Ryan talked about Smoke’s, his path there, and a competition he ran to win a free Smoke’s Poutinerie franchise. His vision and energy were so captivating that I had to rush home and spend many hours filling out an application following the speech. After learning a week or so later that I had been chosen for an interview, I eagerly got ready for my Ajax interview. I don’t recall the interview questions, but I do recall connecting with Ryan and his partner as I shared my experiences of taking risks and how they turned out. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to accept my free franchise prize because of financial difficulties.