While a recent New York Times article scrapes the surface of young people who have succeeded at launching exemplary businesses and careers, it also brings up a glaring point: Many more fail. All of the Red Bull-guzzling, YOLO-chanting enthusiasm in the world cannot change that fact.

While it took a few years after the financial crisis for financial services start-ups to get their business models refined to the point where they can come to market they are here now, and these alternative financial services technology companies are becoming viable and increasingly common sources of financing for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Last week, the Canadian Film Centre's CFC Media Lab launched a fantastic new program called ideaBOOST, designed to assist artists and companies exploring the frontier in digital entertainment. IdeaBOOST brings industry into the equation, and I think that's what makes it such an impressive concept. Here are several that sounded particularly exciting.

I am a self-made man. I started my first company with a few thousand dollars and later sold it for more than $100 million -- then I did it again with a new startup in a different field. After my second company sold, I decided at the age of 50 to write a book about the three simple steps that helped me succeed. Here's a short summary of my three simple steps.

When you're with a start-up and you run into a problem you can't solve, what do you do? The obvious answer is you turn to someone who has built a business before. What if you don't have someone like this in your sphere of influence? Well, that's where cold calling (or emailing) comes in. But people have an irrational fear of cold calling. Here's how to get the most out of a cold call.

In the earliest stages of our start-up, we decided to pull in the opinions and advice of experts. We were eager to hear different perspectives from our own. It became clear early on, however, that we would need to navigate through the advice using our best judgement. Remember: One of the things only you and your team can bring to this business is your unique perspective.

"It's like throwing cooked spaghetti at the wall," explains my friend. "It doesn't always stick, but slowly winds its way to the floor." When you first start out in business there is that tendency to throw a lot of money into marketing, with the underlying feeling that at least you are doing something. Trouble is, often it is not money well-spent.

University students in Canada may soon be able to make a quick buck just by going to class and taking notes. NoteWagon, a Toronto-based startup bus...