My entrepreneurial journey started, and I did not even know it. I dropped out of university and became a shipper/receiver at Video One. It was losing money every month, and all they wanted to do was break even. In month one, it was a profit centre as I was able to cut costs and charge for things clients were getting for free. Six months later, I was promoted to sales, and my career was off. I was lucky to be involved in many family businesses that allowed the sales reps to make decisions based on profitability, and my commission was based on that. I could do that on the spot if I wanted to give a client a discount, but I knew I might make a bit less money. This was instrumental when I became an entrepreneur.
We bought the Food Service, Franchise and Retail rights to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs in Canada. We started selling directly and had to pivot to bring in brokers, which helped us grow our sales. We closed accounts like MLSE, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Pizza, The Keg, Safeway, Sobey, and Loblaws. We had three restaurants in Alberta and were about to Franchise it across Canada. This was an amazing journey, and being a small and agile team that made decisions quickly and was not afraid to make mistakes. We made a lot but moved on fast, which made a big difference. I was lucky to have great partners and learned a ton, which I share with many others today.
After the Nathan’s venture, I delved into the startup community and noticed a trend of misguided advice leading to wasted resources. I couldn’t bear to be part of this problem, so I founded Peer Guidance with the mantra of 'Purpose Before Profit '. Our aim was to provide practical, experience-based guidance to entrepreneurs, steering them away from unnecessary expenses and towards sustainable growth.
Peer Guidance- Purpose Before Profit is a Fractional Business Team Focusing on Scale, Growth and People. Mo Aladin, Kyle Kanovsky and Peter Lafontaine are 3 incredible business minds but better people who want to make a difference in other lives. Why Peer Guidance? We are entrepreneurs and have walked in your shoes. These are some of the real-life experiences they have dealt with: bootstrapped, raised capital, created sales playbooks, created budgets, asked for help, hired people, scaled nationally, cried, built sales teams, made connections, built internal teams, created marketing plans, wondered when we would make money, created content, create policies and contracts, fired people, had sleepless nights, created positive cultures, designed websites, failed and learned from it, exited businesses, sold businesses and celebrated successes.
I have been lucky enough to be part of 4 companies that have exited, and understanding what it’s like to walk in your shoes is extremely important. I truly believe if you have never been an entrepreneur, you should not help one.
We are also mental health advocates and have created a program with Collectively Tangled that focuses on entrepreneurs. Our pilot program was successful, and hopefully, we will be able to announce a new program soon. This is a journey you should not take alone, and asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
I am the VP of the Canadian Blockchain Consortium. I am proud of how Koleya Karringten (founder) and I have grown this into a Canadian-standard and globally respected Consortium. We educate and unite the Canadian Blockchain Industry in Canada. We also lobby provincial and federal governments regarding regulation in Canada on behalf of our 90 member companies. We speak around the world.
I host a weekly Facebook Live Show every Wednesday at 9.30am MST called "Telling It Like It Is." This 30-minute show focuses on startup entrepreneurs and gives them a platform to shout their stories from the mountain tops.
I also started Founders Coffee, which connects startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses around Calgary. Over the last six years, we have met every Tuesday at 7:30am at Red's Diner in Kensington. Entrepreneurs must meet other like-minded entrepreneurs because they need to know they are not alone.
I am an Angel Investor and Startup TNT Ambassador. I help recruit startup companies for our Investment Summits. We host Investment Summits that have invested over $13 million to approximately 100 companies in the last five years. Startup TNT has raised Alberta companies' profile and is one of the main reasons investments are rising in Alberta.
Our biggest inspiration is helping start-ups and entrepreneurs succeed. I want to end this by saying asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and we are here to help you succeed. Please do not take this journey alone, it is more fun, and you have a better chance of success with a team.
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