Erika Giasson, founder of Muna Celebration of Life (MONTREAL)The spark:

“About four years ago, I attended my grandfather’s funeral and realized how few options there were for organizing celebrations of life that reflected our deceased loved one. Since I had experience planning weddings, I used that expertise to address this lack of personalization in the field.”

And then… the pandemic: “I started at the beginning of the year, not realizing that two months later, everything would stop. So I took the opportunity to review my mission, build a solid foundation and develop collaborations with stakeholders in the field. I was able to develop the virtual or hybrid ceremonies component, a concept that will certainly still be useful in the post-COVID era for those who cannot be there physically.”

Looking ahead: “I think that pandemic or not, I left at the right time, because rituals are changing and many people were unable to honor their loved ones during COVID. Several ceremonies had to be postponed. This may have allowed them to think about what they really wanted for this event. In November, I am launching the Muna festival, a virtual event that will allow for discussion and encourage sharing around death. I want Muna to become the reference not only for personalized celebrations of life, but also for seeing death differently. As a stage of life, quite simply.”

RESOURCE USED: Women in Business by the Fondation Montréal Inc.

Omar Waedh, co-founder of Masque pour vous (LAVAL)

The spark: “The idea came from my 10-year-old daughter, Israe, who wanted to make masks for her friends to help protect them from COVID. After making 30, my wife and I decided to take the plunge and respond, in our own way, to the government’s call.”

Creation: “We went knocking on the doors of a seamstress friend and a friend who works in online commerce to create the website and the virtual store. MasquePourVous was born with its range of non-medical face coverings made of certified organic fabric. We also decided to give back to the community 10% of our profits to help organizations in need get through these difficult times.”

Crazy?: “Starting a business in the middle of a pandemic was a little crazy, especially since I work full-time! We still managed to deliver everywhere in Quebec, to regions/cities I had never heard of. We even delivered to all four corners of Canada and the United States.”

Post-COVID: “When the pandemic is behind us, masks will still be present for health or research needs, for example. We will then have to adapt our strategy to try to penetrate these markets thanks to the expertise we have acquired. We will eventually add other items to our online store in order to diversify our products and target other customers.”

RESOURCE USED: none

Patrick Savaria, co-founder of Aliments PSL (BEAUCE)

The spark: “My wife and I, two seasoned entrepreneurs, developed this project for three months, that of an old-fashioned cream fudge factory. We left Saint-Hubert to settle in a small village in Beauce a year ago. What sets us apart is that we employ 20 people, 13 of whom are autistic or have Down syndrome. Our business plan is based on this principle of inclusion!”

What? In the middle of COVID?: “My family thought the whole project was crazy, but instead I used COVID to approach funders and make the case that it was important to help new businesses too! I took the opportunity to refine my project and my plans.”

Relearning entrepreneurship: “This is the first time my wife and I have employed people with disabilities and it is very rewarding. I gain a lot more from it! Being partially disabled myself due to a work accident, I think employers should not hesitate. They have so much to gain from it! Our employees teach us again the simple pleasures of work. Working with them on a daily basis makes us more humble and allows us to take the drama out of the flowers in the carpet.”

Looking ahead: "In addition to the café bistro that we opened for locals to sell our products, we are negotiating with Sobeys and Metro to distribute throughout Quebec. In the context of COVID, our products bring happiness and proudly display the Inclusion – Adapted Enterprise logo."

RESOURCE USED: The Association for Social Integration (AIS) Beauce-Sartigan