248: Nigel Bennett — Make a Difference

Feb 24, 2021

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Today’s guest has devoted his life to environmental and social responsibility projects and boldly advocates for “risking it all for what really matters,” Here’s how you can think about your business and how it interacts with a purpose-driven mission a little bit differently on this week’s show!

Nigel Bennett is also the Co-Founder of Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc., where he and his company recently received the RuleBreaker Award for game-changing innovation in oil spill response technology. Nigel received the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award and he is also the author of Take That Leap: Risking It All for What Really Matters.

Nigel has set up his business to run without him back in 2012 and he has been able to exit his position as CEO without selling his business. The older Nigel gets, he realizes it’s all about living with purpose and leveraging his business to have purpose.

Nigel was on a trip to take photographs of an oil spill for his father’s oil spill contingency planning company, and the helicopter pilot, a Vietnam vet, told Nigel that he didn’t think he could make a difference. This struck him at a young age and suddenly Nigel had something to prove. He quit his father’s company and set himself on a different path.

For 20 years, Nigel was just putting out fires in his business. It was complete hell. He would only think about whether he would make payroll. He had young kids, he didn’t have room to “screw around” when he was in this business. However, when he joined the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, he found himself with a support group of like-minded individuals, and things began to change in a profound way.

Interview Links: