Entrepreneurship

Marc Springer used to sell Harley Davidson motorcycles, but then the economy took a dive and people didn't buy as many man toys as they used to. Springer's income was dwindling rapidly, so it was time for him to move on -- now what?

"I was a teamster truck driver back in my early 20s and I always had this burning desire to drive the big trucks. It was something I always wanted to do and it just never happened. So, when I began to strike out on my own I thought, 'Well, I've got zero income and zero working capital, how do I start a company?"

His wife reminded him that he had a leaf blower sitting in the garage and suggested he go clear the lawns in the neighbourhood. But Springer thinks big, so he began extrapolating how many employees he'd need to do all the surrounding neighbourhoods and quickly realized he'd need a trailer. But when he went on Craigslist looking for a trailer, he found a 1999 frieghtliner truck with a 20 foot flat-bed.

"They wanted $20,000 for the [trailer] and I thought, 'You know, I think I'm just going to buy a truck.'"

He booked a load the day he bought the truck and was just going to use his contacts in the scrap metal business to haul scrap metal in Seattle and the surrounding area, until he hit the internet and found a veritable trucker's Shangri-La.

"I was looking to fill the truck with scrap and I was doing pretty well at that, making decent money and one day, I was on the computer wondering, 'How do you find loads? There's got to be a better way to do this. How do these guys find the freight to get on their trucks?'"

That's when he stumbled onto uShip.com. It opened all the doors to all of the business opportunities he enjoys today, including becoming a reality TV star as the handlebar mustache sporting, big-rig driving, cast member of A&E's Shipping Wars.

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• Free Shipping Day Comes to Canada
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They're the products you use everyday - and never think twice about. But you'd be surprised to learn how these 10 products came to be. Some were by accident, some were by necessity, but all share an element of random genius and the spirit of entrepreneurship that brought them to market. From the little blue pill that's enlivened many a sex life to the magical money dispensers we hope to find on every corner, these 10 everyday items all had curious beginnings.

CLICK TO LAUNCH SLIDESHOW:

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When it came to the squared-circle "Heavy Metal" Ric Savage could never quite equal the heights achieved by that other Savage we all know and love. Sure, he wrestled for well-known promotions like ECW and WCW, but he admits it wasn't really his true passion. "I was big and I could talk well, so I was able to get some little pushes here and there, but I never really made it that far. I wasn't a superstar or anything."

Good thing too, because eventually the road took its toll and after various concussions, reconstructive knee surgery and three back surgeries, it was time to find something else to do. Enter Savage's true passion, American history. "My dream was to be a college history professor," says Savage. Instead, he began collecting relics and meeting people who metal detect and do the same.

"No matter how you slice it, it's treasure hunting," says Savage. "There's really nothing like getting your hands dirty, digging down and seeing what you've got. You get hooked, and once you get hooked on it, that's it."

Now, he runs the top artifact recovery company in the country -- American Savage -- leading a team that includes recovery expert Rue Shumate, battlefield historian Bob Buttafuso, Savage's wife Rita (who manages the business and sources leads for digging) and their 25-year-old son Giuseppe (who is their resident tech expert and acts as the muscle for the operation). They tour neighbourhoods known to be built on former battlefields or towns of the old west and go door-to-door asking residents permission to dig on their private property in hopes of finding valuable relics that they can sell and then split the proceeds with the landowner.

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• Picking the Brains of the 'American Pickers'
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most business failures occur within two years of their existence.

Does being rich and famous mean you'll be able to beat the odds? Not according to these celebrities. See how you can learn from their mistakes.

To see the gallery, click here or on the picture below.

If you've noticed a sea change in women's winter coats in the past few years, you can chalk it up to the Elfassy family of Montreal. Ilan and his brother Eran Elfassy hail from a fashion industry family, whose first company specialized in leather coats. Both brothers knew that the bulky outerwear that Canadians were used to could be a lot more stylish, and their designs have transformed that winter staple - the down jacket - into a sleek and sexy fashion statement.

Eran at Mackage, and Ilan at Soia & Kyo, are largely responsible for the more highly tailored and often belted down coats that have been adopted by stylish women from coast to coast. and very soon we can expect Ilan's Soia & Kyo line to include ready to wear lines for men and women.

This year Ilan has brought Soia & Kyo and its characteristic detailing, oversized buttons, and asymmetrically structured collars, to Toronto Fashion Week, where WalletPop interviewed him the day before his runway show.

Q: What is the origin of the name Soia & Kyo?

A: In 2004 I wanted to start a new line, but I was looking for something different, that would send the message I wanted to send. Soia is about beginnings and because I admire Japanese culture very much, I chose kyo, which means today. So Soia & Kyo symbolizes the beginning of something.

If you've read our first article on food trucks, you probably learned what it took to launch this new wave phenomenon of gourmet food on four wheels and why lower overhead made so much sense to so many recently laid-off skilled chefs with aspirations, but no money to open their own restaurant. Sure it was an interesting article, but we all realize it was missing the most important element...

The Food.

With all these food trucks across Canada now, one has to wonder, which ones are the best of the best? Who are the best in the game?

It's our mission to answer those questions here. We want to honour good food and originality along with the entreprenurial spirit and enthusiasum for the open road of so many culinary masters. It's not enough to simply make your truck the carbon copy of an existing successful brick and mortar restaurant. You have to bring fresh ingredients and something innovative the country has never seen, whether it's your food combinations, your truck concept and the pizazz you bring to your service.

So who are those select few going to be with so many vibrant food truck scenes sprouting across Canada?

Find out, after the jump...

Related Links:

• What the Truck? The Financials of the Food Truck Phenomenon
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 1
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 2

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How long has it been since you've invested in yourself? It's easy to get caught up in investing for retirement but one of the best investments is in continuing education because you control the return. The harder you work the more the investment will pay off (and out). Here are some classes to consider that don't cost much but could be a huge benefit to your financial situation.

Financial Management
What better way to improve your fiscal fitness than understanding the ins and outs of money management. Many colleges have basic accounting courses you can take at night. You could also look into Credit Canada's Financial Coaching Series, which involves six sessions of basic financial coaching (each session costs $120 or you can attend all six for $600). This would be more personal than a basic college course since you're assigned a finance coach who will analyze your own situation and help you explore your own goals and beliefs about debt, credit and your financial future.

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It's no secret that with the weak economy, job growth has stagnated in Canada. A recent report from Statistics Canada shows that there has been minimal job growth over the past year, with a 0.7 per cent rise across all sectors. British Columbia, Alberta and Prince Edward Island were the only provinces to see job growth of over one per cent while employment was on the decline in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

With so few gains being made, and a lot of Canadians looking for employment, it begs the question, if there are any jobs, where are they? Depending on where you live in Canada, the job prospects may differ.

Let's break it down by province. Click below to launch the gallery or continue reading below:








Western Canada
British Columbia saw gains in the utilities and natural resources sectors as well as in construction, transportation and warehousing industries (the latter of which means there has been job growth in the areas of air and rail transport, trucking, postal services and in storage facilities).

Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years.

Yes, food trucks have been serving treats on the streets in North America ever since westward expansion following the American Civil War saw Texas cattlemen travel to New Mexico and through the Canadian prairies supplying meat to the pioneers. But while cattleman were traveling day and night across the continent to feed the settlers, no one was feeding them -- that is, until a man named Charles Goodnight came along in 1866 and invented the first food truck, the chuckwagon.

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In an effort to quell shareholder concerns, 81-year-old Warren Buffett "Oracle of Omaha" revealed days ago that he knows who his successor will be.

The catch is his successor doesn't know that he's the chosen one. If you're a business owner with plans of having your business survive you, it's never too early to start thinking about your succession plan. Here are five tips to consider:

1. Determine what makes your organization valuable.
After years of toiling away at your business, have you ever stopped to analyze what has made your it a success? You should. The person who replaces you will have to be in alignment with your vision. Moreover, you want to find someone who shares the same goals. If your achievement is linked to the skills and knowledge that you as the business owner have, make sure you provide ample time to train your successor. For example, if you're a lawyer or an accountant, hire a junior practitioner who will eventually take over your firm long before you decide to step down.

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