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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Today's podcast is brought to you by Shaw Business.
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[00:28] SPEAKER_00: It's Calgary's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:46] SPEAKER_01: Hello, this is Bonnie LG coming to you today with Calgary's podcast,
[00:50] SPEAKER_01: a member of the Canada's podcast network,
[00:53] SPEAKER_01: where we talk to entrepreneurs who are making it happen
[00:57] SPEAKER_01: here in the city of Calgary, Alberta.
[00:59] SPEAKER_01: And today I'd like to welcome Gavin Harrison to the podcast.
[01:03] SPEAKER_01: Gavin is the creator of Atlas,
[01:05] SPEAKER_01: a five-stage framework for highly effective strategic planning.
[01:09] SPEAKER_01: He works with entrepreneurs and leadership teams
[01:12] SPEAKER_01: as a facilitator of the Atlas program.
[01:15] SPEAKER_01: Having been involved in a variety of ventures,
[01:17] SPEAKER_01: including his first brick-and-mortar business
[01:20] SPEAKER_01: while still in high school,
[01:21] SPEAKER_01: Gavin is a lifelong entrepreneur,
[01:23] SPEAKER_01: proud Calgary and husband and father of two terrific kids.
[01:28] SPEAKER_01: So Gavin, welcome to the show,
[01:29] SPEAKER_01: and thanks so much for being here today for all our listeners.
[01:33] SPEAKER_02: My pleasure and thank you, Bonnie.
[01:34] SPEAKER_02: It's great to be your guest here today.
[01:37] SPEAKER_01: Well, why don't we start things off, Gavin?
[01:39] SPEAKER_01: And you can tell us a little bit more about yourself,
[01:41] SPEAKER_01: where you're from, and a bit about your current business.
[01:45] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
[01:47] SPEAKER_02: So I'm a Calgary and born and raised.
[01:50] SPEAKER_02: I actually grew up just down in Okotokes.
[01:52] SPEAKER_02: And as you mentioned, I'd open my first business
[01:55] SPEAKER_02: while still in high school.
[01:56] SPEAKER_02: So I had the good fortune
[01:57] SPEAKER_02: of attending a high school that allowed me to actually take grade 12
[02:00] SPEAKER_02: and spread it out across two years.
[02:03] SPEAKER_02: So fundamentally, allowing me to be in class just half the day
[02:06] SPEAKER_02: and having the other half the day open to do with, as I wished.
[02:09] SPEAKER_02: And I chose to use that time to open my very first business.
[02:12] SPEAKER_02: So I got a taste of entrepreneurship really quite early in life,
[02:15] SPEAKER_02: and it's really just been part of my DNA ever since.
[02:19] SPEAKER_02: Today, what I focus on is working with leadership teams
[02:23] SPEAKER_02: and ownership groups as a facilitator
[02:26] SPEAKER_02: for the strategic planning process.
[02:28] SPEAKER_02: So generally what that looks like is a series of workshops
[02:31] SPEAKER_02: where we get really clear on where an organization is headed
[02:34] SPEAKER_02: and what path they're going to take to get there.
[02:36] SPEAKER_02: And then I usually follow on with one-on-one coaching
[02:39] SPEAKER_02: to ensure that we stay on track.
[02:41] SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
[02:42] SPEAKER_01: And I think all of our listeners would be curious.
[02:44] SPEAKER_01: So we do need to know what your very first business was.
[02:47] SPEAKER_02: Oh, great. Thanks for asking.
[02:49] SPEAKER_02: It was called Office Plus, and it was basically a hybrid
[02:53] SPEAKER_02: between an office supply store.
[02:56] SPEAKER_02: So this being on sort of Main Street in Oka Toaks.
[02:59] SPEAKER_02: And I always say we were sort of what 7-11 is to a grocery store.
[03:03] SPEAKER_02: We were that to staple.
[03:05] SPEAKER_02: So sort of your most convenient off-supply items, small selection.
[03:09] SPEAKER_02: And the real heart and soul of it was graphics and printing
[03:11] SPEAKER_02: sort of back end of the business.
[03:14] SPEAKER_02: It's really been the graphics business that most of my career
[03:16] SPEAKER_02: has been centered around up until this point.
[03:19] SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
[03:20] SPEAKER_01: How about you tell us a little bit about how you started
[03:22] SPEAKER_01: your current company and more from a financial perspective?
[03:27] SPEAKER_01: What did you need to get going and how are you making it profitable today?
[03:31] SPEAKER_02: Sure. So at its essence, my company is a consulting business.
[03:36] SPEAKER_02: So it didn't take a lot of capital to get it up and off the ground in that sense.
[03:41] SPEAKER_02: But really, it's ultimately the result of years and years of being in business,
[03:46] SPEAKER_02: having ventures succeed and fail.
[03:48] SPEAKER_02: So it certainly has taken capital over the years to have all those experiences
[03:52] SPEAKER_02: and really come to learn that often strategic planning is something that's missing in a business.
[03:58] SPEAKER_02: And that's why I put my focus on it.
[03:59] SPEAKER_02: So although in its current form, it didn't take a lot of financing.
[04:03] SPEAKER_02: It certainly didn't take any outside investors to get it up and off the ground.
[04:07] SPEAKER_02: But it is the result of years and years of being in that business space
[04:12] SPEAKER_02: and learning from both success and for failure along the way.
[04:16] SPEAKER_01: Right. And so as you look ahead to the future,
[04:20] SPEAKER_01: what do you hope that your company, Kampello, will look like?
[04:24] SPEAKER_02: Great question. So definitely to scale up, the product and the framework we use is pretty
[04:29] SPEAKER_02: unique. And I've been collaborating with another consultant, a gentleman by the name of Jason
[04:34] SPEAKER_02: Krause, somebody who also grew up in Ocatok's incidentally. And the two of us have been working
[04:39] SPEAKER_02: and collaborating quite a bit. His focus is on leadership development. And he's a really sought
[04:46] SPEAKER_02: after executive coach. So we've been talking about how do we maybe marry together our programs
[04:51] SPEAKER_02: and then scale up through the avenue of other coaches and other consultants really all over North
[04:57] SPEAKER_01: America and perhaps worldwide? Great. So you have a big goal and a broad vision for the future.
[05:04] SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely. Well, you hear, you know, a lot of people say,
[05:08] SPEAKER_01: Calgary is a great place to do business. We have a can do spirit here. But in your opinion,
[05:14] SPEAKER_01: what are the biggest benefits for being an entrepreneur and Calgary? And especially from the
[05:19] SPEAKER_01: perspective of someone who's been born and raised here? You know, Calgary, it's an interesting city.
[05:25] SPEAKER_02: We've got a great vibe and a great community and a great entrepreneurial community. So I think
[05:31] SPEAKER_02: Calgary, it's interesting because it's got a mix of lifestyle, you know, access to the mountains,
[05:37] SPEAKER_02: along with all the supports that you need as an entrepreneur. I think we've got a great community
[05:41] SPEAKER_02: to be able to tap into. And then great supports available to us, you know, through resources like
[05:46] SPEAKER_02: ATB or BDC. I think we're really fortunate to have all of those resources in Calgary and the benefit
[05:53] SPEAKER_02: of a pretty, pretty awesome lifestyle that you can join the weekends as well. You know, if you flip
[05:58] SPEAKER_01: that around, do you see any downside to being an entrepreneur here or are there things that you
[06:05] SPEAKER_01: find challenging working in in this geographic area? Interesting. I thought you might ask that.
[06:12] SPEAKER_02: Right now, the economy is in kind of a weird place. There's no two ways about it. And as Calgary's
[06:17] SPEAKER_02: making its shift fundamentally from being so reliant on the energy sector to having some different
[06:23] SPEAKER_02: things to offer out there in the world, it does obviously create some turbulence. So if you're a
[06:28] SPEAKER_02: business, obviously, that's relying on that energy sector, it's going to be pretty turbulent.
[06:32] SPEAKER_02: But I think there's a ripple effect from that that affects all businesses. So there is a bit of a
[06:37] SPEAKER_02: downside certainly in that it can be a little bit unpredictable right now in Calgary. But I think
[06:42] SPEAKER_02: most entrepreneurs look at that through a little different lens than most and with that challenge,
[06:46] SPEAKER_01: obviously comes opportunity as well. Well, and certainly, you know, we've seen in the city over
[06:52] SPEAKER_01: the last few years that there's been a real emphasis on trying to diversify our economy and
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: introduce new sectors into into the economy here and expand our business focus outside of energy.
[07:06] SPEAKER_01: So I want to build on a comment that you made earlier Gavin about just the lifestyle that that
[07:12] SPEAKER_01: Calgary affords. And I'm curious, is there a place that you like to go to get inspired in the city?
[07:19] SPEAKER_01: Some place that you can either go and and perhaps do an activity or just to go and be recharged and
[07:26] SPEAKER_01: think about your business. What's one of your favorite places?
[07:31] SPEAKER_02: For sure, for sure. This is an easy one for me. Fish Creek, I think fish Creek is one of the greatest
[07:36] SPEAKER_02: assets in Calgary. There's lots of places where you can get off the beaten path a little bit and
[07:42] SPEAKER_02: find yourself in a place in fish Creek where you literally have no visibility to the city around you.
[07:48] SPEAKER_02: You could just as easily be in the heart of K country somewhere, but just it's, you know,
[07:52] SPEAKER_02: five minutes, ten minutes away. So for me, it's fish Creek. I quite enjoy trail running and there's
[07:57] SPEAKER_02: a pretty awesome trail network all throughout fish Creek. So for me, that's where I go to recharge
[08:02] SPEAKER_01: and get plugged back in with nature. So Gavin, what does the first hour look like for you when you
[08:09] SPEAKER_01: get up in the morning? Do you have a specific routine or ritual that helps you get motivated to
[08:14] SPEAKER_01: start the day? What are some of your secrets that way? Yeah, I am I am Mr. Routine in the mornings
[08:21] SPEAKER_02: for sure. So for me, it usually looks like kind of rolling out of bed and heading straight down
[08:27] SPEAKER_02: stairs into the home gym and just sweating it out for an hour. I it's not often I'll miss a day
[08:32] SPEAKER_02: throughout the week actually. That's pretty much how I start every day. And then after that,
[08:36] SPEAKER_02: a much needed shower, but I've got a little bit of an uncommon ritual in the shower. I suppose
[08:41] SPEAKER_02: you could say I always finish the shower with two minutes with the dial on as cold as I can
[08:46] SPEAKER_02: possibly get it. And that might sound a little odd, but it's I find it's a really interesting way
[08:50] SPEAKER_02: to start the day because there's sort of a physical effect. It really gets the juices flowing,
[08:56] SPEAKER_02: really wakes you up obviously, but there's a mental effect as well. And it's that if you're willing
[09:01] SPEAKER_02: to do something really uncomfortable first thing in the morning, like two minutes under freezing cold
[09:06] SPEAKER_02: water, it just frames you for the rest of the day. You maybe you've got something of the day that
[09:10] SPEAKER_02: you're not looking forward to a difficult conversation or just a task that you find a little bit draining.
[09:15] SPEAKER_02: It just gives you a different perspective for the rest of the day that you can start to say to yourself,
[09:20] SPEAKER_02: geez, you know what? I did an icy cold shower for two minutes and it didn't kill me here. I am.
[09:24] SPEAKER_02: Uh, now you're ready to take on pretty much anything of the day. So I actually just start my day
[09:28] SPEAKER_02: that way and I find it's a great way to get primed primed for the day. So
[09:32] SPEAKER_01: well, and I think we have to pull our hats off to you for that one because not everyone can do that
[09:38] SPEAKER_01: first thing in the morning, especially on our cold winter morning. So
[09:41] SPEAKER_02: you know, that's that's true. I yeah, I started this in the summer and there's a distinct
[09:46] SPEAKER_02: difference here, you know, in January as to how cold you can get your tap in June. So it's definitely,
[09:52] SPEAKER_01: yeah, it's certainly been a process. Well, Gavin, what books are you reading right now or are you a
[09:58] SPEAKER_01: reader, I guess? Or do you prefer to listen more to podcasts? Do you have anything that you would
[10:04] SPEAKER_02: recommend to our listeners? Yeah, for sure. So I, yeah, I'm a big fan of both podcasts and audio
[10:11] SPEAKER_02: books for sure. Over the years, I've definitely got a lot of value. I would have probably some
[10:16] SPEAKER_02: of the usual suspects for your listeners, Emeth, good to great scaling up, start with why Simon
[10:23] SPEAKER_02: Sinnex work. Those have all been really valuable books, but I'll share two with you that maybe
[10:27] SPEAKER_02: aren't already on the radar for the average entrepreneur, but two that I found really valuable for me.
[10:33] SPEAKER_02: The first is called the rise of Superman. And I don't recall who wrote it throughout my head,
[10:39] SPEAKER_02: but it was a fascinating read. And it really explored the whole idea of flow state. And for me,
[10:45] SPEAKER_02: that was for my first time really kind of understanding what it was all about. And it just dives deep into
[10:51] SPEAKER_02: the idea of human performance and how flow state is kind of a gateway to that. So I found that really
[10:57] SPEAKER_02: fascinating. And there was lots of lots of pieces you can pull forward into everyday life and into
[11:01] SPEAKER_02: business for sure. And the other one I'll share with you again, that might not be on the radar,
[11:06] SPEAKER_02: is a book called Own the Day Own Your Life. And this was written by a guy called Aubrey Marcus.
[11:12] SPEAKER_02: And I also followed his podcast because he's got some really interesting work. And that's actually
[11:17] SPEAKER_02: the book where the cold shower idea came from. That's one of the recommendations out of his book.
[11:22] SPEAKER_02: So that was another really interesting book. Again, not business books, but books that had some really
[11:27] SPEAKER_02: great nuggets in them that I definitely pull forward into business every day. Great. We'll make sure
[11:32] SPEAKER_01: that we highlight those in our show notes. So thank you. Curious, you can tell that you are very
[11:40] SPEAKER_01: enthused about being an entrepreneur and it's something as you said that's in your DNA.
[11:44] SPEAKER_01: But if you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to do for a profession? So if you're
[11:49] SPEAKER_01: back in grade 12 and starting all over again, is there another path that you would go down?
[11:56] SPEAKER_02: Yes, it wasn't entrepreneurship. I've always been fascinated by an always admired
[12:03] SPEAKER_02: architects. I think there's something about that process to be able to dream what a building could
[12:08] SPEAKER_02: look like, design it. And then one day see your dream actually get constructed. That's always
[12:13] SPEAKER_02: kind of fascinated me. So I think, yeah, if I did it all over again and it wasn't going to be the
[12:18] SPEAKER_02: path of entrepreneurship, I would definitely explore becoming an architect. I've got a real kind of
[12:24] SPEAKER_02: interest in what that space looks like. And also a very creative job.
[12:29] SPEAKER_01: True, that too. Yeah. Yeah. And so on the other side of things, what is one kind of job or
[12:35] SPEAKER_01: profession that you just know you're not cut out for that you would just never ever want to do?
[12:41] SPEAKER_02: That's an interesting question. I don't mind physical labor, but through doing some home renovations,
[12:49] SPEAKER_02: I've learned that my least favorite place, I think in the entire world, is in the attic. I've had
[12:55] SPEAKER_02: to be up there a couple of times trying to tackle some projects around the house. And it's probably
[12:59] SPEAKER_02: my least favorite place. So any job that I think requires a lot of time up in the attic,
[13:04] SPEAKER_02: that would be a job probably that I would not be well cut out for.
[13:08] SPEAKER_01: And that's probably the most unique answer we've ever had to that question.
[13:11] SPEAKER_01: There you go. That's great. So in business, do you have like a favorite word or quote or sentence
[13:18] SPEAKER_01: that you like to use, either when you're doing your presentations or just something that
[13:24] SPEAKER_01: that kind of is your touchstone that you go back to frequently?
[13:28] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I do actually. I've got a saying that I find I use quite a bit. And I have to get full credit
[13:34] SPEAKER_02: to another local entrepreneur because I picked it up from them. So I worked at West Canadian
[13:40] SPEAKER_02: Digital for a number of years and I had the good fortune of working quite closely with the
[13:44] SPEAKER_02: management ownership team over there. And Irene Price had a great saying and it's one that I've
[13:49] SPEAKER_02: carried forward with me today. And it's quite simply, do we know or do we think we know?
[13:55] SPEAKER_02: And I've always liked that because it really forces you to take pause and consider
[14:01] SPEAKER_02: what you've just said is it truly fact or are we making some assumptions there?
[14:05] SPEAKER_02: And certainly in the work I do, it's really important that we understand when we're making assumptions
[14:10] SPEAKER_02: because sometimes you have to and when we're able to make a decision based on on fact. So the
[14:16] SPEAKER_02: expression, hey, is that something we know or that we think we know is one of my favorite expressions
[14:20] SPEAKER_02: because again, it just forces you to take pause for a moment and really acknowledge when we're
[14:25] SPEAKER_02: making assumptions in the process. And again, sometimes you have to do that, but it's always good
[14:29] SPEAKER_02: to know and document when is it assumption and when is it not. So I think Irene Price for that one
[14:34] SPEAKER_01: because I still use that one to this day. And do you have something that you just don't like to
[14:41] SPEAKER_01: hear whether it's a word or a phrase that just kind of gets your back up and you're like, no.
[14:47] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's, I don't know if it's a word, but sort of the concept that in order to be an entrepreneur,
[14:55] SPEAKER_02: you've got to be putting in 110% and crushing it every day and that you've got to make all of this
[15:02] SPEAKER_02: personal sacrifice as sort of a right of passage to entrepreneurship. And it's something actually
[15:08] SPEAKER_02: that I talked to quite often with clients in that there can sometimes be a bit of irony to entrepreneurship.
[15:15] SPEAKER_02: And it's that often the thing that grew a staunch partnership in the first place is maybe we're wired
[15:20] SPEAKER_02: a little different, but we tend to see the world a little differently where most people may see a problem.
[15:25] SPEAKER_02: We see an opportunity and we get into entrepreneurship to sort of challenge the status quo. We feel that
[15:31] SPEAKER_02: what the market has to offer today isn't good enough and we could do something better. So the
[15:37] SPEAKER_02: whole idea of entrepreneurship is often challenging the status quo. And the irony comes in that there's
[15:42] SPEAKER_02: one status quo that all too often entrepreneurs are willing to just blindly accept and it's that whole
[15:46] SPEAKER_02: concept of being a martyr to the business and that you have to make the supreme sacrifice of work-life
[15:53] SPEAKER_02: balance to truly be an entrepreneur. And I'm a firm believer that if you design your business
[15:58] SPEAKER_02: properly and you plan it right, you really can't have the best of both worlds. It doesn't have to be
[16:04] SPEAKER_02: this grind every day where you're making this monumental heroic sacrifice all in the name of being
[16:10] SPEAKER_02: an entrepreneur. So that sort of concept that we've got to be nearly killing ourselves in the name
[16:16] SPEAKER_02: of business to truly be an entrepreneur. That's the thing that rubs you the wrong way because I
[16:20] SPEAKER_01: truly believe it doesn't have to be that way. Do you feel like you have a good balance in life
[16:25] SPEAKER_01: for there any tips that you can offer our listeners in terms of creating that space?
[16:32] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I feel like I've got that elusive balance certainly not every day or every week,
[16:38] SPEAKER_02: but the majority of my days I feel that I'm pretty well in balance. One of the exercises actually
[16:44] SPEAKER_02: that we use all the time is something called a purpose statement. And this is specifically aimed at
[16:50] SPEAKER_02: the entrepreneur and it helps them understand really what's the reason that they pick this path
[16:56] SPEAKER_02: in the first place or put another way. What does their business need to deliver back to them
[17:01] SPEAKER_02: for it to live up to its end of the bargain? So usually what this looks like is not just sort of a
[17:06] SPEAKER_02: financial I need to make X, but we'll get into the needy gritty. How many weeks a year of vacation
[17:12] SPEAKER_02: makes this all worthwhile? How many days a week do I make it to the gym or do I get to walk my kids to
[17:18] SPEAKER_02: school in the morning? Some of those sort of lifestyle pieces, almost like KPIs for your business
[17:23] SPEAKER_02: to deliver back to you as the entrepreneur. And I find by building out that framework, it gives you
[17:29] SPEAKER_02: a really solid baseline not to say that you immediately start living within that balance, but at
[17:34] SPEAKER_02: least it gives you a measurement to understand when the business is in fact giving you back what
[17:40] SPEAKER_02: you need out of it. Because the reality is entrepreneurs, we're taking all the risk. Certainly we are
[17:46] SPEAKER_02: putting in all that effort when it needs to be and it's different than a regular job certainly.
[17:51] SPEAKER_02: So there needs to be some perks on the other side. If we're taking the risk, it needs to be some
[17:55] SPEAKER_02: reward on the other side. So really defining what that reward looks like for you and then being able
[18:01] SPEAKER_02: to move and turn the dial towards that week after week is a great way to start to embrace that balance
[18:07] SPEAKER_02: and achieve that sort of elusive work-life balance for an entrepreneur. I think that's great advice
[18:14] SPEAKER_01: that we can all follow and incorporate. If you had to pick two words to describe yourself,
[18:20] SPEAKER_02: what would they be and why? Two words. I'm often told that I'm passionate and I wouldn't disagree
[18:27] SPEAKER_02: with that at all. I'm very passionate about what I do. I get very passionate about my clients'
[18:32] SPEAKER_02: projects and their businesses and their growth. So I think passionate for sure. And also impact,
[18:39] SPEAKER_02: I get up every morning and my goal is to have some meaningful impact out there in the world. Whether
[18:44] SPEAKER_02: be a client I work with one or one or just content that I share out there in the world, I really strive
[18:49] SPEAKER_02: for all of that to have some meaningful impact. So passion and impact I think would be my two.
[18:56] SPEAKER_01: And Gavin, is there anything that keeps you up at night just in terms of worrying about your
[19:03] SPEAKER_01: business or thinking about specific issues? Is that a problem that you deal with from time to time?
[19:11] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, typically I sleep pretty well, but I think every entrepreneur has the odd sleepless
[19:16] SPEAKER_02: night. And for me, it's usually when I start thinking about what the future could be and what the
[19:22] SPEAKER_02: business could become and all the different routes that could get you there. And then my mind
[19:26] SPEAKER_02: starts firing and sometimes, yeah, I'm not necessarily up-worrying. I'm just up-firing and all
[19:31] SPEAKER_02: cylinders thinking about the different things that could be done in the business. And then
[19:36] SPEAKER_02: sometimes I think like everyone, you analyze the day and you start to think, hey, did I do enough
[19:40] SPEAKER_02: today? Did I have that balance? Did I do enough as a father, as a husband, as a business owner?
[19:45] SPEAKER_02: Did I check off all the boxes and all those different categories? So certainly that keeps me
[19:49] SPEAKER_02: up once in a while, but typically I think I sleep pretty soundly. And when you mention the future,
[19:56] SPEAKER_01: can you share with us three things that are on your inspired lifeless? So what I'm looking for here
[20:02] SPEAKER_01: is what are three things that you'd really love to do in the next few years as you look to the
[20:08] SPEAKER_01: future? They can be related to business, they can be personal goals, but where are you headed?
[20:14] SPEAKER_02: Oh, sure. So on the personal side, I would love to do an Iron Man one day. That's always kind of
[20:26] SPEAKER_02: one day. And then on the business side, I've always wanted to take what I do in terms of strategic
[20:33] SPEAKER_02: planning and actually distill it down to a class for kids. I got exposure to entrepreneurship at a
[20:40] SPEAKER_02: pretty young age, even prior to high school. I was always that kid that was outmoving lawns or
[20:45] SPEAKER_02: shoveling sidewalks when I grew up in a household where both my parents were very entrepreneurial.
[20:50] SPEAKER_02: And looking back on it, I think there's so much value in exposing kids to entrepreneurship at a
[20:54] SPEAKER_02: young age. I would love to sort of take what I do and distill it down as ultimately like a social
[21:00] SPEAKER_02: give back program, a mini business planning program for kids to introduce them to the concepts and
[21:06] SPEAKER_02: themes of entrepreneurship. I've always I've always wanted to do that. So that would be on my list.
[21:11] SPEAKER_02: And number three, I think would just would be travel for sure would travel the world a little bit more.
[21:16] SPEAKER_01: Wonderful. And speaking of that, we do have a lot of international listeners to the podcast.
[21:22] SPEAKER_01: So I'd like you to answer this next question with them in mind. If you were to start all over again
[21:27] SPEAKER_01: and you just moved to Calgary, but this time you didn't know anyone, what would you do and how would
[21:34] SPEAKER_01: you go about starting all over here again as an entrepreneur? I think the first thing I would
[21:40] SPEAKER_02: recommend is to get plugged in with one of the co-working spaces. We've got some fantastic co-working
[21:46] SPEAKER_02: spaces in Calgary and I think anyone that I know of anyway, they have a great sense of community.
[21:52] SPEAKER_02: So I'd say that would be a great place to be able to sort of hang your hat, would be to get involved
[21:55] SPEAKER_02: in a co-working space, start building your network. And then to look for those opportunities
[22:01] SPEAKER_02: to connect with other entrepreneurs, there's all sorts of groups and events, networking events,
[22:06] SPEAKER_02: to be able to be a part of and just get really dialed in with that community and get plugged in with
[22:11] SPEAKER_02: the different events that go on and the different places that you can show up alongside other
[22:15] SPEAKER_02: entrepreneurs. And that always tends to lead to some really valuable conversations and who knows
[22:20] SPEAKER_01: where they go from there. Well, we're trying to the end of our interview time with you Gavin,
[22:26] SPEAKER_01: but I'd like to wrap things up with a fun question that we ask all of our listeners. So I'd like you
[22:32] SPEAKER_01: to imagine that there's a small tropical island just off of Fiji that has only one phone booth
[22:38] SPEAKER_01: and no internet. And we're going to drop you off and you won't have a computer or a smartphone
[22:44] SPEAKER_01: or any of the digital toys or devices. You can use the phone booth at any time to call the boat
[22:51] SPEAKER_01: and we'll come and pick you up. And you're there on your own. You're not there with family,
[22:56] SPEAKER_01: your friends or colleagues. It's just you. How long would you last before you made that call?
[23:02] SPEAKER_02: And what would you do while you're there? Oh, interesting. I think, well, what I would do
[23:07] SPEAKER_02: while I was there for sure, probably get cut up a little bit of sleep, get cut up a little bit of
[23:12] SPEAKER_02: vitamin D. That's all known in Calgary. We don't get enough of that. How long would I last? You know,
[23:18] SPEAKER_02: I think after a few days, for sure, I'd start to miss the family. Wouldn't miss the cell phone,
[23:23] SPEAKER_02: wouldn't miss the computer. It'd be fine to be unplugged. But I don't know that I'd be able to go
[23:28] SPEAKER_02: much more than a week without wanting to at least see my family and see the kiddos. So I think
[23:34] SPEAKER_02: I would probably go maybe a week or 10 days. And then I would make that call to get reunited
[23:38] SPEAKER_01: with the family, for sure. And you'd be rejuvenated and fresh and probably full of lots of new
[23:43] SPEAKER_01: ideas as well. Yes, absolutely. Well, Gavin, is there anything else that you would like to add
[23:48] SPEAKER_01: any words of wisdom for entrepreneurs here in Calgary or anything else before we wrap up today?
[23:56] SPEAKER_02: You know, I think it's really just and I kind of spoke to it that the concept of not getting caught
[23:59] SPEAKER_02: in the middle as entrepreneurs. If you look at the two paths in front of us, one would have been
[24:04] SPEAKER_02: to be an employee at a company somewhere and we've chosen the other path. And it's a path that
[24:10] SPEAKER_02: does have more uncertainty and does have more risk. There's no two ways about it. And often does
[24:16] SPEAKER_02: require a whole lot more hard work to really understand that that's all got to be worth it for
[24:20] SPEAKER_02: something and to get really clear on what it is that your business needs to deliver back to you.
[24:25] SPEAKER_02: I think that would be my number one advice for an entrepreneur at any stage of their careers,
[24:29] SPEAKER_02: just to get clear on what the business needs to give back and then ask themselves, how my day
[24:33] SPEAKER_02: makes some changes in my business. So we can start actually living up to its end of the bargain
[24:38] SPEAKER_01: if I feel like I'm not a balance. And so if our listeners want to connect with you, how can they
[24:43] SPEAKER_01: find you online? What's your website or what's the best way to get in touch with you?
[24:49] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so my website is generally the best route to get a hold of me and that's simply
[24:53] SPEAKER_02: compelow.ca, C-O-M-P-E-L-L-O. And I'm also pretty active on LinkedIn, so you can always find me
[25:03] SPEAKER_02: hanging out there throughout the week from time to time as well. Well, thanks so much for being a
[25:07] SPEAKER_01: guest on our show today, Gavin. I know I've learned a lot from you and I'm sure listeners have
[25:12] SPEAKER_01: as well. So thank you so much for sharing your experiences and thanks to everyone for listening.
[25:18] SPEAKER_01: Hey there, it's Bonnie Elge. Thanks for taking the time today to listen to Calgary's podcast
[25:23] SPEAKER_01: on the Canada's podcast network. We hope you enjoyed the show. Make sure you sign up for
[25:29] SPEAKER_01: our newsletters and if you have a minute, please write us a review on iTunes. You can connect with us
[25:34] SPEAKER_01: on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at Canada's podcast. You can also check out what other
[25:40] SPEAKER_01: entrepreneurs are doing across the country. See you next time.
