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Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary shares invaluable secrets on entrepreneurship, business, money and life. Can you make millions just by “visualizing yourself rich” as some business prophets suggest? Don’t buy it, says Kevin O’Leary. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and amass wealth, you’re going to have to work for it. But the good news is: with the right guidance, focus and perseverance, you can turn entrepreneurial vision into lucrative reality and have the personal freedom that only wealth can buy.

Kevin O’Leary would know. The much-feared and revered Dragon on the immensely popular show Dragons’ Den (and Shark Tank in the U.S.) started his company in his basement with a $10,000 loan from his financially savvy mother. A few years later, Kevin sold that company for more than four billion dollars. In this compelling, candid and, above all else, brutally honest business memoir, Kevin provides engaging, practical advice and lessons that will give anyone a distinct competitive edge.

Arlene Dickenson

At thirty, Arlene Dickinson found herself stranded. Recently divorced, she had a high school diploma, no savings and no clue how she was going to feed four young children. But just one year later, she was a partner in Venture Communications. Ten years on, she was CEO, poised to grow the business into one of Canada’s largest independently owned marketing firms. Today, as a co-star of the CBC TV hit Dragons’ Den, she is one of the country’s most sought-after female entrepreneurs. The secret of her journey from poverty to the corner office? The art of persuasion, as she explains with wit and unusual candour in this, her first book.

Blending her own frank and highly entertaining stories with compelling social science, she explains how to persuade both in the boardroom and in everyday life: the crucial importance of a particular kind of listening; how to get people to buy into your ideas; how to attract followers and deal with naysayers; the art of storytelling; how to turn mistakes to your advantage; and how to seize opportunities where others see only roadblocks. Anyone, she believes, can be persuasive—just look how good we are at persuading ourselves we can’t do things. Using the tricks of her trade and insights from her own fascinating experiences with some of Canada’s leading companies, Dickinson explains how to master the art of persuasion, without an M.B.A., to achieve maximum success in business—and in life.

Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec has lived the classic “rags to riches” story, from having only $20 in his pocket to starting up technology companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The son of Croatian immigrants, Herjavec overcame the odds and amassed incredible wealth, doing it through pure hard work and determination. Today a star on television’s Dragon’s Den and The Shark Tank, he bankrolls the best inventions and shoots down the best intentions. And now, for the first time, he shares his hard-won wisdom in one of the most inspirational business books of the season.

Driven is organized by the work and life principles that made Robert Herjavec both wealthy and successful (indeed, these terms are not synonymous). Herjavec reveals the secrets that took him from waiting tables to growing his nascent technology company, The Herjavec Group, into a world-class conglomerate. His principles are as valuable in the living room as they are in the boardroom. Anyone can succeed, on their own terms, by following his sage but simple advice — as long as they’re willing to take chances, take control of their future and stay true to their vision.

Dragons Den: The U.K. Edition

Learn how to be a success from the business lessons of the Dragons and the financial advice of Evan Davis. Britain’s best loved business brains —Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis, and Richard Farleigh along with economics expert Evan Davis—divulge the secrets of their success in this essential read. Joining them is James Caan, the new Dragon who will be part of the team in the new season of the television show. James is a multi-millionaire businessman and entrepreneur. Dragons’ Den is packed with advice, whether you want to perfect your pitching skills, develop an idea or make more money. The Dragons will look at what’s become of the entrepreneurs who entered the Dragons’ Den. Some went away emptyhanded but have since become successful. Others won the backing of the Dragons but failed to make their dream come true. The Dragons will show you what should have been done, what should have happened next, and how you too could win their backing and become a business success. This is much more than a TV series companion. It is a solid business read with never-before-heard advice and experiences from the Dragons own business ventures. At last, we’ll find out how they became millionaires and their rules for success. This is a unique, accessible ,and useful business read straight from the Dragons’ Den.

I’ve always liked the story of Captain Charles C. Boycott of County Mayo, Ireland. Not the man himself, of course, for he was a thug and a poltroon.

Ever willing to suck up to the Oppressor, Captain Boycott went around the county in 1880 evicting poor tenants from the dirt hovels the English let them call homes.

Charles Parnell, the great fighter for Irish Independence, took up the cause of the tenants, telling them that instead of violence against Boycott , they should ostracize him.

It worked. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, the Post Office refused to deliver his mail, tenants wouldn’t work his fields. Boycott went into the language as one of the most effective weapons in the arsenal of consumerism.

It’s quite simple. If you don’t like something, or you feel ill-treated, you and your friends simply boycott the person, service or product. You may not win, but you will feel a helluva lot better than if you had done nothing.

So on this second day of a brand new year, a handful of, not resolutions exactly, but things and people I hope to shun in the coming twelve months. I’m sure you have your own list.

1)People at dinner parties who insist on talking about their newest titanium appendage. Having to listen to someone talk about their bionic rebirth with new hips and or knees is the equivalent of scratching fingernails on a black board – titanium fingernails or not.

2)Things in packages that can only be opened with heavy machinery. Every now and then, I have to buy a new pocket knife, to replace the one seized by the Mrs. Grundys at the airport. The last time I bought a small knife, the only way I could remove it from the packager was by cutting it with, yes, another knife. Everything now from batteries to baby toys is so packaged in hard plastic as to defy easy access.

The full essay at http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/2011/01/things-to-be-boycotted-in-the-new-year-1.html

This American Life, the U.S. public radio show hosted by Ira Glass, is coming to CBC Radio One this season.

The unique show tells the personal stories of a broad range of individuals — from everyday folks to unusual characters — using creative narrative techniques and journalism.

Every week, it focuses on one theme and uses the real-life experiences of various people to illustrate that theme. Past themes have included the turncoat, the cruelty of children, obsession and summer camp.

Produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, This American Life is one of the most heavily downloaded podcasts on American radio. Time has declared Glass the best radio host in America.

“It’s one of the most acclaimed and innovative radio shows in America. At its core, what the show does is take personal stories and make them universal,” said Chris Boyce, programming director for English radio at CBC.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2011/01/04/american-life-cbc.html#ixzz1ADBe7J4y

“This is truly fantastic. My heartiest congratulations to everyone involved in creating such outstanding radio,” remarked Denise Donlon, general manager of CBC Radio.

“The breadth of programming held up for distinction by these awards is truly remarkable and a wonderful testament to the depth of programming choices that CBC provides to our audiences. We are deeply honoured,” Donlon said.

A total of 17 CBC Radio programs were awarded medals at the 2010 New York Festivals International Radio Awards(R), including the coveted Grand Award gold medal, which went to THE CURRENT for its documentary, “Twice Lost” on a brother and sister’s fractuous relationship. Another six CBC programs received finalist honours.

“With the recent pick up of Q with Jian Ghomeshi on American public radio network PRI and the ongoing success of other CBC Radio programs such as WireTap south of the border, these award wins just further send the message that CBC produces some of the finest programming in the world,” said Kirstine Stewart, interim executive vice-president of CBC. “Our heartfelt thanks to the New York Festivals for the recognition.”

“CBC’s stellar entries impressed our international Grand Jury across the board,” said Rose Anderson, executive director of the New York Festivals. “The breadth and depth of their superior programming is the benchmark for the Broadcaster of the Year Award. Kudos to CBC for being awarded the prestigious title of New York Festivals Broadcaster of the Year for the past four years out of five!”

Stursberg has presided over the dumbing down of the CBC, a policy for which he should be held responsible.
JackMcFadyen

A good opportunity for Harper to bring someone in that will ensure truly “fair and balanced” news coverage instead of being a Liberal Party propaganda force.
Logi Biob

Is this the guy who gave us Little Mosque On The Prairie? May he never work again.
I_See_The_Matrix

I think the last line confirms…. the information “Hub” was a failure and was universally hated by all of the services. Radio and Television may be more modern these days, but they are still fundamentally different mediums and information simply cannot be spread between them equally. Add the Internet to the mix and they all need to work to their strengths.
chrisale

I am surprised it took six years for CBC management to realize this guy was about the worst thing that has happened to the English services in recent memory. I remember the last six English TV vice-presidents and this appointment was the most stunning shock to anyone who cares about public television.
LannyMorry

I would guess that Richard Stursberg is fully aware of the huge budget cuts being planned for the CBC.
BCworkinman

He shouldn’t be ALLOWED to leave until he cleans up the mess he made. THe man never understood public broadcasting; hence your tax dollars are paying for Canadian cultural gems like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and reruns of the Ghost Whisperer. He never understood that public broadcasting shouldn’t have its success calculated by market share; rather by the quality of programs with which it reflects the nation, and the regions of Canada, to themselves.
smudgebuck

Stursberg is leaving because his job is done: there is nothing left to be gutted that the new owners won’t be able to do themselves, such as reducing further classical music to a daily 3 hours max. Just listen to the new grid soon enough
AntonioSan

Stursberg was brought in to amalgamate & consolidate, in the best possible fashion, the CBC’s English Language TV, Radio & Online services into a fiscally viable media services delivery system… And at that, he’s pretty much succeeded. Yes… It’s different. No… It doesn’t please everybody…. But so what??… Even back forty-odd years ago, people complained that the CBC was too-rigid & elitist in it’s programing… And those were the days of TV programs like Juliette. Front Page Challenge, the Tommy Hunter Show, Wayne & Schuster, and Reach For The Top…  Things Change… Like Them … Or Leave Them For Somebody Else To Appreciate Them…
RU Outa Ur Mind

$100 says he joins Al Jazeera, following other CBC ‘luminaries’ such as Avi Lewis.
TJOttawa

The CBC changed totally when this man took the helm. The fellow before him (Rabinovich) tried to break it and this man changed it into a more “American” type. Changed forever. Nothing stays the same.
ollie12

Richard, you can’t please everyone. Thank you for your contribution to the CBC and best wishes for future endeavors.
Maritimer

Is it too much to hope for that Ghomeshi will be next?
The Dude on Pender

Maybe the issue is that a national broadcaster like CBC was a good idea fifty years ago but in today’s world of instant communications, it can’t appeal to much more than a niche market. Perhaps that’s why Richard Stursburg left.
AButters

Stursburg was pandering to the Conservatives everything-has-to-be-marketable carpet-bagging ideology. The Harper supporters are the ones on here decrying the CBC as a “waste of taxpayers” money, an argument which got old when the Cons started shoveling money off the back of a truck to their private, corporate pals instead of using it to support our Canadian institutions like the CBC, health care, and our social safety net.
Emmy P Citizen

Other coverage:

• Richard Stursberg leaving CBC tops Twitter trends (reportr.net)
• Top CBC exec Richard Stursberg leaving broadcaster (thestar.com)
• Top CBC executive leaves broadcaster (theglobeandmail.com)
• CBC Exec Richard Stursberg leaves (arts.nationalpost.com)
• Head of English CBC leaving (canada.com)

CBC president Hubert T. Lacroix announced his departure Friday in a statement to employees. Lacroix gave no reason for Stursberg’s departure, which is effective Friday.

“When Richard was appointed executive vice-president of CBC Television six years ago, he brought with him a revolution that shook the foundation of the organization and eventually of the whole of our English services,” Lacroix said in his statement.

“He challenged every premise, attacked conventional wisdom, and uprooted whole parts of the internal culture. Six years later, the institution is better off than it was. I want to acknowledge his success in turning CBC Television around and thank him for his contribution.”

Kirstine Stewart, currently general manager of CBC Television, is to take his job as executive vice-president of English services on an interim basis.

(original text from CBC.ca)

The transition to digital television is an industry wide issue requiring a concerted effort by all players – broadcasters, the CRTC, and government – to ensure that Canadians are properly informed of the changes coming and how to deal with them.

For its part, CBC/Radio-Canada will be installing digital transmitters in all of the markets in which it produces original television programming, for a total of 27 transmitters. Fifteen of the 27 transmitters will be operational by August 2011, with the remaining twelve to be operational by or before August 2012. The locations of these transmitters are now available on CBC/Radio-Canada’s website.

The Corporation will continue to offer analogue service beyond the August 31, 2011 shut-off date established by government in all markets not identified by the CRTC as mandatory for digital transmission. It has also filed a request to the CRTC to allow a temporary extension of analogue service in those markets not slated for transition until after the August 2011 deadline under the Corporation’s plan.

“We believe that our plan is appropriate given our financial challenges, given our mandate, and given industry trends,” said Steven Guiton, Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer. “When all is said and done, our estimate is that less than 1 per cent of Canadians will need to turn to a cable or satellite provider in order to continue receiving our signal.”

The Broadcasting Act mandates that CBC/Radio-Canada’s services “be made available throughout Canada by the most appropriate and efficient means, as resources become available for the purpose.” Today, Canadians receive CBC/Radio-Canada’s television services through a variety of platforms including over-the-air, cable, satellite and the Internet. The plan to transition to over-the-air digital television in key markets will support the modernization of CBC/Radio-Canada’s multi-platform delivery system and enable the Corporation to continue providing Canadians with high-quality content through the most appropriate and efficient means available.

CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital TV transition plan is available at:

www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/pdf/dtv_plan.pdf