Dragons’ Den star Arlene Dickinson sat fireside at Peller Estates last week and made eye contact with the young women in the room as she delivered a message to everyone: Don’t fear failure, don’t hold yourself back and let nothing stand in the way of your dreams.
Dickinson, a South African-Canadian entrepreneur, was a keynote speaker for the Keystone Awards, which were founded by Dean French to celebrate the Top 10 small and medium-sized enterprises with at least 50 employees in each riding.
The fourth annual show in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Feb. 12 recognized top employers from across Niagara, highlighting how these business owners create jobs and strengthen the economy in ways big businesses can’t.
Several NOTL business leaders were recognized, including Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli and Angela Marotta, co-proprietors of Two Sisters Vineyards; Blair Harber, co-owner of Ravine Vineyard; George Lepp, owner of Lepp Farms and Si Wai Lai, owner of the Oban Inn.
Other winners were Andrew Perrie, head coach and sales representative at Revel Realty; Evan Macdonald, head coach and sales representative at Revel; Jessie Macdonald, head coach and broker at Revel; Klaus Reif, owner of Reif Estate Winery; David Feldberg, owner of Stratus Vineyards and John Hawley, president/developer of the Village subdivision in Niagara-on-the-Lake, along with his son Adam Hawley, vice-president of the Village.
“It’s important to recognize entrepreneurs for what they do,” said Adam Hawley. “It’s not always easy and sometimes it can be lonely as well; but it’s such a key, important part of the quality of life that we enjoy in Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
Adam said The Village’s impact on job creation is what earned it the award. With its commercial development entering its final phases, its new hotel and additional leased business spaces will add even more jobs, he said.
Tickets, which sold out, were $150 each and included dinner and drinks from Peller and a talk from Dickinson.
Dickinson, with her father’s help, took time to confidently dream big — advice she now shares with entrepreneurs on Dragons’ Den, a Canadian show where entrepreneurs pitch to investors, which she joined 19 years ago.
That confidence comes when you don’t let self-doubt hold you back, especially for young women who are often told not to dream big, she said.
At the ceremony, The Lake Report asked Dickinson how women can maintain independence while accepting help from men and others, balancing confidence without shutting out support.
She said while women must stand up for themselves, men also need to advocate for and be allies to women in their efforts.
“We’re not trying to take your place. We’re trying to just stand beside you,” she said to the men in the room.
Dickinson was once the only woman on the show and pushed for more women to join.
“Why on earth could that be even remotely okay when 50 per cent of our workforce is women?” she said.
“It’s so important to talk about this,” she said in an interview with The Lake Report.
Marotta-Paolicelli and Marotta, co-proprietors of Two Sisters Vineyards who grew up in a “a very entrepreneurial family,” won a Keystone Award. They said it was an honour to celebrate female empowerment with Dickinson.
“We felt we had to work harder to prove ourselves, as well as to be taken seriously, being two women in a male-dominated industry,” Marotta-Paolicelli said.
Even so, the sisters built an award-winning female-led winery — allowing them to focus on both the wine’s taste and the emotional experience, Marotta-Paolicelli said.
Marotta said accepting help from men and others without losing confidence is key for an entrepreneur’s progress.
“In order to grow we all need to be willing to evolve and learn,” Marotta said.
“For the guys in the room, it’s time for us to listen,” French said to wrap up the talk. “We all have daughters, mothers, wives. I think we can up our game.”
Gold medals can’t be won and game-changing businesses can’t be created without tapping into the full talent pool, French said.
Despite the intense snow last week, Dickinson’s Albertan roots kept her going, proving once again: Nothing can hold her back.
