![]() ![]() Khan says BlueDot would not be in such a position of prominence without his cosmopolitan workforce. Now called upon by heads of state to help track and contain the coronavirus, Dr. Kamran Khan tirelessly assembled a diverse team of more than 50 experts to power and fine-tune the mind of his machine - doctors, data scientists, geographers, veterinarians, software developers, epidemiologists, etc. The company’s incredible AI technology (informed by a seemingly bottomless reservoir of public health sources, moderated reports, news feeds, flight itineraries and other data) was built to predict such a crisis. Nine days before the World Health Organization made an official statement about COVID-19, Toronto-based startup BlueDot had already alerted its clients about the novel virus spreading rapidly out of Wuhan. But how would he address entrepreneurs on the fence about interspecies workplaces? “Why are you skeptical?” says McEachran. ![]() ![]() Founder and CEO Brennan McEachran loves being inspired by his cheery brigade of pooch pals. After onboarding the team’s five furry friends, SoapBox immediately saw a rise in productivity, not to mention an uptick in unchewed shoes. So, it’s no surprise that startups like SoapBox (a software company that makes its bread on fostering meaningful employee interactions) enlist dog teammates to boost culture and draw hard-working humans. Having dogs in-office also relieves workers of paying for expensive walkers and sitters. ![]() More than just walking hugs, canine coworkers reduce stress, invite physical activity and promote team bonding - all good ingredients for cooking up great ideas. And this approach is more relevant than ever, what with the majority of Canadians preferring to work remotely in the face of the ongoing coronavirus emergency. Still, founder and CEO Marie Chevrier admits flex hours can be difficult to implement, so she encourages the curious to run pilots, invest in tools such as Slack and Zoom, make all work calendars public, and never stop checking in with employees. It’s about achieving goals in a manner that suits one best. “The team always made me feel valued,” Noor says, “And, finally, thanks to my recovery, I can apply myself fully.” For Sampler, being a good employee isn’t about working a set number of hours. When Noor had a physiotherapy appointment in the afternoon, she could start work earlier in the morning if she was feeling light-headed, she could go home and make up the time later. Noor had suffered a concussion before being hired, but the company’s progressive HR policies allowed her to excel in her new role. Just ask Shonezi Noor, director of operations at Toronto-based Sampler. Studies routinely show that flex hours increase productivity and improve talent attraction and retention. Chu explains his team’s growth this way: “If you want to create something revolutionary, something people love, you have to think like an artist.” Today, the company sells products in 45 countries, with offices in Toronto, Paris and Shenzhen, supporting everything from art installations to therapeutic practices. These new devices could react to music and human touch, be programmed by phones and tablets, and still maintain strong energy efficiency. Assembling a team of top-notch designers, the company ditched bulbs for technicolour, LED wall panels that mimicked sunshine. So, brilliant aesthetics became key to Nanoleaf’s strategy. “We realized then that broader market appeal was the key to broader impact,” says co-founder and CEO Gimmy Chu. The problem was the lightbulb was too expensive and sales were poor. Think like an artistīack in 2013, fledgling cleantech startup Nanoleaf set out to make the world’s most-energy efficient lightbulb. Here are seven ways to generate better ideas for your business. (Did anyone predict an online snowboard shop would become the country’s largest public company?) For these enterprises, it’s all about creating the conditions that foster innovation. And while there isn’t a magic formula for creating entrepreneurial brilliance, there are, however, things you can do to increase your chances.Ĭonsider Canada’s startups - concrete proof that inventive thinking comes in unexpected forms. At best, they surface sporadically and parboiled from the metaphysical soup of your brain, a big bowl of memories, impressions and disparate facts. Great business ideas don’t manifest because you want them to. There are, however, things you can do that can increase your chances.Įvery successful entrepreneur hates this question: “Where do you get your ideas from?” There is no one true answer. There’s no magic formula for creating entrepreneurial brilliance. ![]()
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