The OSEntreprendre competition is a challenge every year. Julie Noël, SDÉF’s economic development advisor, knows this very well.
If registering for competitions may seem overwhelming each time for entrepreneurs with a busy schedule, the positive effects are incalculable. That too, she knows very well. We know that she won the Local Engagement prize, awarded among all the resources in the region dedicated to the OSentreprendre Challenge.
Also, Ms. Noël is very proud to see that five companies from La Tuque were included in the regional OSEntreprendre ranking. They did not all win, but they all have a positive effect that spills over to La Tuque.
“It’s a record year. What helped a lot this year is that they opened up to other categories. Usually, the OSEntreprendre challenge is really for the creation of companies, this year they created the “Doing business together” component. In the controversial context, we wanted to touch on the aspect of local purchasing. There are companies that make it a business model. This enabled us to look for two additional companies, ”analyzes Ms. Noël.
The Réussite inc component lifts the curtain on growing businesses and gives them a pat on the back.
Since it can be intimidating to make your sales pitch in front of the jury, the participants were able to practice a little beforehand. Ms. Noël was impressed by the confidence shown by the candidates when they addressed the jury. Basic training was followed by all the local laureates.
“In my opinion, 90% of companies don’t perceive everything they do. Just talk to them for five minutes (for them to realize it)[…] I love competitions for that, it allows you to take time for yourself, to give ideas for the future as well ”.
Even for Julie Noël personally, OSEntreprendre brings a lot, especially since the mandate to support companies is not part of her tasks, she who devotes herself more to economic development projects. But she takes great pleasure in integrating this support into her daily schedule, motivating companies, showing them everything they do well, but which they do not see.
“I find a little my hobby of human contact with entrepreneurs, to see their project evolve, to” coach “them. It’s an interlude to what I do as an economic development advisor […] It’s a great time to do interview simulations, it’s an extraordinary experience, ”says Julie Noël.
No La Tuque company has yet won the provincial competition in its category. It is not because we practice our profession in a small community like La Tuque that we cannot shine across the border.
This regional recognition brings La Tuque closer to the rest of the Mauricie, showing that just because we are further from major centers does not mean that we do not know how to do things.
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