Entrepreneur Sean O’Dea wowed a packed house at last Wednesday’s Entrepreneurship 101 lecture with a dynamic talk about his experiences with launching The Second Cup, ProShred and other new businesses.
He emphasized the importance of having a clear vision behind a new venture — something that can link employees, investors, customers in getting the big picture. The first Second Cup outlet was never intended to be the only one — the vision was always that there would be a chain of stores. The first ProShred mobile shredding truck was aways intended to simply be the first of a fleet. We Canadians are often accused of going for the bronze — Sean always was shooting for gold — and succeeded.
What do we need to do to create a culture of big visions? Do we need to create a better environment where big dreams can get financed? Do we need to mentor our entrepreneurs more to urge them forward? Or do we need to encourage our entrepreneurs to go big or go home? Your thoughts?
Downloads and Resources
- Class Summary: Lived It: A Success Story with Sean O’Dea
- Webcast: A Success Story with Sean O’Dea
- Join the Facebook Group: CIBC Presents Entrepreneurship 101

As the VP of Partner Programs at MaRS, Tony ensures that our external and internal programs work together. Tony also advises entrepreneurs and high growth companies, particularly in environmental, advanced materials and manufacturing markets, with a special emphasis on mentoring and development of entrepreneurs.