Peggy Van de Plassche

đźšśWhat Robb Nelson taught me about building businesses that actually last

• Peggy • Season 4 • Episode 25

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0:00 | 34:49

I recently interviewed Robb Nelson, CEO and co-founder of Farm Lending Canada, and walked away thinking: why don’t we hear this version of entrepreneurship more often?

Robb has built successful businesses for decades, but his philosophy is refreshingly different from the usual founder mythology.

Less:
 â€śmove fast and break things”

More:
 collaborate, test relentlessly, invest your own capital first, share the upside, and build to last

In our conversation, we also explored a space many investors and operators know too little about: Canadian agriculture financing.

Behind the discussion on farmland, succession planning, transition lending and food security was a much bigger theme:

some of the best businesses are built quietly, patiently, and with a lot less ego than the market tends to reward.

I share more in my latest newsletter, including why Robb’s approach stood out to me and what it says about entrepreneurship, leadership, and building durable businesses.

Link in comments.

#entrepreneurship #leadership #agriculture #finance #privatecredit #investing #canada

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

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