The first thing that a visitor notices walking in to Robert Herjavec's 22nd floor Toronto office is the bright windows along one side. Sailboats can be seen calmly drifting off the shore of Lake Ontario.

But it's the television mounted on another wall that has his attention this early afternoon. "Have you seen what's happening with the markets today?" he asks, gesturing toward the screen. World commodity markets - particularly in countries like China and Brazil - are plummeting in value.

It's a hard time for any investor, but Herjavec settles down in the chair behind his desk and relaxes. The CEO of technology company The Herjavec Group is clearly no stranger to difficult circumstances and managing to come out on top ...

1. I wanted to start off by asking you about when you were growing up, especially waiting tables in Toronto's upscale Yorkville district. When was the first time you showed an interest in being an entrepreneur?

Brennan O'Connor, Business Edge
Herjavec Group CEO Robert Herjavec has branched out into TV as one of the panelists in CBC's Dragons' Den business program.

"I didn't at that point, really. I was studying for a degree in English lit and political science. It was just knowing how to work hard, timing and knowing what people want."

2. What kind of an influence did your parents have on you as an entrepreneur and business person?

"I guess I have to say they did and they didn't. My dad was your typical blue collar, salt-of-the-earth type of person who was very hardworking. Both of my parents taught me early on that nothing is below you and you never look down on anyone. They weren't really an influence on me though, in the sense that no one in my family was ever an entrepreneur before. Statistics show 85 percent of all successful entrepreneurs have family members who were successful entrepreneurs. I didn't have anyone like that when I was younger."

3. What about other role models?

"There are all kinds out there like (Dell founder) Michael Dell, (Microsoft co-counder) Bill Gates, (Oracle co-founder and CEO) Larry Ellison ... who have the ability to create something (a company) out of nothing. Or they can morph into their current situation from a totally different company and turn things around."

4. What was the process like when you sold networking firm Brak Systems Inc., of which you were founder and CEO, to AT&T Canada in 2000?

"That was quite some time ago so I really don't remember that much about it. All I remember was that it was like having your child suddenly snatched from your bosom (laughs). It's hard when you work so much to build something up and then someone comes in and buys it from you just like that."

5. Tell me about when (Nokia bought Ramp Networks for $225 million). Did AT&T let them remain autonomous or did they have to conform to AT&T's style and corporate culture? (Note: Upon leaving AT&T, Herjavec took on the position of vice-president of worldwide sales for the publicly traded Ramp Networks, based in San Jose. He was involved in the $225-million sale of the company to Nokia in 2001.)

"The two company cultures were very similar, so it didn't require that much integration. Fortunately, AT&T was already a great place to work so it made that part of it easy."

6. When investors buy into a company, should they generally take a hands-off approach or have active involvement in the day-to-day decision making and how things are run?

Robert Herjavec

"I'm not a very good hands-off investor. My theory is that I have to know enough about the company so that if anything happened, I would be able to step in there tomorrow and run it. I want to know everything that's going on.

7. How did you first learn about the opportunity to be on CBC's Dragons' Den and what was the audition like?

"That's an interesting question. There wasn't really an audition.

Our old office used to be close to the CBC building. I already knew a lot of people through business connections and one morning I came in to work and found this package on my desk. There was a tape showing the U.K.

version of Dragons' Den. I thought they were looking for an investment or something. Later on, I had someone call me and ask if I would be interested in being on the Canadian version of the show that was starting up ... I remember when we first got together, one of the producers took me aside and told me to relax and lighten up; this was for entertainment purposes. I was firing questions like any potential investment and treating it like another business meeting."

8. How much do you learn about the entrepreneurs (called "pitchers") before you see them in front of you with the cameras rolling?

"That's something a lot of people don't seem to realize. We get nothing at all about the people before we see them inside the studio. You get our initial reactions when we hear about their business for the first time."

9. You made some formal remarks during the Dragons' Den season launch party here in Toronto that Canada's current economic turbulence might help the show's ratings. Can you tell me more about that?

"I think that entrepreneurs are a strong force when it comes to supporting the Canadian economy in general. When you have all of this uncertainty in global markets, there will be much more of a reliance on people with their own businesses."

10. What do you like the most about being on the Dragons' Den panel?

"That would definitely be the people we get to meet from across Canada on a regular basis. You've got some great business ideas out there and hard-working people who run them."

11. What do you like the least?

"The due diligence - all the meetings and conference calls back and forth afterwards to look after the details. What you see on the air is only a small portion of what goes on with the deal. There's still hours and hours of work that needs to be done after that."

12. Let me ask you about some of the more memorable pitchers that have appeared on Dragons' Den in the past. What about Jessica and Russell Bohrson of Atomic Tea in Calgary?

"Atomic Tea has a great presentation and an excellent product. I remember how I was thinking about it afterwards when I hopped in a cab outside the studio to go to a meeting. I told the cab driver about this great company I had just seen that offered all these kids of great teas. He said: 'Yeah, there's something very similar in the bottom of (a downtown Toronto office tower).' I had him turn around and take me there and sure enough, it was almost the identical concept to what they were proposing. Second would be the team from Job Loft. They were good guys who had a really sound business model and so much potential. I still think they're going to do well. Unfortunately, I think they got some bad advice from their professor who was advising them at the time."

13. Let me turn it over to you now. Who were some other memorable pitchers that have been on the show in the past?

"I thought you were going to say Bikini Weenie or the poor lady from the Czech Republic, when everyone said I made her cry. Those would definitely be on my list. Bikini Weenie was this woman from Ontario who wanted to sell hot dogs using staff who were wearing bikinis. She hadn't thought what she was going to do about the winter months. The lady from the Czech Republic had a cover that would keep bath water warm so your bathtub wouldn't get cold.

I didn't mean to upset her when I told her what I thought. Some people take it personally when you point out things about their particular business idea, and they shouldn't."

14. There have been a number of milestones in your career.

How do you define success, and at which point did you first reach it?

"Success to me is not about the cars or the mansion or any of the material things. It's about being the best you can every single day, at whatever you do. It's a feeling you get inside. I reached it a long time ago. It's hard to really define one point when that happened."

15. What are your goals for the upcoming year or so?

"To continue to grow the Herjavec Group as a successful company and make it a strong place to work for everyone here."

16. You live in a 50,000-sq.-ft.

mansion where Mick Jagger and Michael Bublé have stayed as guests, have a garage full of expensive cars and even your own private jet to take you on exotic vacations. How do you plan on rewarding yourself when you reach the next set of goals?

"Those are just things. It's more about constantly pursuing your goals and the feeling of achievement you get when you reach them."

17. I wanted to ask you about some of the many charities you support, like Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital. What made you decide to help them?

"They reach out and help a lot of people. I spent a lot of time there with my mom, just before she passed away from cancer. The staff at the hospital helped her in particular."

18. What about the (Toronto) Santa Claus parade's Celebrity Clown program?

"Oh, yeah. That was actually started by George Cohon of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada. Corporate executives make a donation to be included as part of the parade every year."

19. So you put on the clown wig and rubber nose and everything? Was it an amazing experience, seeing the kids' faces along the parade route?

"Well ... that's part of it. Did your parents take you to the Santa Claus parade when you were growing up? Mine never did. It's a really exciting time, I think, for all ages. I'm taking my teenage son this year. I'm not sure how much he's going to appreciate the parade, but he should at least experience it. I'm also a big supporter of (Toronto-based) Moorelands Community Services. They also do a lot of good work with kids (children and youth affected by poverty).

20. What would you like Canadians to know about you that perhaps they don't already?

"I'm exactly the person people see on Dragons' Den. People seem to find me very easy to talk to, no matter where I am. Since I've been on the show, people recognize me more and will come up to tell me about their life story or their own accomplishments. It's always good to talk to people - sometimes I'm in a hurry and don't have a lot of time - but I always try to listen. I think Canada is a great country where if you work hard, you can get ahead."

Herjavec Group

* Brass: Robert Herjavec, chief executive officer; Sean Higgins, chief technology officer; George Frempong, VP, sales, Central Canada; Robert Potvin, VP, sales, Eastern Canada; John Moy, director of finance.

* Profile: The Herjavec Group (THG) is an IT security/ infrastructure integration firm, specializing in security solutions, WAN acceleration and emerging technologies.

* Stats: The Herjavec Group is privately held, but during its first year of operation THG reported 2002 revenue of $434,192. Last year, revenue was listed at $16,867,445 (representing a 3,785-percent increase) and the company has told Profit magazine its profits are in the 0-10-percent range.

* Website: www.herjavecgroup.com * HQ: 1 Yonge Street, Suite 2204, Toronto, M5E 1E5. Phone: 1-888-611-3772

Robert Herjavec

* Title: CEO, Herjavec Group Inc.

* Born/ Raised/ Age: Croatia, Croatia/ Canada, 45 * Education: BA, University of Toronto * Family: Wife and kids (he declined to talk about his family) * Moonlighting: Dragons' Den TV show on CBC l Awards: Hot Growth 50 and Profit 100 (with Brak Systems Inc. and The Herjavec Group); Fastest Growing Security Company in Canada (with The Herjavec Group).

(David Hatton can be reached at hatton@businessedge.ca)