While finishing my undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, I was stuck on what to do next. I knew I wanted to pursue business and entrepreneurship but didn’t really know how to get started. I came across the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology here at the University of Waterloo and knew I had to apply. This also gave me the opportunity to continue my student-athlete journey on the Women’s Varsity Hockey team.
Starting my Master’s after completing my undergrad was difficult at the beginning. Not only are the professors well respected in the field of entrepreneurship and business, but my peers also have extensive backgrounds in entrepreneurship, project management, and sales. The imposter syndrome was borderline debilitating, almost feeling like I was a bait fish in a large ocean. However, I came to realize that my experience in sports has developed soft skills vital for the pursuit of success in entrepreneurship.
While I had ideas relating to a potential venture, nothing really resonated with me. I continuously asked myself “why am I the one to solve this problem?” Not too long after, fellow student-athlete classmate Avery Kelly and I teamed up to create NextPlayNetwork, a platform that helps student-athletes translate sports experience into professional success. It helps student-athletes build meaningful career connections and gain employment opportunities while enabling university athletics departments to track alumni careers, enhance engagement, and secure support for athletes' career goals.
Balancing the demands of academics, entrepreneurship, and athletics has been challenging yet rewarding as it has taught me invaluable lessons relating to clarity, persistence, and adaptability – three pillars of success I would like to share.
Clarity
Success looks like different things in different contexts, but at its core, it refers to a clear understanding of goals, values, and strategy with a well-defined direction. On the ice, our team’s goal was to win the National Championships. Achieving it required setting both short- and long-term goals and executing the plan with discipline and unity. While we came up just short after losing in the gold medal game and earning a silver, we had intentional pursuit of our goals. The journey, the challenges, and the growth opportunities that we accepted throughout the season is success.
The same is true in entrepreneurship. You must know your "why", which is your North Star. Why you are starting a venture, who you’re serving, and the problem you are aiming to solve. Clarity helps to filter out the background noise, align your team, and make decisions under pressure with confidence. It’s not just about having a vision, but rather being intentional, communicating the plan effectively, and recalibrating your direction if you get off course.
Persistence
Sports are one of the best methods of building persistence. In the Ontario Championship this year, we fell to my old team, The University of Toronto Varsity Blues. While it was one of the most painful losses I’ve endured in sports, I knew we had a national championship to compete for later that week. Given I experienced the same circumstances the year before, I was able to have a short memory of that game. The biggest thing that helped me was knowing the sun would rise the next morning. You must quickly move on from setbacks and learn quickly to maintain a growth-oriented mindset.
Just like entrepreneurship, you must have the ability to move forward despite setbacks. During my MBET journey thus far, there has been research that hasn’t validated my hypotheses, presentations that did not go as planned, late nights completing course work after practice. Every challenge, though, was an opportunity to reflect and grow. Building a venture is like a hockey season. Our season runs from September to March, allowing months of working towards our end goal.
Entrepreneurship is a long process as well, and persistence is the ability to stay committed to long-term goals despite setbacks, while continuously striving for improvement.
Adaptability
Change is both inevitable in the entrepreneurial and athletic environment. Adaptability is key in hockey. The game is fast-paced, and you must be able to pivot and change strategies with the information you have instantly. In entrepreneurship, markets change and customer needs evolve. You must be willing to pivot if necessary and always strive to be the best version of yourself in the office or on the ice. While you may feel like you’re on your toes, having an open mind to identify and explore potential opportunities is critical for the growth of the venture and of oneself.
A piece of advice that shaped my entrepreneurial thinking was given to me by David Rose. In a conversation talking about potential venture ideas, he told me “Don’t search for an idea, search for a purpose.” It seemed intuitive, but David framed it in such a perfect way that it resonated with me.
The purpose goes beyond entrepreneurship and athletics; it is the way you live and carry yourself. It’s the reason behind long hours in the office or in the gym and the sacrifices you must be willing to take.
