The Good, The Brett And The Ugly

Posted on May 5, 2014 by institute B

This is Part 2 of a three part series from a conversation with Canadian entrepreneur and business maverick, W. Brett Wilson.

Financial loss. Estrangement from friends and family. Loneliness. The risks that entrepreneurs face are vast. But living on the edge, that line between freedom and failure, is often what compels entrepreneurs to keep going. Whether it’s attaining personal wealth, independence from the corporate machine, or simply the satisfaction of building something from the ground up, being an entrepreneur is arguably the most rewarding career imaginable (although often it’s an unavoidable calling, not necessarily a conscious choice!) Like most entrepreneurs, Brett Wilson is proud of his achievements. And the blood, sweat, and tears that have been shed on his journey.

‘Entrepreneur’ was an Ugly Word
Growing up in a middle class family in Saskatchewan, Brett Wilson had a good childhood. “My parents were loving,” he says. “When I was a child, the only thing I ever heard my parents fight about was money.” So like many, that memory became a key influence growing up. As a young man, he worked hard to achieve what his parents didn’t have enough of. And took some risks along the way. Like being the first person at the University of Calgary to graduate with an MBA in Entrepreneurship. He explains that, in the ‘80s, “people were concerned about being designated or labeled as entrepreneurs and the possibility that they would not be able to get a job because they were ‘entrepreneurs’.” This risk has certainly paid off for Brett – with several successful ventures at work for him, he now can focus on what matters most to him.

Just a Good ‘ol Prairie Boy
Who among us has not fantasized about winning the lottery – about never having to worry about money ever again? Some of us may feel like our struggles as entrepreneurs will never pay off. Though he has some regrets as we talked about in our earlier interview, Brett is unapologetic for the hard-earned wealth he has accumulated over the years. “I’ve always been a little cynical, when people keep coming to the face of those with wealth, you know the 99:1 thing [2011’s Occupy Movement] and the 99% saying ‘you have an obligation to give us your wealth’. Well, we have actually given you a job to start with. If you choose to work, get out of the park,” he states firmly.

Provocative? Definitely. While his comments might come off as being a bit hard-nosed, the truth is that much of his time now is spent finding meaningful ways to help others in need. Among many of his philanthropic activities is taking Canadian kids who have just come out of addiction treatment programs down to Mexico. Not as a reward or a holiday, but as a lesson in perspective and paying it forward. The idea being that giving these kids the opportunity to help others encourages them to continue their lives on a more meaningful path than before. Brett admits that these trips often benefit him just as much, “[These kids] change my life because they come with passion, they come with enthusiasm, they come with purpose and they realize that there are people in the world who actually are living in hell.”

The Entitlement Antidote
There‘s been a general buzz in the media lately about Generation Y being an overly entitled bunch. If true, what’s the cause - Poor parenting? Social media? Miley Cyrus? Could it be that Gen Y hasn’t found their place in the world yet? Certainly at institute B, there is a general agreement that the millennial generation is choc-a-block full of entrepreneurs. And recent stats support this notion.

Brett sees this sense of entitlement resulting from our culture’s relationship with poverty. The solution? “…there is a context in which we can have a conversation about empowering these kids, and that is the teaching of entrepreneurship and philanthropy,” he says. Truer words may never have been spoken about Gen Y. What better way to empower young people to work hard and be independent than by giving them the tools, the access, and the permission, to develop relevant ventures for themselves.

Indeed, developing audacious enterprises with purpose and leaving the world a better place because of it could be precisely what the Generation Y’s legacy will be about.

Perhaps we can all take a lesson from that.

Written by, Oona Eager in collaboration with Rik Klingle-Watt.