17 QUESTIONS
With Erin Dunham The Other Bird
WHO
Erin Dunham
COMPANY
CEO and Co-founder
TITLE
The Other Bird
LOCATION
Hamilton, Burlington and Paris, Ont.
1 If you could pick anyone, who would you pick as a business mentor?
I did pick someone! My business mentor is George McCarter. He has grown a business successfully while managing to have an incredible personal life with an amazing wife and family. Also, he is a very cool and down to earth guy.
2 What advice have you received that has helped you the most?
Advice I received many years ago was to act like a man in business. Mimic their confidence, appearance of being hyperrational and ability to leave emotions out of decisions. That was so long ago and it worked for me. But now I just act like a strong woman — the person I was being all along when I thought I was imitating men.
3 What would you do if you felt no fear?
That would be scary, as my fear is the thing that controls me and guides me safely through the world. I would most likely get a friend to lock me in a cage.
4 What makes you laugh?
People I love doing stupid things, like hurting themselves or making simple errors. (Yes, I laugh at their misfortunes.) (No, I am not above that.)
5 What is your favourite spot in Hamilton?
It is a cliff off of the Bruce Trail that is hard to get to but overlooks the entire city and is just the best place to realize how insignificant you are.
6 What is your guilty pleasure?
Cigars. Red wine. Gambling. You meant guilty pleasures, right?
7 What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
I was a nanny. That if you screw up bad enough, you can kill someone, so don’t screw up.
8 What’s your favourite meal to make or eat at a restaurant?
Tournedos Rossini (veal tenderloin, with foie gras and truffles).
9 What makes you nervous?
A pit full of snakes.
10 How do you motivate people?
By respecting and supporting them and throwing really good parties.
11 What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who don’t respect other people, whether it is in a restaurant, on the road, or any day-to-day experience.
12 What are you good at?
Self-deprecation.
13 What do you want to work on?
Time management. I plan on having a personal life again someday.
14 Do you have any career regrets?
I am going to say no. Sure, there are little things that I may have changed if I were to redo them but overall I am very happy with how we have grown and evolved as a company.
15 What is Hamilton’s most valuable asset?
Its citizens. Hamilton’s culture is not defined by geography, its infrastructure, or its government. The people that call this city home have defined it through the music they make, the art they create, the businesses they build and the unique personalities they have.
16 What is the city’s biggest liability?
City hall. Some people are working hard to better their processes and methods but they have a battle ahead of them.
17 What is the biggest challenge for small to medium-sized businesses today?
The biggest challenge I have found is when you cross the threshold from small to medium business and you need support positions that don’t create revenue. For example, our office went from just having me in it doing the administrative functions when we had 30 employees to an office of 10 staff supporting our 150 employees. It’s a really hard and costly transition, but, once you get through it on the other side, your business is better for it.