Bold Choices & Big Risk: Susan Holt Encourages Businesses To Push Further

In This Episode

Greg and Dave discuss with Susan regarding the importance of continuous risk taking by entrepreneurs and supporting both success and failure in business. Susan encourages successful companies in a comfort zone to continue to expand and take risks. They discuss how it is important for entrepreneurs to be bold and that success comes from being ambitious and passionate. Susan explains that big business leaders in New Brunswick don’t fit into a specific mold except that, in general, they know how to build teams for success and are optimists.

Susan highlights the importance for entrepreneurs to pass on the success of other business leaders in the region. Propelling good news stories of other businesses helps the whole community. Promoting others success also encourages others to promote your company and your successes.   We learn that optimism is an important ingredient to an entrepreneur and that ability to be optimistic and the wiliness to take risks are much easier when you have community support.

Susan Holt

Susan Holt

Susan Holt is a champion for entrepreneurs in New Brunswick. Originally from Fredericton, Susan moved away for a while and then returned to New Brunswick about five years ago. She is the president and CEO of the New Brunswick Business Council. The council is a private organization which includes 26 of New Brunswick’s most “economically significant companies.” The council has a goal to foster entrepreneurialism, and to make New Brunswick a great place to live and run a business.

The New Brunswick Business Council offers a number of tangible services to business leaders in the province. One such program is the Early Adopters Team, in which members of the council become guinea pigs for new products and services developed by local entrepreneurs. This allows for a customer base for new businesses and the ability to test their products in “safe waters.”

The council also offers a Council Passport Service which aids companies who are looking to expand to markets far-and-wide. This service offers entrepreneurs advice from experienced professionals and opens a Rolodex for companies to find success much faster.

The council also offers the Meals with Moguls program, which networks up-and-coming entrepreneurs and established pros in order for the community to motivate one another and to learn from each other’s experience.