November 2024 Newsletter
ENTREPRENEUR SUCCESS STORY Trivial Pursuit
This best selling game was created on December 15, 1979 in Montreal, Quebec. Two friends, Chris Haney, a photo editor for the Montreal Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports editor for The Canadian Press designed the game.
The original board game was introduced to the Canadian market in 1981 and it consisted of 6,000 trivia questions on 1,000 cards with 6 categories: Arts & Literature [Brown] Entertainment [Pink] Geography [Blue] History [Yellow] Science & Nature [Green] Sports & leisure [Orange]
The rights to the game were initially licensed to Selchow and Righter in 1982, then to Parker Brothers (later part of Hasbro) in 1988, after initially being turned down by the Virgin Group; in 2008 Hasbro bought the full rights, for US$80 million. As of 2014, more than 100 million games had been sold in 26 countries and 17 languages. Northern Plastics of Elroy, Wisconsin produced 30,000,000 games between 1983 and 1985. In December 1993, Trivial Pursuit was named to the “Games Hall of Fame” by Games magazine. An online version of Trivial Pursuit was launched in September 2003. [Wikipedia]
The BUSINESS PLAN
A business plan will help you bring life to your new idea and see potential problems before they happen.
- Executive Summary: highlights any goals and how you will achieve them.
- Your Service/Product: why will your customers, want to buy from you?
- Competition: Who are they? Where are they? How can you beat them?
- Form of Business: Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation.
- Financial Plan: start with a budget, then a projected Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Plan. Think ahead with 5-year goals.
- Marketing Plan: how will you promote your business, and how much money on marketing and promotion.
- Background Summary: research your industry. Look for trends, data.
Mission: Goals s/b Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely. S.M.A.R.T.
Famous Entrepreneur
Dani Reiss took over the infamous outerwear company, Canada Goose, in 2001.
His grandfather, Sam Tick, a Polish immigrant, originally developed the Canadian based company in 1957, then known as Metro Sportswear. Reiss took Canada Goose public in 2017 and owns 18% of the stock himself.
The company is known for its high-quality down-filled jackets, which are favourites among Canadians, and coveted by the Hollywood elite.
Canada Goose manufactures in Canada, instead of shipping from overseas, and the company now employs over 3,590 Canadians. This extreme weather outerwear can sell for prices up to $1,650 and as low as $650. I’s headquarters are in Toronto.
BUSINESS TOOLS
Note: We do not endorse any of the products or services offered in these logos. Entrepreneurs must do their research to evaluate products listed.
BUSINESS Names
Unscramble these words (7 letters each) to get the names of 10 Canadian businesses.
GET THE NEWSLETTER
Tips, Success Stories & Book Updates
Subscribe today to Ron’s monthly TUEH Newsletter for first-hand access to his latest updates, free downloads, knowledge sharing, and more!
Simply subscribe using this form to receive a free download of the latest newsletter.
Younger Canadians may not remember that Tim Horton (1930-1974) was originally a hockey player who had 24 years in the National Hockey League. He played for Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. In 2017 he was named one of the top 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
Tonia Jahshan founded her company “Steeped Tea” , a Canadian born a direct sales company after appearing on the Canadian entrepreneur tv show, Dragon’s Den.
McCain Foods Limited 
McCain Foods Limited is still a privately owned family company with sales in over 160 countries around the world. Global annual revenues are in excess of $11 billion Canadian dollars.
