{"id":2178,"date":"2017-12-13T20:06:12","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T01:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/?p=2178"},"modified":"2024-02-13T11:51:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T16:51:00","slug":"mentor-spotlight-qa-with-brian-scharfstein-of-canadian-footwear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/blog\/mentor-spotlight-qa-with-brian-scharfstein-of-canadian-footwear\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentor Spotlight: Q&A with Brian Scharfstein of Canadian Footwear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here at Futurpreneur, we are big believers in the power of mentorship.<\/p>\n

The right mentor can help a young entrepreneur turn a burgeoning business into a successful enterprise.<\/p>\n

Brian Scharfstein is just one of the many mentors volunteering their time to support new Canadian business owners. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, He is the principal owner of Canadian Footwear<\/a> and the FootHealth Centre in Winnipeg and Calgary. Brian’s passion for footwear and foot care dates to his childhood as his family owned a footwear business.<\/p>\n

We caught up with Brian to learn more about him, his experience and his passion for mentorship.<\/p>\n

Tell me a bit about yourself. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I have been self-employed in Winnipeg for approximately fifty years. I have been a chronic entrepreneur since I was seventeen years old. I have both successfully and unsuccessfully run a number of businesses. My formal education really did not begin until I was forty years old. Brand building, Marketing, and promoting my businesses have always been my specialty.<\/p>\n

Tell me about your experience and career path.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I started my sales career buying outdoor clothing and footwear, then traveling to northern communities selling my products. I opened my first wholesale distribution company when I was seventeen. Shortly after that, I opened my first retail outlet. I constantly marketed and promoted sales events. Retail has always been in my blood. In the 1980s, I took a short sabbatical and sold both residential and commercial real estate. In 2000, I achieved my designation as a Certified Pedorthist (Canada). Combining my new profession and my retail experience, I bought Canadian Footwear.<\/p>\n

What made you want to become a mentor?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The best way to learn is to help others. Mentoring has gifted me the opportunity to challenge myself and others.<\/p>\n

What has been the most rewarding part about being a mentor? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Investing my time in listening and sharing the ideas that entrepreneurs are so passionate about, provides me with the fuel to continue to grow my interests in business.<\/p>\n

What has been the biggest challenge of mentoring? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The biggest challenge is finding the right mentee. A bad match is not a good thing.<\/p>\n

Why do you feel it\u2019s important young entrepreneurs have mentors?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Everyone should have a sounding board. It can be a small selected group or one person. Mentors provide the opportunity to reflect and self-examine.<\/p>\n

Why would you recommend that other people become mentors?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Being a mentor keeps you on your toes all the time. Mentoring is inspiring.<\/p>\n

What do you feel makes a successful mentor\/mentee relationship?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When both the mentor and mentee are willing to listen to each other, then you have half of the recipe for success. The other half requires a proper plan for the process.<\/p>\n

Anything else you\u2019d like to add? <\/strong><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve heard this before. Remember your personal strength. Success is based on relationships and experiences. Always be honest and sell yourself first. You are the primary brand in your business.<\/p>\n

Interested in becoming a volunteer business mentor? Click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written by: Jasmine Williams, Social Media and Content Specialist, Futurpreneur Canada<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brian Scharfstein is just one of the many mentors volunteering their time to support new Canadian business owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-futurpreneurs-and-partners","category-mentoring"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2178\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}