A Dealmaker's DNA with Ilan Jacobson Ilan Jacobson

How does a person become an entrepreneur in the entertainment verticals? Today’s guest can share his experience. Allen Lau is the executive advisor for WEBTOON and Wattpad. He’s a serial entrepreneur, a speaker, and an authority on entrepreneurship, the innovation economy, and the benefits of a diverse workforce. He’s also a leader in Canada’s tech community.
Listen to the episode to hear what Allen has to say about how an introvert can succeed as an entrepreneur and leader, how Wattpad came to be in the first place, and what lessons Allen has learned about very high growth. 
 
Topics Discussed in This Episode

Allen’s origin story and what led to his entrepreneurial journey
How an introvert can be a leader or entrepreneur
What Allen’s startup journey looked like
What happened after Allen left IBM
How Wattpad came to be
What network effect means and what people get wrong about it
When Allen transitioned Wattpad from a mobile reading app
The first lessons Allen learned about really high growth
Why some people are great at storytelling but others are not

 
Related Links
Allen Lau
 

There are a lot of buzzwords out there. One that you may or may not be familiar with is “proptech” what does it mean? You’ll learn more about it by listening to today’s guest, John Asher. John is the president and co-founder of Konfidis. Listen to the episode to hear what John knows about self-teaching, what brought him to the world of startup tech, and what Konfidis is all about.
 
Topics Discussed in This Episode
 

John’s origin story
How John’s childhood growing up on a farm shaped him
How John was taught to self-teach
Why John decided to study accounting
When John concluded that accounting wasn’t for him
What big companies do well
Why John decided to move into the world of startup tech
What Konfidis is all about
The big goal for Konfidis
What John is seeing gain traction in the proptech world
Sorting through the different factors that affect housing
Shifts in who owns residential real estate in Canada

 
Related Links
 
John Asher
Konfidis
 
Quotes From the Show
 
“You’ve got to put in the work if you ever actually want to see output.” 
 
“This company is my midlife crisis, how about that?”
 
“Whatever happens in the U.S. seems to find its way to Canada eventually.”

Why are you working? That’s something that Michael Brown has been thinking about lately: what he’s working for and what his legacy is going to be.
 
In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Michael Brown, the CEO and co-founder of Swept. Michael has a somewhat unusual background as an entrepreneur and has managed to do many different things with it. Listen in to hear what Michael has to say about where he got the motivation and determination to hustle, why he decided to go into the kinds of companies he chose, and what his background as a mechanic has to do with his entrepreneurial career.
 
Topics Discussed in This Episode
 

Michael’s origination story
Where Michael’s hustle came from
Understanding the value of a dollar
What Michael did after high school and studying abroad
Why Michael decided to go into the kinds of companies he did
Whether Michael’s background in mechanics impacts his entrepreneurial career
Michael’s purpose right now
What Michael wants his legacy to be

 
Related Links
 
Michael Brown
 
Quotes From the Show
 
“My summer was very different from everybody else’s” 
 
“It’s very rare to have a professor who’s actually done it, successfully, who is teaching you. One of her classes is: You have to start a business for $10”
 
“I want to work hard so I can give more.”

When Drew started out, he had goals of creating things and finding good people to work with, and he’s managed to achieve those goals and more. He’s the CEO and president of INDOCHINO and a serial entrepreneur, and today he brings his story to the podcast.
 
Listen to the episode to hear what Drew has to say about building confidence from childhood, learning lessons from fear, and connecting with people in an authentic way that’s not all about networking.
 
Topics Discussed in This Episode
 

Drew’s origin story
How to build a child’s confidence
Lessons that can be learned from fear
How to hack the skillset for meeting and connecting with people
What Drew’s first few years as an entrepreneur looked like
Drew’s thesis for what he’s doing and how he spends his time
What Drew learned about finding fraud
Why gratitude is so important
Embracing the feeling of uncomfortableness
Economic themes to double down on today

 
Related Links
 
Drew Green
 
Quotes From the Show
 
“Luckily, I just had the most wonderful grandparents in the world.” 
 
“In order to grow, in order to make stuff happen, there has to be movement.” 
 
“I don’t want to meet people inauthentically.”
 
"I’ve embraced the desire to be uncomfortable, because when you’re uncomfortable you have to figure things out, you have to solve, you have to create."

Today we revisit an interview with Mo Lidsky that took place in early 2020. Mo is the CEO of Prime Quadrant and is a man with many accomplishments. He is an entrepreneur, an investor, advisor, and author. In a replay of this episode, Mo takes the time to explain how he got to where he is today and what his views are on nature vs. nurture. Listen to the episode to hear what Mo has to say about self-awareness, inspiring children, and promoting alignment among critical people inside of an organization. 
Topics Discussed in This Episode

What Mo’s early life was like
Mo’s first business
Mo’s view on whether success boils down to nature or nurture
Times when some influence or shift changed Mo’s trajectory
Mo’s views on self-awareness
Tools that young people can use to figure out what they should be doing
How Mo puts his ideas into practice with his children
Tools that promote alignment among the most critical people in the organization
How Mo got into his current business
What Mo loves about what he does
What is enough
How philanthropy has influenced Mo’s non-philanthropic ventures

Today’s guest invented the concept of the top-line royalty fund after years of experience in his field. He explains today that entrepreneurship is just in his DNA.
 
Sean Morrison is the President and CEO of Diversified Royalty Corporation. In more than 20 years working with franchises and finance, he has a lot to say about his experiences, skills, and how he’s operated in various roles. Listen to the episode to hear what Sean has to say about transparency, how to access skillsets related to door-knocking and cold-calling in the modern environment, and how he developed the idea of a top-line royalty fund.
 
Topics Discussed in This Episode
 

What Sean does
Sean’s childhood and background
The value of transparency
The ways to hack the skillsets of door-knocking and cold-calling
Sean’s CFO role and what came after that
Sean’s desire to use his fact-based sales pitch skills
Sean’s idea for a top-line royalty fund
When Diversified Royalty Group really got started
How the advisory council Sean was a part of connected to Boston Pizza
Lessons Sean learned from dealing with the government in 2008
What Sean thinks about government spending in the past few years
The best way to find Sean online

 
Related Links
 
Sean Morrison
Diversified Royalty Corporation
 
Quotes From the Show
 
“I think entrepreneurialism has always been in my DNA.” 
 
“I’ve always wanted to be the institutional salesperson versus the retail salesperson, and the institutional one has to have a fact-based sales pitch.” 
 
“I would say that if they didn’t spray the firehose, we would have been doomed. Did they overspray? Of course, cause it’s not their money, who wouldn’t overspray?”