Bill Dalton

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell

Published in the Financial Post
March 10, 2008

Bill Dalton runs Scrubs Canada ( www.scrubscanada.ca ) that sells uniforms for various industries, including restaurant and medical garb. Scrubs Canada is headquartered in  Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Bill Dalton tells Burke Campbell what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

ADVENTUROUS START:  “In my youth, I worked in the Alaskan oil fields. I saved up my money, married, returned to  PEI, and decided to go into business. Since my mother was a nurse, I was drawn to selling uniforms. I expected to get rich overnight, but it’s taken me a little longer.”

CRISIS: “After my heart attack in 2001, I had to rethink everything. I dropped the brick and mortar stores and moved exclusively to online sales. Uniforms are ideal clothing products to sell on the web, since sizing doesn’t have to be exact.”

RETAIL EXPANSION:  “I opened stores in Charlottetown, Halifax, and Sydney, Nova Scotia, and  St. John, New Brunswick. I gave presentations at hospitals and exhibited at trade shows. In 1999, I started online selling.”

LUCKY GUY: “Today, I work from home, sell all across North America, and have a freer lifestyle.”

EXPERIENCE HELPS: “When I started in business, I would do things in a reactive way, almost at random. Now I’m more focused. I’ve learned that with startups, better planning increases your chances of success. I’m happy to share that knowledge.”

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