Taking Nothing for Granted

Sequitur is a consulting firm that I founded in 1997. We have four partners and a cadre of 15 full-time and about 15 contract staff. Though we're based in Toronto, we also have an office in Edmonton and expect to be opening a branch in San Francisco in the next six months to a year. After launching the company, I went back to do my MBA because I realized that I needed formal business training if I was going to succeed. Sequitur was incorporated after I graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2002.

Here, we do strategic project consulting for the health-care, pharmaceuticals, and biotech sectors. We also provide strategic and operational advice for both small and large organizations (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/22/06, "Can MBAs Cure Health Care's Ailments?").

As Managing Partner, I lead the organization from a strategic and operational standpoint, but still take time to do some of the consulting. For instance, I'm currently leading a team of three consultants on a project for a regional hospital in Northern Ontario (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/29/05, "The Digital Hospital"). I'm also responsible for financial management, client relationships, recruitment, and staff development.

As the founder of the company, I'll never take its success for granted. I know how hard we've worked and how hard we still have to work for entrepreneurial success. I'll always remember the day I decided to give up a consulting job offer in New York City to restart my own business. It was just me, my used B-school laptop, my new education, work experience, and a small Rolodex. Looking back, it seems like a crazy thing to do.

Here's a typical day:

6:30 a.m. -- Coffee and e-mail from home. I tee up projects for the day and deal with customer demands. Head to the office on the subway and arrive around 8 a.m. Check with team, and begin work day.

8:30 a.m. -- Meet with some of our partners, a large architectural firm that specializes in health-care architecture and a large project-management firm. We talk about current clients and discuss a possible joint venture...

See Full Version