Learning to take the “long view”: lessons in entrepreneurship
Speaking of Business with Goldy Hyder
English - October 29, 2021 14:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBBusiness News business canada canadian entrepreneur entrepreneurship leaders leadership success successful ceo Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
At the age of 24, Ben Cowan-Dewar set out to build a golf course in a remote part of Cape Breton. Construction began around the time of the 2008 financial crisis. Did he think it was a risky venture? “In hindsight,” he says, “obviously it was.”
But it paid off. Now, Cowan-Dewar’s Cabot Cape Breton golf courses are ranked among the best in the world and the company is expanding, building new courses and resorts in Revelstoke, B.C. and Saint Lucia.
In a conversation with Goldy Hyder in the Speaking of Business podcast, Cowan-Dewar credits part of his success as a young entrepreneur to the advice and support he received from experienced business people. “I would watch these great Canadians in their 60s, 70s and 80s take a really long view and I thought ‘well it's easy for them, they've already been successful.’ But what you realize is, it's easy for them because they've been through cycles.”
Learning how to take a long view and adapt to economic cycles helped Cowan-Dewar, co-founder and CEO of Cabot, weather the COVID-19 pandemic – a crisis that had a devastating impact on Canada’s tourism sector, including the golf industry.
Now he’s sharing what he’s learned with younger entrepreneurs. His advice? – keep a level head, use problem solving skills, and remember “you have people who are really cheering for your success.”
Listen to Ben Cowan-Dewar’s full conversation with Goldy Hyder.
Revealing and insightful conversations with Canada’s top innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders. Listen to more episodes here: thebusinesscouncil.ca