Manjit Minhas, a dragon on Canada’s take on Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den, is known as a pretty tough investor to win over. She can be seen rolling her eyes or giving unimpressed looks. Of course, it could all just be television magic capturing the most critical of Minhas’ gestures.
It’s not, though. Minhas really is that hard to impress.
“It is unscripted and we get to be us. And we get to be us because it’s our money. So my money comes along with my opinions and my tough questions,” Minhas said during Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International Summit in Montreal Tuesday.
That said, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to help up-and-coming Canadian entrepreneurs, and she even has some advice for hopeful dragons.
“I encourage, not only young women but also young men, to start early because when you’re young, you’re naive. You have the ego, which is great. And you think the world is fair and life is fair. You’re really not jaded yet,” Minhas said.
The advice comes from her own experience. She started Minhas Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries with her brother when she was 19. She admits that it would be harder to risk it all today after building a family and accumulating responsibilities. However, Mihas isn’t staying in the same place, either.
Following Canada’s legalization of recreational use of marijuana, Minhas Breweries will feature cannabis-infused alcohol coming in 2019.
