Starting a business is a question of balance

Profile of Jacques Théorêt owner of three Videotron stores.

Jacques Théorêt blog

Can becoming an entrepreneur help you achieve a well-balanced life? That’s the view of Jacques Théorêt, owner of three Videotron stores. After working in human resources and labour relations, with a brief foray into politics, a major event in his life caused him to start questioning his career choices.

“In my late thirties I had cancer,” explains Théorêt, who hadn’t previously had any reason to face his mortality. “That led me to realize that I wanted a different lifestyle.”

So he pursued a number of projects, including becoming a Videotron franchisee in the early days of the telecom industry, since he was fascinated by the modernity and growth opportunities offered by the tech industry.

ENTREPRENEURIAL PROFILES

These days, proximity is a rare commodity. However, it is this proximity to the reality of your business and to your region that makes our strength. With now 39 stores offering the full range of business services to local entrepreneurs, we have decided to make a series of portraits that highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of the owners of those stores.

Finding balance

Aware that the life of the entrepreneur often leads to a lot of stress, Théorêt found on the other hand that starting a business gave him a better quality of life.

“Work has always been a very important part of my life,” he acknowledges. “Thinking about it all the time and always staying in the loop about what was happening operationally was easy and came naturally to me.”

“But now it’s me who decides what my schedule is and how I spend my time,” he continues. “So I can take time to go play golf down south in the winter while staying informed about my team’s activities and taking part in meetings with employees, for example.”

His facility with entrepreneurship also comes from his background. He believes that his experiences are what made him a better entrepreneur. “Not just in terms of stress management,” states the man who’s experienced his share of tense electoral campaigns and has even had to negotiate a few collective agreements. “Whether it’s through marketing or relationships with employees or customers, I’m interested in understanding human behaviour.”

Having a solid foundation

According to Théorêt, another prerequisite that’s essential for starting a business is having a solid foundation, whether through technical knowledge, an academic background in the subject, or simply resulting from experience.

“People have a very romantic view of being an entrepreneur, but it’s anything but sexy,” jokes Théorêt. “People believe that when you’re young, you have nothing to lose, but actually I think you need to make sure you’re prepared and well organized.”

“We basically use the services of local entrepreneurs. I naturally tend to work with people who experience the same challenges as we do every day, who understand our needs and issues.”
“We basically use the services of local entrepreneurs. I naturally tend to work with people who experience the same challenges as we do every day, who understand our needs and issues.”

Jacques Théorêt

Buy local

Théorêt manages about forty employees spread across three areas: Laval, East Montreal, and Suroît-Salaberry.

Over the years, he’s naturally built relationships based on trust with the local communities surrounding each of his outposts. “We basically use the services of local entrepreneurs,” he states proudly. “I naturally tend to work with people who experience the same challenges as we do every day, who understand our needs and issues.”

A local plumber, for example, will pay more attention to the impact a water leak could have on store operations, a situation that might have less significance for a big-name chain.

“We’ve developed a certain interdependence and solidarity amongst ourselves,” Théorêt concludes


December 15 2022, By Videotron Business

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