Michael Hyatt
Request More Info

Michael Hyatt

Leadership | Change and Innovation Visionary

By age 25, Michael Hyatt became a self-made millionaire by building two highly successful tech firms that he sold for $500 million dollars. Today, Hyatt ranks as one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs, and is a mentor and investor in several startups. Whether speaking on leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, or the future of tech, Hyatt shows audiences how to embrace change, because, as he says, “change is good” and “our future is great”.

Hyatt currently sits on the board of BlueCat, one of the largest private software companies in Canada. Prior to this, he led the company since its inception as CEO and executive chairman. His leadership philosophy was to focus on strategy and empower his employees to execute. Hyatt is also a weekly commentator for CBC’s The Business Panel, and was previously a “Dragon” on CBC’s online sensation Next Gen Den, and featured on The Exchange and On the Money.

As a Founding Partner at the Rotman School of Management’s prestigious Creative Destruction Lab, Hyatt acts as a coach for venture founders to set business and technical milestones to increase the ventures’ chances of success. Hyatt is also on the CEO Board of Advisors at Georgian Partners, one of Canada’s leading venture capital firms, a mentor with The Founders Institute, and an investor on the hit podcast “The Pitch”.

Hyatt is a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, and was a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Leading with Grit, Passion, and People

Leaving school at age 22 with no money only to become a millionaire businessman by age 25 would seem like the story of someone who got lucky with a great business idea. But Michael Hyatt shows you there’s a lot more to his success than the idea itself. Success is the small steps you take, and a consistent march is the key.

In this presentation, Hyatt shares candid business and leadership philosophies including: how to avoid common mistakes leaders make; why sometimes failing is good; why asking powerful questions will lead you to the right answer (not just your answer); how to find the best way for a product’s success; how to hire people smarter than you and let them excel; how to win in the new demographic shift; and how to support all members of your team. Filled with these and many more lessons Hyatt has learned throughout his journey, this upfront talk will inspire audiences to think differently in their approach to business success.

Evolve or Die

It’s never been cheaper to start a business, but it’s still just as hard. Being uncomfortable in business is a good thing. And getting real perspective on where we are in today’s economy is critical. It’s easy to take high-fives in the good times, but what you do in the darkest hours defines you as a leader.

Michael Hyatt believes in the great potential for opportunity while there’s “blood on the streets” and times are tough. Tough times can define leadership. It’s important not to be an optimist nor a pessimist, but a realist. Realists come out best in hard times. With an ability to capture and explain difficult concepts easily for audiences, Hyatt explains his successful philosophy in challenging times — evolve or die.

Be Comfortable with Uncomfortable

Michael Hyatt is a mentor and investor in many startups, including the Rotman School of Management Creative Destruction Lab and The Founders Institute. He has built two highly successful tech firms, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.

What’s his secret to startup success? The first thing Hyatt tells a budding entrepreneur or startup is “focus”. Do one thing and one thing well. At the same time, you need to embrace discomfort, pain, and sacrifice. If you become comfortable as an entrepreneur, you might as well be dead.

In this presentation, Hyatt shows that to achieve success you need to prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.