Events
Success Story with Sean O’Dea
MaRS Centre 101 College Street Toronto
What do gourmet coffee and secure mobile document shredding have in common?
More than you might think. The Second Cup and Proshred are two very successful companies launched and managed by a pair of brothers – Frank and Sean O’Dea. The brothers developed Second Cup into a national franchise before selling the business in 1985. With Proshred he “invented” a business-to-business service that nobody knew they wanted or needed. With this, they built a very successful business that spawned an entire industry.
Having sold Proshred in 2002, Mr. O’Dea is now the President of Cairncroft Management Limited, a company with an expertise in franchising that looks for opportunities to build franchise chains in Canada. During his time at Proshred Security, Mr. O’Dea was involved with the founding financing and start-up of Samaritan Air, Ontario’s first fixed-wing patient transfer service, which grew into an international business with a fleet of airplanes moving patients between three continents.
Sean O’Dea presents as part of the “Lived It” lectures and he shares his experiences as an entrepreneur. Hear first hand some of the lessons learned from these diverse opportunities.
Part of the Entrepreneurship 101 Series
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About the speaker
Mr. O'Dea is a former principal of The Second Cup, which he and his brother, developed into a national franchise before selling the business in 1985. He then became a principal, and President of Proshred Security, which he developed into an international chain that provides on-site document shredding services in Canada. In this business he "invented" a business-to-business service that nobody knew they wanted or needed. With this, they built a very successful business that, in turn, spawned an entire industry. Today, there are more than 400 such companies in North America offering a simlar service.
Having sold Proshred in 2002, Mr. O'Dea is now the President of Cairncroft Management Limited, a company with an expertise in franchising that looks for opportunities to build franchise chains in Canada. During his time at Proshred Security, Mr. O'Dea was involved with the founding financing and start-up of Samaritan Air, Ontario's first fixed-wing patient transfer service, which grew into an international business with a fleet of airplanes moving patients between three continents.
