Nick Gamache

Do what gets the fire in your belly going. Do what you love. It’s surprisingly hard to do.

 

Nick Gamache is an experienced journalist and communications professional with over fifteen years of experience in the broadcasting industry. Nick has a BA in Journalism from Concordia University as well as advanced training in strategic communications, speech writing, sound editing, broadcast writing, web writing and editing as well as on-air performance. He is also fluently bilingual and holds Canadian reliability status. In his free time, he enjoys reading, sports, history, politics and writing fiction.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

The idea for becoming a journalist began when I was young. I always enjoyed reading when I was growing up, including reading the newspaper. To be honest, that was because I loved sports, I’m pretty sure I started out wanting to be a sports journalist. It evolved from there. I thought conversations and debates were better when people were informed.

But it really started with me wanting to watch hockey games for a living.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

A typical day in journalism involved constant information intake: reading, podcasts, tv, conversations. The structure of the day depended so much on outside events, it was difficult to have a proper schedule, other than the one provided by deadlines.

The best way to be productive was to have a list of daily, weekly, and long-term goals and to be realistic about them. At the end of the week, I was able to really evaluate how productive I was.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I wrote myself a lot of notes on those little yellow sticky notes. They would be everywhere. I had to get an idea out of my head and consider it in the light of day.

Then, I liked to talk about the idea before it was fully formed. Brainstorming is great, especially when ideas are still taking shape. That way, ideas are not solid enough and can still be shaped.

Then, I liked to try things out, experiment a little bit. Get others to share their thoughts.

Most importantly, I never let ideas be final. Everything can always be improved.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I get excited to see how people experiment with new ways of telling stories. There’s a lot of creativity out there.

I do enjoy the efforts being put towards long-form audio storytelling. Podcasts are not a new trend, but more and more people are coming up with great concepts and amazing stories.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

The 5 minutes I take at the beginning of the day to prioritize my tasks. I make sure to highlight priorities and make sure I dedicate my time accordingly.

Planning on the front end saves a lot of time later on, and it’s easier to make decisions when priorities are clear.

What advice would you give your younger self?

It sounds too simple, but I’d say do what gets the fire in your belly going. Do what you love. It’s surprisingly hard to do.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

The Quebec Nordiques will eventually come back.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Take notes. Writing things down is the best way to remember them.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I’d like to hear a business/money show hosted by someone who doesn’t know a lot about those issues and doesn’t pretend like she/he does. Something that would be accessible, not make assumptions, and cut through the jargon and talking points.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

It didn’t cost $100, but I spent a day with my kid: lunch at a restaurant, a movie, playing, we bought a book and finished the day by reading it together. I remember thinking that that was money well spent. It made me happy.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I find my Fitbit does help me more than I would have thought at the beginning. I get competitive with myself and I push myself to be more active, and I think that does end up making me more productive.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Michael Lewis is always a good read, actually. But Moneyball is classic. I remember thinking that being able to look where others haven’t, to look for evidence when trying to make a decision… those things are tremendously important.

What is your favorite quote?

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Key Learnings:

• Always be absorbing new information
• Follow your passions and you will never work a day in your life
• Staying organized is the key to productivity

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