Many successful entrepreneurs begin with difficult circumstances, and Arlene Dickinson is one strong example. Born in South Africa and later moving to Canada, she experienced financial hardship, divorce, unemployment, and many personal losses before becoming one of the country’s best known business leaders. As chief executive of Venture Communications and a television investor, she built a respected career that influenced Canadian business for many years.
Early Life and Family Background
Arlene Dickinson was born on 8 October 1956 in Germiston, South Africa. She grew up as the youngest of three daughters in a Mormon family. In 1959, when she was still a small child, her parents decided to leave South Africa and move to Canada. The family arrived with only $50, hoping to create a safer and more stable future. After some time they settled in Calgary, Alberta, where Dickinson spent most of her childhood.
Although her father earned a PhD in education, he could not find work that matched his education after immigration. Most of the time he worked as an electrician, but the family still struggled with money. These financial problems affected everyday life and created many challenges for the household. When Dickinson reached the age of 13, her parents divorced. This difficult event forced her to become more independent at an early age and shaped the way she later looked at responsibility and hard work.
Dickinson graduated from high school when she was only 16 years old. Instead of continuing to college or university, she decided to enter adult life directly. At the age of 19, she married her best friend’s brother. During the following years the couple welcomed four children, and Dickinson focused on supporting her young family while searching for stable employment.
Building Strength Through Personal Challenges
During her twenties, Dickinson accepted different jobs to help pay household expenses. One important position was working as a debt collector. The work was demanding because she needed to negotiate with people every day and solve difficult financial situations. At the same time, she supported her husband while he completed teachers’ college.
Her personal life changed dramatically when she was around 30 years old. After an affair, her marriage ended in divorce. The consequences were very serious. The Mormon Church decided to excommunicate her, and during the divorce proceedings she lost custody of her four children. The judge ruled that she would not receive custody again until she could prove she had enough financial resources to support her family independently.
At that moment Dickinson faced several problems together. She was divorced, unemployed, and separated from her children. Instead of giving up, she searched for another opportunity and accepted a job selling advertising for a television station in Calgary. The position gave her valuable experience in communication and sales, but after about 18 months she lost that job as well.
Venture Communications and Arlene Dickinson
A major turning point came in 1988. After hearing that Dickinson had lost her television sales job, a former colleague contacted her and invited her to become a partner in a new marketing agency called Venture Communications Ltd. The opportunity looked promising, but it also carried significant risk. As a partner, she would not receive a regular salary and would earn money only if the business succeeded.
During the first years she often lived on credit cards and worked extremely long hours, including evenings and weekends. The company was small, and every new client was important. Dickinson became involved in sales, client relations, management, and creative planning. Her persistence helped the agency survive its difficult early stage.
Within a decade, Venture Communications had grown steadily. In 1998, Dickinson used company funds and bank loans to buy out her two partners, becoming the sole owner of the agency. Under her leadership, Venture Communications expanded into one of Canada’s largest independent marketing agencies.
The company eventually opened offices in:
- Calgary
- Toronto
- Ottawa
Its client list included several major organizations, among them Toyota, Subway, Unilever, Scotiabank, Tourism Calgary, and the Mayo Clinic. Dickinson focused on understanding customer behaviour and building long term relationships rather than simply producing advertising campaigns. This approach became one of the reasons for the agency’s continued growth.
By the early 2000s, she had become a recognized business leader in Canada. Professional organizations, universities, and business publications frequently discussed her leadership style and entrepreneurial story.
Dragons’ Den and National Recognition
The success of Venture Communications attracted the attention of television producer Mike Armitage in 2007. He was searching for investors for a new CBC program called Dragons’ Den, where entrepreneurs present business ideas to a panel of investors known as the “Dragons.” Armitage first learned about Dickinson through a magazine article that focused on successful women entrepreneurs.
Dickinson joined the program in its second season and remained on the show for eight seasons. During her time as a Dragon, she invested in many businesses from different industries.
Some of her better known investments were:
- Pür chewing gum
- OMG! candy
- Love Child Organics baby food products
In 2015, after the ninth season, she took a temporary break from the program. Two years later, in April 2017, she announced that she would return for the twelfth season.
Television Work Beyond Dragons’ Den
Her television career was not limited to Dragons’ Den. Dickinson also co–hosted the CBC series The Big Decision, where struggling businesses received advice and support. She later appeared as a judge on the Food Network program Recipes to Riches.
During these years she also became a published author. Her first book, Persuasion, was released in 2011 and became a bestseller. A second bestselling book, All In, followed in 2013. Both books discussed business decisions, leadership, negotiation, and personal resilience.
Dickinson worked for many years alongside entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary on Dragons’ Den. In January 2017, when O’Leary briefly campaigned for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, Dickinson publicly criticized his approach to capitalism in a CBC opinion article. Some commentators speculated that she might enter politics herself, but she denied having political ambitions.
Other Business Ventures and Investments
In 2012, Dickinson created Arlene Dickinson Enterprises Ltd., an investment company focused on small and medium sized businesses. The same year, the company launched YouInc.com, a website that offered business discussions, articles, videos, and practical advice for entrepreneurs.
Her business interests continued to expand. In 2016, she joined the board of directors of Aphria, a Toronto based producer of medical cannabis. The appointment showed that her experience was valued beyond the marketing industry.
Alongside her business activities, Dickinson supported several charitable and educational organizations. She became national spokesperson for Breakfast Clubs of Canada, served as co–chair of Kids Help Phone, and participated in advisory work for the University of Waterloo Stratford Institute and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Her personal life also changed over time. At 41 years old, she married for a second time, though that marriage ended after seven years. She was engaged again in 2011, but the engagement ended before the wedding. Dickinson has five grandchildren and divides her time between Calgary and Toronto. Her net worth has been estimated at $80 million.
Her achievements have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Ad Rodeo Lifetime Achievement Award (2004), induction into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame (2007), the McGill University Management Achievement Award (2008), the Women’s International Film and Television Showcase Lifetime Achievement Business Award (2011), and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). She has also received honorary degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University, Saint Mary’s University, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.