Q: Where is your favorite B.C. destination?
Sam: BC has so many cool and vastly different places to visit, but I grew up sailing and because of this I pick the gulf islands.

Q: Who is/was your role model and why?
Sam: It’s my mum hands down. At 87 she’s still the most amazing woman I know. From her career, to parenting and volunteering, she always does everything to the max and with a smile on her face. Never mind she slid down the bannister last year at my sister’s wedding, pretty awesome.

Q: What’s your favourite vacation?
Sam: Any vacation is a good vacation in my books. I love exploring new places, but also love staycations and just hanging out in my yard.

Q: What’s the best advice you have ever gotten?
Sam: “Rear view mirrors are for cars not for life.” That was something my old boss used to say to me and although we can learn from our history, spending too much time looking backwards could really interfere with moving forward.

Q: What is your biggest regret?
Sam: I try not to waste time on regrets. It goes to the whole rear view mirrors advice above. I think I learned way more from mistakes I have made than I did my successes.  #thatslife

Q: What was your favourite subject in high school?
Sam: I really enjoyed English literature and had a cool teacher who would bring in song lyrics and ask us to interpret the meanings. It was fun.

Q: What was your career aspiration when you were 20? How close did you get?
Sam: To be a billionaire…I’m a long way off, but goals are good!

Q: What was your first full-time job? How did it help prepare you in your later work?
Sam: My first real job was with A&W. I learned so much that has helped me later throughout my career such as: customer service, prioritization/organization, issues management, and later in my career there, how to manage.

Q: What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in your working life?
Sam: Thinking that not knowing the answer was a sign of weakness. Not finding out the answer may be, but not knowing it is human.

Q: What was the best decision you’ve made in your working life?
Sam: Learning to create a productive and enjoyable working environment and surrounding myself with a team that helps me achieve that.

Q: What’s your advice for achieving work/life balance?
Sam: Empower your team, the more people working toward the goal means the less you will be the only one working.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a young entrepreneur what would it be?
Sam: Join the Canadian Federation of Independent Business!

Q: What is the thing that most entrepreneurs tend to overlook that they should be most focused on?
Sam: The importance of paperwork and knowing the rules. Not knowing them could put you out of business.

Q: What do you think the 3 most important attributes are in a leader?
Sam: Honesty and integrity, communication skills, a collaborator who isn’t afraid to make a decision.