An upcoming event in Calgary is aimed at helping entrepreneurs navigate the challenging economic environment they are faced with these days.
Doing Business in Tough Times will feature well-known speaker, author, CEO and philanthropist Peter Legge.
“My presentation in Calgary is based on Rev. Robert Schuller’s quote Tough times don’t last, tough people do’,” said Legge. “I recently read Booker T. Washington’s book Up From Slavery and he said ‘I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles that he has overcome while trying to succeed.’
“I was fired from being general sales manager at a radio station in B.C. I thought I was doing a pretty good job. It was his station so he could hire and fire whomever he wanted. Clearly I didn’t fit into his plans. That was almost 45 years ago. No severance pay. Absolutely nothing. Just out the door.
“So I decided to go into my own media business and I bought a bankrupt TV listing magazine, which sold for 10 cents per week. It wasn’t easy. We had up and down years, profitable some years, some not. But today we are the largest independent media publisher in B.C. with a staff of over 50 talented people. We publish 32 different publications and branches and have billings of about $15 million a year. Was it easy? Of course not. Hard work. A very supportive wife. A dedicated group of talented business people joined me in building Canada Wide Media Ltd. to where we are today. Every day is a challenge. Nothing happens unless you take some positive action. Life is not fair, so get used to it.”
Peter Legge
(Photo credit Ron Sangha)
Organizer Denise Baril, CEO of WSN (Workplace Speaker Network), said the WSN A Morning with Series May 16 was inspired by a chance meeting with Legge last spring.
“I teach businesses the art of building connections to grow strategically and always tell people to be open to meeting people no matter what title they have. When Peter reached out to me to chat, I had no idea who he was but was open to connect. I did my research about Peter and discovered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with a change-maker in Canada,” said Baril.
“Over this past year, Peter has informally mentored me through visits and calls. As I absorbed his insights, and felt like I could take on the world after our calls together, I knew his stories and ideas could be life changing for other entrepreneurs in Alberta, too. I felt I couldn’t keep this gem to myself.
“As we built a connection and shared business ideas, Peter and I asked ourselves, ‘What could we do collaboratively to serve the business community?’ As speaking and influence is Peter’s power, I asked if he would consider coming to Calgary and share his message.”
Laine Hotte, chief technology officer of Trakopolis, board member for the Alberta IoT Association and supporter of the May 16 event, said the focus on adapting to change and empowering entrepreneurs is a strategy that aligns well with the association goals.
“The Alberta IoT Association promotes a technology-driven collaborative approach for business across multiple sectors, so that we can better co-operate in a changing economic landscape,” said Hotte.
“As a growing not-for-profit, we represent local organizations that are developing and connecting new technologies on a worldwide stage. This event is a chance to share and learn new ways we can promote digital transformation.”
Lucky Tanwar, CEO of BIM Services, a sponsor of the May 16 event, said the technology company that provides 3D modelling services for virtual construction is happy to support the unique event.
“An event hosted by WSN and Peter Legge being the speaker, we can’t think about a better platform than this to be connected to small business locally,” said Tanwar. “This event will provide us an opportunity to hear Peter speak and learn from what he has to share for small businesses like ours to get strong in these bad times. We invite all from the small business community and especially construction industry to come for the event and get connected.”
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