Tommy Humphreys CEO.CA

Proud promoter

Growing up my mother always told me, “You can be anything you want in life, just not a promoter.” She should have known her statement would have the reverse effect as I’ve been a proud promoter all my life.

I’ve promoted ideas, products, services, sweatshops, stocks, websites and conferences, to name a few, but most of all, I’ve promoted myself. And as a result, I have a pretty good life.

Venture capitalist and funny man Howard Lindzon told me, “The promoter is the most important part of the cycle.” A promoter is an entrepreneur, a storyteller, a risk taker, a champion of something new. And if you want to be rich in your life, you ought to be one. Most of the wealthy people I know are, whether they like the phrase or not.

The word “promoter” has such a negative connotation, particularly in Canada where it conjures up images of skulduggery in venture markets. However, we would be lost without promoters. We would be leaderless (and living in caves, probably).

It’s time we change the way promoters are perceived.

Let’s raise our kids to be promoters.