2023 Mitacts Entrepreneur Awards Keynote
I’m excited that I get the honour of congratulation these amazing entrepreneurs.
I do a lot of talks at conferences and university graduations, but this is actually the first time I’m getting to speak at an awards ceremony. So I really want to take this opportunity to emphasis the importance of awards, because I think in 2023 a lot of us are becoming too afraid to celebrate success.
For starters, without awards, we wouldn’t get the chance to thank and acknowledge the people in our communities who have chosen to dedicate themselves to something greater than just existing. Whether it be sports, academia or business, awards are representation of the grind and competition that one must endure to be worthy of recognition, and that alone is something to be proud of.
But awards aren’t the only thing we don’t like to talk about anymore, Competition, even healthy competition is also being shunned. Which is funny to me because if you look back on any period of history, competition is at the heart of every great hero’s journey. Without the drive to do better, or be better, how many of your favorite Disney stories never would have made it past the first chapter.
Business is no different. Founders are the heroes in their own business story., without competition founders wouldn’t have their most valuable asset, and arguably the most important thing that separates them from the rest of the population. A rock-solid chip on their shoulders.
I say this because I’ve experienced it myself. For those of you that don’t know, I co-founded a company called truLOCAL. Over the course of 5 years me and a group of friends grew the team to over 60 people, expanded across the country, and built up to about $20M in annual revenues. Along the way we hit every milestone that someone on the outside would consider as successful. We nailed a pitch on Dragons Den, we landed the cover of the Globe and Mail for being the countries 14th fast growing companies, and eventually we solidified that success with an acquisition at the end of 2020. Needless to say, when you come from humble beginnings, selling your company for $17M is a bit of a moment. In fact, I’m a big believe in manifesting your future. Look at any of the greats, they all do it. Take Connor Macgregor for example, back when he had nothing, he’s on video in some dungy basement gym saying that he was going to be world champion. They all knew. It’s definitely the greats that inspired me, but it was the fact that I personally experienced it for myself. On Jan 4th 2016, I wrote a post saying that I was quitting my job to start a company. Exactly 4 years later, January 4th 2020 was the day we announced our deal had closed. So That’s how most people know me. But what most people don’t know, is where I came from. Nothing came easy for me, I had to work for every opportunity, and every chance that I got. But it wasn’t until recently when somebody asked me how do I stay motivated that I realized, if I’m being honest, competition is what kept me going. If I didn’t have people to prove wrong, or I didn’t have rival businesses chasing the same prize as I was, I don’t think I would have had the motivation to keep going for 5 years.
So when we look at awards and when we look at competition, they essentially all point towards one thing. Hard work. And if we let it, and if we don’t fight for it, Hard work is something else that we risk losing as a community. So you might wonder why I’m being so dramatic about awards, competition and hard work. Well let’s think about it for a moment, without all of these things, we wouldn’t have a company that has discovered a revolutionary way to screen for muscle degeneration, not only saving lives, but increasing the quality of life for thousands of individuals and their families. I’m sure we’ve all seen the wildfires in the headlines recently, well without hard work, we wouldn’t a founder who’s helping equip over 10 thousand farmers with the tools to not only turn crop into proverbial gold, but also improve air quality for millions of people in cities like Vancouver and San Francisco. Without hard work There wouldn’t be somebody out there pioneering a solution to help provide relief to almost 3.9 billion, people, half the world’s population, by shinning a light and providing a solution for menstrual pains that plague almost 80% of women. I can certainly tell you that without hard work and competition we can all agree that the idea of retrofitting airplanes, so that they can fly themselves would still just be an idea lingering around in the imagination of science fiction fans. And finally, whether it be yourself, or a loved one, one of the most traumatic experiences we can live through is the battle with cancer. without hard work, there would be one less solution aimed at easing the burden, and making that battle slightly more bearable.
As a founder myself, I know the challenges that you all go through. I know the late nights and early mornings. I know the pain that comes from the solitude of obsessing over a problem or a solution. I know about the loneliness that comes from missed birthdays, neglected holidays, and lost friends. I know the daily struggle of wondering “Was this a mistake, am I in over my head” But, as someone who has made it out the other side, what I want to say to you and what I hope that you hear, is that your challenges will always match your ambition. You’re choosing to live a life that only 1 % of the population could ever imagine. This means that you are going to face challenges that only 1 % of the population could ever overcome.
The thing that I don’t need to say to you because deep down you already know, is that it is worth it. Whether your motivation comes from money, from status, from the desire to make the world a better place, or simply from your own curiosity, never second guess yourself.
Rafaela, Kevin, Nanette, Jeremy, and Irsa. Thank you for what you are doing.
All these solutions…These innovations, came from hard work. And I think I can speak for everyone in attendance in saying that dedicating this evening to honouring these courageous individuals is an honour and a gift.
Congratulations to you all.
