As the expression goes, too many cooks spoil the stew (or broth, depending from which motherland you source your idioms). But when it comes to conceiving, starting or running a successful business, it seems the more input, the better.
If there’s one ingredient that most of our Forty-under-40 winners have included in their recipes for success, it’s getting input from anyone who can help. And this stood out particularly in answer to our favourite question, “What advice would you give the younger you?”
Listen to people for input and feedback, says Kelly Jablonski, CEO of Ultimate Skateboard Distributors. “You can’t do everything yourself. [Don’t] be afraid to surround yourself with brilliant people.” Jeff Smith, VP commercial for CHC Helicopter, wishes someone had told him to leverage the wisdom of senior colleagues, and Brand.LIVE president Catherine Runnals would also tell her younger self to ask for help, particularly on the accounting side.
But perhaps the most profound and possibly difficult advice to follow comes from VIATeC executive director Dan Gunn: “Listen more than you speak.”
So while almost every entrepreneur, CEO and manager knows what it’s like to be chief cook and bottle-washer, the word from the wise is to enlist help and listen to those with experience. Why not start with the food for thought on these pages.
— Baila Lazarus, news features editor, Business in Vancouver
