The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, centre, Calgary Midnapore MP Stephanie Kusie, far left, and Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Francesco Sorbara, right joined Andrea Stairs, General Manager of eBay Canada & Latin America, centre left, in celebrating innovative Canadian small and medium-sized businesses at the 14th annual eBay Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Ottawa on Wednesday evening. This year’s winners include, from left to right: Nima Tahmassbi of Montreal, Quebec, Mike Maguire of Woodlawn, Ontario; and Matthew Dirk of Calgary, Alberta. Absent from the photo is London-Fanshaw MP Irene Mathyssen.
Yesterday, eBay Canada, along with the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) at the 14th annual eBay Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. The awards ceremony recognized outstanding retail SMBs who have built robust, successful businesses by effectively leveraging ecommerce, among other growth strategies. Along with Minister Ng, who delivered the opening remarks, three additional Members of Canadian Parliament were onsite to present awards recognizing outstanding achievements in global trade, integration of sales platforms, and overall entrepreneurial success. “Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. It is wonderful to see Canadian business owners leveraging e-commerce to reach new customers,” said Minister Ng. “When small and medium sized businesses succeed, everyone succeeds.”
These 2018 winners, along with previous award recipients, joined Minister Ng and colleagues for a roundtable discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian retail SMBs. Sentiment from the meeting was reflective of a recent Leger survey of Canadian retail SMBs that revealed the vast majority (93%) identified at least one challenge in growing their business in 2018 and 2019, yet overall optimism among this group continues to increase. Notably, SMBs who sell on eBay are more optimistic than their counterparts. “Technologies such as e-commerce and online marketplaces are modernizing and democratizing trade, creating optimistic environments and growth opportunities for Canadian retail businesses of all shapes and sizes,” said Andrea Stairs, General Manager of eBay Canada & Latin America. “This year’s Entrepreneur of the Year winners exemplify the big success that small businesses can acheive through participating in modern trade practices, and we’re thrilled to recognize the incredible achievements of our Canadian eBay seller community.”
This year’s winners were:
Micro-Multinational Entrepreneur of the Year: Mike Maguire, Woodlawn, Ontario (eBay ID: motomike_canada)
After running a pizza shop in Ottawa, Ontario for a decade, Mike traded in his apron to pursue his passion for cars. He got a position in the parts department of a local car dealership where his entrepreneurial instinct led him to opening an eBay store to sell the company’s deadstock inventory. Realizing that he could further capitalize on his interest and expertise in sourcing motorcycle and car parts, Mike left the dealership a couple of years later to embark on his own eBay venture. Clearing off shelves in his own garage for his new business, he began sourcing rare, obsolete and liquidated parts for cars and motorcycles and created eBay listings that offered international shipping. Quickly, he found himself selling to customers across the globe, and today over 75 per cent of Mike’s sales are to buyers in international markets including Japan, France, Germany and the UK.
Integrated Entrepreneur of the Year: Matt Dirk, Calgary, Alberta (eBay ID: silvergoldbull)
When Matthew joined the Silver Gold Bull team in Calgary, he had one objective – expand the bullion business’s online presence to broaden their customer base. He believed bullion, a traditional business-to-business industry, was primed to tap into the consumer market thanks to ecommerce, and he saw an opportunity to show consumers how purchasing precious metals could be both fun as well as a smart, secure investment. While Silver Gold Bull was selling to traditional clients through their own website and over the phone, Matthew saw eBay as the right channel to penetrate the untapped consumer market. He initially established a store on eBay.ca, offering bullion products with consumer appeal. To continue the growth and amplify the company’s international presence, Matthew opened an additional store on eBay.com to cater to US customers and has plans to open additional eBay stores soon. The company’s online sales are up 400 per cent with total eBay sales anticipated to hit the $8 million mark by the end of the year.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Nima Tahmassbi, Montréal, Québec (eBay ID: sogoodtobuy)
In 2006, Nima began selling car accessories on eBay to support himself while finishing his university degree in Montréal. As a result of his early online success, Nima was offered North American distribution rights for a manufacturer of air conditioners and ductless heat pumps. Though cost-effectively shipping large appliances would be difficult, Nima saw the category as an unexplored area of opportunity. The business started taking off in 2008, but shortly after, it was hit by the effects of a recession when the manufacturer went out of business. Nima reacted by finding a new supplier, but this time around he created his own in-house brand to protect his business from future manufacturer changes, as well as give him the freedom to expand his brand’s product offerings. Today, Nima runs a multi-channel, multi-million-dollar business, operating out of four warehouses across North America. His once side business on eBay has become Canada’s top online air conditioner brand.
Congratulations to all three winners!