Entrepreneurship in Quebec: what to get started?

Entrepreneurship in Quebec: what to get started?

Do you want to do business in Quebec, but you don’t know which sector of activity to choose? Quebec offers many opportunities for entrepreneurs. A land of immigration, Canada gives every one it welcomes a chance to open or take over a business. The province of Quebec is a region rich in diversity between city and nature, offering you great opportunities to do business in Quebec.

Discover the main promising sectors of activity in Quebec to create a flourishing business and succeed as an entrepreneur on Canadian soil.

Many young shoots are a dream with the millions they collect from investors to get started in the business. But finding funding is only the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey. The most important thing is to convince customers and, above all, to generate income. It is precisely what the companies that appear on the new Canadian Startup 50 list, created by Canadian Business magazine, in collaboration with L’actualité, are doing. Here are the 9 young Quebec shoots who stood out in this first edition, winning one of the 50 places.

1. IT: a buoyant sector

Quebec is recognized for its commitment to advanced technologies. A constantly evolving sector to face new challenges, IT is an expanding environment with massive recruitment in search of new profiles. Today, there is a real market for entrepreneurs in the IT sector. Whether you are setting up as an independent web developer or want to create your own IT company, the IT market is buoyant and can bring in a lot of money.

2. Renewable energies: a commitment to the future

Canada is the 5th country in the world in renewable energies. Due to its diverse size and land, the government is home to 9,985 million square kilometers of renewable resources. Creating a business in Quebec in renewable energies guarantees embarking on a booming sector in full expansion. In addition, the ecology market makes it possible to reconcile the protection of the planet and entrepreneurship.

3. Tourism: a climate and nature-rich opportunities

In 2018, Quebec attracted more than 96 million travelers. Between city and nature, the province of Quebec has everything to please with its many parks and green spaces and its climate, which allows the practice of many winter sports. Therefore, the tourism sector is an excellent sector for doing business in Canada. There are many ideas for creating a business in Quebec in tourism: creating unusual accommodationopening a sports centercreating a travel agency, etc.

4. Entrepreneurship in Quebec in the agri-food sector

A buoyant and recruiting sector (more than 12% of the province’s population), agri-food plays a significant role in Quebec’s economy. Given its economic importance, the food sector is an excellent environment for doing Entrepreneurship in Quebec. Many ideas are available to you:

  • the creation of a French online supermarket or physical store
  • the design of a food product from A to Z by sourcing your food in Quebec
  • the opening of a French restaurant

The province offers you a wide range of possibilities for doing business in the agri-food sector.

5. Online business: working from home

Opening an online business in Quebec means taking advantage of the buoyant market it offers to entrepreneurs. Today, there are many opportunities to open an online business. There is no shortage of ideas for the undertaking: the sale of your expertise such as graphic design or web writing, the creation of e-commerce, the sale of homemade items, etc. Indeed, the Quebec market allows web entrepreneurs to find customers easily. Whatever the specialty of your online services, you will benefit from a market rich in opportunities to create your business in Quebec.

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6. Entrepreneurship in Quebec in multimedia

Quebec is recognized for its expertise in the multimedia industry. Montreal is the birthplace of many independent studios specializing in creating video games, animation, and special effects.

Entrepreneurship in multimedia in Quebec is the assurance of embarking on a challenging environment with the constant evolution of more efficient technologies. Whether you are self-taught or a graduate, there are many opportunities in Quebec that you will inevitably find your place as an entrepreneur.

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7. Software creation: an environment in search of entrepreneurs

The software industry is booming in Quebec, particularly to its commitment to research and development. Indeed, given its involvement in designing ever more efficient technologies, Quebec is looking for profiles of entrepreneurs to develop IT solutions.

Thus, there are many opportunities to create your business in Quebec: become an independent software developer, develop data hosting solutions, design innovative computer systems, etc.

8. Trade: many entrepreneurial opportunities

The cosmopolitan population of Quebec opens the door to many opportunities as an entrepreneur, especially for trade.

Whether in Montreal or the more outlying suburbs, today, the province offers possibilities for opening shops or restaurants. In particular, structures allow the public’s reception in a local committee. For example, in recent years, there has been an increase in the opening of microbreweries to the benefit of large firms.

Quebecers are looking for proximity and friendliness, which offers entrepreneurs many business ideas on a human scale.

9. Entrepreneurship in Quebec: get training in business creation

Before embarking on entrepreneurship, it is essential to know the basics. WikiCréa offers 100% online business creation training. It consists of 8 modules that allow you to learn at your own pace. All at the advantageous price of 30€!

The 10 most prominent startups in Quebec!

1. MissFresh

+ 1,992% ¦ Between 2 and 5 million

For the third time in three years, MissFresh is moving. The young Montreal company, which delivers ready-to-cook meals across the country, lacks space for its ever-growing team in its offices. It is hiring so quickly that its CEO, Marie-Eve Prevost, has “lost count” of the number of employees. “All I know is that we are more than 200! In 2017, there were less than 50. To distinguish itself from many competitors in the do-it-yourself meals sector, including Goodfood, MissFresh relies on the Metro chain, which has acquired 70% of the company and sells some of its products. Its products are in the grocery store.

  2. Creos

+ 789% ¦ Between 1 and 2 million

A sad fate awaits many temporary interactive works of art that enliven public squares: the warehouse. Creos, established in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, remedies this situation by making them travel all over the planet. The company, which acts as an intermediary between the cities and the owners of the works, offers 13 different installations, including the famous luminous swings of the Quartier des spectacles, in Montreal. Thanks to Creos, the results were exhibited in nearly 50 cities in 2018, and demand will soon exceed supply, says one of the four founders, Alexandre Lemieux, 26. “We are discussing with the Times Square Alliance in New York to support its interactive works. »

 3. TRAXXALL

+ 688% ¦ Between 2 and 5 million

An airplane is like a car: if poorly maintained, its performance will be compromised; ultimately, its value may decrease. Montreal-based start-up TRAXXALL helps owners—of planes, not cars—plan, track, and document their aircraft maintenance using the software. The latter is mainly used by operators of business jets and helicopters and by the Commemorative Air Force. This American non-profit organization flies old planes from the Second World War.

4. Humanify360

+ 672% ¦ Between 2 and 5 million

Simple products. How many recruitment agencies treat candidates, criticizes the CEO of Humanify360, Patrick Dubois. “We’re talking about humans, not toasters  !” In this young Montreal shoot, recruiters do not receive a commission when they place a worker – the norm in the sector. Instead, they are encouraged to take the time to get to know the candidates to match them with companies that share their values. “Choosing a job is not just a question of conditions,” says Patrick Dubois, 41. It is also something that is done with the heart. »

5. OVC Insurance

+ 582% ¦ Between 1 and 2 million

Few things are more unpleasant to buy than auto or home insurance. And that’s precisely why 31-year-old Shawn Turcotte got into the industry. “I wanted to offer a better quality service, adapted to young people,” summarizes the president of the brokerage firm OVC Assurances, established in Sainte-Julie. Thus, the entrepreneur hires sales and consulting experts instead of hiring insurance specialists. “Learning insurance is easy. Learning to provide good service takes years! His approach seems to be working: nearly 800 customers have been satisfied enough to give the company five stars on Google and Facebook.

6. TrackTik

+ 437% ¦ Between 5 and 10 million

The history of TrackTik is an accurate cliche of the techno industry. In 2012, programmer Simon Ferragne ran into the owner of a security company at a coffee shop. The latter told him about his difficulties in managing his operations, and the young man offered to create a mobile application to help him. TrackTik was born. Today, this software is used by 200,000 people in 35 countries, and the eponymous company counts the multinational GardaWorld among its customers.

7. R2i

+ 384% ¦ Between 10 and 20 million

“Old” is a word that is often scary in the techno world, but not at R2i! The Montreal company has thus developed a cloud computing infrastructure for an old IBM technology frequently used in large companies. “Even IBM doesn’t offer this service!” proudly said the president, Benoit Martel, 46. Result: some of the largest companies in Quebec and elsewhere do business with R2i. “More than 80% of our clients have revenues over $500 million. »

8. Be One Breed

+ 287% ¦ Between 5 and 10 million

Anthony Deraps, 34, describes himself as “excessively passionate.” So, when his dog suffered from hip problems, he did neither one nor two and contacted Chinese suppliers to have a memory foam mattress made for his pet. An experience led him to find Be One Breed, an animal accessories and toy design company based in Saint-Mathieu-de-Belœil. “It’s an area that’s brown, very flat,” says the entrepreneur bluntly. Be Products distinguish one Breed with polished aesthetics, such as the Katt3, a cat tree with a refined style that replaces the horrible models in the beige carpet.

9. District

+ 285% ¦ Between 50 and 100 million

No, there are no excess zeros in district m income. At the heart of the success of this young Montreal, the company is an advertising auction system that, in a fraction of a second, allows the display of a targeted ad on the site visited by an Internet user. The company is far from alone in this sector — Google is among its competitors — but it stands out by working directly with advertisers and website publishers. “This reduces intermediaries, and therefore the risk of fraud, such as fake traffic, a scourge in the industry,” says CEO Jean-François Côté, 40.

10. Alliance Zone

+ 284% ¦ Between 5 and 10 million

Lentils, beans, soybeans, millet, and buckwheat are just some of the grains exported by Alliance Zone. This Longueuil-based company innovates by offering free advice on the state of the world cereal market, “even if people don’t buy [its] products afterward,” explains general manager Adel Bennani, 44. Alliance Zone recommended postponing orders until the fall when chickpea prices were high last summer. “We knew that Canadian farmers had planted more chickpeas than last year,” says Adel Bennani. Those who listened to him saved a small fortune: the price went from $1,400 to $700 a ton.

Methodology

This ranking was established based on statements submitted by Quebec companies registered in the Startup 50 competition. The ranking is based on sales growth from 2015 to 2017. Only companies founded after 2012 were eligible, and they had to have generated at least $1 million in revenue in 2017. The Startup 50 team verified the accuracy of the data by conducting telephone interviews and reviewing the financial statements submitted to them. The revenues mentioned referring to the year 2017.

BONUS: Our free financial plan template for English-speaking countries

To support you at each stage of your Entrepreneurship development in Quebec, Myhackersguide provides you with a free business plan template. It is intended for English-speaking countries and, therefore, fully adapted for use in Canada.

Entrepreneurship in Quebec: what to get started?

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