Small Business Week, held annually each October, is Canada’s premier celebration of the entrepreneurs and small business owners who power our economy. From coast to coast, small businesses account for the majority of Canadian jobs and drive the innovation that keeps our country competitive on the world stage.
Plan a standout Small Business Week event this year by booking a speaker who not only inspires but leaves your audience with real insights they can put to work. This guide features just a handful of the exceptional speakers we represent who can speak on the full entrepreneurial journey, from igniting your passion and bouncing back from burnout, to mastering marketing, delivering world-class customer experience, and staying agile in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Discover the right entrepreneurial speaker to energize, challenge, and equip your audience. Contact us to book your October event today!
Top Entrepreneurship Speakers
From resilient founders to industry disruptors, our entrepreneurship speakers bring authentic, hard-won experience to every stage.
Matt Basile
Reigniting the Fire: Become a Calmer, Smarter, and Happier Entrepreneur
In just four years, Chef Matt Basile built Fidel Gastro’s from an underground sandwich pop-up into an internationally recognized food brand — only to find his passion for entrepreneurship burning out.
In 2020, he left everything to co-found Alchemy Grills, helping him slow down, re-focus, and reconnect. Today, Matt shares lessons on building sustainable businesses, healing from burnout, and keeping that founder’s fire fueled.
Manjit Minhas
The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Lessons from the Den and 25 Years of Business Success
Manjit Minhas started her business at 19 with $10,000 and a dream. Today, her brewery is the 10th largest in the world.
Best known as a star of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, this down-to-earth yet fiercely business-savvy entrepreneur reveals the lessons and strategies behind 25 years of groundbreaking leadership, offering inspiration for entrepreneurs and leaders in any industry.
Michael Hyatt
Business Unplanned: Unleashing the Power of a Growth Mindset
With two billion-dollar tech exits under his belt, Michael Hyatt knows what it takes to build and scale successful businesses.
Drawing on decades of hands-on experience, he shares the strategies entrepreneurs need to cultivate a growth mindset, embrace emerging technology, and stay agile amid exponential change — turning uncertainty into your greatest competitive advantage.
Alicia Woods
Mining for Opportunity: The Covergalls Story
When Alicia Woods entered mining equipment sales at 21, she found an industry unprepared for women — so she rebuilt it. Her solution became Covergalls Workwear, a successful Dragons’ Den pitch turned thriving business.
Now, an award-winning entrepreneur, Woods shares her story to show audiences how to turn frustration into opportunity and transform obstacles into innovation.
Graham Sherman
Igniting Your Passion: The Resilient Entrepreneur
The question of entrepreneurs being born or made is irrelevant — the passion for the journey is what matters. Graham Sherman, founder of Tool Shed Brewing Company, learned this firsthand navigating changing laws, regulatory battles, and a pandemic that wiped out 75% of his business overnight.
He shows entrepreneurs how to ignite that spark, build resilience, and keep their entrepreneurial fire fueled through whatever is thrown at it.
Nicole Verkindt
Innovation, Technology, and Disruption
Named Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by Startup Canada, Nicole Verkindt has built her career spotting industry gaps and creating innovative platforms to fill them.
As founder of supply chain analytics firm OMX and a Dragon on CBC’s Next Gen Den, she empowers entrepreneurs with insights on disruptive thinking, technology, innovation, and the power of diverse leadership to turn bold ideas into success.
Mitch Joel
Marketing Forward: Move Beyond Attention into Intimacy, Intelligence, and Impact
For entrepreneurs, standing out has never been harder — or more possible. Mitch Joel shows business leaders how to move beyond the noise of the Attention Economy into the Intimacy Economy, where relevance and connection drive growth.
Drawing on his proprietary P.A.C.E. framework, he reveals how to harness AI and build marketing systems that create lasting value instead of content that disappears.
Jennifer Menard-Shand
Entrepreneurship: The Heartbeat of Canada’s Economy
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada’s economy — driving job creation, innovation, and social progress. Jennifer Ménard-Shand knows firsthand what it takes.
From founding award-winning staffing firm Staff Shop to launching her second venture FireFlames, she shares real insight into what it truly takes to launch, lead, and sustain a business in an uncertain world — and why supporting Canadian entrepreneurs is vital to our national identity and economic health.
Michel Falcon
The Unfair Experience: Creating World-Class Customer Service that is so Good, it Seems Like You’re Cheating
The difference between industry-leading companies and forgettable ones comes down to one thing: the depth of connection they have with their customers.
Restaurateur and entrepreneur Michel Falcon has spent 15 years cracking that code. Drawing on his proprietary Unfair Advantage system, he shares actionable strategies — from micro customer experiences to superior service levels — that help build lasting customer loyalty.
Ready to book your Small Business Week speaker? Contact us today to explore our full roster and find the perfect fit for your October event.
