Part of The Entrepreneurship Series presented by

Spotlight on the Entrepreneurship Journey

Entrepreneurship Policy

Published on October 7, 2019

Shahrzad Rafati / Founder & CEO - BroadbandTV

Tim McGuire / CEO - Mobile Klinik

Mandy Gilbert / Founder & CEO - Creative Niche

Alex Peters / Co-Founder and Co-CEO - Prodigy Education

There are as many types of entrepreneurs as there are different ideas they are building into Canada’s next business success stories. They come from different background, life situations, and even different countries. And the learnings they’ve gained as they grow their companies here in Canada are extremely valuable for the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs who will have to tackle their own challenges on the entrepreneurship journey. This Spotlight explores why and how these four Canadian entrepreneurs embarked on this path, and what wisdom they have to share with our rookie entrepreneurs and the ecosystems supporting them along the way.

Key Takeaways & Calls to Action

Canada’s digital economy is growing faster than mining, forestry, and oil and gas. For Canada to have a stronger digital economy, the federal government must provide the tech ecosystem and its entrepreneurs with similar financial incentives like the tax breaks and deferrals it currently offers the natural resources sectors.
An entrepreneur needs to have an innate desire to create something new and scale it. If you have that desire, the best time to start working on your idea is now.
An entrepreneur’s talent management and leadership skills are integral to the success and sustainability of his or her business. New hires must be aligned with the company’s vision and work culture, and bring crucial skills to the table.
Entrepreneurs in Canada need much more support in scaling up. Whether it is through services provided by Regional Innovation Centers, stronger angel networks, more funding or university assistance, we need to get better at helping companies at every stage.

Watch and Read the Experts’ Full Interviews:

The Immigrant Visionary Entrepreneur Shahrzad Rafati Founder & CEO - BroadbandTV "Growing up I always knew that I wanted to create a truly global business that made a truly global impact. So, when I was 17, I moved to Vancouver by myself."

The Consultant cum Entrepreneur Tim McGuire CEO - Mobile Klinik "Entrepreneurs run their business with their left hand and come up with new ideas with their right hand simultaneously. They do not have the time, capacity, funding, and resources to be able to study things to perfection, so they have to make more 80/20 judgements."

The Multi-preneur Mandy Gilbert Founder & CEO - Creative Niche "If there is one thing that keeps entrepreneurs up at night, it’s people."

The Straight-out-of-University Entrepreneur Alex Peters Co-Founder and Co-CEO - Prodigy Education "Canada’s education system must play a crucial role in moulding our entrepreneurs of the future since many young people do not consider entrepreneurship as a viable career option."