While serial entrepreneur Allen Lau knows first-hand how difficult it can be to build a startup, he also knows how rewarding the lessons brought with the highs — and the lows — can be.
“The number-one thing that stops people from starting a business is hesitation,” says Lau. “If you can overlook this, you can enjoy the journey. Many startups will fail, and it’s only natural, and it’s actually okay. The lessons that you learn through success and failure will be life-changing.”
Lau is the co-founder and CEO of Wattpad, a Toronto-based social story sharing app that connects readers and writers from around the world. Wattpad users can access multimedia stories from a variety of genres. If users can’t find exactly what they’re looking for, the app gives them the power to write and share that story themselves.
In this episode of Startup Canada Podcast, host Rivers Corbett chats with Lau, who is also an angel investor, about the keys to startup success, why Canada is the best place to start a business, and the importance of perseverance in the face of startup hardships.
The Startup Canada Podcast Show is a production of Startup Canada, a grassroots, entrepreneur-led movement to bring together, celebrate, and give a voice to Canada’s entrepreneurship community. On the podcast, award-winning entrepreneur host Rivers Corbett speaks with the movers and shakers of Canada’s entrepreneurship community to give a glimpse into the future of business, and share insights on everything from social innovation to the future of work, investing, and why we need to think bigger to take our businesses global. Join Rivers Corbett for new episodes every Tuesday airing at 10 AM ET for lessons, trends, and opportunities in entrepreneurship from Vancouver to Fredericton; and Israel to Peru.
You can find every episode of The Startup Canada Podcast Show at www.startupcan.ca/podcasts/.
