Business: Franchise management software
Born: Gatineau
Biggest business achievement: Founded a high-tech startup named FranchiseBlast that supported more than 100 franchise brands before being acquired by FranConnect.
OBJ360 (Sponsored)
Matching donations matters: How local companies help enable life-saving care for children in need
Self-storage company Access Storage is proud to support healthy communities where its employees work and live – and in the case of Ottawa, that means joining a host of other
Nicole Arranz lights up whenever she sees or hears children visiting Perley Health’s east-end Ottawa campus. “My mom loves kids, and being around kids brings life to her,” said Josée
Biggest obstacle overcome: Starting with no money right out of university, managed to bootstrap the company to its exit with no outside equity funding.
Biggest influences: Becoming a teaching assistant for Daniel Amyot (and later doing my master’s under his supervision) marked a pivotal moment in my self-confidence, which was critical in my development as an entrepreneur.
Biggest lesson learned during COVID-19: Avoid knee-jerk reactions. Even as many of our clients were being shut down by governments, we decided to take our time before making any major decisions. In the end, we made no layoffs and staff appreciated our transparency.
Charitable involvement: I’m a big fan of kiva.org, helping other entrepreneurs help themselves.
First job: Phone surveys in a call center
Advice I’d give the younger me: Surround yourself with people who excel at your weaknesses, but don’t be afraid to learn their skills and apply them yourself.
