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Published by , 2018-12-17 13:41:48

1-Dec2018

1-Dec2018

EDMONTON PAGE 3
PROTÉGÉ
CHRIS
ENERGIZED BY THE PROGRAM KNEELAND
AND HIS MENTOR
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - 23RD
PAGE 7 ANNUAL RAJ MANEK BANQUET

CONTENTS

GETTING TO KNOW CHRIS KNEELAND ………………………………………………… ..............................3
RAJ MANEK FOUNDATION AWARD WINNERS…..……….. …………………………………………………… 4
JOIN US FOR THE 23RD ANNUAL RAJ MANEK BANQUET….. …………………………………………5
2018 - 2019 SEMINAR SCHEDULE ………………………………………………………………………………………….6
EDMONTON PROTÉGÉ ENERGIZED BY THE PROGRAM AND HIS MENTOR ……………. 7
OUR 2018 AND 2019 PRESENTING SPONSOR ………………………………………………………………….. 8
MEET OUR TOOLKIT ADVISORS ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

2

GETTING TO KNOW expenses (leases, salaries, owned
equipment) while catering to an
Chris Kneeland
industry with tremendous ups and
QUESTION: You’ve previously downs. My industry, for example, is
held some very senior roles wildly unpredictable, so I’ve largely
internationally for The Home replaced full-time staff with
Depot and John Deere. What
made you leave that corporate contingent workers sourced from
world behind to pursue Communo, and have never been
happier (or more profitable).
entrepreneurship?
Q: Every entrepreneur faces

various setbacks on their journey.
What do you use to Motivate

ANSWER: Corporations want yourself each day particularly when
compliance from their you encounter unexpected

employees. In exchange, they challenges?

offer a degree of predictability A: I’m an avid listener of “How I
– a regular job doing similar
Built This” podcast on my commute
tasks each day with the same engagement. What is the most
into work. It’s a daily dose of
co-workers solving similar common mistake you often see

programs. Corporations don’t entrepreneurs make in engaging inspiration by hearing the success
handle exceptions to the rule their customers? stories of successful entrepreneurs,
well, nor do they cater well to and it shines an honest light on the
exceptional employees. I felt A: Most businesses – whether they struggle of the journey rather than
glamorizes the end result.
like I was making an are incumbents or insurgents in their
category, have an unholy love affair Q: Businesses are built by
exceptional contribution
with mass media and markdowns. people. What is your advice to our
beyond my traditional job They inappropriately rely on

function, yet wasn’t being entrepreneurs on developing a
advertising and discounts to try to team of high-quality talent?
gain awareness or attract new
rewarded for it and unable to customers. There are FAR better A: Prioritize hiring not by
break out of the box the

company put me in. So I left to ways to achieve those goals. finding people you like and want to

embark on entrepreneurial Q: If you had to give one piece of work with, but by finding people

pursuits where I could enjoy advice to entrepreneurs growing who excel at the stuff you suck at,
more freedom, and more spoils their businesses, what would it be? or simply don’t want to do. Once
from my efforts. they’re hired, tell them what you
A: Align your operating model with want, but not how to do it. Get out

Q: You speak regularly at vari- the variability of your market. The of their way and enjoy your

ous conferences such as more volatile the market you serve, new-found freedom and peace of

South by Southwest (SXSW) the more variable your model must mind of not having to micro-

and The Gathering about be. One sure way to fail is to burden manage that part of the business

branding and consumer your business with lots of fixed anymore.

3

Award WinnersRAJMANEKFOUNDATION

Lester Lafond

Raj Above & Beyond
Award Winner

About the Award

The award recognizes an

individual who has performed
above and beyond the

Katherine Regnier expectations of their nominator in Greg Sutton
business development. The
Ravi Maithel Kent Smith-Windsor
recipient has made exceptional Leadership Award
Find-A-Way Award efforts in promoting entrepreneur-
Winner ship that develops strong and Winner
successful businesses in

About the Award Saskatchewan. About the Award
For Nomination Criteria:
Honouring entrepreneurs, https://bit.ly/2J6KGh8 The award recognizes a high
organizations, and employees potential individual expected to
achieve senior leadership
of Saskatchewan and Alberta position in their community in the
future and has acquired
who exemplify Ravi Maithel’s considerable knowledge and
experience as a leader in their
perseverance and success in business or in the community.

achieving a worthy goal of

finding a way of accomplishing
a task that others thought was
impossible.

For Nomination Criteria: For Nomination Criteria:

https://bit.ly/2BVE5p9 https://bit.ly/2PMUrnt

4

5

2018 - 2019

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Note: All seminars will be held at Innovation Place, Saskatoon, in the Philae Room 124, The Galleria,
15 Innovation Boulevard from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

DATE PRESENTER COMPANY TOPIC

September 25 Lorna Shaw-Lennox University of Preparing to pitch your
Saskatchewan business idea to Investors
October 4 Rauncie Kinnaird
Kinnaird Selling You & Your
November 7 Greg Sutton Bagpipes & Product! Insights on My
December 3 Tim Hansen Experience in Retail and
Paul Pastor and Reeds
January 8 Brendan Potts E-commerce
February 27 Susan Clarke TinyEYE
Julita Vassileva Technologies Leadership
March 20
April 16 Vicki Towriss Sutton Financial 7 Insights of Owning a
Business
Buckberger Baerg &
Partners Business Analytics

Bruce's Cycle Works Customer Service & a
Business Bottom Line
University of
Saskatchewan Persuasion Strategies

Towriss & Associates Improving Organization
Workforce Solutions Ltd. Culture - Motivators and

Performance Tactics

May 14 Andrew Hodson Deloitte Cashflow Balance Concepts
June 3 Mike Wesolowski
Luxsonic Technologies Emerging Technologies -
Inc. Artificial Intelligence and

Virtual Reality

6

“I began to look for a business mentorship
program around the Edmonton area

because I really missed having someone to
bounce ideas off of”, said Jordan, “But the
options were very limited, and the cost

was prohibitive for small business owners
like myself.”

Through the RMMP Jordan was matched
with Rodger Morrison (Omni Management
Consulting Alliance). The two met regularly
to go through Jordan’s business plan and
help Jordan to expand his business

sustainably.

“I met Rodger when our company was at

the ‘growth’ phase where the number of

staff went from five to twenty within three

EDMONTON PROTÉGÉ years or so,” said Jordan, “You can say it’s
a ‘good problem’ but we needed a proper

ENERGIZED BY THE system in place to support the
PROGRAM AND HIS growth. Rodger came in and made sure
we actually had a plan in place, and then
MENTOR helped us in further articulating the plan
and putting words into actions.”

Jordan Gillespie (HarrisonBowker Valuation “Learning how to run a business is kind of

Group) first heard of the Raj Manek Mentor- like learning to drive a car. It’s much better
ship Program (RMMP) when he attended a to have someone show you around rather
gala event in Saskatoon where his father, than you trying to figure things out your-
Doug Gillespie, was inducted into the Junior self”, said Jordan.

Achievement Business Hall of Fame in “The RMMP program is valuable because it

2012. allows entrepreneurs like myself to access

Sadly, three years after the celebration, the wisdom from those who ‘have been
Jordan lost his beloved father and lifetime through the wringer’. I really appreciate
Rodger who so generously volunteers his

mentor. time to help other business owners thrive.”

7

8

MEET OUR

Toolkit Advisors

9

10


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