10Jul
Bill 96 and its Implications for Commerce in Quebec

Quebec’s commerce sector stirs as new language restrictions under Bill 96 take effect on June 1, 2023. The government argues the law preserves and elevates French in Quebec due to perceiving it as threatened. However, the implications of this bill for English language and allophone businesses in the province have sparked concern, with its measures perceived as excessive by anglophone rights groups, including the Quebec Community Groups Network.

Starting from June 1, Bill 96 mandates small Quebec companies to disclose the proportion of employees incapable of communicating in French. The provincial government will then publish this information in its searchable public registry of companies. This requirement applies to businesses with five to 49 employees, with new businesses required to declare this information upon registration. Existing businesses are required to do so when filing their annual update.

The ability to communicate in French at work includes attending meetings, understanding instructions, participating in training, and writing/sharing documents. Premier François Legault seeks to limit English usage in Quebec through extensive toughening of language rules in this legislation.

The implications of these provisions on commerce in Quebec, particularly for English language or allophone businesses, are significant. Bill 96 enshrines in the Charter of human rights and freedoms a new “right to live in French,” requiring businesses to inform and serve consumers and the public in French. Every business offering goods and services to consumers, including those catering to other businesses, must comply with this obligation.

Businesses failing to meet the bill’s requirements face steep penalties. Under Bill 96, violations of the Charter result in increased fines: individuals face fines ranging from $700 to $7,000, while companies face fines ranging from $3,000 to $30,000. A second offence incurs double the fines, while subsequent repeat offences result in triple the fines. If an offence continues for longer than one day, it will constitute a separate offence for each day it continues.

In addition to fines, Bill 96 includes administrative penalties, allowing the Minister of the French Language, in consultation with the Office, to suspend or revoke permits/authorizations of companies repeatedly violating the Charter. Additionally, Bill 96 expands the francization requirements for companies. Previously, only companies with 50+ employees in a six-month period had to register and obtain a francization certificate. Starting from June 1, 2025, companies employing 25 or more people will be subject to this obligation.

Non-compliant companies unable to fulfill francization obligations or reject the Office’s language learning services can’t contract with civil administration or receive public subsidies.

Bill 96 imposes strict language regulations on Quebec’s commerce sector to strengthen French usage, burdening businesses. It mandates disclosing non-French competent workforce and serving customers in French, with significant fines and permit suspensions. Concerns arise among anglophone groups and non-French businesses, impacting linguistic diversity and the economy.

Businesses must comprehend Bill 96’s expectations to ensure compliance and avoid penalties. Understand employee language abilities, communicate with the government, and consider language learning services. Consult legal and HR professionals, engage the Office, and support French promotion in Quebec’s commerce sector.

8Jun
Les avantages du réseautage avec des pairs de votre âge

les-avantages-du-reeseautage-avec-des-pairs-de-votre-age-23 Si vous êtes étudiant ou étudiant-entrepreneur, on vous a probablement souvent dit que le réseautage avec les supérieurs peut produire d’excellents résultats. La création de réseau est souvent interprétée comme un moyen de former des liens avec des gens qui ont plus d’influence que vous ou qui occupent des postes plus élevés que vous sur le plan professionnel. Alors que de créer des liens avec des personnes plus haut placées est très important, la valeur du réseautage entre pairs qui sont aussi étudiants n’est pas à sous-estimer. L’objectif du réseautage n’est pas seulement de vous assurer de côtoyer des individus estimés de votre communauté, il s’agit aussi de veiller à établir de précieuses relations avec les cadres supérieurs de demain. Le philosophe grec, Héraclite, a déclaré que le changement est la seule constante dans la vie. Voilà pourquoi s’adonner au réseautage avec vos pairs est essentiel.

Les liens que vous créez pendant que vous êtes dans la vingtaine seront parmi les plus précieux que vous créerez de toute votre vie. Beaucoup d’étudiants universitaires sont encouragés à participer à des activités parascolaires simplement pour glorifier leur CV. Si vous êtes un étudiant-entrepreneur, on vous a probablement aussi dit de prendre part à des cocktails de réseautage afin de rencontrer des investisseurs potentiels. L’avantage de participer à des événements de réseautage au sein d’un établissement d’enseignement parmi des étudiants, qui, comme vous, n’obtiennent aucun gain financier actuel dans ces relations est de rencontrer des gens de différents milieux avec lesquels partager vos expériences. Il n’est pas nécessaire que ces liens soient associés au domaine de l’entrepreneuriat. Le but du réseautage pendant que vous êtes à l’école vise plutôt à établir des relations précieuses, qui plus tard pourront conduire à des avantages dans votre carrière ou à des perspectives d’investissement. Il ne s’agit pas de rencontrer des gens qui ont de l’influence; mais simplement de devenir amis, et de créer des relations de travail avec des gens qui un jour deviendront influents.

Il est aussi important d’échanger avec vos pairs pendant que vous êtes à l’école, car il n’y aura aucun autre moment dans votre vie où vous aurez le temps d’investir dans des relations aussi riches que celles que vous créez à ce stade de votre vie. Ces liens encourageront vos contacts à partager des circonstances opportunes avec vous et à vous aider lorsque vous en aurez besoin dans le futur. Des études ont démontré qu’à mesure que les gens vieillissent, ils travaillent de longues heures, se marient, ont des enfants et accumulent les responsabilités — il n’y a pas beaucoup de temps pour faire quoi que ce soit d’autre. Par exemple, il a été remarqué que la majorité des femmes entre 25 et 54 disposent de moins de 90 minutes de temps libre par jour.

Les activités de réseautage d’aujourd’hui représentent des investissements pour votre avenir.Être proactif et participer à des activités de réseautage avec vos pairs à l’université est un investissement dans votre avenir. Que vous participiez à des activités extrascolaires, que vous tissiez des liens avec vos pairs lors de projets en groupe et dans vos classes, que vous parliez aux gens qui sont assis à côté de vous pendant des conférences ou lorsque vous participez à des réunions entre élèves, votre réseau peut croître de façon exponentielle. Vous pourrez être présenté à des gens dans le réseau d’un ami, être présenté à ses parents qui ont une expertise dans le domaine qui vous passionne, ou simplement instaurer un climat de bonnes relations et introduire des gens à votre propre réseau d’amis.

Finalement, le temps que vous investissez pour rencontrer d’autres personnes maintenant se montrera rentable à l’avenir. Comme l’a dit Matt Stewart, chef de la direction de College Works Painting «La confiance commence avec ce premier pas, alors sortez et commencez à créer des relations. Vos copains de collège seront des avocats, des fournisseurs et des partenaires commerciaux. Ils vous apporteront des affaires», dit Stewart. «Il est important d’avoir du plaisir, mais aussi de produire l’image de quelqu’un qui maîtrise bien sa situation, que vous êtes bon, et que vous avez de bonnes valeurs morales.»

3Jun
Stephen Bronfman CoFounder PME

http://maximum-impact.co/stephen-bronfman-entrepreneur-investor-philanthropist/

Allan Isfan interview Stephen Bronfman at C2MTL

Stephen Bronfman, ProMontreal Entrepreneurs(PME) co-founder, sat down with Allan Isfan from Maximum Impact and had a short chat . They discuss entrepreneurship and the various Montreal based initiatives his foundation is supporting with a particular focus on ProMontreal which he help start 16 yrs ago along with Jimmy Alexander.

He recorded this podcast at the C2 Montreal conference, an incredible conference that the Economist, coined as “the business conference unlike any other”. Approximately 5,000 attendees from all corners of the world come to Montreal to network, experience new things and learn from speakers like Mohammad Yunus, Chip Conley , David Suzuki and Stephen Bronfman.

To hear the podcast it it’s entirety, click here

Hope you enjoy.

23Feb
Demystifying Industry & Market Analysis

Understanding how your market works and what customers want is vital. When done right, it will enable you to find investors, help spot potential roadblocks, and most importantly, attract customers.

Having a properly done market analysis is going to provide key data to convince the investors that your business idea is worth investing in because you will have the hard numbers to back it up.

What is a Market Analysis?

Market analysis is determining the characteristics unique to your particular market and analyzing this information, which will help you make informed decisions for your startup. A market analysis will help you determine and gather valuable data that will enable you to get to know your customers, figure out your competitors, set pricing and pinpoint exactly where opportunities lie.

Industry Description and Outlook

The first step is to describe your industry, paying close attention to its current size and historic growth rate, as well as other trends and characteristics. Relevant industry metrics like size, trends, life cycle, and projected growth should all be included here.

Target Market or Niche Market

It’s important to establish a clear idea of your target market or niche market early on. A lot of new entrepreneurs make the newbie mistake of thinking that everyone is their potential market; they are not. By identifying your real customers, you’ll be able to better use your marketing dollars in an effective way while attracting and retaining loyal customers. The target market section of your business plan should include the following:

User Persona and Characteristics: A persona represents a cluster of users who exhibit similar behavioral patterns in their purchasing decisions, use of technology or products, customer service preferences, lifestyle choices, and the like. Behaviors, attitudes, and motivations are common to a “type” regardless of age, gender, education, and other typical demographics.

Market size: Do your research and find out who and where your competitors are, and how much your customers spend annually on your product or service. How big is the potential market for your business? A question you should ask yourself is who do you fear most and why?

Competitive Analysis

Evaluate your competitors by placing them in strategic groups according to how directly they compete for a share of the customer’s dollar. For each competitor, list their product or service, strengths and weaknesses, and size. Obviously, it’s a good idea to know what you’re up against, but this strategy also lets you spot the competition’s weaknesses. Are there customers out there being under served? What can you offer that similar businesses aren’t offering? The competitive analysis should contain the following components:

Market: Who are your main competitors? Are there any indirect competitors who could impact your business?
Competitor strengths and weaknesses: What is your competition good at? Where do they leave a gap where you can come in and meet the need they are not addressing?
Window of opportunity: Does your entry into the market rely on time-sensitive technology? Do you need to get in early to take advantage of an emerging market?

Barriers to entry: Is the industry easy or difficult to enter? If entry is easy, competitors enter the market during periods of high profitability and expand production capacity. This drives down prices and profit margins. Barriers to entry make it more difficult for competitors to enter so profit margins remain favorable. Barriers to entry include the following:
- Limited access to markets – If the market is dominated by well established branded products, a new entrant will need to spend the time, money and effort to establish a successfully branded product.
- Large-scale production – If large scale production requires substantial financial investment, the financial requirements will limit entry.
- Limited access to technology or production processes – Patented technology and other intellectual property will also limit entry.
This is where you examine your weaknesses. Be honest with investors and yourself.

Regulations

Some business may be subject to governmental regulations or restrictions in order to provide a fair ground in which to do business. If your business is subject to regulations or restrictions, you’ll need to bring them up and discuss how you’re going to comply with them. Is there a cost to the compliance?

In conclusion, market analyses vary from industry to industry and company to company. Most of the information you will need to include can be found by a simple Google search and, most importantly, it can be found for free. Keep in mind that a little estimation is okay, but the bulk of your numbers need to be based on facts and they must, in all cases, be sourced. If you don’t know were to begin, download our entrepreneurship guide that outlines all the good places to start your market research.