We had the good fortune of connecting with Neil Morton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Neil, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love risk. Every venture I’ve started on my own or with others has had an aspect of, “Let’s roll the dice here.” Sure, some risk mitigation and due diligence and market research has to go into any business/project you are starting big or small, but utimately you have to follow your instincts and just go for it. You can over-think an idea to death — analysis paralysis — before it even begins. Give yourself a chance. Bet on yourself and others. Start by starting. The worse that could go wrong is you never tried.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Storytelling and communication. I’ve always had passion for these, and they have greatly shaped bringing my ideas to life. All my learnings from my days as a magazine Editor in Toronto shaped the ventures I’ve been involved with… PTBOCanada.com, StudioPTBO.com, Electric City FC, United Way of Peterborough Chair, the book I co-authored with Cody May, “What If You Could?”. Life is fundamentally about telling a story, telling your story, whether it’s about you as a person, your organization, your business, your project. It’s also about listening to other people’s stories. And the way to do that is on social media, on blogs, vlogs, podcasts, over coffee, at networking events, the watercooler, the pub, whereever, whenever. The best way to grow a venture is to tell your story. This attracts the right people to what you’re doing and repels others who don’t fit. Telling your story creates comfort food for prospective customers/clients/consumers. Be authentic, be creative, be you.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Man, I’d watch them fall in love with my city Peterborough, quickly, and its incredible amenities tucked away from other big cities in the beautiful Kawarthas, where greenery and lakes abound. I’d take them to the The Canadian Canoe Museum, then the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site (through the one-lane tunnel where you honk, and down the hydraulic lifts by boat).

Depending on the season, I’d take them to an Electric City FC game at Fleming College, a Peterborough Petes hockey game, a Peterborough Lakers lacrosse game. I’d take them to a concert downtown at Market Hall, Showplace, Gordon Best Theatre, and in summer to Peterborough Musicfest on the banks of Little Lake. I’d take them to one of our delicious pubs, and blow their mind on Hunter Street, one of my fave streets in the world — Only Cafe, Gerti’s, Black Honey Cafe, East City Coffee, etc. I’d take them biking in Jackson Park/Trans Canada Trail, hiking on Harold Town Conservation Trail and Trent Wildlife Sanctuary. I’d take them canoeing on Stoney Lake where my cottage is, and we’d canoe up to Silver Bean Cafe, a waterfront cafe on Otonabee River. I’d take them to Trent University, where the famous Head of the Trent regatta is every year. It’s endless what we’d do.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest influence in my life has been my community in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. It has impacted and inspired me in countless ways. There are so many entrepreneurs, innovators, positive disruptors and collaborators here. So many networks here that build relationship capital for you and others. Someone needs to write a book about this place or produce a Netflix series.

People often remark how there aren’t silos here, how everyone works together for the common good. A river flows through this city, and I think that brings us energy and vitality and the want to push forward and create and see what we can pull off next.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neildmorton/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-morton-6a41b1b/?originalSubdomain=ca

Twitter: https://twitter.com/neilmorton

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@neildmorton?lang=en

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