His story

Cadleen Désir is undoubtedly a model of success, the embodiment of effort and determination. Raised in a work culture by Haitian immigrant parents who started from scratch to become a notary and entrepreneur, the young woman learned very early to roll up her sleeves, believe in her dreams and go for it: “ Don’t listen to people who say you can’t, that it’s impossible. The sky is the limit .”

Starting a business in the back of a garage or basement, many have done it. Cadleen’s father, for example. And she too. She still remembers those evenings when the siblings finished school and left for the factory. She would sew epaulets into shirts and iron the clothes before falling asleep on the way home. “ It’s not like we had a long business history, a heritage passed down from generation to generation to rely on. The diaspora experienced other challenges, we had to get out of poverty first. My parents always created their possibilities.”

“I started my business with $500 on my credit card,” she recalls. “While I was on sick leave in 2006, I found out I was pregnant. My parents encouraged me to start a business project that was close to my heart. My mother lent me a space. I had nine months to make money! My boyfriend was in school. Providing for my family was a powerful motivator. Finding a way to be consistent with my values was too. Because being an entrepreneur allowed me to create my own path, to personally bring about the change I wanted to see in society. In three months, I had six employees and the wind in my sails .”

Today, Déclic employs more than twenty health and education experts. Its purpose? To shine the spotlight on the potential of children and those around them. Her company, which supports children with special needs, has become a reference in its field. The founder recently guided her team in the shift towards a liberated company, a form of inclusive and decentralized management, which has earned her much praise. Freeing oneself to shine better, such is Cadleen Désir's motto, which resonates beyond her own company.

Financing realities and challenges

There has been talk of lack of collateral, capital and credit history. According to a 2021 study by the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce conducted in partnership with the Business Development Bank of Canada, 71% of Black business owners self-financed their businesses. These numbers confirm that access to financing is the main obstacle. And there are many factors that explain this.

Let's talk about the lack of knowledge of realities. " Institutions are cautious when we present them with exotic products that they do not know or a hair salon for frizzy hair, for example. They are not aware of the market and the leverage that the entrepreneur can seek in terms of sales ."

So you have to start from even further back to convince. According to the study cited above, only 30% of Black entrepreneurs say they are comfortable discussing their financing options with their financial institution.

" The less similar the donor is to the person in front of them, the more they will be caught in their biases. Even just a different accent is another obstacle. The interview becomes less pleasant, less fluid. We get into clichéd questions, unrelated to the project we want to talk about. A distance sets in, which prevents us from connecting on a human level, from being humorous perhaps, or from having conversations of affinity ." And the cycle of mistrust continues: the entrepreneur, who feels judged, finds themselves on the defensive, which is perceived as something to hide. Gradually, trust crumbles.

“There is a huge need for a network to lean on and build confidence. But how do you have a network when you are faced with constant obstacles? We are realizing today that diverse entrepreneurs have fewer allies and fewer role models.”

The lack of representation in a homogeneous business world seems obvious: " When we want to talk about diversity in Quebec, and we look for an image of a black entrepreneur, a woman at that, it's always the same ones who come back. There are four of us in Quebec: Vickie Joseph, Dorothy Rhau, Déborah Chèrenfant and me! We need to expand! "

“ It’s not normal that it’s still so difficult for a black entrepreneur to access financing,” concludes Cadleen. “We end up questioning our own abilities. However, I know that I am capable of pitching, that I communicate well, that I have charisma and that my project is viable. We end up feeling guilty, it’s crazy how complicated and complex access to financing is for people of diversity! Talking about it so that everyone really realizes that it’s nonsense is important, so that the knot can finally be undone .”

In recent years, both levels of government have been increasing the number of programs and measures to better support diverse entrepreneurs. Evol has received significant support to provide financing and assistance to businesses with diverse and inclusive ownership. The organization has also compiled a list of support organizations working with Black entrepreneurs. “We must support and assist them at every stage, from start-up to growth. And to do this, I believe that financial institutions must be able to equip themselves with the means and resources to fully achieve this.”