Business owner by age nine, CEO proves an early start helps
Former cheerleader and model now boss
National Post (September 29, 2007)
By Libby Znaimer
Farah Perelmuter is the CEO and co-founder of Speakers' Spotlight, a speakers bureau that represents and books public figures and inspiring individuals to speak at events around the world. The company has annual revenues of more than $8-million.
Q What time do you start?
A My husband, Martin, and I drop off our children at school before going to the office, so we're in by about 8:45 a.m. Now that our children are both in school full days, I am in the office until about 7 p.m.
Q How often do you take work home?
A I try to never take work home--our young children come first.
Q How many people work for you?
A There are 21 employees. I work in varying capacities with everyone.
Q What do you wear?
A I think my look is funky, sometimes classic with a twist. My new thing is comfortable shoes. What a concept!
Q How much time do you spend on your cellphone and BlackBerry?
A My cellphone was recently stolen and I just can't function without it. I am often running around the city and constantly taking calls and e-mails from the office. I also like to be accessible in case my children need to reach me.
Q Do you ever turn these devices off ?
A My family and I spend a lot of time in Muskoka. Martin has a rule of not bringing his cellphone and BlackBerry. I was recently busted for using mine. No, I don't turn it off.
Q Are you a workaholic?
A I don't know. Some of my relatives and friends can't understand why I choose to work so much. I create work for myself. But I love it and find it invigorating. My work gives me energy. But I don't think I'ma workaholic because I believe that I have my priorities in the right place. I would pass on an invitation to go to an important power lunch in a minute to instead tell a story to my child's class and have done so many times.
Q Does your family think you work too much?
A I don't think so because I still spend a lot of time with my children, from driving carpools to volunteering at their school. I'm home almost every evening and weekends. I hope that as they grow up, they will be proud of their working mommy and all she has accomplished.
Q As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A Aside from being a cheerleader and a model-- which I was, surprisingly --I always knew I wanted my own business. I started my first business when I was nine years old.
Q Were you good at math?
A I hated math and I wasn't good at it. But when it came time to go to university, and knowing that I eventually wanted to go into business, I forced myself to take calculus, linear algebra, economics, statistics. I don't know what possessed me, but I ended up doing quite well. After that I believed I could accomplish anything.
Q Is your desk messy or neat? What's on it?
A Neat, more or less. Right now I have lots of paperwork, some books by potential speakers, my notes from a recent meeting, some notes for a meeting I'm having later today, pictures of my kids (Jade and Cole), pictures of me with some of our speakers, some light bulbs I need to replace and, of course, my coffee and chocolate bar.
Q Do you clear everything off before leaving each day?
A I put it all in neat piles.
Q What's the best part of your job?
A I can discuss politics with a former prime minister, talk about sports with Olympic gold medallists, listen to stories from the world's most daring adventurers, explore business strategies with the most acclaimed business authors and laugh with the funniest comedians. How lucky am I?
Q What's the most boring/ worst part of your job?
A Working with my husband --just kidding. The worst part of my job is having to tell 99% of the speakers that come to us that we can't represent them.
Q What's your pet peeve?
A Spelling mistakes, flip-flops at the office and having the television on when socializing.
Q What are your favourite places for lunch?
A I love going to the Spoke Club when I'm working and United Bakers on Bathurst Street (in Toronto) when I'm with friends or my kids.
Q Do you have hobbies, sports or a fitness routine?
A I try to play tennis once a week. My friends are laughing now because they know how many weeks I have missed.
Q Do you do any charitable work?
A Through the Speakers' Spotlight showcases we have been able to accomplish the following: For Free the Children we adopted a village in the Masai Mara region of Kenya and raised enough funds to build a school and pay a teacher's training/wages for a year. This year we will also be sending "our kids" approximately $200,000 worth of medical equipment. We also raised money and bought equipment for local charities, including Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai.
Q What's your management philosophy or guiding management principle?
A I believe in the importance of authenticity and keeping it real. I'm the same person at the office as anywhere else.
Q What's the last movie you saw?
A High School Musical 2. My children are obsessed with it.
Q What's the last book you read?
A I'm reading The Volunteer: A Canadian's Secret Life in the Mossad by Michael Ross. I just signed him on as one of our speakers this week. His story is fascinating.
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