Paper Napkin Wisdom - Podcast And Blog For Entrepreneurs, Leaders And Difference-makers

This episode is personal.  Just after college, I started a small business with my friend Matt Fox. We launched a student-focused magazine called Fingertips — hunting down wing nights and drink deals before smartphones made that easy. Money was tight. Hustle was everything. And our first cold call was to Sleeman Brewing in Guelph.  John Sleeman said yes.  That early “yes” stuck with me — and now, decades later, I’m sitting with him in this beautiful building, recording a full-circle episode for Paper Napkin Wisdom. But this story isn’t about the brewery. Not yet.  Because before John knew anything about his family’s brewing legacy… he had a napkin idea: “Start a Pub.”  “I realized in my late teens that I was almost unemployable,” he said. “I kept getting fired because I was always telling my bosses how to do things better.”  So he stopped trying to fit in — and started building his own future.  The Pub Was the Trojan Horse  John didn’t set out to become a beer mogul. In fact, in the beginning, he wasn’t even