Class 19- WestJet an Entreprenurial Business
WestJet was originally founded in 1996 by Clive Beddoe after he was tired of paying for overprice flights in Canada and the U.S while using Air Canada. What started with a single airplane that only flew low-cost flights in Western Canada, has grown to be one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurial companies.
Entrepreneurial companies differ from small businesses by four ways including: amount of wealth created, speed of wealth created, innovation, and by risk. Originally, WestJet was huge risk for Clive Beddoe as he had to invest large sums of his own money for start-up and maintenance of the company in it’s early years. However, the single plane fleet has now grown to a ninety-six plane fleet which services seventy-one destinations throughout Canada, and the U.S, and produced passenger revenue of $2.2 billion in 2009. WestJet is continually innovative in ways to improve their customer base, and customer relations, which has helped them steal a large portion of the market share from Air Canada for flights in Canada. WestJet is an innovative entrepreneurial company that has flourished due to it’s high value, low cost flights that offer air passengers an overall experience that is comparable, or better then higher cost flights in Canada, and the U.S.
