February 7, 2014
Through a global recession, the dot-com crash and a chaotic mail strike, entrepreneur and U of T alumnus Adam Froman (MIE 8T8) has seen adversity, and lots of it.
His advice? Follow your passion and just keep going.
Froman, CEO of digital strategy firm Delvinia, was on campus this week to encourage Engineering undergraduates to be pragmatic and prepared entrepreneurs. Hosted by U of T’s Entrepreneurship Hatchery, he spoke to over 85 students about how to overcome the constant challenges that come with owning a business.
“Don’t be afraid of failure. If you fear failure, it’s going to stop you from finding a solution,” said Froman. “Failure is only really when you give up. If something doesn’t work, stay calm and be patient.”
With over 20 years as an entrepreneur, Froman also advised students to learn about the practical side of starting a company. He repeatedly spoke about the importance of learning and understanding the discipline of cash flow through high times and low.
Delvinia, which Froman started over 15 years ago, now has over 50 employees, and has serviced over 266 clients on 2,327 projects. Froman pulls from this knowledge to mentor university students.
“His talk was very inspirational,” said Ivan Zdravkovic (MIN 1T5 + PEY). “It was nice to have the mix of learning what he’s done and how he thinks we can succeed.”
Froman attributed his technical acumen and success in part to his U of T education: “For engineering, U of T is one of the preeminent programs in the country. People understood what having the University of Toronto on my resume meant, and to this day, they still do. The innovation happening at U of T is second to none.”
Froman is a Professional Engineer and also has an MBA specializing in Strategy and Finance from the Schulich School of Business. He recently released a new e-book that chronicles his experience, Delve In, Dig Deep: An Entrepreneurial Journey.