An evening at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Alex Janvier

It was a packed at the McMichael which is located in Kleinberg, a bit of a hike north from Toronto. As I walked up to the gallery, the sweeping evergreen trees overlooking the winding path relaxed me and put me in the mood to enjoy the evening. The gallery event was showing the art of Alex Janvier who was there for the evening and who gave a speech about his life and sources of creativity.

The McMichael really is worth the drive.

Members of the board were attending and I enjoyed the company of Laura Mirabella, who is CFO of the City of Vaughn, as well a board director of the McMichael.

Laura Mirabella and Jacoline Loewen

A delicious buffet was served and then we all heard the artist, Alex Janvier, speak about the story of his life and how he is inspired. After touring his collection, there were some interesting items in the gallery's store. There was a book with his art over the years, umbrellas and bags, but my favourite were the coffee mugs with his gorgeous colours and patterns which almost infuse you with energy.

Valitas Appreciation Event with Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay with Susan Fulford, Jacoline Loewen and Debbie Dimoff

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that is not what they are built to do," said Peter MacKay, Vice-Chairman of Valitas advisory board.  Speaking at the Valitas event at The Spoke Club, Peter shared a few war stories about how he seen the corporate finance mandates achieved by Valitas and the challenges of undertaking corporate finance deals. He also made a few light comments about his political background and said he would not start discussing taxes.

Peter's words certainly inspired the room of entrepreneurs and Bay Street's finest - lawyers and wealth managers.

Paris Aden, founder of Valitas, also spoke about the success of the firm and the passion of the team. "Thank you to Peter MacKay for his commitment and contribution to Valitas".

@jacolineloewen

Author of Money Magnet.

 Jacoline Loewen, author of Money Magnet, Attract Investors to Your Business

Meet William, the youngest reader of Money Magnet

One of the fine women I mentored sent me an uplifting email and photograph featuring the latest addition to her family, sweet William.
William's mother is Farrah Ahmad Solly who is a Rotman graduate close to my heart.  I met Farrah when she was the marketing expert in her group project. The team went on to win the overall competition and Farrah contributed the lion's share to their success. I was impressed with Farrah then and now and I'm now impressed with her dedication to her family.

William Solly, son of Farrah Ahmad Solly

Wiley has a good summary about Money Magnet, It is still being used by Ivey and Ryerson. I get emails from entrepreneurs who used it as their blueprint to access private equity.

More about Money Magnet

The number-one issue for every entrepreneur is Money—getting money, raising money, convincing investors to give you money. Whether you are a start up, a family business, or a $100-million company, your biggest issue is always money.

 

Money Magnet is the solution to your money worries. It's the complete how-to guide to attracting private investors—debt and private equity—for business founders and owners. It reveals what private investment is and how it works, the benefits and pitfalls, how and where to find it, and how to be successful in attracting it.

 

Praise for Money Magnet

 

"Every ambitious private business owner should understand the role of investors and how to attract them. Money Magnet is an indispensible guide to the process."
—Austen Beutel, Chairman and CEO, Oakwest Corporation Ltd.

 

"Don't put another nickel into your business until you have read this book. Money Magnet is Financing 101 for entrepreneurs and owners who want to grow their business."
—Greig Clark, Entrepreneur (College Pro Painters and Arxx Building Products) and Venture Capitalist (Horatio Enterprise Fund)

 

"Money Magnet begins with a startling proposition: some businesses succeed more than others simply because they know how to raise money. By sharing these processes, tools and secrets, Loewen is daring Canadian entrepreneurs to dream bigger than they've ever dreamed before."
—Rick Spence, Entrepreneurship Columnist for the National Post and PROFIT Magazine

Follow on Twitter @jacolineloewen
Money Magnet, by Jacoline Loewen, published by Wiley.

Billionaires share one characteristic: They were not born billionaires.

The following is an excerpt from the Bloomberg Markets article titled How UBS Became Home to Half the World’s Billionaires

By Elisa Martinuzzi and Joel Weber | October 3, 2017

BLOOMBERG MARKETS: Almost half the world’s billionaires bank with you. That’s a distinct set of clients. What have you learned from them?

SERGIO ERMOTTI, CEO of UBS Bank: It’s always fascinating to hear how they became so successful. When you look at billionaires, many of them share one characteristic: They were not born billionaires. I was in Asia recently, where I met a few, and they have quite impressive stories. It feels like the American dream, only it’s no longer just in America. The main lesson for me is that with passion, focus, vision, determination, you can do a lot.

BM Which trait most stands out?

SE You see a lot of passion for what they do. And the same level of focus. It’s quite clear that it’s not all about money. Of course some people care about that, but at the end of the day, they enjoy what they do.

BM How much time do you actually spend with clients?

SE Not as much as I would like. The most interesting discussions are actually when we are fortunate enough to bring them together. We organize events where our clients can get together. It’s also a way for them to foster a level of cooperation, of getting to know each other—which is important for business regardless of UBS being involved or not.

BM You’re like Tinder?

SE At these events we are a kind of sophisticated speed-­dating organizer, sure. It adds value for our clients. Take Art Basel. The idea is that people attend because they share a common interest, a passion. And while attending the events, maybe they start to talk about other issues or opportunities.

BM What did you think of UBS before you got here?

SE I thought it was an incredible franchise with almost 150 years of history that had survived a dramatic moment. My predecessors had stabilized things, but it was not clear yet what the path was going to look like going forward. I’ve always been impressed by the fact that, as bad as things got here, only 2 percent of clients closed their accounts. I figured the franchise and the quality of the people who are able to retain the clients during such a crisis must be extremely high. My view was, I want to be a part of this.
Bloomberg Markets: How would you describe your business today?

SE We are the undisputed global leader in wealth management. We think that this is a huge advantage. It’s a very fragmented market still. And if I look at our position and the growth expectations of wealth creation, which is expected to be twice as high as GDP, we should stay focused on doing this. Sell-side analysts, rating agencies, and the media still consider us an investment bank. I find it totally ridiculous. If you look at where our business comes from, we are basically the world’s most expensive investment bank and its cheapest asset manager.
BM What advice did you get when you arrived here?



Jacoline Loewen and team

SE Some competitors were telling me, “Shut down the investment bank; we’ll serve you.” They wanted to grab flows and build out their business. People also told me to sell Wealth Management Americas. My popularity would have soared, especially in Switzerland; UBS wouldn’t be where it is today; and I doubt I’d still be here. That was a defining moment—to say, These are businesses we can turn around. It was a good reminder that the consensus is not necessarily the right thing to do.

BM Was there a company, maybe even outside your industry, that you looked to for inspiration?

SE Not for strategy. But when I joined, I said I wanted UBS to be the Apple or the IBM of the financial-services industry: from glory, to near-death, and then back to glory.

Read Full article here
Follow on Twitter @Jacolineloewen

Fintech challenge finalists announced - 5 Canadian companies out of 11 finalists

Thank you again to all who applied to the UBS Future of Finance Challenge 2017. Please read the full Media Report here with links to all the global finalists.

Jacoline Loewen and team for FinTech

After careful consideration and collaboration, those listed below are the applicants who we feel currently have the highest potential to partner with UBS in one or more of our businesses globally.

We would like to extend our thanks again to all applicants, and remind you that although your application might not have been chosen this time, this does not preclude you from applying to any future Challenges.

Finalists from the Americas

1. Wondereur, Toronto
2. Inpher
3. Overbond, Toronto
4. Veriday, Toronto
5. Decipher Finance
6. Elsen
7. MindBridge Analytics, Toronto
8. Catalytic
9. Authomate
10. FinMason (FinRiver)
11. Global Regulation, Toronto

Twitter: @jacolineloewen
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