Cover
Praise for
Ageless Entrepreneur
“Entrepreneurship is not just for the young. It is a mindset, and it’s never too late to take charge of your life and become an entrepreneur. That’s Fred Dawkins’s message in a nutshell, and nobody tells the story better of how to take the leap successfully. Fred’s common-sense wisdom and experience shines through this journey of transformation — an excellent read for young and old, and everyone in between.”
— Tiff Macklem, dean of the Rotman School of Management, former senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada
“The lessons you remember are the ones from good storytellers and Fred Dawkins is one of the best. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and smiling as I read Ageless Entrepreneur. There is much diversity in entrepreneurs and the lessons on age are equally applicable to the diverse community in understanding our strengths. Underlying the entrepreneurial spirit are self-belief and action.”
— David Tsubouchi, former Ontario Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, CEO of the Ontario College of Trades, chair of management board, and author of Gambatte
“Ageless Entrepreneur is a must-read, not only for entrepreneurs, but for anyone who is reinventing their lives. Fred weaves a wonderful true tale demonstrating how age makes little difference in our personal journey. The true journey is our willingness to take risks and grow into the people we are meant to become. Entrepreneurship just so happens to be a great path for many of us.”
— Michelle Glover, founder of DreamLife Properties, The Tea Tree Oil Review, Business Women Experts, and www.girlentreepreneur.com
“Recently I was in the process of selling my historically significant commercial building. During the negotiations with realtors and prospective buyers, poring over lists, namely needs, wants, and conditions, I was overwhelmed and sought a diversion in Fred Dawkins’s book. I quickly became immersed in the text. His counsel on the key elements in negotiations awakened in me an appreciation for what was most important for me as well as for the buyer, and the need for flexibility to reach an agreement. I accepted that it truly was a process that had to evolve, and because of his advice I felt empowered and confident to negotiate the sale.”
— Elaine Tucker, independent business owner
“One of the biggest trends out there is the retirement of the baby boomers, coupled with rising life expectancy. Fred Dawkins’s Ageless Entrepreneur takes a Wealthy Barber-type storyline approach to describing the ‘encore’ acts of baby boomers who have left the corporate womb but aren’t quite ready (either financially or emotionally) for full-time golf and daytime television. In fact, the story eerily parallels the launch of my own ‘encore’ entrepreneurial endeavour.”
— Jonathan Chevreau, founder of the Financial Independence Hub, formerly editor-in-chief at MoneySense Magazine
“In Ageless Entrepreneur, author Fred Dawkins maintains that the modern economy, while challenging, is one where opportunities abound. He maintains that seeking out and capitalizing on these opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and intrapreneurship in furtherance of creating and managing your own career is the most important skill any person, whether new to the workforce or entering a new career phase, can seek to attain. This book provides a simple but powerful story to reveal the essential need for interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship, purposeful career and education choices, and a mindfully entrepreneurial sense of self-awareness in order to succeed. In an elegantly simple approach, Dawkins characters transform themselves, individually and as a group, from an uncertain and unfocused collection of individuals into a dynamic opportunity-identifying alliance. Entrepreneurship is a mindset that can occur at any age and anyone unsure about setting out on their own path should read this book first to be assured that they are in very good company at all times.”
— Chris Delaney, business and family wealth strategist, author, and speaker
“Is it a crisis or an opportunity? The economy taking shape is not one that is creating enough jobs for those at the extreme edges of the labour market. The young are trying to claw their way into careers that do not involve serving coffee, all the while wondering what it is that they should really want to do. At the more senior end of the market, many are either being forced to figure out new careers, or worrying that they will have to soon. Entrepreneurship could offer a solution to both groups, but only if they have the nerve and the skills to pursue it. In Ageless Entrepreneur, Fred Dawkins offers practical advice and help to both groups in the form of an engaging and entertaining read.”
— Linda Nazareth, economist and author of Economorphics, formerly senior economic analyst, BNN
“Ageless Entrepreneur is a must-read for anyone wanting to bring themselves up to speed with the challenges facing today’s workforce. Fred has identified precisely the issues facing millennials, boomers, and those affected in between by the change in economy over the last several years. The way he has put a story to the issues that need to be addressed makes the book a very enjoyable read. We are not in the industrial age any longer, but we have an educational system and a societal belief that the only way to work is to work for an employer. Fred brings to light how our thinking has to change from being a victim, and to not just survive, but to take control of the future by embracing entrepreneurial thinking in order to thrive in the twenty-first century.”
— Debbie Ruston, owner of The Success Educator
“We live in a time of significant economic transition; we all experience it but two age groups feel it more than others, the pre twenty-five and the post fifty-five. The young can’t get their careers started and the older find their careers ending before they are ready. In Ageless Entrepreneur, Fred Dawkins tells the engaging story of what happens when members of these two groups are brought together. The results will surprise, inform, and, best of all, inspire you.”
— Mark Zimmerman, senior advisor and CIO, MaRS Discovery District
PREFACE
In business folklore there’s an often told tale that sales managers have shared with new recruits for the last three generations. It seems that back in the 1920s, when business was booming, the owner of a large and successful shoe company wanted to expand his business outside of North America. After much discussion it was determined that Africa looked interesting because there was no competition operating in that market. Management decided to send their number one salesman, Eddie O’Brien, who was approaching retirement, to assess the potential. After just a few days they received a very terse telegram from Eddie stating “situation hopeless — nobody wears shoes.” Needless to say the project was abandoned.
Thirty years later, after the hardships of the Depression and the Great War, the same company was looking at international markets again and Africa was raised as a possibility. No one was keen to go but they had just hired a young business school graduate named George Carmichael who didn’t quite fit in. Off he went, and in about a week George sent back an equally succinct telegram: “Situation fantastic — nobody wears shoes.” There’s several value lessons in this story related to age, enthusiasm, prison thinking, perspective, and perception, but all relate to recognizing opportunity.
Finding opportunity is a huge key to success at all levels, but it’s becoming more difficult. Life is not a dress rehearsal, no matter what your beliefs. Whether you embrace the Abrahamic religions and aim for eternal life in heaven, or an Asian religion that seeks a better life next time around, or you just want to make the most of this one, everything points to specific goals that you need to accomplish in this lifetime. Your beliefs may provide your motivation but it is up to you and you alone to find your way.
Life is about self-determination within the value system that you embrace. Every generation has to adapt to a changing environment that forces