Some entrepreneurs get their start on Easy Street. Jay Garnett got his on a country road, hawking farm-fresh eggs at a roadside stand in Alberta.

For a pint-sized Calgary-area farmboy, money was scarce - so if Garnett wanted a new bike, he knew he had to take the bull by the horns. That meant doing whatever it took, be it raising laying hens, spinning records as a disc jockey on weekends or rolling up his sleeves as a farm labourer.

Today, Garnett credits his country roots for paving his road to success as one of Canada's most enterprising young entrepreneurs.

The 37-year-old Garnett is founder and president of the Whitefish Group, a dynamic international brand management company that established the Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC) brand in Canada. While Vancouver-based Whitefish Group was built primarily on its coffee business, originally known as the Snowbean Coffee Co., the company also markets several other established food and beverage brands, operates coffeeshops under the SBC brand and is a partner in Vancouver's trendy George lounge.

Bayne Stanley, Business Edge
From a henhouse to a marketing powerhouse, Whitefish Group founder and president Jay Garnett has built his career on food and beverage brands.

Indeed, Garnett has come a long way from those humble roots as an egg salesman.

1. What was your boyhood dream?

"I wanted to play basketball professionally. I spent a lot of time shooting hoops and thinking that would be a great life. I really liked watching the good teams like the (Boston) Celtics with (Larry) Bird and (Kevin) McHale and the (Los Angeles) Lakers with Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) and Magic (Earvin Johnson). I loved the teams that were unstoppable. We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, so I made my own money for things like a new mountain bike or dirt bike. I had chickens that I took care of and I sold the eggs to the neighbours, friends and family. I also did a lot of work on the neighbouring farms."

2. Where do you think your entrepreneurial spirit came from?

"My dad (Geoff Sturgeon) was very entrepreneurial. My mom and my dad split up when I was very young and I grew up with my stepdad. I spend a lot of time with my natural dad now, but I didn't really realize how genetic entrepreneurism can be. In the 1970s, he was with Century 21 and did a lot of real estate development."

3. What was your first job after high school?

"I was a disc jockey. I started doing that on weekends while I was in high school, working weddings and that sort of thing. Then I took a job as a DJ in a nightclub and, through a friend of the family, ended up doing the night shift on a radio station in Calgary from midnight to 5 a.m. I then worked at some smaller radio stations in B.C. in places like Hope and Kelowna. I moved to Vancouver in the 1990s to work in broadcasting, hoping to work in voice-over and animated production. I kind of waitered like everybody else to support the dream. I worked with Earl's (Restaurant) for a couple of years. I had a whole bunch of ideas that I thought that restaurant should do, and of course, it didn't really fit their model. Looking back, they absolutely made the right decisions, but at the time I was young and bulletproof and thought I had some great ideas. We came to loggerheads and I said, 'Well, if you don't want to do it, I'm going to quit.' They said, 'Thank you very much.' And it's probably the best thing that ever happened to me."

4. So where did you go from there?

"After travelling to Seattle, I started to write a business plan for a mobile coffee-cart business for Vancouver. I discovered that I wasn't going to be able to do it for bylaw reasons. So I evolved it into a coffeehouse plan. I built a coffeehouse in late '93 in the Kitsilano Beach area of Vancouver (Snowbean Coffee Co.). There were only three Starbucks in the Vancouver area at the time and I realized that I needed a strong branded coffee partner for that business. I met the people from Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC) and I thought it was a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the challenge became that they weren't really an exporter and didn't really know how to do it, so I became an importer and kind of quasi-distributor to myself. I then asked them if I could sell the coffee to a couple of other guys, so I could at least split the cost of shipping and delivery and other stuff. In the course of three years, we went from a 90-day agreement for downtown Vancouver to a six-month agreement for all of Vancouver, to deals for Western Canada and then to all of Canada. We still control all of the sales, marketing and distribution for all of Canada."

5. What was it about the SBC brand that initially appealed to you?

"The people were great and the branding was very strong. While Starbucks owned green (branding), SBC owned red at the time. They had a simple logo and very simple philosophy of 'just great coffee.' There were no fancy logos or fancy slogans. It was really just about what was in the cup and that really resonated with me at the time."

6. Can you learn from a company such as Starbucks (which now owns the SBC brand)?

"I learn things every day from them. I think they do an amazing job from a brand-marketing position on business decisions. To be frank, I learn a lot of things from a lot of big companies about what not to do, as well. We have this philosophy that says, 'Better today than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.' So you try to take a look at what other companies and competitors are doing right and try and replicate that. And you look at what they're doing wrong and make sure you don't fall into the same traps."

7. What specifically can you learn from Starbucks?

"I can learn great lessons on time and value of resources. I watch the hierarchy of their decision-making and I think there's far too many layers, which I think allows too much back-covering in the middle-manager area. I ask how I can learn to put my resources as a small company towards my best opportunities and also ensure that all of the people on my team have the authority and the accountability to make decisions, so that they're not spending all of their time just mucking in middle management. Right now, we're in about the fifth year of a 20-year contract for the SBC brand in Canada. By and large, I'd say it (Starbucks influence) is more positive than it is negative. Obviously, there are some challenges with the situation where the company that was your biggest competitor is now kind of your parent. That took some time for us to deal with and it was the same for them. I've gone through four owners with SBC and we've done nothing but grown the brand, from nothing to $13 odd million (annual sales) and triple-digit growth for a decade. And every time a new company takes over the brand they always question whether we're the right company."

8. Is SBC the most lucrative of the brands that you're currently developing?

"It is, because we've had the SBC brand for 13 years. However, some of the other brands are relatively new and I'd have to say that, given equal time or even less time, some of the other brands could become even stronger (than SBC) in the marketplace."

9. Why did you recently become involved as a partner in George?

"Having the lounge is a lot like having the coffee cafes for us. It allows us a very public and open trial and testing ground for our alcohol brands. We tell our customers on the wholesale side of the coffee business that we're a cafe-based wholesaler. We tell them that we've put some of these things into practice and we can give you information for you to be successful with this brand. And in essence, that's what we're doing a little bit with the lounge business as well. The lounge business is only about nine months old so we don't have a ton of experience with that yet. But that's our goal."

10. Which of your brands has the most growth potential?

"I think from a consumer standpoint it's probably either Stirrings (a line of mixers and other products that complement spirits) or Santa Vittoria (a line of water products). Water has triple-digit growth for the last decade. It's just unbelievable. So we'll be expanding into the U.S. to help grow that brand. Our nutraceutical and vitamin supplement line (Berry Wise) also has strong potential. We have the North American rights for that and it's a $20-billion (US) industry in the U.S. alone. I also think that True Lemon (a crystallized lemon substitute) has the ability to become one of those products that becomes like Sweet 'N Low and a table-top packet that will just become commonplace five years from now."

11. What's your long-term vision for the Whitefish Group?

"The long-term goal is integrated brand management. By that, I mean there are usually three channels of business whereby there is control of the brand. And that's with the manufacturer, the sales marketing distributor in the middle and the retailer at the end. And my goal on some level for Whitefish will be to have the brands that we represent at all three levels. Currently, with our lounge and our coffeeshops, we have the retail sales and the sales marketing distribution. We won't necessarily be looking at marketing all brands at all three levels, but we'll look at doing some private labels and also creating some of our own brands."

12. What are your specific goals in terms of revenue (the Whitefish Group's revenue was about $17 million last year)?

"I think ultimately our goal is to represent five of the top consumer-based brands in North America. I'm not a big dollar guy, whether it's going to $100 million (business), $200 million or $20 million. I'm not exactly sure of that answer. I think from a business standpoint I'd rather have a $20-million (business) that makes money than a $100-million business that doesn't. So I think it'll have to grow properly, which is about culturally providing opportunities for people, training, growth and not leaving people behind. You have to make sure you're profitable because that's how you can do a whole bunch of things. But we also want to be good corporate citizens. We do a lot of good stuff in the community and I'd want to make sure that we can continue (that) rather than solely focusing on the bottom line or the dollar."

13. What are the most important lessons you've learned in business?

"One is integrity without compromise. My dad told me when I was very young that when you die, the only thing you'll ever have is your word. I've been in business for 13 years, which isn't that long, but it's amazing to me the connectivity that there is with all of the brands and the businesses and the people we've worked with over time. People you have relationships with go away and come back. Maybe you were dealing with one customer who was closing up their business. How you carried yourself in that situation is very important, because that person does not just disappear off the face of the earth, they evolve into something else. I think you have to be consistent all the way through your business dealings. Probably the most important thing I've ever learned is that everything is relatable. I never had post-secondary education but I've spent a lot of time learning businesses from different levels, like being a waiter or a busboy or a manager or a stockboy. Now that I'm a CEO, I think my warehousing and distribution team has a lot more respect for me. Rather than being a pencil pusher, I'm a guy that actually designed the routes and the vans and the warehouse racking systems, mainly because I did it myself for years. I think that ability to relate experience is very important."

14. What's the best thing about being an entrepreneur?

"I'm a very creative person and I love finding solutions for things and, failing that, trying to take it apart and build it back together again. And being an entrepreneur and owning my own business has given me that ability to constantly create, which really makes me happy."

15. How would you describe your leadership style?

"My style is more in leading by example, versus a dictator type of style. If we're setting up at a tradeshow, I'm moving the boxes and helping the guys and doing all the rest of the stuff as opposed to the president that comes in with his suit and tie after everything is set up and shakes hands."

16. What's the key to hiring quality staff and getting the most out of them?

"I ask a lot of people questions about positions they've had, what they're applying for and try to lead them a little bit to see if they can grab some relevant experience in things they've done, whether it's sales or accounting or whatever they're being hired for. That helps me determine whether they can handle certain situations. You try and get them to be excited about what they're doing. Whitefish is not one of those companies where there's a really clear job description and growth pattern like a GE (General Electric) type of company. We've had baristas that became store managers that became receptionists that became customer service reps that became account co-ordinators. We have drivers in sales. We have retail managers in the warehouse. We've had one of our account managers go into accounting. It's really a matter of finding great people with that great attitude that love to try, put a lot of energy forward and lead by example."

17. How much money do you need to make in your lifetime to be satisfied?

"I think I've already done it, to be perfectly honest. I've got a couple of beautiful children, I've got a beautiful wife and I've got a great house. I'm very fortunate. I have guys that tell me, 'Gosh, you've got an expensive car (Aston-Martin sports car).' I say, 'OK, you just bought a $500 bottle of wine.' Show me the relevance, kind of thing. It's all what you like. I don't know if I have an extravagant lifestyle."

18. Who's the entrepreneur with whom you'd walk over hot coals in bare feet to have coffee?

"Richard Branson (the flamboyant British entrepreneur). I'd ask him when we're going to work together, because one of my goals is to have a joint venture with Virgin (Branson's brand of companies). That's one of my personal goals, to be in business with him. And I've actually worked on a couple of different (joint venture) business plans for him, but never thought it was the right opportunity. What Branson does appeals to me. People ask him, 'Can the Virgin name be on everything and you're in all these different businesses and how does that go together?' And he says if we really like those businesses, we enjoy it and if something actually happens, and we take care of all of our suppliers and pay back all of our employees and say we tried, and nobody gets hurt, does anybody really get bothered that we tried to do that business? Richard would tell you that whether it was records or airlines or lingerie or rental cars, the principle of why he got into those industries was always the same. I like a lot of what he says."

19. Do you think you'll be still working when you're Jimmy Pattison's age (the CEO of the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group is 77)?

"Oh, gosh, I hope I'm retired by Jimmy's age. But it's one of those things. I don't think your mind ever stops. And I have one goal of no more (working) Mondays by the time I'm 40. The main reason for that is really just to try and have that great weekend with my family and then continue that by being a part of my kids' school on Mondays. I take weekends off and I force my entire company to take weekends off. My Blackberry (e-mail device) is always on my hip and my ideas are always going down on weekends because a lot of our brands are around the world. But I can still be at the soccer field with my daughter and type a quick e-mail and say, 'Let's talk about that tomorrow.' " 20. God taps you on the shoulder and says you can change one thing in your life. What would it be?

"I don't know if I'd change anything in my life because I'm the sum of all my experiences and it makes me who I am today. I've had lots of times that I've fallen, but I think that I've gotten up every time. I think a great lesson that I learned as a kid on the farm was to keep it between the ditches. I was driving a car home one night from a party and a police officer pulled me over. This is a cop that knows my family. I was just trying to sneak home on the back roads. He looked at me and said, 'Can you keep it between the ditches on the way home?' And I said, 'Yes sir, I can.' He followed me all the way to my gate and never said a thing about it. So I always think, can you keep it between the ditches? You can't be perfect all the time.

I think the failures are on either side and it's about trying to find your way in the middle."

Jay Garnett

* Title: President, Whitefish Group.

* Born/raised/age: Edmonton/Calgary area/37.

* Education: High school.

* Career: In 1993, Garnett founded the Snowbean Coffee Co., which later become the Whitefish Group.

* Moonlighting: Garnett is a partner in one of Vancouver's newest lounges, George.

* Accolades: Garnett was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005.

* First Job: Disc jockey.

* Boyhood nickname: Whitefish.

* Favourite entrepreneur: Sir Richard Branson.

* Favourite movie: The Usual Suspects.

* Drives to work in: 2000 Aston-Martin sports car.

* Favourite escape: Family getaways to the cottage.

* Recommended Business Book: Good to Great, by Jim Collins.

Whitefish Group

* Brass: Jay Garnett, president; Dean Medwid, vice-president, sales; Don Rankin, VP, business development; Dan Gomes, VP, finance; Stacie Osborne, VP, retail.

* Profile: The Whitefish Group, founded in 1993 as the Snowbean Coffee Co., is an integrated brand-management company that markets food and beverage brands and owns the Canadian distribution rights for Seattle's Best Coffee (SBC). The company also operates coffeeshops under the SBC brand.

* Key brands: Seattle's Best Coffee, Sugar Foods, Santa Vittoria, Stirrings, Big Train, Krusovice, David Rio Fine Teas, Berry Wise, True Lemon, Sencha Naturals, Golden Walnut.

* Key clients: Mac's, Intrawest, Overwaitea, Save-On Foods, IGA.

* Coffee buzz: Whitefish has become a mainstay on Profit magazine's list of Canada's fastest-growing companies and ranked 28th on that list in 2005.

* Website: www.whitefishgroup.com

* Head office: Suite 300, 970 Homer St., Vancouver. V6B 2W7.

* Phone/Fax: 604-685-8686/685-9011.

* Regional offices: Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton.

(Gyle Konotopetz can be reached at gyle@businessedge.ca)