Arlene Dickinson net worth as of 2017 estimated at £75 million (USD $100 million; CAD $125 million) – Celebrity entrepreneur and CBC dragon on Canada’s Dragons Den…
This article is about Arlene Dickinson net worth and how this South African borne woman entrepreneur succeeded in business. A now renowned Canadian-based entrepreneur and returning dragon on Canada’s Dragons Den.
Arlene Dickinson is a celebrity, having been a Dragons Den investor before. A self-made entrepreneur. Dickinson arrived as an immigrant from South Africa as a daughter of a poor family.
Arlene Dickinson early years were a struggle for her and her family. Her fortunes improved when her career turned to marketing.
So why this article article on Arlene Dickinson net worth?
My reason for writing about Arlene Dickinson is threefold, as follows:
- She’s a returning dragon on CBC Dragons Den in 2017 and as I love this program it fits perfectly with my blog.
- Dickinson was PROFIT Magazine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners. Therefore a woman-entrepreneur to be reckoned with.
- She’s successful and I love to write about success and entrepreneurs.
The main sections on this article on Arlene Dickinson’s net worth are:
- What is Arlene Dickinson net worth?
- Arlene Dickinson educational and her background.
- Dragon Arlene Dickinson Dragons Den Canada.
- Arlene Dickinson group of companies.
- A few Arlene Dickinson quotes.
What is Arlene Dickinson net worth?
Arlene Dickinson’s net worth is estimated at £75 million (USD $100 million; CAD $125 million) as of 2017. She made her fortune as a marketing professional and it turned out she was good at this from her early-life experiences. Dickinson became owner, President and CEO of Venture Communications.
She is known for her creative approach, which is what made her Calgary-based marketing agency into Canada’s largest independent marketing companies. More about other Arlene Dickinson companies and Venture Communications later in this article
In 2015 after she left CBC’s Dragons Den for the first time, she set up District Ventures. District Ventures has added to Arlene Dickinson’s ever increasing wealth. This is a business which helps early-stage entrepreneurs, and now she’s brought this extra knowledge, experience and money back to the den in 2017.
More about her company District Ventures later in this article.
Now to Arlene Dickinson and how she created her net worth…
Arlene Dickinson educational and her background…
So let’s take a look behind this amazing business woman and entrepreneur. Arlene Dickinson was born on 8th October 1956 in Germiston, Gauteng South Africa. For those that don’t know where that is, it’s just outside South Africa’s main city of Johannesburg.
At the age of just three, Arlene along with her two sisters, were moved to Canada by her father. Her father felt that by moving his family to Canada there’d be greater opportunities for him and his family. However, she says that her mother didn’t want to emigrate to Canada, but did so reluctantly.
In an article about “The Inspirational Life Story of Arlene Dickinson” on George Network, Arlene Dickinson recounts her early memories of her father. He taught her to enjoy the journey of life. He achieved this by explaining: “life is a journey not a destination.”
Her father also told her “don’t be so excited about where you’re going that you can’t see where you are.”
The comedic side of Arlene Dickinson…
In the same article in George Network, she tells about her joke with fellow former CBC dragon Robert Herjavec. She teases about being two and a half times as wealthy when they arrived in Canada with $50 compared to Herjavec family’s $20.
She also jokes about former dragon and now Shark Tank shark Kevin O’Leary. “When I first met Kevin O’Leary my initial thought was that he’s shorter than I imagined,” Dickinson says with a grin. “But he would tell me he’s a lot taller when he stands on his money.”
Arlene Dickinson moved from Edmonton to Calgary…
Dickinson’s father moved the family from Edmonton, which is where they first began their Canadian Dream, to Calgary.
Dickinson has turned what she describes as a bit of a dysfunctional family into one of her biggest strengths. Her parents got divorced when she was just 13.
Arlene is keen observer, a skill she developed when she was observing the family goings on. Not wanting to add to any drama, she learnt how to gauge people.
In particular she was able to understand what they were really trying to say as opposed to what they were actually saying.
This human observational skill, which she developed at a young age, has helped her in her marketing career. This led her to setting up her marketing agency Venture Communications.
Not going to university and starting a family and kids early in life…
To Arlene Dickinson’s dads dismay, she didn’t attend University. Instead she got married at the young age of just 19. She married her brothers best friend and between them they had four children. However, by the time she was 30, she had got divorced from her first husband.
Dragon Arlene Dickinson Dragons Den Canada…
Arlene Dickinson from Dragons Den Canada appears alongside fellow entrepreneurs fashion designer Joe Mimran, beer baroness Manjit Minhas, tech millennial Michele Romanow, veteran pizza franchise king Jim Treliving and institutional trader Michael Wekerle (The Wek).
Arlene is known as the “Soft Dragon.“
In season 12 Arlene Dickinson returns to Dragons Den…
Arlene makes it three-on-three – three-women versus three-men entrepreneurs on Canada’s Dragons Den show. A good sign that Canada is leading the way to showcase women in business…let’s hope that the UK Dragons Den follows suit too.
Season 12 of CBC’s Dragons Den is about to be unleashed. This season there are six entrepreneurs in the lineup. Dragons Den for Dickinson is like home to her, as she has helped and supported many entrepreneurs through her venture capital business District Ventures.
Dickinson is the type of entrepreneur who’s best suited to invest and mentor fellow business owners. Arlene Dickinson back in the den to make it more competitive, but to provide the pitching-entrepreneurs a better opportunity of angel investment.
Her Instagram feed showing Arlene with fellow dragons for the new series: From left to right…Michael Wekerle, herself, Jim Treliving, Joe Mimran, Manjit Minhas and Michele Romanow:
Arlene Dickinson Dragons Den investments
Arlene Dickinson Dragons Den investments includes:
Skinny Chews a low-calorie chewy snack bar…
Dr. Joey Shulman entered the den with her chewy snack bar business. Her chews are not just low in calories, but they are gluten free too. Shulman walked away with an investment from Arlene Dickinson for £280,000 (USD $375k; CAD $467k).
Arlene Dickinson invested £280k in return for a 25% stake in the business. After Dickinson invested in 2013, profits increased from £112,000 (USD $150k; CAD $187k) to a cool £373,000 (USD $500k; CAD $623k). That’s half a million dollars!
Dickson helped this fellow woman in business get the product onto the shelves of Wal-Mart and Whole Foods across Canada.
Shoelery by Erica Giuliani, previously known as Giuliani Shoe Accessories den investment…
Shoelery by Erica Giuliani, previously known as Giuliani Shoe Accessories was a welcome investment in the den by Dickinson, as it involved shoes.
The shoe business was elevator-pitched by sisters Patricia and Nadia Macri in 2010. At the time guest dragon Jeanne Baker also like the business, which gave Dickinson added confidence that this shoe business was worth the investment.
Arlene Dickinson group of companies…
Arlene turned her life around in her early 30’s. Her turnaround followed the loss of her first job, which was after she got divorced from her first husband.
She joined in partnership with the then owner of Venture Communications in 1988. This business was started by a salesman she’d met whilst working at a TV station selling TV time.
Arlene Dickinson marketing company Venture Communications…
Arlene Dickinson made her initial money through her company Venture Communications and describes this as “The world is changing faster and faster every day.” Also: “The future belongs to the people who’ve seen the new possibilities and made the new connections. It belongs to the people who’ve had the guts and determination to head off in new directions. It belongs to the entrepreneurs.”
The business encourages an entrepreneurial revolution and helps business owners with marketing, but with a difference.
Arlene Dickinson took full ownership of Venture Communications in 1998. She has taken this business from a small local firm to the largest independent marketing agency in Canada.
The business has offices in Calgary and Toronto and the first question by Arlene on the home page: “You know people want it. The question is “what will it take to sell it?“
Arlene Dickinson company District Ventures…
Dickinson founded District Ventures in 2015 after she left CBC’s Dragons Den. This business connects with early-stage entrepreneurs in the food & beverage and health & wellness business sectors.
The program runs for a six month period and includes resources such as mentoring, sales and marketing, business finances and access to capital.
A few Arlene Dickinson quotes…
The first inspirational quote from Arlene Dickinson is:
“If you Don’t try, you’ll never know. If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never get it…and if you never ask, the answer will always be no.”
Another woman-focused Arlene Dickinson quote:
“The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.”
And a few words that may not please everyone, but here they are anyway “I don’t have a bucket list, but my fucket list is a mile long.”
And another quote, but this one care of Maya Angelou on behalf of all women:
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” Maya Angelou.
And finally she shares a wonderful life-quote “The meaning of life is to give life a meaning.”
Arlene Dickinson’s 5 tips to open your mind…
Arlene Dickinson describes entrepreneurs minds as “Jammed Full”. She encourages entrepreneurs to give their minds a rest in her article which is in more detail on youin.com. Her 5 tips are:
- Take a walk alone – without your iPhone.
- Turn on soft music and sit down for 15 minutes with your favorite beverage. No books, papers or pda’s.
- Invite your family to dinner. At your house. With you present.
- Go to a museum of art, the symphony or the ballet. Find an activity that asks you to think and view creativity, without your active participation.
- Go to the park. Sit on a bench. Breathe deeply.
Arlene Dickinson books…
Arlene Dickinson has written two books…”All In” and “Persuasion.” For full disclosure, these links to her book are affiliate links, which means that I will get a commission if you decide to purchase her books.
In All In, Arlene Dickinson tells the truth about the dangers of believing your own hype.
In her book Persuasion the book is described on Amazon as “Blending her own frank stories with compelling social science, she explains how to persuade both in the boardroom and in everyday life: the crucial importance of a particular kind of listening; how to get people to buy into your ideas; how to attract followers and deal with naysayers; the art of storytelling; how to turn mistakes to your advantage; and how to seize opportunities where others see only roadblocks.”
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