“Chances are, for the first five years in a business you’ll work for love and not money. So be ready to give more than you think you had, make less than you think you’re worth, and learn from your mistakes.”

“Stick to the field you are passionate about. Your expertise and experience will give you an upper hand on your competition, allowing you to build a better product. Passion will also keep you motivated even when you experience or struggle through failures.”

“Mentoring helps entrepreneurs learn about small business management, achieve personal and professional goals, and advance in their small business venture by offering incredible networking opportunities. ”

“Prepare - you'll need the financial resources to see yourself through the launch of your business. You can save, find financing or start your business part-time in order to build up revenue so that you can start drawing an income. Talk to lots of potential customers before taking the leap. It's critical to understand the value your customer is really paying you get started. ”

“Connect with the right group of people who will see entrepreneurship as a positive thing. Don’t second guess yourself. Most the time you know the answer, just afraid to act on it.”

“Understand that owning your own business takes work! Be passionate about what you are going to be providing – be it a product or a service. Unlike typical ‘jobs’ the work doesn’t stop when you leave the office. ”

“My mentor reminds me to take a step back and look at the whole picture instead of just the parts that I want to see. Once I told my mentor I did not have enough time to meet with my team managers and keep track of operations. He was quick to realize that over time, this behaviour could lead to a loss of focus on operational efficiency. He convinced me to plan weekly meetings with all my managers to facilitate communication and improve efficiency.”

“Get prepared, make sure your timing and funding is right, and go for it! If you are passionate about what you do, it will never feel like work, but make sure you take your time and plan for success.”

“Try it and see what happens. Starting your own business is a lot of work and it may not be for you, but it’s better to have tried it and to know for sure. You won’t go to work and complain about your boss if you are the boss. – Graeme

Do as much research as you can beforehand. It’s best to ask a lot of questions when you’re just starting out so that you avoid falling into any unnecessary traps later on. – Johnny ”