Meet Arlen Bartsch
Why Work with Arlen
Arlen Bartsch is a seasoned Canadian entrepreneur, sales leader, and business advisor with a rich and diverse background in helping startups and small businesses gain traction and scale with confidence.
For over eight years, Arlen has served as an Early Traction Advisor at Invest Ottawa, mentoring founders of startups and early-stage ventures across Canada. He has worked closely with entrepreneurs navigating their first sales, helping them define their go-to-market strategy, understand customer personas, and develop effective revenue models.
Arlen’s career spans leadership roles across both the non-profit and private sectors. He served for two years as Vice President, Business Development at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he helped expand national programming and institutional partnerships. Prior to that, he led the fundraising efforts at Canada’s National Ballet School as Director of Development, where he spent five years building meaningful donor relationships and securing major philanthropic support.
In the private sector, Arlen co-founded i/us corporation, an e-commerce technology startup that was successfully acquired by Getty Images. He also served for eight years as Sales Director at Corel Corporation, where he managed international accounts and led high-performance teams through product launches and global expansion initiatives.
An entrepreneur at heart, Arlen has owned and operated several commercial franchises in Ontario and isn’t shy about sharing lessons learned from businesses that didn’t work out—including a boutique bookstore. These lived experiences fuel his grounded, practical approach to business consulting. His ability to blend strategic insight with empathy and candour has helped hundreds of business owners—from solo founders to seasoned operators—grow stronger, smarter, and more sustainable enterprises.
Arlen’s clients appreciate his ability to quickly assess a business’s readiness to scale, ask the hard questions, and bring clarity to complex sales, marketing, and operational challenges. Whether you’re launching your first product, rethinking your pricing, or trying to find your next 100 customers, Arlen brings experience, creativity, and hard-won wisdom to the table.
