Council of Canadian Innovators | Conseil canadien des innovateurs’ Post

Rebecca Zucker and Jonathan Becker - great article! Advice on answering the questions "How did we get here" and "How do we fix things" There is another critical underlying contributor that goes back to the formation of the partnership to begin with: "Are our values aligned, and have we been transparent in establishing those values before signing on." More critical than the partnership agreement: a clear and well defined exit strategy for the partners going into the relationship. In business the partners are shareholders in value creation, and it is important to clarify that value and how to transfer it when (almost inevitably) one partner has a need to depart. My small business joined forces with another small company to execute a large, multi-year project (for us it was large - 4-5X our normal annual cash flow, executed over a 2 year period). Both of us in the respective leadership roles had experienced painfully protracted exits from prior relationships, making our decision to formalize our partnership through a Joint Venture an easy one. Equity sharing, cost and cash flow responsibilities, and management decision responsibilities/authority were clearly defined. We dissolved the formal JV when the underlying project was completed, but over the years following that formal closing we have continued to collaborate more informally on a number of projects. The partnering principals have changed as well following the retirement of my collaborator, but we have stuck to the success formula for defining the terms of the business relationship (while growing the level of trust and commitment in our personal relationship). The partnership is not about saving feelings, face, or setting aside confrontations. The partnerships are created to enable greater value creation as a product of the relationship. So... Be clear. Be honest. Be realistic. Oh yeah - be aggressive together in that pursuit!!

Only 3% of family-owned companies successfully transition to the 4th generation. Bemis Manufacturing Company is proud to be one of them. Dick Bemis, retired chairman & CEO, and Vesla Hoeschen, chair of the board, will lead this keynote conversation. It's a summit you won't want to miss! #BemisToiletSeats #familybusiness #biztimesmedia

Over the last 3 months, we have interviewed over 30 Founders and business leaders within the Start-up ecosystem. The majority of these have all said it has been a challenging time and this will continue over the coming months. There's certainly a lot more optimism and confidence than last year but will require you to focus on the key objectives and activities. Andy Shanks, Co-Founder at eargym, asked this question below. What would your 3 things be? #laserfocus #key3things #growth

Get a Grip on Your Business with the Entrepreneurial Operating System! We help Owners and Leadership Teams Run a Better Business and Live a Better Life. Vision: Where are you going and what's your plan to get there? Traction: Help you execute with DISCIPLINE and ACCOUNTABILITY. Healthy: Open, Honest, and enjoying one another.

Business success - if it was that easy, everyone would achieve it. But it’s not. Running a business is like trying to juggle chainsaws while riding a unicycle on a tightrope—it's definitely not easy, but it sure keeps things interesting. There is no secret ingredient to success. Taking a look at the success stories of Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, & Rihanna, we realise that success has nothing to do with good luck. And if you don’t work hard, you’ll never know how lucky you are. So just what makes a business successful? Resilience Hard work Good leadership In our blog, we dive into each of these points to uncover the truth behind business success. Take a look at the blog here: https://lnkd.in/e6k5ftGv #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowneruk #businessgrowth #successfulbusiness #businessowner

I never saw the value in an "Independent" Board member. Seemed like just another task to add to my plate as CEO. I was wrong. Some board members are experienced entrepreneurs; some board members have never operated a business but bring great breadth as investors. Some board members are actively employed; some are retired. A CEO and/or Chairman must understand what their board members each bring to the table and use those skills to support different business opportunities. More importantly, when you have gaps it’s critical to strategically fill in those missing perspectives. Our last Board addition was pretty much a homerun. For a high-growth business that sells marketing solutions to restaurants... and previously lacked large-scale operating experience on our Board, Greg Creed — former CMO then CEO of Taco Bell and Yum! Brands — could not be a better fit. All those experiences have enhanced our performance as a Board, leading (in part) to some of our best years ever since Greg joined. Greg filled a very specific need for our operating rhythm as a Board. But he’s also offered an incredible bonus — Greg is one of the most inspiring mentors I've ever encountered. CEO mentorship is an underappreciated element of what a good Board can offer — especially for a founder-led business. What a lucky break for Thanx, for me, for our executive team, and for our other Board members that our paths crossed.

And what exactly is my path, you wonder? I'm co-creating ventures with fellow octopi! I play role of Co-pilot to founders, CEOs, and leadership, focusing on all aspects of growth including marketing, sales, biz dev, partnerships, and fundraising. #BuildTogether #SocialVentures

And what exactly is my path, you wonder? I'm co-creating ventures with fellow octopi! I play role of Co-pilot to founders, CEOs, and leadership, focusing on all aspects of growth including marketing, sales, biz dev, partnerships, and fundraising. #BuildTogether #SocialVentures

Are you navigating the journey of scaling your business beyond the $5m revenue mark? At Growth Institute, we've worked with thousands of businesses in the scaling-up phase. Through this experience, we've identified two main types of Chief Operating Officers (COOs): 1. COOs who've grown alongside the organization, assuming multiple roles along the way. 2. Professional COOs brought in when a company hits a significant growth point. Each type comes with unique challenges and distinct contributions to the company's growth. Our own COO, Alex Faust, hails from the first category and has been sharing invaluable insights on his profile. We highly recommend all COOs in our network follow him for a perspective on the Scaling Up methodology that's different from the typical CEO view.