Page 12 - Canadian Industry Online

CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - DECEMBER 2015Arlene Dickinsonter I graduated high school, and I know lots of successful entrepreneurs that have made it without a graduate edu- cation.What’s great about the new Dis- trict Ventures project?We are trying to help entrepre- neurs get their products to market and that is very exciting. It has been suc- cessful, we had over 1600 applications in the rst year. Not only that, but we just partnered with IBM to create the District Ventures and IMB Innovation Space, through which we connect large enterprise and entrepreneurs to help solve real world business problems.We are incredibly unique in the sense that we are focused on practical growth for entrepreneurs, like getting their products on shelves, or getting them their rst client. It’s also an in- credible opportunity for entrepreneurs to work with industry experts and suc- cessful business people. It’s an incred- ible community to be building and to be part of.What is the key to success for en- trepreneurs, if you had to sum it up?As I mentioned, I think focus is critically important aspect to success. You can be a serial entrepreneur and do many things over time but you need to have the discipline to develop expertise to be successful. Second, I think listen-ing is very, very important. I think it’s important to develop strong relation- ships, and it’s important when receiv- ing advice.A true entrepreneur will pay at- tention to the market, hone in on what’s going on, and be able to ask for help and pivot where needed.What is great about being an en- trepreneur in Canada?Well Canada has everything you need to be a successful entrepreneur. If you can’t do it here, you probably can’t do it anywhere. We have large enter- prises, great schools, natural resources, a stable economy. Not to mention, we are respected globally as a brand and that goes a long way.“People say we’re not competitive enough and I’d like to challenge that.”12| Canadian Industry Online | April, 2017