Our Team
Entrepreneurs Just Like You
At GoForth Institute, we live and breathe small business – because we’re entrepreneurs too! Our team is made up of fellow entrepreneurs dedicated to improving your odds of small business success.
Dr. Leslie Roberts
President and Founder
Founder of GoForth Institute, Dr. Roberts was also founder of Mercatus Research Ltd., a market research consulting firm serving the needs of small and emerging businesses. Her success in these fields has made her a sought-after consultant to government and industry, especially relating to home-based business and micro-enterprise development; and as a lecturer at both Mount Royal University's Bissett School of Business and the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business. Here, she spent 14 years instructing and mentoring students on entrepreneurship, marketing and marketing research.
She earned a Master of Business Administration degree in entrepreneurship and new venture development, where she won the Julius Schulich Award for Entrepreneurship for her master's thesis on the contributions of home-based businesses to the City of Calgary. She received her PhD in Management, specializing in entrepreneurship and corporate strategy, from the University of Calgary. This was the first PhD in entrepreneurship to be awarded in Canada – out of only four. Her doctoral research received The University of Calgary's Stew Fairbanks Memorial Award for Scholarship in Entrepreneurship. Dr. Roberts' research has been published in scholarly publications in Canada and the United States. Her latest research involving entrepreneurial psychology was published in the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (JSBE) in Fall, 2010.
From breakthrough roles in academia, government, private sector and community-based projects, and now with GoForth Institute, Dr. Roberts uses her unique insights to train small business owners across Canada. She is passionate about combining technological advances with real-world skills to give small business owners the best possible foundation for success.
Email: leslie@goforthinstitute.com
Claudette Stiven
Marketing and Business Development Manager
Claudette is a veteran three-time entrepreneur, franchise owner, network marketer and fundraiser. Her curriculum vitae boasts an array of business development and marketing experience including fund development for non-profit organizations, lead program director in financial retail credit and retail service marketing expert in private label credit cards. This spectrum of career experience has enabled Claudette to develop one of her greatest attributes - communication.
Samantha Garner
Communications and Social Media
Samantha is passionate about written communication. As a freelance writer and editor, she’s helped clients communicate their message while retaining their personality and natural voice. Active in the marketing and communications industry since 2003, Samantha enjoys the entrepreneurial spirit and loves finding just the right way to express a thought. She uses her talent with words to help people complement their vision and communicate effectively.
Phillip Wheaton
Graphic Design and Web Development
With a keen eye for design and well-crafted project management skills, Phillip feeds off entrepreneurial energy and enjoys learning about new businesses, industries and models through the process of design. A graduate of Canadore College in North Bay, ON, Phillip has years of technical knowledge spanning all the standard design applications including Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Illustrator. A designer with vision, Phillip is adept at translating theory and trends into practical, capable design.
Email: phillip@goforthinstitute.com
