Tod Caton: Representing Canada at the G20 YES

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation has selected 30 dynamic young Canadian entrepreneurs to form the official Canadian delegation at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit (G20 YES) in Nice, France on October 31-November 2, 2011. The G20 YES is an annual international summit that brings together dedicated and influential entrepreneurs of the G20 countries. Tod Caton is a Canadian delegate.

• My motto:   Life: “A planned life is a closed life; it may be led but it must be endured.” – P.M. Foot 1991
  • Business: “Most forward-looking people have their heads turned sideways.” – John Saul Raulston
  • Company name:  Backside Tours Inc.
  • Activity: Tourism
  • Number of employees: 6
  • Headquarters’ Address: 10404 – 66  Ave., Edmonton, AB, CANADA T6H 5R6
  • Website: www.BacksideTours.com

Why did I become an entrepreneur:

I knew I wanted to control my own life and destiny at an early age; and the ideology of running my own business was very appealing – the smarter you worked, the more potential reward. I had traveled extensively in the early and mid 1990’s and worked for a Swiss company called Backside Snowboard School and Shop in the heart of the Swiss Alps. I approached my then boss regarding using the name Backside, with its distinct logo of the Back flipped backwards, for a future endeavour in Canada; he was keen on it.

In 1998 while organizing a weekend ski trip for my faculty at the University of Alberta, I discovered what would be a perfect fit for me – working as a Tour Operator taking groups to the mountains.

My best moment as an entrepreneur, my success:

Getting through our first decade of business and hiring a full-time financial manager

My next challenge:

I own a destination geo-domain that I am keen on developing both as a business and as a component of resort destination development. It also happens to be the community I live in. Essentially assisting an old-school resource oriented, mountain community transition to more of a tourism economy.