Case studies: Managing for success

Case studies have long been recognized as an effective method for gaining a better understanding of the real-life strategies and tactics entrepreneurs and business owners have used to manage their companies

On behalf of Industry Canada, the LMDC contracted Laurie Jones, of Whalebone Productions Ltd., to prepare the following case studies. These studies shed light on how some successful Canadian entrepreneurs deal with common business issues ranging from innovation, export development, and growth management, to human resource management, succession planning, and creative financing.

The case studies are also posted on Industry Canada’s “Managing for Business Success” website, a web portal for owners and managers of small and medium-sized businesses who need sources of practical information, tools and advice for just-in-time solutions to their management challenges in such areas as marketing and sales, finance, human resources, leadership, innovation and technology.

For more tools and resources, visit Industry Canada's "Managing for Business Success" website.

 
1-800-Got-Junk?: Branding Professionalism
(November 2006)
[HTML] [PDF : 151 KB]
When Brian Scudamore began hauling junk in 1989, he had no idea that, by 2005, his company would grow to become the world's largest junk removal company, with more than $66.2 million in sales and franchises in Canada, the United States and Australia. How did he do it? By professionally branding the junk removal industry.

 
Blue Falls Manufacturing/Arctic Spas: Turning Market Knowledge into a Competitive Edge
(November 2006)
[HTML] [PDF : 150 KB]
In 1997, five co-workers got together to purchase a company that made hot tubs. In less than 10 years, the company grew from a small, regional player to a large, well-branded company (Arctic Spas) with worldwide sales of $65 million. Their success is due to a thorough understanding of the market, and a commitment to research and development.

 

Great Little Box Company: A Team Approach to Success
(December 2005)
[HTML] [PDF : 46.7 KB]
Robert Meggy purchased the Great Little Box Company in 1982, just before the economy took a turn for the worse. By 2005, the company had grown to become the largest independent corrugated-sheet plant in Western Canada. Meggy credits his company’s success to his employees and to taking a team approach to business.

 

 
Redknee Solutions Inc.: Planning for Success

(December 2005)
[HTML] [PDF : 38.4 KB]
A clearly defined business strategy has put Redknee Solutions on the fast track to becoming a global leader in software solutions for the wireless market. Redknee was started in 1999 by Lucas Skoczkowski and three colleagues. By 2005, the company had $32 million in sales and offices in several countries around the world.

 

 

  Robeez Footwear: Better by Design

(November 2006)
[HTML] [PDF : 138 KB]
Unable to find baby shoes that would stay on her son’s feet, Sandra Wilson designed her own – soft-soled leather booties that wouldn’t slip off. They were a hit with young mothers, and Sandra went on to build a successful home-based business that would become a $28 million company. The key? A focus on well-designed products.

 
  Komunik: Growth Through Mergers and Acquisitions
(December 2005)
[PDF : 33.5 KB]
Komunik has ambitious plans to become an international leader in Internet marketing. The company started out as a division of a website-consulting firm founded in 1997 by the two partners. By the end of 2000, the partners realized that, to take their company to the next level, they needed a strategy to manage their growth.

 
  Magnotta: Breaking New Ground with Innovative Marketing Strategies
(December 2005)
[HTML] [PDF : 31.8 KB]
Just before Gabe and Rossana Magnotta were to release the first bottles of wine from their new winery, they learned that Ontario's liquor agency had dropped their wines from its retail stores. It was a devastating blow, but the the Magnottas used the setback to look for other, more creative opportunities to get their wine into the hands of consumers.

 
 
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