In our continuing series spotlighting female entrepreneurs, we wanted to talk to a few founders who are just beginning their journey.

Part of the Summer Entrepreneurial Internship program at Western University, Lily Yang, Maura Selvakumar, and Madeline Noftle are current students who are spending the summer working on elevating their start-ups.

Ivey entrepreneurship faculty member Janice Byrne sat down with the three of them to uncover their journey into entrepreneurship, and the unique challenges they navigate as women and student founders.

Lily Yang is the founder of BsafeKC, which creates stylish and discreet non-lethal safety products designed for daily wear or carry.

Maura Selvakumar is the founder of Masca Vintage, a sustainable fashion brand specializing in women’s vintage clothing and accessories.

Madeline Noftle is the founder of The Starfish Studio, which creates nature-inspired handmade art pieces typically made out of resin and pressed flowers.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Building a high-growth business is like launching a rocket! The founder is the engine builders and venture capital is the rocket fuel. It is a two-sided relationship where priorities are different, but the goals are the same. But what does it take to get lift off and break through the atmosphere? How can entrepreneurs and investors work together to discover the full potential of their ventures?

In this special episode recorded at the Western Angels’ Demo Day, we hear from two Western Alumni on both sides of the table.

Entrepreneur Navin Kaminoulu, and Investor Scott Kaplanis have worked together for the past five years, building ventures, raising capital, and exiting.

Kaminoulu was the co-founder & COO of INDUS.AI, a computer vision & machine learning company that interprets construction documents and images to provide valuable insights for builders. The company raised $11M in venture capital and was acquired in 2021 by Procore Technologies, the world’s largest construction SaaS company.

Kaplanis played a major role in that story as the managing partner of Groundbreak Ventures, a seed and series A property technology fund that focuses on finding the next generation of founders in the industry.

Together, they discuss what to look for in a company and investment firm, the do’s and don’ts of raising capital, what keeps them up at night, and the process, pros and cons of the exit.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Entrepreneurs often reflect their companies.

That is definitely the case with Matt Phillips, founder of Phillips Brewing and Malting Co.! Phillips rejoins the podcast to dive deeper into the unique brand he has built over two decades, how and why he started a craft brewery while others were shutting their doors, and what the future holds for British Columbia’s biggest small brewery.
 

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

With the new season of The Entrepreneur Podcast just around the corner, here's a story from our upcoming episode with Matt Phillips, Founder of Phillips Brewing & Malting Company, on the creation of their popular ale, Blue Buck.

Mark Healy started his first entrepreneurial venture during his Ivey MBA in 2005. Through the years he has led established brands and started a variety of ventures in the marketing and consulting space. But most recently, Healy joined two other Ivey alums and acquired a horseradish brand in Norfolk County. And that right in the midst of a global pandemic. In this frank conversation recorded at the Desjardins Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, Mark shares the lessons he has learned from being an entrepreneur and working in larger firms, the challenges of running a product company, and what future trends entrepreneurs should explore in the coming years.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Attempting to forecast the future can be dangerous but this episode is all about that and more.

Previously in our series on Entrepreneurship Research, we have explored the history of the field, its dramatic rise, and the variety of research areas that our faculty are currently engaged in… but what about the future? What are the unexplored areas of entrepreneurship research that will draw new scholars from around the world to better understand entrepreneurs and how they impact our economy and society?

There are some common themes you will hear throughout this episode, including how new research might redefine what we know as entrepreneurship today - driven by the emergence of new industries, business models, societal changes, and technological advancements.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Despite its relative youth, a story we covered in our first episode, the world of entrepreneurship research has grown vast and wide.

With the currents of economics, cognitive science, psychology, and various fields of business streaming in; entrepreneurship has been able to incorporate a whole host of frameworks and perspectives to forge its own identity.

In part two of our series on entrepreneurship research, we discover more about the expertise and study interests of our Ivey faculty team, including some of the surprising findings they have come across in their work.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

“Entrepreneurship” can often seem like a buzzword.

Since the 1970s, there has been a strong narrative of the entrepreneur; a visionary leader, who is changing the way we live our day-to-day lives, and driving human innovation to the next level.

But amidst the glamour and mythology, entrepreneurship also has a science to it. And the "scientist" that dissect and study the world of entrepreneurship are the focus of this series.

In this first episode, we will discover the origins of entrepreneurship research, where it started, and how - like entrepreneurship itself - it grew rapidly to become a vibrant field of study combining economics, sociology, and psychology, to better understand this phenomenon that is shaping tomorrow’s world.

You will meet our entrepreneurship research faculty at the Ivey Business School, and discover what drew them to this field, and how each of them are trying to draw a clearer picture of what entrepreneurship means to individuals, society, and place - all wrapped up in the human story.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

To find out more about our Ivey faculty members, visit:
https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/faculty/disciplines/entrepreneurship/

Key characters mentioned in this episode include:

• Joseph Schumpeter
• Friedrich Hayek
• Ludwig von Mises

Important papers mentioned in this episode include:

• The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research
  S Shane, S Venkataraman (2000), Academy of management review 25 (1), 217-226

• Discovery and creation: Alternative theories of entrepreneurial action
  SA Alvarez, JB Barney (2007), Strategic entrepreneurship journal 1 (1‐2), 11-26 

• How do entrepreneurs organize firms under conditions of uncertainty?
  SA Alvarez, JB Barney (2005), Journal of Management 31 (5), 776-793

• How entrepreneurial firms can benefit from alliances with large partners
  SA Alvarez, JB Barney (2001), Academy of Management Perspectives 15 (1), 139-148

• Entrepreneurship and Epistemology: The Philosophical Underpinnings of the Study of Entrepreneurial Opportunities
  SA Alvarez, JB Barney (2010), Academy of Management Annals 4 (1), 557-583

• Organizing rent generation and appropriation: Toward a theory of the entrepreneurial firm
  SA Alvarez, JB Barney (2004), Journal of Business Venturing 19 (5), 621-635

• The entrepreneurial theory of the firm 
  S Alvarez, JB Barney (2007), Journal of Management Studies 44 (7), 1057-1063

• Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency
  SD Sarasvathy (2001) Academy of Management Review 26 (2), 243-263

• Effectuation: Elements of entrepreneurial expertise
  SD Sarasvathy (2008), Edward Elgar Publishing

• Creating something from nothing: Resource construction through entrepreneurial bricolage
  T Baker, RE Nelson (2005), Administrative science quarterly 50 (3), 329-366

• Entrepreneurial action and the role of uncertainty in the theory of the entrepreneur
  JS McMullen, DA Shepherd (2006), Academy of Management Review 31 (1), 132-152

Join us for a new series on the Entrepreneur Podcast that will explore the fascinating world of entrepreneurship research, from its origin and growth, to what the future holds, featuring our world-class Ivey faculty.

The three-part series debuts next Thursday, August 3, 2023.

To ensure you don't miss out on this series, subscribe to The Entrepreneur Podcast on your favourite platform or visit:
https://entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/podcast

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

If the world of business is a sport, entrepreneurs are often the ones making the rules.

That was definitely the case for Ivey MBA ’07 Trent Kitsch, who changed the men’s underwear industry forever with the introduction of Saxx Underwear.

Born and raised in Kelowna, BC, Kitsch has always had the energy, passion, and determination that marks out the best entrepreneurs. Throughout his still young career, Kitsch has managed to not only reinvent age-old products but also score major wins in early, burgeoning industries.

A serial entrepreneur, Kitsch joins the Entrepreneur Podcast, Legends Series, to share his journey of building a brand during his MBA, and how his ability to recognize opportunity has helped him be at the right place, at the right time.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

If talking about the weather is Canada’s favourite past-time, Pierre Morrissette is the nation’s weatherman.

Since 1989, Morrissette has been at the helm of Pelmorex Media Inc., the parent company of The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, which provides remotes towns, and major cities lined across the 2nd largest country in the world, with accurate, up-to-date weather information.

In this episode of Legends, Pierre Morrissette joins me to talk about the evolution of Pelmorex Media, from its start in radio and television, to creating one of Canada’s earliest and largest online presences through the web and mobile app revolution. He also shares the impact of his MBA program at Ivey, the importance of trusted advisors and mentors throughout his journey, and his growing role in championing entrepreneurship across Canada.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

This season, the Entrepreneur Podcast - Legends Series includes a sit down with Pierre Morrissette, discussing his journey of creating one of the most trusted brands in Canada, The Weather Network, and his role as a leading innovator in the rapidly evolving media space.

You will also hear serial entrepreneur and founder of SAXX Underwear, Trent Kitsch, on revolutionizing the men’s underwear industry with an idea he developed during his MBA at Ivey.

To ensure you never miss an episode, subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player or visit entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/podcast

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Kristine Beese of Untangle Money talks about her experience pitching at CBC's Dragons' Den.

Watch her pitch on Dragons' Den here:
https://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/untangle-money

Catch the full episode with Kristine Beese here:
https://entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/services/ondemand-learning/podcasts/2024/06/untangling-the-gender-wealth-gap-with-kristine-beese/

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

This week, The Entrepreneur Podcast is featuring one of our fellow podcasts from the larger Western ecosystem, Ivey Academy Presents: Leadership in Practice, which discusses critical issues in business, unpacks new research, and talks to industry leaders about the latest trends.

In this episode, Erik Mikkelsen, HBA '06, co-founder and Managing Partner of Auxo Management LP, and the President and Chief Revenue Officer of Stealth Monitoring Inc., a leading North American video monitoring and security company, shares his journey through entrepreneurship and the detours within his career where he found new avenues for opportunity.

For more information on the Leadership in Practice Podcast, visit www.ivey.uwo.ca/academy/blog/

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Melissa Sariffodeen has a number of roles and titles on her profile. One of them is "lifelong student."

And it’s fitting.

As Co-founder and CEO of Ladies Learning Code and Canada Learning Code, lifelong learning is integral to her founder’s journey. Since 2011, over 700,000 Canadians from all walks of life have had the opportunity to learn critical skills and build up the confidence to become builders - not just consumers - of technology in an increasingly digital world.

In this episode, Sariffodeen joins fellow Ivey alum and Director Internal of Morrissette Entrepreneurship, Deniz Edwards, to share her story and her passion for entrepreneurship, education and technology.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Silicon Valley Legend is a prized descriptor, and few fit the term as well as Guy Kawasaki.

A renowned author, marketing specialist, angel investor, and tech evangelist, Kawasaki has a storied career in the Valley - including a major role at Apple marketing Macintosh computers in 1984.

Today, Kawasaki is the chief evangelist for Canva, the Australian graphic design platform, and the host of his podcast and passion project, Remarkable People, speaking to the likes of Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Marc Benioff and more.

In this special episode of the Entrepreneur Podcast, Kawasaki joins Eric Janssen to discuss his career, the importance of sales, how to be an effective employee in an early-stage start-up, and fatherhood.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

For Rick Cytrynbaum, BA'96, the entrepreneur life can feel like a game of snakes and ladders. Yet rolling the dice, doesn’t have to be a game of chance.

Through years of hard work and hustle, Cytrynbaum has built a diverse and innovative career in the fashion space, where he has developed footwear for New Balance, co-founded House of Harlow 1960 with Nicole Richie, worked with celebrities like Kanye West and Heidi Klum, and owned multiple brands like Modern Vintage, Champion, and Kendall & Kylie. He was also an influential player in the rise of the direct-to-consumer model that brought a wide range of celebrities into the fashion industry.

Cytrynbaum joins Eric Morse to share various aspects of his journey; from finding the white space in an industry, and cultivating one’s gut feel, to the critical role failure plays in the life of an entrepreneur.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

“The reward for taking out Bose, Panasonic, and Samsung was getting to play against Amazon, Google and Apple,” 

That’s a common joke at Patrick Spence’s Santa Barbara-based audio giant, Sonos; which is chiefly responsible for the rise of the smart speaker.

An HBA ’98 grad, Spence joined the company in 2012 and took over as CEO, five years later.

But Sonos wasn’t Spence’s first rodeo in the fast-moving world of consumer electronics. For 14 years, Spence was an integral part of RIM/BlackBerry, serving a number of roles before ultimately becoming the Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. During that time the company grew from $50 million in revenue to more than $20 billion, and from 150 people to more than 17,000.

In this episode, Spence shares lessons from the highs and lows of his career, his philosophy on technology and innovation, Sonos’ legal battles with Google, and the different outlooks of entrepreneurs on both sides of the 49th parallel.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Jake Karls, BA’16, exudes the enthusiasm that one would expect of an entrepreneur. But the co-founder of Mid-Day Squares is not playing a part. He is a true believer that their chocolate bar will become the modern-day Hershey’s bar.

After the failure of his clothing brand, Karls was invited to join Mid-Day Squares by his sister and brother-in-law, Lezlie Karls and Nick Saltarelli; to bring his enthusiasm to the fore of a brand with a big vision. From instituting weekly therapy sessions to showcasing their entire journey (the good, the bad and the ugly) on social media, Karls and his co-founders took a unique approach to build a brand that has sold $8 million in chocolate bars.

In this episode, Jake Karls joins Ivey Faculty Larry Plummer to discuss the rise of Mid-Day Squares, covering a range of topics including the importance of authenticity, various funding sources, the complicated world of retail and how he balances family and business while forging a chocolate empire.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

This Summer, the Entrepreneur Podcast is back! Featuring the likes of Jake Karl of Mid-Day Squares, the Montreal-based chocolate company that’s taking the world by storm, Patrick Spence from the innovative audio giant Sonos, and Rick Cytrynbaum, a true trailblazer in the direct-to-consumer fashion industry.

Join us on August 3, 2022 for our kick-off episode.

The path of an entrepreneur is rarely a straight line, but some paths are more unconventional than others.

Since the age of 15, Michelle Kwok was working in research labs. When she joined Western University to pursue a degree in Medical Science, everything seemed set for a future Dr Kwok. But then she started to wonder… and then wander… soon she was helping companies with social media marketing, working with founders on their startups, and even co-founded one that was acquired in 2021. Today, it’s come full circle with Kwok working with biotechnology startups at San Francisco-based accelerator, On Deck Longevity Biotech.

In this episode, Kwok joins Eric Janssen to share her conventional journey as well as some nuggets that could light the way for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

From East Side Mario's, Fionn MacCool's and Bier Markt to Swiss Chalet, and The Keg, millions of Canadians have celebrated their special moments in John Rothschild’s world. 

Graduating as one of the youngest MBA students in 1983, John Rothschild didn’t take the obvious entrepreneurial path. He built his career as an accountant, and then an investment banker who soon discovered how much he enjoyed working with small owner-operator businesses. From there, it was a small step to becoming an owner-operator himself, as the founder of Prime Restaurants. 

In this episode, long-time friend and ally of entrepreneurship, John Rothschild shares his love for business, food and celebrating good times.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

‘Entrepreneurship can change the world.’

This can often feel like a throwaway line to make something seem more important than it really is. But Jocelyn Mackie, HBA ’03, is a believer.

In fact, she lives it every day as the Co-CEO of Grand Challenges Canada, an innovation platform that has supported over 1300 innovations in 90 countries. Joining the Entrepreneur Podcast, Mackie shares many of their great success stories and breaks down the nonprofit’s selection process, and funding model for innovative ideas.

Join Eric Janssen on this important episode and discover Mackie’s personal journey, and how Grand Challenges Canada is changing the world, one innovative idea at a time.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

While there has been rising awareness of the gender wage gap over the past few years, another important gender issue - the wealth gap between men and women – often goes unacknowledged.

In 2020, for every 1 dollar men had in Net Wealth, women had only 32 cents.

Financial plans are an option, but they are expensive and out of reach for many women. More importantly, most plans are created without taking the life trajectory of women into account. That is where Untangle Money comes in! Led by Kristine Beese, Untangle Money creates financial plans for women and helps them figure out how to optimize their finances in line with their life goals and personal plans. Untangle Money is a tool that Beese hopes to get into the hands of a million Canadian women in the next four years.

In this conversation, Beese talks about how the magnitude of the gender wealth gap became real for her, the company's unique women-centric approach, and the struggles and joys of building a venture that isn’t all about the money.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

“Those who can’t do, teach.” If you enjoy dispelling popular myths, this episode is for you.

MBA ’64 Bob Nourse was in his element when teaching in the classroom. After completing his doctorate at Harvard, Nourse began a nine-year teaching career at Ivey. But in 1976 that world was upended when a private equity firm came knocking for his expertise to turn around some struggling companies. From airlines and soft drinks to building water slides, Nourse eventually found a New Orleans-based mail-order business called the Bombay Company, which he grew to over 400 stores across Canada and United States. In 1993, Nourse was voted Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine, which called Bombay, “America's hottest company.”

In this episode, Nourse shares his entrepreneurial story, including the ups and downs of the company he took from obscurity to the New York Stock Exchange.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Adversity is an essential part of great stories, and few things spell adversity like muscle damage, broken bones, shoulder and chest injuries.

Arriving at Western in the 1970s, David ‘Patch’ Patchell-Evans, BA’77, LLD’12, was all set to pursue a degree in business before a horrific motorbike accident intervened. As he took the long road to recovery, Patch discovered the life-changing power of physical health and therapy. Today, as the head of one of the largest health clubs in the world, Patch is helping people across Canada (and beyond) find the good life.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

The demand for sustainable products has never been greater – and perhaps, never been more necessary. From climate change to the creation of vast trash islands, more and more consumers are realizing that real change is needed to protect and preserve our environment.

For Jayme Jenkins, HBA ’07, and Jessica Stevenson, HBA ’07, real change wasn’t just about making a donation or changing their buying habits. Leaving their established careers, Jenkins and Stevenson are reimagining the beauty industry with Everist, which provides concentrated forms of traditional hair and body care products, reducing the industry’s typical reliance on plastic bottles and packaging.

Since its launch, Everist has been featured by Chatelaine, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Men’s Health, and was voted by Vogue and Time magazine as one of the best innovative products of 2021.

Jenkins and Stevenson join Eric Janssen to discuss their passion for problem-solving, being the change they want to see, and how their careers in sales and marketing helped lay the runway to launch their own brand.

The Entrepreneur podcast is sponsored by Quantumshift 2008 alum Connie Clerici and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group.

With the increasing encroachment of the digital world on our personal and professional lives, we are in desperate need of guides.

Cal Newport might be one of them.

Newport is a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and a New York Times Best-selling author of seven books, which include So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love (2012), Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (2016), Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World (2019) and his latest, A World Without Email (2021).

He is also a regular contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Wired, and is the host of popular podcast, Deep Questions.

In this episode of the Entrepreneur Podcast, Newport shares his thoughts on how to stay focused in a world of digital distractions, the benefits of being impatient, and the fallacy of following your own passion.

It’s an episode full of honest reflections and practical takeaways from a world-class teacher, and writer.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

In May, 2021, Zita Cobb became the first social entrepreneur inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. As a social activist, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2016, for her hand in revitalizing the community of Fogo Island.

Above all these accolades, Zita Cobb is a community builder. After a fast-paced career in the technology space, Cobb, retired in her early 40s before founding the Shorefast Foundation in 2013, based in her hometown Fogo Island, in Joe Batt's Arm Newfoundland. Shorefast has a mission to create a diverse economy on Fogo Island through a variety of social businesses, including the Fogo Island Inn, a luxury hotel, outfitted by local craftspeople, and featured in international media outlets like National Geographic, GQ, and CNN.

In this episode, Eric Janssen speaks to Zita Cobb about entrepreneurship for the purpose of more than just profit, asset-based community development, why community is important and how one can build it - All of which seem incredibly relevant in an age when almost two thirds of millennials feel disconnected from community (a sixth not knowing their neighbors names), and almost 70% want to be more active participants.

Fast Company called her one of the most creative people in business. Business Insider named her as one of the Silicon Valley’s top 100. And Ad Age says she’s one of the women to watch.

And why not? Sukhinder Singh Cassidy has had quite the career. Most recently, she was the President of StubHub, prior to which she co-founded a number of companies, and held senior roles at Amazon and Google. At Google, she was responsible for launching Google Maps and eventually leading Google's international operations in Asia Pacific and Latin America.

In another special episode of the Entrepreneur Podcast, Eric Janssen sits down with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy to discuss her incredible journey, and the importance of prioritization (and how that changes in startup and large company contexts).

Spin Master is one of the great Canadian success stories. Go to any corner of the world, and you will find young girls and boys playing with Spin Master toys. Ben Varadi, HBA ’94, was there at the beginning, running manufacturing (despite having little expertise in the area). Today, Varadi is the company’s Chief Creative Officer, and his unique strengths have found a perfect home in the art of toy making.

In this special episode of the Entrepreneur Podcast, Varadi joins Eric Janssen, HBA ’09, MBA ’20, to share his fascinating journey from leaving university to helping create one of the biggest toy companies in the world, and the lessons learned along the way.

The mention of Tequila often induces a strong reaction, and Eric Brass was no exception.

“I had the same misconception that most people have about tequila — that disgusting shot in a seedy bar at a horrible hour of the night. It’s the most misunderstood and misrepresented spirit in the world.”

But something happened on a study trip to Mexico that changed Brass’ career trajectory, leading him to co-found a premium tequila brand with just a backpack and $10,000. Today, Tequila Tromba is one of the fastest-growing premium tequilas in North America.

Together with his entrepreneurship professor, Eric Morse, Brass walks through his entrepreneurial journey: from discovering real tequila, and leaving the world of finance, to creating a modern brand with traditional techniques.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Ivey Lecturer and Serial Entrepreneur David Simpson, MBA ’88, sat down virtually with David Bentall to discuss his latest book, “Dear Younger Me,” where Bentall discusses important lessons for next generation leaders through his personal journey, as well as those gleaned from mentoring and supporting advisors, and prominent Canadian business families.

For over two decades, David Bentall worked for the family business, which included a seven year stint as President and CEO of Dominion Construction. Bentall co-founded the Business Families Centre at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, where he served as founding chair for five years.

Bentall is also a mentor, advisor and founder of Next Step Advisors. Prior to his latest offering, Bentall authored the award-winning book, “The Company You Keep: The Transforming Power of Male Friendship.”

David Simpson is an entrepreneur and Director of the Ivey Business Families Initiative and Faculty director of the Family Shift program.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Since graduating in 2007, Nicole Verkindt has had quite the ride. From her first job as the ‘hot walker’ at the Woodbine Racetrack, to learning sales on the fly with a Belgium firm, Verkindt founded OMX (Offset Market Exchange), a powerful procurement platform for various complex supply chain industries.

Working with major International players like Lockheed Martin and British Aerospace, Verkindt became a prominent fixture in major boards, and government discussions, as a major proponent for innovation across Canadian industries.

In this episode, Verkindt speaks candidly about her journey out of business school, her view of innovation, and why it is vital to Canada’s place in the global economy.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Jaymie Crook didn’t start off thinking he would be an entrepreneur. He married one.

But even the two of them couldn’t have guessed that their luxury dog kennel would branch off to a dog cookie empire stretching across the United States.

Co-Founder of Bosco and Roxy, Crook has had to learn entrepreneurship on the go; from pivoting during a pandemic, and building a corporate culture, to taking the leap to expand operations - this episode has all of that and more.

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Rachel Zimmer is the General Manager of Entrepreneur First, a $140M fund that bets on people first, and then coaches them to find their breakthrough ideas. Zimmer understands this process well because it’s exactly how she started her company, 5Crowd (acquired by sgsco).

In this episode, Rachel walks us through her own ideation process, the criteria that she used to filter her business ideas, and the uncomfortable process of leaving her job at Johnson & Johnson to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams with business partner Bram Warshafsky.

Since the acquisition of 5Crowd in 2016, Zimmer has continued to help professionals discover their entrepreneurial potential with the added safety net through her work at Entrepreneur First. She shares what she’s discovered about the qualities, personalities and combinations that make the best entrepreneurial teams.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

The word ‘entrepreneur’ conjures a very specific image. Picture a white male from Stanford, or Harvard, who is bold, brash, and ready to change the world – and you're halfway there.

From the icons of the 1980s like Larry Ellison, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, to today’s Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, to name a few, the legend of the entrepreneur has outgrown its former confines.

But are they reflective of the true face of entrepreneurship? Do they capture the wide variety of lifestyles and philosophies that lead people to start their own businesses?

Canadian journalist David Sax doesn’t think so.

In this episode, Sax shares the thesis of his latest book, The Soul of an Entrepreneur, which dissects the myth of the modern entrepreneur, and its impact on the accessibility of entrepreneurship.

Sax is the author of the best-seller, The Revenge of Analog, which was on Michiko Kakutani's Best Books of 2016 in the New York Times. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg Business Week, The New York Times, Saveur, NPR, GQ and Toronto Life.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

In our latest series, you’re invited to sit in on Eric Janssen’s Hustle & Grit course, taking place virtually at the Ivey Business School. Each episode explores an entrepreneur’s journey, their key learnings, and questions from our eager, aspiring student entrepreneurs.

In this episode, Andrew D’Souza Co-Founder and CEO of Clearbanc shares stories and lessons learned as he transitioned from a career in consulting, to tech sales, then tech executive, and finally to founder of a now iconic Canadian scale-up.

D'Souza addresses: why consultants make great entrepreneurs, what sets apart the people who cash paycheques from the people who write them, and how to build a world-class team.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Chatham local Colin Chrysler, was on his way to the Island of Palau for a few weeks of surfing and brewing beer, when some visa complications left him stranded in British Columbia.

With few days to kill at the epicenter of Canada’s growing craft beer industry, Colin decided to make the most of his time and sought out a meeting with fellow Chatham natives, Alf and Doug Hunter, who had created a formula for building breweries across the Province.

That conversation culminated with the creation of Chatham’s first craft brewery, Sons of Kent.

On this episode, Eric Janssen sits down with half of the co-founders of the Sons of Kent, to discuss beer, business, and the impact a brewery can have on community and culture.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Inc.com called her one of the “10 Greatest Salespeople of All Time.” For 13 years, Erica Feidner was a sales representative (later elevated to Executive Sales Representative) at the prestigious high-end piano maker, Steinway & Sons., where she sold over $40 million worth of instruments.

Feidner’s fascinating journey has been spotlighted across print and visual media, featured in Forbes, Canadian Business, Smart Money, Men’s Health, A&E, The Food Channel, CNN, and The Hallmark Channel. In this special episode, Eric Janssen speaks with Feidner about her long love affair with music and her approach to the art of sales.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

This isn’t anyone’s Plan A.

We are living through a live case study of an unprecedented global pandemic, and many of your colleagues who had their dream jobs lined up after graduation have found the rug pulled out from under them.

COVID-19 has forced hundreds of thousands of new grads to change their plans entirely — and not to their Plan B ‘fall back option’ but to something entirely different. Something they weren’t considering in the first place.
They have been forced to pursue Option C.

Graduations have gone virtual, and offers are delayed or rescinded but Option C can be a blessing if you allow it to be.

In a special edition of the Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast, Eric Janssen talks to four Ivey students who have pursued non-traditional paths and made boulders their blessings. This episode features Jacqueline Scott, Allora Athletics (www.alloraathletics.com), Natalie Diezyn, Marlow (wearemarlow.com), Chloe Beaudoin, Apricotton, and Jack Jelinek, Crank Lite (www.cranklite.com).

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

There is no shortage of descriptors for Ron Close, HBA ’81: a seasoned entrepreneur, leader, educator, coach with a small ‘c’, board member, investor, etc.

A graduate from one of Ivey's most 'entrepreneurial classes (1981),' Ron was the co-founder and CEO of Netcom Canada, one of Canada's earliest and most successful Internet companies. After selling Netcom, Ron spent a number of years in executive roles across the telecommunications, and technology industries.

A deep thinker who is eminently quotable, Ron shares some of his most important learnings, from starting up, leading teams, and coaching some of Canada’s top young entrepreneurs and executives, on the latest episode of the Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

David Ciccarelli started his entrepreneurial journey when he opened his own independent studio. He ended up partnering with his first customer (now his wife), and building the world's largest library of voice talent: Voices.com. Voices.com has grown exponentially since raising $18M USD from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and the organization is continuing on an aggressive growth trajectory with everyone rowing in the same direction.

In this episode, David does a deep dive into the importance of setting clear goals, how to write a one-sentence job description, how he sets up employees for success (and keeps them on track), and the specific process that Voices.com uses for performance reviews. This is a playbook for onboarding new employees, and setting them up for success in a high-growth company.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

In the fall of 2019, Eric Morse sat down with three impressive entrepreneurs to discuss their journey, and lessons learned on resourcing for high growth, shaping culture, and learning from past mistakes.

On the latest edition of the Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast, Eric Brass, HBA ’05, Founder of Tequila Tromba, Debbie Fung, Co-Founder of Yoga Tree Studios, and Anton Rabie, HBA ’94, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Spin Master, discuss high-growth and its unique challenges.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Flashfood has become well known across North America as a grocery app that helps you save money and reduce food waste. With massive grocery partners like Loblaws, Farm Boy and Meijer, Flashfood is quickly becoming a household name.

All too often, entrepreneurial success stories skip the messy middle: the details, mis-steps and failures along the way to their ultimate success - in this episode Josh Domingues, Founder & CEO of Flashfood spares no details. With specific examples from early failures, to conducting interviews with early users, and rolling up his sleeves to generate his first sales, Josh highlights how authenticity is a competitive advantage for entrepreneurs.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

CEO of Hotspex, Shane Skillen, HBA '00, talks about the importance of partnering up well in business and in life.

To view Brene Brown's list of values from "Dare to Lead," visit:
https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/

Catch the full episode with Shane Skillen here:
https://entrepreneurship.uwo.ca/services/ondemand-learning/podcasts/2024/05/improving-your-luck-with-brand-guru-shane-skillen/

The Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Greg Clark started College Pro Painters out of desperation in 1971 when he was only 17 years old. He needed to pay for university and realized his summer job wasn’t going to cover his tuition, so he went door-to-door to sell his first painting job…without knowing how to paint!

Clark landed his first job, and learned quickly how to deliver on his promise to customers.

He went on to expand the business to 500 franchisees, and over 5,000 painters when he ultimately sold the business in 1990. In this episode, Clark uncovers how to overcome fear and doubt as a first-time entrepreneur, how to make the first sale, and how to set up the systems, processes, and cadence to grow your business.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Despite all the buzz about diversity and inclusion, few companies make it a true investment priority. We need to start bringing intention, rather than just good intentions to the process.

The fact that critical decisions are being made without the perspective of half of the population is particularly concerning in tech because of the ever-increasing role that machines in general and AI in particular play in our lives.

Jodi Kovitz, a lawyer, turned tech executive, founded #movethedial, an organization to advance the participation and leadership of women in tech. In this episode, we talk about her entrepreneurial upbringing, how she navigated her early career, and the nudge she finally received to start her own company, and global movement.

In the wake of COVID-19, Jodi made the difficult decision to pause operations at #movethedial. In doing so, the aim is to preserve the company and support the movement in the long term. We are all deeply optimistic that #movethedial 2.0 will emerge as a strong, and resilient organization.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

Staying at home has created an opportunity for many to learn new skills; whether it is a new language, how to code, or make bread. Before you start your next learning opportunity, wouldn't it make sense to learn HOW to learn so that the process is more effective, efficient, and fun?

On this weeks podcast, Eric Janssen is joined by Andre Neagoie, a software developer, turned entrepreneur, and currently lead instructor at his own company, Zero to Mastery (ZTM): the highest-rated programming course on the web that has graduated over 200,000 students.

Andrei shares his wild entrepreneurial journey that has taken him from launching his own adventure races, teaching surfing in Nicaragua, and finally to Silicon Valley and Toronto, where he worked as a Senior Software Developer before founding ZTM.

Before you spend the next few months burning countless hours learning a new language, or skill, spend some time learning how to learn the right way.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.

With millions forced to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the concept of Work from Home (WFH) has gone mainstream. Working from home has its benefits: Reduced commutes, added convenience, increased family time, and has made it far more acceptable to wear sweatpants to "work".

At the same time, this new working dynamic has created complexities in how we communicate, especially as we add more people to the virtual space. Conducting meetings, delivering presentations, and teaching classes virtually can be challenging, and often requires new tactics and communication tools to make the best of this new communication dynamic. Eric Janssen welcomes back Eric Silverberg and Eli Gladstone of Speaker Labs to share their wisdom on how to be better communicators in the new WFH world.

The Ivey Entrepreneur Podcast is sponsored by Connie Clerici, QS ’08, and Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, Inc.