Whistler: An Entrepreneurs Year Round Playground Awaits

As an entrepreneur or someone that aspires to be one, you often get taken to places you least expect. This isn’t the case for every business trip, but sometimes you go somewhere you wouldn’t have picked for business and come out of the trip completely recharged and rejuvenated.

I recently visited a small ski town north of Vancouver called Whistler. After my visit, I knew I had to share my experience. It’s a soft-spoken town that’s world famous for its skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb, a major site of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

I wasn’t there for the skiing—although I did partake in it—I was taking part in a conference that brought entrepreneurs together from around the world to collectively think about how we could take our businesses to the next level but also build a better world.

The beautiful thing about Whistler is that it’s much more than just a ski town. It has an abundance of outdoor activities you can do year-round while providing a picturesque backdrop for practically anything you choose to do. To give you a better idea about the town and my experience, I felt I would shed a light on three areas of Whistler that make it shine above other small towns of its caliber.

The People

Something that caught me off guard almost instantly when I stepped foot in Whistler is how diverse the town really is. It’s located in Canada, but most of the people working there are from other countries. I ran into people from Australia, New Zealand, and Germany all within my first day. Whistler is also a world-renowned tourist destination, a big reason why so many people from around the world visit this place.

This was a surprise to me and very enlightening at the same time. I enjoy visiting places that bring people and different cultures together. I’m a social person and enjoy meeting people from different countries and careers when I travel. It brings an element of surprise to your trips because you don’t know who you are going to meet or run into.

The people of Whistler are truly fantastic, and I can say that if it was for the people alone, I would definitely visit again. However, this was just one of the areas of Whistler I wanted to share my perspective on.

The Food

Being in Whistler surrounded by people from Asia, Europe, North America, and all continents means you need to have some solid restaurants and places to eat. Well, Whistler didn’t disappoint.

I had the pleasure of eating at two places that totally knocked my socks off. The first one was a place called Basalt Wine & Salumeria. A cozy place to have dinner where I joined a few friends one night. It was amazing. Everything I ate at this place was dynamite. But instead of boring you, while also making you hungry, I thought I would tell you about my two favorite dishes.

I’m a relatively healthy guy, so whenever I go to a restaurant I choose something that is low sodium, low sauces, and packed with tons of veggies. One of the coolest dishes I got to eat was a half of a butternut squash stuffed with chickpeas and a seasonal assortment of veggies. It was a knockout and like nothing I’ve eaten at a restaurant before.

So all healthy food aside, I checked out a local pub in Whistler called the Beacon Pub & Eatery. This place was super cool because I got to test a few local craft beers which are always a fun thing for an entrepreneur like myself to partake in. Let’s get real, you can’t be working all the time.

Yes, the people in Whistler are awesome, but the food is also just as good. But wait, there’s more.

Things To Do

Whistler is known to be an outdoor enthusiast’s playground. You can hike, kayak, or canoe in the summer, and ski, ice skate, and snowshoe in the winter. Aside from these types of activities, you can also just lay low in the town itself and look around at the shops like Lululemon, the local small boutique shops, or even check out some of their amazing hotels. I happened to stay at the Crystal Lodge.

Getting an Outdoor Perspective

When it comes to entrepreneurship and the daily roller coaster consisting of ups and downs, you sometimes need to get outside and experience new environments and people. Whistler provides this place for an entrepreneur to let loose, but also get out in nature and be inspired.

As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves at times being the lone wolf that works on our business night and day. But getting a new and different perspective is important, and reigniting that creative and inspiring spark you got at the beginning of building your business is important, too. 

Building and sustaining a successful business is not an easy task, but constantly pushing yourself and your comfort zones is a must if you want to succeed. I know for myself personally when I get away for a weekend or a few weeks from my usual surroundings, it gives me a breath of fresh air and I get new ideas and gain new perspectives. I get that creative spark back, and this is key.

If you haven’t taken a trip in a while or you are looking to go work from somewhere different for a while I suggest you take a peek at Whistler. If Whistler is too far or not within your budget, then the least you can do is go work from outside in the park when the weather is nice.

Your mind will thank you and your business’ bottom line will too. Get out there and experience the beautiful world we live in.