“I’m doing this so we can talk honestly and candidly about the way business really is. Not just the highlight reel of awards banquets and ribbon cuttings, but the decisions behind the curtain.”

 

I know I’m not the only business owner with a couple of inspirational “quotables” pinned up on their office walls. Personally, I’ve always liked Roosevelt’s speech about “the man in the arena.” You likely know it—face marred by dust, sweat, maybe even a bit of blood, but still in the fight.

In Atlantic Canada, almost everyone I know is in some version of that arena. We build businesses in the fog, weather literal storms and struggle with existential questions. Like, “Can I put payroll on Visa, keep the lights on and still sleep at night?” That’s not armchair commentary. That’s reality.

Atlantic Business Magazine was kind enough to offer me this forum, and I am in the arena with you—though in my case the “dust and sweat” sometimes looks more like a personal balance sheet smudged with coffee rings.

For almost 30 years, I’ve been a financial advisor, portfolio manager and sounding board for people who are brave (and doubtlessly stubborn) enough to create jobs and keep money moving in this corner of the country. I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who built something from nothing, with charities that fight food insecurity and with families who’d rather pass on a legacy than a lawsuit. I’ve also been a dad to three boys, which is its own crash course in risk management. (Pro tip: both hockey sticks and drywall break on impact, sometimes concurrently.)

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