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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.

From East Side Marios, 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.

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.

“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.

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 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.

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. On 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.

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. Not too bad for someone living out their second career. 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.

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. 

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 latest 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.