I was told I had to go to business school to succeed. I gave it a shot, but eventually dropped out to bootstrap a restaurant with just a Visa card and a $20,000 line of credit. Everyone told me restaurants were hard work (and they were right! I have so much respect for anyone in the restaurant business). I ran the restaurant for two years, sold a franchise, decided to change paths, and sold the whole operation at a modest profit.

HootSuite never had a big launch. We were lucky to even have office space.

I'm motivated by solving new and challenging problems, especially ones that people say can't or shouldn't be tackled.

When I was in high school, I loved paintball. I saved up my allowances and started my own paintball supply company. Everyone thought I was just some obsessed kid, but today the company is one of the biggest paintball suppliers in Canada.

Social media is the future, with employers recognizing they need to start hiring people with the right skills.

I think that Vancouver as well as Canada needs a boot camp for young entrepreneurs. We have already seen tens if not hundreds of people put their names forward to be involved in the program, and we just think this is an amazing way to accelerate what theyre doing.

What drives me is the prospect of turning an obstacle into a business opportunity, and then growing that into something lasting and rewarding.