was the culmination of a lifelong commitment to being her own boss. Now, she and her family are planning to expand, bringing their uniquely cosmopolitan hospitality approach to a wider audience.
Not that it has been easy. Black entrepreneurs in this country still encounter systemic hurdles to success, including less generational wealth and a lack of access to capital. Yet a new generation of Black Canadians is tackling those challenges head-on, driving change in the financial services industry, educating their children about the importance of financial literacy and, like Herbert and her children, starting thriving businesses that contribute both to their own success and to their communities.
In this conversation with Canadian Family Offices, Herbert and her children Tiffany, Brittney and Nicholas share their experiences in launching Ode, the sometimes-difficult dynamics involved in running a family business, and their shared commitment to, in Brittney’s words, “creating something that outlives us.”
Erica, tell us about your experience coming from Tobago to Toronto.
Erica: I remember being completely unprepared for that first winter. When we stepped off the plane, we didn’t even have coats. The cold was a shock, but so was everything else, coming from a place where everyone looked like me, spoke like me, to a country where we had to quickly figure out how to fit in. My aunt made it clear: If we wanted to assimilate, we had to lose our accents. That adjustment wasn’t easy, but we did what we had to do.
Still, there were good memories, too. We lived on Danforth, and I fell in love with skating at the ice rink at Temple Baptist Church. Every Saturday, I’d be at the Pape Library for story time. Even in a new country, I found little pockets of joy that made Toronto feel more like home.
As you grew up, what were your earliest ideas around investment and entrepreneurship?
Erica: Business was always around us—it was just a way of life. My grandmother in Tobago ran her own farm, selling tobacco, peas and corn. My father had a mechanic shop in Trinidad before we moved, and when he came to Canada, he kept going, finding new ways to build and provide. Seeing that, I understood early on that working for yourself meant freedom, but it also meant responsibility.
At 16, I started my first business as a hairdresser, braiding hair. This was right when Bo Derek had introduced braids to North American culture, so suddenly there was demand, and I saw an opportunity. That experience taught me how to turn a skill into income, and from then on, I always looked for ways to create something of my own.
When did you start to teach your children about investment?
Erica: They learned the same way I did—by watching. Their father and I were both entrepreneurial. I started with personal tax services, working from home and handing out flyers door-to-door. Tax season was a whirlwind in our house, and the kids saw firsthand what it meant to build something from the ground up.
But beyond just seeing it, we made sure they had real financial habits early. They got their first bank accounts when they were 8 and bonds for Christmas instead of toys. We wanted them to understand money—not just how to earn it, but how to make it work for them.
Many people in Canada are unaware of the challenges Black Canadians face when it comes to capital and investors. What has your experience been?
Tiffany: Access to capital is one of the biggest hurdles for Black entrepreneurs in Canada. It’s not just about financials—unconscious bias, limited representation in investment networks, and systemic barriers all play a role. When you don’t fit the traditional mould of who investors see as ‘low risk,’ it means you have to prove yourself twice as much.
There was no safety net, no trust fund, no legacy investor willing to take a chance on a Black-owned family business.
Tiffany Ramsubick
For us, the only reason Ode exists is because our father had the foresight to invest in this building decades ago. That gave us a foundation—but turning it into a boutique hotel? That was on us. Every renovation dollar came straight out of our personal bank accounts. There was no safety net, no trust fund, no legacy investor willing to take a chance on a Black-owned family business.
So, we had to be strategic. Every decision had to be self-sustaining from the start. Now, as we look to expand, we want investors to see what we see: a boutique hotel that tells a different kind of Canadian story. A space that reflects the city as it truly is—diverse, creative, and deeply rooted in its neighbourhoods.
Historically, why might the experience of a Black family seeking to create generational wealth be different from white families who have inherited wealth?
Tiffany: In Canada, wealth is often generational, passed down through real estate, businesses and investments. But Black families have historically faced barriers at every step. Redlining, employment discrimination, and exclusion from traditional banking meant that, while some families were building wealth, many Black Canadians were shut out. A lot of wealthy families can point to a grandfather or great-grandfather who started the family business with a loan from the bank or money passed down. We didn’t have that. Instead, we had a dad who bet on a neighbourhood that was changing and a family willing to turn his investment into something greater. That’s what generational wealth means to us—not just money, but the ability to build something that lasts.
What was the seed that eventually grew into Ode?
Tiffany: Ode started long before we even knew what it would be. It began when our father bought this building in Little Portugal, long before it was a ‘cool’ neighbourhood. He saw something in it—an opportunity, a future. We grew up in this space, watching the neighbourhood evolve.
The real turning point was when we looked at the Toronto hotel landscape and realized something was missing. The city is full of big, anonymous hotels, but where was the place that felt like home? A place that reflected the creative energy of Toronto, the diversity, the local stories? That’s when it clicked. We didn’t want to just own a building—we wanted to create a space that people could connect with. That was the beginning of Ode.
Can you share how your late father remains part of the energy of your hotel?
Tiffany: Our father’s presence is everywhere in Ode, sometimes in ways we didn’t even realize at first. There’s a photo of him in the Terracotta Room—him holding my hand when I was a baby. That’s the kind of thing you don’t plan, but when we were designing the space, it just felt right. Beyond the physical, his spirit is in the way we run the business. He was all about ownership—about creating something lasting. He always told us, ‘If you have something of your own, no one can take it from you.’ That philosophy shaped the way we built Ode. It’s why we’re so intentional about every decision we make. I wish he could see what we’ve built. But in a way, he already has—because Ode is a reflection of everything he believed in.
What have you faced as a family in terms of working together on this business?
Brittney: Let’s be real: working with family is chaos. You’re not just business partners; you have decades of sibling dynamics baked in. Disagreements about a renovation budget can feel like a continuation of an argument from childhood. And don’t even get me started on the group chats—50 per cent logistics, 50 per cent roasting each other. The hardest part is separating business from family, or at least blending them in a way that doesn’t make us want to throttle each other. We’ve had to learn when to push, when to let go, and when to just sit down and have a meal together without talking about work.
There are two relationships that run in parallel: the business partner relationship and the sibling relationship.
Nicholas Ramsubick
The one thing we all agree on is that this is bigger than us. It’s about creating something that outlives us. And that keeps us moving forward. Figuring out the fine balance of working on things that are meaningful and rewarding with the necessary tasks for growth and success. There’s the fun side of running a hotel—designing beautiful spaces, collaborating with artists, creating experiences that people remember. And then there’s the other side: spreadsheets, maintenance issues, balancing budgets, handling unexpected hiccups (like the time a guest mistook our custom art piece for something they could take home). Balancing passion and practicality is the key. We want Ode to feel special, but we also want it to last. That means making decisions that are sustainable, not just exciting in the moment.
Nicholas: It’s a weird thing running a business with your mom and siblings, because after a tough conversation about the business, the people you want to turn to for support are the same people you may have just had a heated conversation with. There are two relationships that run in parallel: the business partner relationship and the sibling relationship. At any moment, one may be stronger or weaker than the other, but you have to be working on each one.
How do you give back to your neighbourhood?
Brittney: For us, giving back isn’t a checkbox—it’s part of why we do this. Little Portugal is home, and we want to make sure that as the neighbourhood evolves, it still feels like home for everyone. That’s why we collaborate with local artists, host community events, and support businesses around us. Whether it’s opening our space for pop-ups, partnering with neighbourhood organizations or making sure we hire locally, we want Ode to be a place that uplifts, not just exists.
Nicholas: I feel so lucky to have grown up in Little Portugal. This neighbourhood raised me in a lot of ways. When Grain Curd & Bean was still on the street, the owner babysat me one night while my parents were working. It’s ingrained in me to want to give back to this community, and I think my favourite way to give back is by making our deck space an accessible community space. I’m always thinking about how we can build community using that space.
How do you teach younger generations in your family about wealth stewardship and expanding opportunities for generational wealth in the Black community?
Brittney: Wealth isn’t just about money—it’s about knowledge and access. If you don’t teach the next generation how to manage what you’ve built, it disappears. For us, that means being open about the realities of business—not just the wins, but the hard lessons. We talk about investments, about risk, about why ownership matters. And beyond our own family, we support other Black businesses, invest in our people, and share what we’ve learned. The goal isn’t just personal success—it’s collective progress. If we win, we want others to win, too.
Nicholas: As the youngest sibling, I’ve learned so much from my mom and dad about wealth stewardship. At a young age, my parents told me I should always strive to be an employer, never an employee, so I think I’ve always had a drive to be self-employed and to one day own property. My mom would never let me rent in this city—it’s either I buy or bust.
What are you most looking forward to in 2025? Any projects on the horizon?
Brittney: 2025 is going to be huge. Our biggest goal? Finding a second location. Ode has always been about storytelling, and we’re ready to bring that to a new space. Beyond expansion, we’re doubling down on community connections—think rooftop dinners, yoga sessions, movie nights and collaborations with local creators. We want Ode to feel like a cultural hub, not just a hotel. We always say, ‘Ode to the moon.’ The world is our oyster, and this year we’re making sure the world knows about us.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
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