The Self-Employment Team

Paula Felix is the Self Employment Program Business Advisor at Douglas College, assisting entrepreneurs with their business start-ups. She has a background in business finance, specializing in business start-ups, financing, cash flow planning, and business plan development. Paula has a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia, with a focus on International Relations and Trade, Spanish and French.

Paula worked in commercial lending and business consulting for almost a decade, including at the Bank of Montreal and Business Development Bank of Canada, where she assisted hundreds of entrepreneurs with their business journey, including new to Canada entrepreneurs. Driven by the passion for empowering others, Paula has been involved in many community projects, such as volunteering as a Business Mentor with Futurpreneur Canada, serving as Treasurer of the local Chamber of Commerce, and English language tutoring to adult newcomers to Canada.

Personal motto: “The biggest obstacle in the way of success is ourselves”. 

Diana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and brings a wealth of experience in self-employment, having run a small marketing agency helping local SMBs. She has also worked for companies in Canada, Belgium, and Australia, gaining valuable insights into diverse markets and industries. 

With a background spanning various industries, including media, digital marketing, book publishing, and SaaS, Diana is well-equipped to guide aspiring entrepreneurs in establishing and scaling successful startups. Her tenure at some of the largest Canadian media and marketing solutions providers, such as Glacier Media Group and Yellow Pages, showcases her expertise in driving sales growth and operational excellence. Diana is passionate about utilizing the latest tools and technologies to streamline business processes and grow sales, ensuring her strategies are always cutting-edge and effective.

Her passion for helping businesses succeed is evident in her track record of advising early-stage startups and businesses with over $3 million in annual revenue. Diana has assisted hundreds of SMBs across Canada improve their online presence and developing successful lead-generation strategies. Her diverse expertise in consultative sales, new market development, and digital marketing, along with her strong leadership skills, make her a valuable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to achieve their goals.

 

John Harrison is a skilled Sales and Management Professional with over 30 years of leadership experience across a wide variety of industries. John has been involved with several chain restaurants such as The Keg Restaurants (Canada & Australia), Earl’s Restaurants, Cactus Club Café, and the Hog’s Breath Café (Australia). He has also served in management roles within several multinational corporations such as Grant Thornton, Aegis Investment Management, South Pacific Hotel Group, and Dynamark Security Systems while opening different venues across Canada, the United States, Australia & China.

John is an accomplished instructional designer and trainer having created and facilitated workshops and training solutions for a wide variety of organizations, across many different sectors including the Vancouver School Board, the BC Safety Authority, the Surrey Board of Trade, the Ismaili Business Council of BC, SAAB Technologies, and the Women & Children’s Hope Foundation… to name just a few. 

Currently, John is serving as a Community and Contract Services Programmer with the Training Group at Douglas College managing several employment and workplace-training projects including the Peter Legge Institute for Sales Excellence.