the story: Daniel Dubois
has always had an interest in
turning a profit by empower-
ing consumers. Customers at
his childhood lemonade stand
outside the family's Vancouver
home always complained about
the price, "even if I lowered it to
five cents." But when he let people
pay what they wanted, suddenly
loonies and toonies came his
way. That early lesson informed
Dubois's other ventures, includ-
ing two clothing lines launched
in elementary and high school,
and finally ShareShed. Dubbed
the "Airbnb of things," ShareShed
connects people looking to rent
outdoor sporting goods with the
considerable number of people
who have gear gathering dust.
"Younger generations aren't look-
ing to own," says the Capilano
University business student—but
they are, he contends, willing
to support the emerging shar-
ing economy and create profits
by building a more sustainable,
affordable world.
Markers oF success:
ShareShed has earned Dubois a
spot as entrepreneur-in-residence
at Hootsuite's Next Big Thing
Foundation, which kicked
in $10,000 in startup funds.
ShareShed also won $100,000
in in-kind support after placing
first in the region at the Entrepre-
neurs' Organization's Global Stu-
dent Entrepreneur Awards.
—J.B.
w h a t ' s o n r e P e a t o n M y D e v i c e r i g h t n o w
"The only music I have on my phone is Ministry of Sound:
The Annual 2014 and The Psychology of Achievement audio-
book. It's quite possibly the best combo ever. I put
it on shuffle and have the extremely motivating Brian Tracy
speak about what it takes to be successful followed
by a high-energy club banger"
D a n i e L D u B o i s
Founder and chieF innoVation oFFicer ,
shareshed
age: 23
J e f f J a c o B s o n
PrinciPal , JeFF JacoBson
agency
age: 28
the story: Jeff Jacobson entered his field
at the top of the game, arranging a speaking
event for Al Gore at the University of Victoria in
2007. It was a major coup for the then student
of American history and a huge leap from his
side gig presenting rap and hip-hop artists on
campus. That unforeseen success emboldened
Jacobson, who went on to present Colin Powell
in Vancouver in 2008. He quickly secured a job
at the National Speakers Bureau, becoming a
top agent at the company before striking out
on his own in 2013.
Markers oF success: In its first year
of business, Jacobson's agency booked
$800,000 in revenue, building an impressive
client roster that includes the
CBC's Wendy
Mesley, Olympic champions Alexandre
Bilodeau and Hayley Wickenheiser, and astro-
naut Roberta Bondar.
—J.B.
the Motivational quote
that gets Me going
"You miss 100 per cent of
the shots you don't take"
—Wayne Gretzky
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bcbusiness.ca april 2015 BCBusiness 37
