When I started doing things on my own, I was figuring - remember, it was a very nascent market. And there was a lot that was unknown about the renewable marketplace in 2004, early 2003, when I was planning on it.

New industries are created by entrepreneurs who don't necessarily have subject matter expertise when they get started, yet they are still responsible for most of the innovation we see in society.

We love serious technology innovations, and there is a strong bias towards large technology innovations that are sort of disruptive to the current market.

Seeking an acquisition from the start is more than just bad advice for an entrepreneur. For the entrepreneur it leads to short term tactical decisions rather than company-building decisions and in my view often reduces the probability of success.

Parents, it seems, have an almost Olympian persistence when it comes to suggesting more secure and lucrative lines of work for their children who have the notion that writing is an actual profession. I say this from experience.

Obviously, I've had some tough times in my career. I've had some ups and downs just like anybody's life, but you just keep continuing to work hard.

Having companies like PotashCorp based in Saskatoon or Cameco based in Saskatoon that have worldwide presence but have the head office jobs, the head office managers and head office employees in your local economy are important from a job creation and wealth creation point of view.

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.