Live from the New Brunswick Entrepreneurs’ Summit

I am live-blogging the New Brunswick Entrepreneurs’ Summit at Kingswood Lodge, just outside Fredericton, NB. There’s 100 eager, (mostly) young entrepreneurs here, ready to listen to great speakers and share ideas for building stronger businesses.

The founder, Rivers Corbett of Chefs Group, got things rolling at 8.30 sharp. First speaker is Steven Palmer, an insurance executive with the Safety Group in Hartland, NB.

Three years ago Palmer climbed Kilimanjaro with a group of friends and family. It’s the hardest thing he’s ever done. He prepared for a year, through regular walking (20 miles a week) and trips to the gym. He made it- but he credits the Navy Seals training regimen with enabling him to get it done.

1. Be crystal clear on what the mission is. (“My mission was: to get to 19,310 feet.”)

2. You have to have sufficient resources to get the job done.

3. The Seals build a framework of trust and safety in the group
(“The Navy makes clear that they will always get their people back; they’ll do whatever it takes. “That creates a climate for risk-taking.”)

4. Refuse to quit. (“Persistence is the greatest attribute that an entrepreneur has.”)