Persistent entrepreneurs from elsewhere, like Claudia Romero in Gaspé or Bastien Theron in Shawinigan, come to our regions as reinforcements to take over or start businesses.
“Immigrants are twice as likely as locals to intend to start or take over a business (28% vs. 14.7%) and to take steps (14.3% vs. 7.2%),” according to a study by Luis Cisneros, full professor at HEC Montreal.
All over Québec, these immigrants are relocating in hopes of fulfilling their dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
A promised land
Photo provided by Bastien Theron
“What I am doing today I could never have done if I had stayed in France,” says Bastien Theron, CEO and founder of Theron, which manufactures light electric SUVs.
Arriving here from the Cannes region at just under 16, he needed a change of scenery to be able to start a business in complete freedom.
“My cousin is a safety engineer in nuclear power plants. It seems like a super high-tech job, but she makes $46,000 a year,” exemplifies Bastien Theron to show how much better Quebec is.
In his opinion, North America still has the aura of the promised land.
825 kilometers away, in Gaspé, Claudia Romero, who came here from Peru at the age of 26 with her Ecuadorian partner Ricardo Granja, is also living a daydream.
After working for many years with the owner of the mythical Marché des Saveurs Gaspésiennes, she bought it to set up shop here.
“We wanted to start a business. We wanted to have an aquaculture project but found it difficult. It was more than four million dollars,” explains the engineer, who is trained in this field.
“We contacted our creditor and took over the business that I’ve loved since living in the area,” adds the content woman, who lives on the peninsula with her children, Marycielo and Ricardo.
When asked if she has any tips for people who want to start or take over a business, she replies that one should not give up.
“It is wonderful to be able to achieve this. We have to encourage each other as a family,” she breathes.
Oxygen for localities
For Delfino Campanile, General Manager of the PROMIS organization, the regions urgently need people to get the local economy up and running as quickly as possible.
“They come here with their talents, their desires, their will and their creativity,” summarizes the director of Emplois en Région in partnership with the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec.
“Developing a business project in a region, there is nothing that no longer guarantees the sustainability of the matter. It even leads to a multi-generational bond,” he continues.
Luis Cisneros, Professor at HEC Montreal
In his report of the 2nd Forum on the Regionalization of Immigration in Quebec, available to Le Journal, we advocate making it easier for immigrants to start or take over businesses.
In particular, we propose examining the organization of takeover missions abroad, avenues along the same lines as an exploration of the entrepreneurial grassroots at HEC Montréal.
“Entrepreneurs with a migration background represent a powerful but underused reserve for economic development,” it said two years ago.
According to a study by HEC Montréal, immigrants are particularly interested in retail (19.5%), accommodation and food services (11.3%) and health and social care (9.8%).
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