http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/articles/ en ejanssen@ivey.uwo.ca Copyright 2012 2012-01-17T14:28:17+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/bob_dhillon_of_mainstreet_equity_corp/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/bob_dhillon_of_mainstreet_equity_corp/#When:14:28:17Z January 17th, 2012By: AlbertaVenture.com Bob Dhillon of Mainstreet Equity Corp talks IFSR accounting, real estate development and condo-mania.An immigrant and graduate from the Richard Ivey School of Business takes on the recession and racism, and succeeds in Alberta’s residential real estate rental market.Bob Dhillon may have an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, but he’s an old-fashioned entrepreneur in the truest sense of the term. He started selling real estate out of the back of his car, and has since grown that business into a multimillion-dollar company that’s publicly traded on the TSX. Today, Mainstreet Equity Corp. is one of the dominant players in Alberta’s residential real estate rental market, and it also owns properties in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario. For more on this article, please click here. 2012-01-17T14:28:17+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/kevin_oleary_shares_cold_hard_truth_on_student_business_ideas/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/kevin_oleary_shares_cold_hard_truth_on_student_business_ideas/#When:19:21:31Z November 24, 2011By Ivey Public Affairs Seasoned investor Kevin O’Leary told three Ivey students how to set their business ideas in motion during a visit to Western as part of his Cold Hard Truth book tour.Seasoned investor Kevin O’Leary told three Ivey students how to set their business ideas in motion during a visit to Western yesterday as part of his Cold Hard Truth book tour. HBA student Mallorie Brodie and MBA students David Mravyan and Allyson Tighe won a pitch competition organized by Ivey’s entrepreneurship clubs last week for the chance to face O’Leary, MBA ’80, who is a judge on the hit CBC TV show Dragons’  Den.  Mravyan and Tighe heard encouraging feedback from O’Leary on their idea for a hospital bed sensor mat to detect pressure ulcer formation in patients, which is a costly health-care problem.  O’Leary urged them to try out for a spot on Dragons’ Den for a chance to win funding for their idea. On the other hand,  Brodie – who has already launched the online student art gallery, Start Gallery – was told to gather more information on the cost to acquire customers. Click here to read more. Ivey Entrepreneurs in the News 2011-11-24T19:21:31+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/serial_entrepreneurs_how_to_find_the_next_great_idea/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/serial_entrepreneurs_how_to_find_the_next_great_idea/#When:19:13:16Z November 21, 2011 Globe and Mail interviews Ron Close about the keys to finding ideas for the next great business solution.When the sale of his technology company, SupplierMarket, required him to move from New York to San Francisco in 2000, Reza Satchu became very familiar with self-storage facilities.Back in Toronto to visit his parents, he was struck while driving on the 401 by how many self-storage facilities were located along the highway.“I thought, ‘Why is it that these facilities exist along the 401? It’s not necessarily where people live, it’s not where the customers are, but yet, they’re all there,’“ he recalls.“I thought, ‘Why is it that people who live in [the neighbourhood of]  Leaside have to drive all the way up to the 401 to store their stuff,  especially when 70 per cent of the people making these storage decisions are women, and they don’t necessarily want to go into a darkly lit area in the middle of nowhere?’“ For more on the Globe and Mail article, please click here. 2011-11-21T19:13:16+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/pitch_of_a_lifetime_for_selected_ivey_business_students1/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/pitch_of_a_lifetime_for_selected_ivey_business_students1/#When:15:44:55Z November 21, 2011 Every great business idea needs financial backing to succeed. Representatives from Ivey’s HBA and MBA Entrepreneurship Clubs will be placed on the hot seat in front of Kevin O’Leary.Every great business idea needs financial backing to succeed. Representatives from Ivey’s HBA and MBA Entrepreneurship Clubs will be placed on the hot seat in front of Kevin O’Leary, host of CBC’s hit television show Dragons’ Den, to present their unique business ideas.  HBA student Mallorie Brodie and MBA students David Mravyan and Allyson Tighe won an entrepreneurship competition against their peers allowing them the opportunity to experience a real-life pitch session with a seasoned investment expert. Mr. O’Leary will critique their presentations and offer advice for future success. For more on this event, please click here. 2011-11-21T15:44:55+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/entrepreneurs_signal_better_times_ahead/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/entrepreneurs_signal_better_times_ahead/#When:14:41:15Z November 16, 2011 Globe and Mail’s guest column by Dennis Fortum, Canadian Managing Partner of KPMG Enterprise discusses the results from the Ivey Entrepreneurs Index.As bad economic news trickles in day after day – with some of the flow more torrent than trickle – it’s wise to remember that the economy is a marathon, and like any of the world’s great races, some years the average finishing time is slower than others.But every year there’s a healthy group of runners who set a personal best. They are the pacesetters of tomorrow. Similarly, it’s hard-charging Canadian entrepreneurs who are setting personal growth bests with their businesses, even as many larger organizations seem to be running in molasses. They have a very different view – a much more growth-oriented view – of the near future than the CEOs of larger and more entrenched Canadian companies, and that difference may be a signal of better times ahead. To read more on the Globe & Mail article, please click here. 2011-11-16T14:41:15+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/idea_to_market_do_it_alone_or_get_help/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/idea_to_market_do_it_alone_or_get_help/#When:15:07:10Z November 14, 2011Globe and Mail interviews Professor Brian Anderson about consulting companies that offer services to business start-ups.Hailey Coleman’s initial run at business wasn’t exactly rooted in strategy. “I just threw everything against the wall and waited to see what would stick,” recalls Ms. Coleman of her approach to launching her Toronto-based company, Damn Heels, straight out of university in 2007. By December, 2009, Ms. Coleman had her product on the market. ballerina-style flat shoes folded up in an expandable bag that women could swap for their high heeled shoes when their feet had grown sore and tired of them. To read more on the Globe & Mail article, please click here. 2011-11-14T15:07:10+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/should_government_invest_in_private_companies/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/should_government_invest_in_private_companies/#When:18:59:40Z November 11, 2011 Globe and Mail interviews Professor Stewart Thornhill about if the Government should invest in private companies.For Josh Sookman, the founder and chief executive officer of Guardly Corp., a Toronto-based mobile startup, a recent $237,500 interest-free loan from the federal government is a much-needed investment that will help jump-start his business with new hires and faster deployment. “We can hire more people, and we can have them efficiently working together,” Mr. Sookman says. Not everyone is so enthusiastic about such investments.Critics see funding like this as an example of the government playing investor beyond its qualifications, of “picking winners,” and of using tax money from some businesses to give a head start to others. To read more from the Globe and Mail article, please click here.   Ivey Entrepreneurs in the News 2011-11-11T18:59:40+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/ivey_entrepreneurs_index/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/ivey_entrepreneurs_index/#When:20:02:14Z LONDON, ON November 9, 2011 Ivey Entrepreneurs Index shows entrepreneurs willingness to grow their workforce 81% expect to hire additional employees in spite of declining confidence in the Canadian economy  The Ivey Entrepreneurs Index found 81% of those surveyed are planning to expand their workforce over the next 12 months, showing general optimism about their business.  However, only 65% expect the Canadian economy to grow reflecting a sharp 24% decline from the last survey in April 2011.Even though confidence in the economy overall is down those surveyed have set bullish targets around revenue and profit growth.  The index found 90% of entrepreneurs expect their revenues to grow, and 81% believe their profits will also grow over the period of the next 12 months. To read more on the Index results, please click here. 2011-11-08T20:02:14+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/world_beaters_for_startups/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/world_beaters_for_startups/#When:13:55:32Z October 31st, 2011Financial Post quotes Professor Brian Anderson on how Canada is a world-leader for entrepreneurshipFinancial Post quotes Professor Brian Anderson on how Canada is a world-leader for entrepreneurshipOctober 31st, 2011. To read more from the Financial Post article, click here 2011-10-31T13:55:32+00:00 http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/trucking_company_moves_beyond_one_big_customer/ http://www.iveyentrepreneur.ca/index.php/site/trucking_company_moves_beyond_one_big_customer/#When:18:15:40Z October 13th, 2011Toronto Star interviews Professor Brian Anderson on how to expand business from one customer to many..The Toronto Star interviews Professor Brian Anderson on how to expand business from one customer to many.October 13th, 2011. To read more from the Toronto Star article, click here Ivey Entrepreneurs in the News 2011-10-13T18:15:40+00:00