Meet the 2016 National Startup Canada Awards Winners

“Congratulations to the 2016 Startup Canada Awards winners, each of whom have been recognized by their peers as strong role models for Canadians of all ages and entrepreneurs across all sectors for championing a culture of entrepreneurship. Each recipient is driving impact in Canada and globally, and represent the greatness and diversity of Canada’s entrepreneur community.” - Brenda Halloran, Chair of the Startup Canada Board of Directors Click here to read the full press release.  Watch the 2016 Startup Canada Awards Video Outstanding Impact and Enduring Legacy in Canadian Entrepreneurship ADAM CHOWANIEC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD | Randy Yatscoff,Edmonton, AB Randy Yatscoff is an entrepreneur, community builder and mentor who has been instrumental in building Edmonton into a thriving entrepreneurial city. Randy is committed to mentoring and supporting the growth of early-stage companies, and has mentored 500 companies since 2009. Over the years, he has helped technology-based companies raise more than $250 million. In 2010, Randy formally joined TEC Edmonton, where he is now the Executive Vice-President of Business Development. "This award is a recognition of the support of my family and all the colleagues who I have associated with over the years. Without their support this award could never have happened." - Randy Yatscoff, winner of the 2016 Adam Chowaniec Lifetime Achievement Award Watch the Video  Advancing The Environment and Culture for Entrepreneurship in Canada "I believe it's up to me, and to seasoned entrepreneurs like me, to give back. This award shows me I'm not alone in this belief, that our national startup community recognizes championing others to success as a valuable form of leadership." - Meredith J. Powell, winner of the 2016 Startup Canada Entrepreneur Promotion Award. ENTREPRENEUR PROMOTION AWARD |  Meredith J. Powell, Vancouver, BC Meredith Powell is the co-founder of Vancouver-based non-profit The Next Big Thing, which empowers youth with the tools they need to succeed as entrepreneurs. Launched in 2013, the incubator has had more than 50 entrepreneurs go through the program - raising nearly five million dollars in seed financing and creating more than 80 new jobs. Powell is also the founder and CEO of Powell and Co., a company that specializes in bespoke startup strategy and rapidly scaling early stage organizations. Watch the Video ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT AWARD |  North Forge Technology Exchange, Winnipeg, MB North Forge Technology Exchange is a collaborative innovation network in the heart of Winnipeg. North Forge is home to Canada’s largest non-profit fabrication lab and provides entrepreneurs with world class mentors, subject matter experts and a multi-stage startup program.  Watch the Video POLICY PRIZE | Brad Woodside, Fredericton, NB Brad Woodside is the former Mayor of Fredericton, and the city's longest-serving mayor. A long-time advocate for innovation who led the city through two major development strategies - Vision 2000 and Vision 2020, Brad Woodside Championed Fredericton as a Smart-City with a bold vision of becoming the Startup Capital of Canada. Watch the Video STARTUP COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR | Startup Fredericton, Fredericton, NB Startup Fredericton is an essential leader in creating a collaborative culture locally and across the Atlantic Region. Startup Fredericton, in partnership with Ignite Fredericton, and more than 20 entrepreneur support organizations created Taskforce Fredericton Startup Network with a mandate to steer the entrepreneurial direction alongside grassroots entrepreneurs and business leaders. Watch the Video Entrepreneur-led Businesses Demonstrating Excellence "We see the Startup Canada Global Entrepreneurship Award as a testimony to our extensive work in bringing our nurse-inspired Canadian innovation to internationalhealthcare markets, and we hope that this award will inspire other Canadian entrepreneurs to look beyond our borders for expansion." - Tony Abboud, VP of Business Development at Surface Medical Inc and winner of the 2016 Startup Canada Global Entrepreneurship Award.  GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD | Surface Medical Inc, Calgary, AB  Founded in 2010, Surface Medical is dedicated to creating innovative products like CleanPatch to reduce the transfer of infection and facilitate the safe administration of healthcare for the benefit of practitioners and patients.  Watch the Video INNOVATION AWARD | iBIONICS, Gatineau, QC iBIONICS is the creator of the Diamond Eye - a state of the art technology that uses a microchip solution to restore vision. As a 1-year old startup, iBIONICS punches above their weight in their R&D, robust commercialisation and global drive. Their bionic eye solution will potentially impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people afflicted with degenerative retina diseases. Watch the Video SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AWARD | Aki Energy, Winnipeg, MB Founded in 2013 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this Indigenous-owned social enterprise partners with First Nations communities to ensure renewable energy systems are cost effective, and provide positive return for the community. Aki Energy is responsible for installing over $6 million in renewable energy systems in First Nations communities in Manitoba, leading to over a quarter of a million dollars in annual bill reductions to date. Watch the Video HIGH-GROWTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD | iTel Networks, Kamloops,  BC Founded in 2007 in Kamloops, British Columbia, iTel Networks offers one of the fastest and most reliable business internet and telecommunications networks in Canada. iTel Networks has quickly become one of Canada’s fastest growing telecom companies - a fierce competitor with revenues and employees growing over 20% annually. Watch the Video Exemplifying the Spirit of Canadian Entrepreneurship  "The award is an affirmation to me that even a person with obstacles ranging from a verbal impediment to being a young ambitious person can be recognized for their pursuit to change their communities and country." - Swarochish 'Swish' Goswami, winner of the 2016 Startup Canada Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD | Dax Dasilva, Montreal, QC Dax Dasilva is the founder of Lightspeed - a cloud-based point of sale and inventory management software system that is transforming the restaurant and retail industries. Dax is also the founder of Never Apart, a Montreal-based non-profit organization bringing social change and spiritual awareness through cultural programming with global reach and impact. Through Never Apart, Dax has launched various special projects including Colour by Icons - a colouring book and gallery exhibit showcasing historical figures in the LGBT community. Watch the Video WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR AWARD | Nadia Hamilton, Waterloo, ON Nadia Hamilton is the founder of Magnusmode, a Waterloo-based technology company that provides tools and applications to enhance the quality of life of those with developmental disabilities. Nadia is both an entrepreneur and a life-long advocate for families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Watch the Video SENIOR ENTREPRENEUR AWARD | Eli Fathi, Ottawa, ON Eli Fathi has built, scaled and exited many great companies in the National Capital Region. Currently, Eli is the CEO of MindBridge Ai. The company's mission is to augment human intelligence with a powerful Ai to help professionals detect and prevent employees from committing fraud. Watch the Video YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR | Swarochish ‘Swish’ Goswami, Calgary, AB Born in Singapore and raised in the Canadian Prairies, Swish is a 19 year-old University of Toronto student who started his first business at just 7 years old. A serial entrepreneur and innovator, Swish built seven high-impact ventures including World Youth Fund, The Next Foundry, and Rafiki Media.

Show off your sales savvy and win a seat at The Art of Sales

Let’s crowd-source some wisdom here.

Here are two of my favourite sales tips. Now you share yours.

If you share two of your best sales tips/lessons/rules of thumb by midnight Sunday Dec. 4, you could win a free ticket to the Art of Sales event in Toronto on Dec. 7.

Submit your best sales wisdom to me be email (rick-at-rickspence.ca) or by leaving a comment below. All those who have responded by midnight Sunday will be entered into a draw for a free ticket valued at more than $400!

Hear from speakers such as Jeffrey Gitomer, Charles Duhi,and Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova!

So send me your favourite sales tips now.

Here’s mine:

Selling isn’t about convincing customers, but giving them the information to make the best possible purchase.

In selling, trust is more important than price.

See how easy it is? Send me your best tips by Sunday night, and we’ll all learn together.

One of the coolest startups I've ever encountered

Little Box of Rocks is a Winnipeg company that sells bouquets of rocks. It’s one of the most creative and original businesses I have ever seen.

Founder Kiera Fogg is a stay-at-home mother of three who was looking for a business she could run from home – and hit pay-dirt with her beautiful giftboxes of polished stones and crystals. Featured in gift guides from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz, Little Box of Rocks now has robust sales to throughout Canada, the US, and Australia, and is

looking at selling through retailers by mid-2017.

Most importantly, Fogg figured out that building a brand is all about telling compelling stories. 

Each of her “bouquets” carries a message – of hope, health, courage, love – that’s pretty much guaranteed to please both sender and recipient. Fogg created every bouquet and wrote every story herself,  reminding all of us that business is an art form, and creativity is an endlessly renewable resource.

Fogg will be appearing on the CBC’s Dragons’ Den on Dec. 7. She is sworn to secrecy about what happened in her appearance, which was taped six months ago. But I’m pretty sure she rocked it.

Click here to read my column in the Financial Post.

How to start your startup right

I received a request this week from a financial professional for some advice on how to advise an Internet company being started by a friend. He asked: "Can you suggest some books/blogs etc to help guide me? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated."

So here is my response:

Hi, xxxx. Great to hear from you.

There are so many resources out there.

First, looking at books, The E-Myth Revisited is a classic book on the true role of the entrepreneur: ie, adopting systems so that you are working ON your business, not IN it. 

The Lean Startup (Eric Reis) and The Startup Handbook (Steve Blank) are the contemporary bibles for tech startups.  Both authors have also published many additional articles that are very useful and informative, and are available for free around the Internet or on their own websites. The important point of their models is that startup entrepreneurs must spend much more time testing their ideas with customers and prospects, rather than fiddling with their products or trying to "perfect" them without continuous feedback. 

(Here's my intro to their work.)

There are many organizations that can help your friend get off on the right foot. If they live in or near Toronto, they should check out MaRS, Startup Grind AND Startup Toronto. They all offer regular meetings with experts sharing important information, as well as opportunities to network with and learn from other startup entrepreneurs. 

Your partner might also look to rent a co-working space in their community, so they can work side-by-side with other entrepreneurs trying to master similar problems. Entrepreneurs tend to be very open and sharing about the startup process, so you can save a lot of time (and possibly cash) by finding people who are going through the same things you are - or, best of all, went through it only a year ago (so they know what works and doesn't, but their information is still relatively fresh).

Every startup entrepreneur needs a mentor or accountability coach to keep them on track. 

If your friend is under 40, they might find useful resources at Futurpreneur. They offer funding for startups, and, more importantly, they find each startup a personal mentor to work closely with over the next two years or so. I've known many entrepreneurs who didn't need the money, but took it anyway as it allowed them to access Futurpreneur's mentor pool.

I hope that helps. I might also suggest your colleague go to the Financial Post site and re-read my recent profiles of startups. As you may know, my stories focus heavily on the how-they angle: how these entrepreneurs overcame the typical hurdles and challenges faced by most startups. I think he or she will get lots of road-tested advice to shorten their learning curve.

Click here to link to many of my more recent stories. 

Hope this helps. Do keep me updated on his or her progress!

Rick

Turning Disaster into an Opportunity

I am a proud Canadian. But as the son of a mother from Brooklyn, living one hour from the U.S. border, I share the shame and anxiety so many Americans feel today. The unthinkable has happened: a childish, narcissistic clown has harnessed the worst parts of American patriotism and despair, and ridden it into the White House.

How did this happen? The Democrats got lazy. They thought Hillary was destined to win; they believed the inexperienced, friendless Trump was a dream opponent. For her part, Hillary thought she didn’t have to answer for her Clinton-esque faults: the chasing of money, the association with elites, the questionable dealings around the Clinton Foundation and her missing emails. Her refusal to do press conferences revealed an arrogance that wasn’t far off the far right’s view of her as high-hatted and entitled.

As the Trump train gained momentum, Hillary and her handlers responded haughtily, if at all, to these legitimate concerns. At the Democratic convention in July I thought that both Bill and Hillary excelled in changing the narrative, painting a new picture of Hillary as a lifelong crusader for prosperity, equality and inclusion. But after the convention, the Dems went quiet again, refusing to tell their story while Trump gathered coverage day by day with one outrageous lie after another.

Before long, everyone knew Donald’s story. Hillary didn’t have one. Voters had nothing to identify with. Meanwhile, the media elites missed the anger simmering in the ’burbs and the countryside, over disappearing jobs, falling wages, lower home prices (ie, less money for retirement), social change, gun control and immigration. Where these concerns were acknowledged, they were rarely  addressed, but dismissed through the use of selective economic statistics or the pressure of political correctness.

So the passion for Hillary faded, and Trump emerged as an unlikely national champion. His shallow world view, his inbred, ego-feeding business career, his inexperience, his racism and his twisted view of women, are all frightening traits in a chief executive, especially a nation’s moral leader. Today, many Americans live in fear of what will happen next, given the outdated values and opinions that Trump and his team will bring to the Oval Office. In California last month I met entrepreneurs of Mexican descent, children of illegal immigrants, who have no legal status in America. They couldn't believe the rhetoric coming from the Trump camp, and will now be fearing for their futures. These are professionals who employ dozens of people. All they ask is a path to citizenship in the only country they’ve ever known. Trump’s victory will leave them shaking – as it does so many women, blacks, Jews, gays, and others who don't fit the #MAGA mold.

But this is not a time for despair.

Of all the many Republican candidates for president, Donald Trump was the least ideological, the least rigid, the least devoted to sucking up to the Tea Party. He’s a New Yorker, confident and unafraid, allegiant to no partisan principles. He’s self-centered, vulgar and uninformed, but a pragmatist, beholden to no one. I compared him earlier to Toronto’s disastrous mayor, Rob Ford, but Trump is his own movement, not the standard-bearer of a conservative counter-reformation.

He is, in a word, malleable.

So let’s not demonize Donald Trump. Let’s not write him off. Let’s build bridges. Let’s appeal to his better nature and help guide him to wise decisions. There is already tension in Republican ranks over his casual takeover of a party on a serious, long-term ideology-driven mission. The Republicans vote-chasing machine has served its purpose, and Trump is now free to disregard it in the same way he abused and underpaid his suppliers once their products and services were safely delivered to the Trump organization.

At worst, this is a time to re-evaluate and re-emphasize liberal principles. Let’s start by showing that Hillary was right: #LoveTrumpsHate. Let’s continue to show as much kindness and generosity as we can, to those who need it most, to our friends, family and communities, and to our opponents as well. (Edit: I just volunteered to help a struggling organization, and made a donation to Planned Parenthood in Florida.)

Let’s ramp up our commitment to each other. Let’s show Trump Nation what real social and economic progress looks like.

And let’s give Mr. Trump the benefit of the doubt. He is eager for approval. Let’s engage him, and guide him in his unexpected new role. Wouldn't it be ironic if he were the guy who broke the extremists’ hold on the GOP?

Let’s encourage him to be his own man and do the right thing. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get through this.

Learning from Silicon Valley

My recent trip to Silicon Valley resulted in two fun columns for the National Post. 

The first looks at success tips from the QuickBooks Connect conference in San Jose, from both hard-working entrepreneurs and some rather susprising celebrities. By contrast, the second column focuses on failure – as discussed at a “Day of the Dead” event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

From Oct. 31:

QuickBooks Connect brought together entrepreneurs, accountants and celebrity achievers for three days in San Jose to discuss growth, collaboration, technology and creativity. Here are 10 tips to help you succeed in the new business era.

Click here for the column. 

Three quick takeaways:

Actress America Ferrara on finding your niche: As the star of "Ugly Betty" struggled to find a new role as a producer, she realized she' would do best by "telling stories only I could tell." She concluded: “You don’t have to stray from your passions to have impact.”

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps on competition: Commenting on his intensity before  a crucial race this summer in Rio, the winner of five 2016 Olympic gold medals revealed: “When someone makes a negative comment, I make it a motivator. I use it as fuel.”

Dave Alwan, a winning pitcher on Shark Tank: “If you don’t dream big, you can’t think big.”

Moderator Marguerite Gong Hancock with Bill Reichert and iconic sock puppet

From Nov. 7:

Read insiders’ insights into why even good businesses fail –and sometimes bad businesses succeed. Find out why a tablet failed in 1991, and how the founder of Twitch.tv messed up his first startup.

The conclusion: “Canadians need to share more collective wisdom about about failure. And why it’s a beginning, not an end.”

Attendees were encouraged to memorialize their favourite failures.

Click here for the column. 

Export Success: Here's why it's a choice

This post brought to you by HSBC Bank Canada. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Canadian Entrepreneur.

From beaver pelts to auto parts and yoga pants, Canada has always been a trading nation. But do we have what it takes to compete in the global marketplace?

In recent years, Canadian exports have been hard hit by declining commodity prices and the shrinking manufacturing base left behind as commodity production shifts to lower-cost countries. Without robust exports, Canadians will be hard-pressed to sustain the economic growth that has made this country one of the world's most prosperous - and most envied - nations.

But here's the good news. Canada's biggest trading partner, the United States, is enjoying robust economic growth. And a recent study by the Conference Board of Canada identifies key opportunities for growth of exports to the U.S. that Canadian companies aren't sufficiently pursuing. Significantly, many of these opportunities don't involve products, but services, meaning that Canadian businesses can flourish in the fastest-growing parts of the economy - the service sector, where brainpower and creativity matter more than labour costs.

The study, entitled "Taking Advantage of the U.S. Economic Rebound," identifies 11 Canadian industries that are well prepared for expansion and competitiveness in the U.S. Of those, the study finds five broad sectors that are best positioned to take advantage of growing U.S. demand:

• Transportation and government services;
• Other commercial services (e.g., wholesale trade and administration);
• Computer and information services;
• Food manufacturing;
• Finance and insurance services.

To learn what it takes to crack U.S. markets, the study, takes a close-up look at three current Canadian success stories: Spin Master, a Toronto -based toy and media company whose top brands include Air Hogs and Paw Patrol; Vancouver-based Global Relay, which provides message-management services for major corporation, including  22 of the 25 top global banks; and McRae Imaging, an innovative digital-graphics printing company based in Mississauga, Ont.

The report notes four key characteristics of winning exporters:

• they have skilled executives with strong vision and a growth mindset;

• they create competitive advantage through a proven capability to innovate;

• they identify export opportunities through their practical knowledge of foreign market;

• and they access support through international contact networks.

So interesting to see that export success isn't based on size, clout, or legacy brands. Market-driven innovation and attention to details makes all the difference. Through doable tactics such as implementing new internal processes and leveraging external partnerships, companies can make the decision to grow.

This encouraging news is especially important today because the Canadian export narrative in recent years has been so negative: shuttered factories, lost jobs, chatter that we're no longer competitive. Combine that with recent protectionist trends such as Brexit and shrill calls to build "walls" between nations, and it's no wonder many Canadians - including business leaders - question our ability to compete.

Studies such as this, which was commissioned by HSBC, prove that export success can be a choice, not a fluke, for Canadian companies that are serious about growth.

Canada has a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, but only one firm in 10 exports its goods or services abroad. This new study reminds us that other markets are hungry for goods and services Canada can provide. But if individual businesses and entrepreneur don't actively study new markets, and develop the capability to serve them, then potential customers will buy from someone else.

To learn more about how to take advantage of U.S. export opportunities, HSBC is conducting a webinar on "Connecting for Growth" on Oct. 27, 2016. 2 pm Eastern time, 11 am Pacific time.
Register for the webinar here
  #HSBCReport
@HSBC_CA

How Linamar maintains its edge while planning for an unpredictable future

Linamar Corp. of Guelph, Ont., is Canada's second-biggest autoparts maker and one of our biggest entrepreneurial success stories. Now under the leadership of Linda Hasenfratz, daughter of the company's founder, Frank Hasenfratz, the $5-billion-a-year company prides itself on retaining the spirit and agility of a small growth company.

In my latest column for the Financial Post, I explore two of the key tenets that guide Linamar in its journey. They address two strategic priorities that most businesses face:

1. How do you avoid waste and bloat as your company grows?

2. How do you plan for a future of continuous, unpredictable technology and business change?

In each case, Linamar's solutions are both aggressive and elegant in their simplicity:

1. Linamar has created a culture in which all employees are expected to come up with at least six ideas for improvement every year.

2. Linamar has instituted a 100-year planning process, which helps senior management identify the spots where its capabilities and new business opportunities best intersect.

How are these bold initiatives making a difference at Linamar? How might similar tactics change the future of your company? Click here to read my interview with Linda Hasenfratz.