Inspirational Leadership: Stories of Strategy and Success with Mike Potter
In my work with Odgers Berndtson, I have the opportunity to speak with innovative leaders shaping Canada’s business and technology landscape, particularly in the Ottawa area. A great example of one of these leaders is Mike Potter, the CEO and Co-Founder of Rewind. Mike’s story is one of entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and strategic growth — a journey that began with early lessons from his father and has culminated in building one of Ottawa’s most successful tech companies.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit From the Start
For Mike, the seeds of entrepreneurship were planted early. “My dad would often encourage me to start my own business,” he shared. From this childhood encouragement to always “work for himself,” Mike’s entrepreneurial drive was clear from the outset. Faced with a summer of job rejections and wallpapering his university dorm room with his rejection letters as motivation, Mike took matters into his own hands. He launched his first business in the mid-1990s, teaching people in Ottawa how to use the internet.
Alongside his curiosity and technical expertise, Mike also fostered a love for curling that began during childhood. In 1997, while attending the Olympic curling trials, Mike pioneered the idea of live score tracking online. “I built a little program, went to the event, and suddenly everyone at work who couldn’t watch TSN was relying on our website,” he recalled. The unexpected traffic surge crashed the site, but it also demonstrated the power of digital solutions — an early lesson in scalability and audience demand.
Turning Passion Into Purpose
After a stint working for startups and completing an MBA, Mike joined Adobe, but the call to build something of his own never left him. His first startup, though ultimately sold, was a tough experience both personally and professionally, but lessons from that challenging chapter laid the groundwork for his future success.
In 2015, alongside co-founder James Ciesielski, Mike launched Rewind as a side project to address a simple yet overlooked problem: data backups for Shopify merchants. The tipping point came just months after launch when Mike received a panicked call from a customer who had accidentally lost his entire digital storefront including product listings, transaction history, and customer data. In that moment, Mike wasn’t sure if they could recover it all. But when Rewind successfully restored the store, he knew they had built something essential. “That was the moment I realized, this is going to work. This is a business.”
Leading With Vision and Values
As Rewind grew — from $30,000 in first-year revenue to over $20 million annually — so did Mike’s role. “My product became the company,” he explained. His leadership style evolved from hands-on product development to building and nurturing a team of over 100 employees. Central to this has been vision and alignment. “I think my superpower is having a clear vision of where we want to go and getting people behind that vision.”
The journey wasn’t without challenges. Scaling communication as the company grew was one. It became clear to Mike that his team valued transparency and constant communication and cited this as a key value within the company. As a result, Mike adapted to Rewind’s growth by implementing regular communication touchpoints, including weekly updates where he shares wins, concerns, and what excites him.
Staying Grounded and Flexible
A key takeaway from Mike’s leadership journey is maintaining flexibility without losing focus. He attributes part of Rewind’s success to being open to pivoting early on. “Rewind wasn’t the first thing we were working on. We worked for six months on something that went nowhere,” Mike explained. He credits the company’s current success to their openness to trying new ideas and flexibility in the early days of building Rewind.
As the company has grown, Mike recognizes that flexibility has its limits. When it becomes harder for companies to make the same large-scale pivots as Mike did in the company’s early days, it becomes more important to “refine and protect what you have so it can reach its full potential,” Mike explained.
Learning From Community
Mike is also a strong believer in the power of community. “Having peers who are ahead of you in the journey is incredibly valuable,” he said, noting the tight-knit Ottawa tech ecosystem as a crucial support system. He routinely connects with other Ottawa-area CEOs to discuss common challenges and share perspectives on leadership, growth, and talent development. Over time, Mike has come to deeply appreciate the value of these relationships — not just for the practical advice they offer, but for the sense of camaraderie and collective momentum they create. In an entrepreneurial journey filled with highs and lows, having a trusted network to lean on and learn from makes all the difference.
Looking Ahead
For Mike, leadership is about continuous learning. “Every year is different. Every year you’re learning, you’re doing a different job, and you’re doing different work.” As he steps further into thought leadership and expands Rewind’s impact, Mike continues to lead with vision, humility, and a dedication to building both a successful company and a thriving community.