april 2014 BCBusiness 47
How I Put the Dragons
in Their Place
Joel Primus's five-step guide
1
G etting rejected on the Den is
the dating equivalent of asking
a girl out in public and having
her say no. It stings a little more
because people saw it, but it's really
no different than any other
rejection.
2
Laugh about the possibility of
rejection. Most people—and
investors—will simply respect you
for giving it a go, but if you're
in denial about the outcome,
they'll probably think you've got
blinders on.
3
Keep the momentum. Whether
you're making sales calls or
investment pitches, momentum
is being generated the more you
put yourself out there.
4
Be thankful for the experience and
opportunity. Really good ones are
hard to come by.
5
Be humble and change your
perspective on criticism. A lot
of runner-ups on American Idol
who probably had a piece of their
ego shredded by Simon launched
awesome careers because they took
his criticisms seriously.
this vest
inflates to
give hugs
"I
never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur
when I was going to art school," Lisa Fraser says.
Her business, Squeezease Therapy Inc., began
with an insight she had while teaching special needs
children to swim: hugs help. For her final project at
Emily Carr University of Art and Design, she designed
the Snug Vest, a therapeutic garment that inflates to
provide pressure, like a hug. Derived from a practice
called "deep pressure therapy," it has a proven calm-
ing effect on children with autism,
ADHD, and sensory
disorders. She had never planned to commercialize the
Snug Vest after graduating, but the positive feedback
convinced her there was demand. She even got an
encouraging email from
TED Talk star and autism hero
Temple Grandin, who had been an early inspiration.
The boosters were right: in her first year of business,
2013, she shipped about 400 units, and she has plans to
expand in 2014. —D.G.
Lisa Fraser
Founder and CEO, Squeezease Therapy Inc.
Age: 26
p38-67_30Under30_april.indd 47 14-03-07 2:04 PM
