Frank O'Dea

Motivational >>>

The Spirit of the Entrepreneur

Frank shares with his audience how he started his various businesses. The engaging story of the early years of the Second Cup gives his listeners the inside story on the growth of a Canadian retail landmark. He also talks of the challenges that he overcame in starting Proshred Security, a document shredding service, before people knew they needed such a service. He will describe the unique solutions that he developed in financing very expensive, one-of-a-kind equipment that conventional lenders wouldn’t touch. The result became a national business stretching across Canada and into the USA and Europe. He will talk of his role in starting Samaritan Air, Ontario’s first fixed-wing air ambulance service, which expanded into a major emergency transporter of auto parts.

Bringing his entrepreneur spirit to the not-for-profit sector, Frank’s listeners will hear about the serendipitous meeting that became Street Kids International, and how War Child Canada came into existence, and how a late-night phone call from the Minister of External Affairs became the Canadian Landmine Foundation.

Tying all this together with his view on the three fundamentals that made all this work for him, Frank leaves his audience with fine examples of where one person can go, and provides a roadmap on how to get there.

The Power of HOPE - VISION - ACTION
(From the Bowery to the Boardroom)

With hope - all things become possible. With hope, one has the courage to change the present into a very different future. With hope, dreams are possible; With hope one has the persistence to follow the dream and with hope one can - and will - become much more than you ever dreamed possible.

Frank demonstrates this power by using his own story as a real-life experience of hope, courage, change and persistence. You will see from his biography that much has been accomplished. The story becomes remarkable when you add the real life story to that bio. In real life, Frank was in the bowery-- panhandling for nickels and dimes not so many years ago.

This is truly a motivational story. Audiences from all walks of life identify with this very real story of achievement, and Frank’s warm style convinces his audiences that he is speaking directly to them, personally.

Business >>>

Blue Ocean Strategy: Creating Uncontested Market Space and Making Competition Irrelevant

Frank O’Dea will introduce you to the powerful theory and practical applications of Blue Ocean Strategy, creating uncontested market space. These concepts are based on fifteen years of research across thirty industries by Professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne of the European business school, INSEAD.

In today’s overcrowded markets, competing head-to-head and searching for competitive advantage results in nothing but a bloody" red ocean" of rivals fighting for a shrinking pool of profit. You will be introduced to a radically different way of thinking about business strategy, and learn how companies have created "blue oceans" by challenging conventional assumptions about their industries and making the competition irrelevant. With actual examples of these companies that have created uncontested market space by rewriting the rules of established industries, the presentation will show you that the methodology exists, along with the tools, for companies to create their own "blue oceans".

The Move to Good Governance

Frank speaks on governance issues from his experience as a director of private companies, public companies, and not-for-profit organizations. As a successful independent businessman, Frank is in demand as an outside director, and serves on a number of boards. He first served as director in the early eighties and has been part of the move to good governance for a long time.

He will describe the "new boards" in the context of the "old boards" and what transpired in the 90’s. In addition, he will talk about how corporations are making the transition to the good governance model, how they are dealing with the cultural issues to make the conversion, and the benefits they are reaping from the changeover. Business audiences relate to what Frank has to offer because "he’s been there", talks their language and goes beyond theory into the day-to-day issues of the good governance model.

Frank O'Dea is represented by K&M Productions for speaking engagements. For more information and booking Frank O'Dea, simply contact us.