Arlene Dickinson is adding another title to her business card.

The marketing professional and Dragons’ Den star is now also the founder of newly-launched Arlene Dickinson Enterprises, an entrepreneur-targeting media and product company.

The company, launched Monday, was first announced last spring when Tomer Strolight stepped down as president of Torstar Digital and signed on for the new venture.

The company’s first offering is YouInc.com, an online community for people to “embrace the entrepreneurial lifestyle,” which features posts from Dickinson, other entrepreneurs and the company’s handful of full-time staff.

Dickinson says the company is in talks with networks for four TV shows targeting entrepreneurs across Canada, ranging from game show formats to more serious advice-based shows, with one or more of those shows planned for launch within the next year.

She adds that the company will also launch an ad-supported You Inc. print and digital magazine, to be published nine times per year, targeting the same entrepreneurial demographic.

Dickinson says the company is in talks with various publishers and production companies for those offerings, but is not ready to make formal announcements on who they are working with.

“I wanted to create a media company that focuses on entrepreneurs, their lifestyles and what they need in order to succeed,” she says. “After six years of being on Dragons’ Den and talking with thousands of entrepreneurs it became obvious that there isn’t the right kind of information out there on being an entrepreneur.”

In addition to providing content for entrepreneurs, Arlene Dickinson Enterprises is also working with Kirchner Private Capital Group and Metroland Media Ltd. to help fund their work through investments and global commercialization services.

Dickinson is founder of Arlene Dickinson Enterprises as well as CEO of Venture Communications and star of CBC’s Dragons’ Den and The Big Decision.

Photo credit: Christopher Wahl

From Media in Canada