In conversation with Mississauga’s Tara Perera, owner and founder of Finish Line Projects.

1. What does your company provide/do?

Finish Line Projects, Inc. is a project management service specialized in managing projects for clients exclusively in the healthcare sector. The company will be expanding its offering by introducing a new and one-of-a-kind digital course in project management in 2024. The course delivers immediate results upon completion for teams within an organization by achieving standardized project methods, or for individuals looking to advance in their career.

2. What inspired you to start your company?

My inspiration to start my company came from something my dad said “Think of one thing you do on a daily basis and how you can turn that into your own business”. Well, since I was already immersed in the world of project management, I made the decision to quit my 9-5 and venture out on my own. To my surprise, I was successful in securing my first client in a mere 10 days of leaving my corporate job.

During my time as a full time employee in previous organizations, I identified a key problem where Project Management teams leverage their skills and experience to manage their projects using their own project methods, and while there may be some success on an individual level this does not set up organizations for success as it results in a lack of consistency, making project decision making challenging.

3. What's been the most impactful lesson you've learned being an entrepreneur?

What I’ve learned is to not become too comfortable with business operations. I remind myself often that I need my business to continue to grow, and so I need to think differently or do things differently to achieve new goals year after year.

4. How do you unwind?

Unwinding for me means having a glass of wine with my pasta dinner, watching a movie, or going for a Pilates class. It’s the simple things that bring me to a state of peace and calmness. As an entrepreneur, it can be easy to work hours on end and use up a lot of mental strength when multi tasking. I try to take better care of myself and prioritize my health.

5. What succinct advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

In the words of one of my idols, role model, the person I aim to be every day - Sara Blakely (owner of Spanx), “everyone has had a multi-million dollar idea in their life”. The problem is that many of those ideas get killed before they have the opportunity to develop. Therefore what I’ve learned is that it’s important to put your ideas into action and actually give it a shot. You could be pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t have to be perfect, nor does it have to be complicated- just start somewhere and the rest will fall into place in time.

6. What are your goals for 2024?

My goals for 2024 is to build as much awareness for my business, particularly the Project Management course. In addition, I will be focusing on networking via LinkedIn and conferences including eHealth 2024.

finishlineprojects.com