In March 2020, the sudden of the COVID-19 pandemic turned everyone's lives upside down. Quebec, along with the rest of the world, put everything on hold, in an attempt to flatten the curve of the virus, and therefore lessen its impact. For Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien, that meant pushing “pause” on a lifelong dream.
After five years of investing themselves into a cause they valued above all others, they made the heartbreaking decision to put a temporary halt to the activities of the “Club of Intrapreneurs”.
Full of emotion, Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien shared the story of how this entrepreneurial initiative came to be, and some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way on this adventure of a lifetime.
A Family Story
It was during one of their customary walks around their property that Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien started talking about legacy. They asked themselves, and each other, what they wanted to leave behind, both for their families and for future generations of people they’d never meet. They knew they wanted to make a lasting difference in their society. This desire first led them to create the Business Families Foundation (BFF) over twenty years ago.
Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien dreamed of helping all young people access an education, regardless of means. She wanted every person coming of age to have the chance to become contributing members of society. Years earlier, Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien had told her husband about meeting a friend when she was at university. This friend had the opportunity to attend their mutual school because of just such a foundation Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien’s grandfather had created years earlier. Her friend’s story had a big impact on Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien. It really brought home to her the importance of making a difference.
As for Mr. de Gaspé Beaubien, he’d known that he wanted to start his own business since he was a boy. After all of his years of experience, he’s no stranger to the difficulties of entrepreneurship in Quebec. There’s no doubt that he’s seen it all. What he wanted to do more than anything was to help not only the other young aspiring entrepreneurs in their family get their businesses off the ground, but those who were not part of the Gaspé Beaubien family as well. He wanted them all to be able to benefit from what he had learned as he built his business.
It was from these two dreams that the idea of setting up the Club of Intrapreneurs (CI) was born.
The Club of Intrapreneurs (CI) Project is born
The primary objective of the Club of Intrapreneurs (CI) was to help members of future generations of the Gaspé Beaubien family, as well as all other interested persons, to establish themselves in the long term as a business, foundation or even philanthropy in Quebec.
Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien traveled around the world. They were searching for an interesting and intelligent model by evaluating programs already up and running, established within families abroad. They were looking for both guidance and inspiration.
They found what they were looking for after 5 years of research, when they met the Mulliez Family in France. Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien were very inspired by the concept of governance put in place within their families. It’s one that allows the entrepreneurial spirit to be easily passed along to its members
Development of the Club of Intrapreneurs (CI) Initiative
When Nan-b started working with the young participants in the AquaHacking initiative, she was amazed by the great ability they had for finding solutions to water issues. What they didn’t have, she realized, was the ability to run a business well. These young people needed knowledge, and help.
"Canada is great in education, theory and research, but we are terrible at putting these lessons into practice and making them successful businesses. "- Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien
Noting that in Quebec and Ontario, only 10% of start-up businesses survive, Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien then asked themselves how they could help these entrepreneurs.
After much observation and thought, they called a family meeting, with all the children and grandchildren. They asked everyone, "When do you think you will be ready to apply for a loan and support to launch your business? This financial loan will be accompanied by a system that will support young entrepreneurs with mentoring and coaching. "
Their response was unanimous: not before 5 to 10 years. Together, they concluded that it would be interesting to expand the framework of their family to include people who are not family members, but who share the same values and who could be potential partners. This idea would be a great way to test the support system and uncover its strengths and weaknesses.
With the help of their valued collaborators, Jean-François and Caroline, they interviewed more than a hundred potential candidates. Only two candidates were selected to participate in Phase 1 of CI.
The chosen Intrapreneurs had to meet the following two conditions in order to obtain support from the foundation:
- Form an advisory committee that will hold monthly meetings for encouragement and with the goal of surpassing themselves.
- Get training and attend coaching sessions with the goal of building a network of other experts and professionals.
The Club of learning, headed by Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien, developed to help meet the second condition. She participated in their meetings, held every 4 to 6 weeks.
The key to the success of the Club of Intrapreneurs was the establishment of this continuous support system alongside the efforts of the Intrapreneurs. Their openness to mentoring and coaching was also a determining factor. This partnership with the family allowed them to feel supported and guided.
The Temporary Interruption of the Club of Intrapreneurs (CI)
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis caused the majority of entrepreneurs to lose their customers. Investments also plummeted. The Club of Intrapreneurs was forced to collaborate with other families in order to survive, since it required so much capital to operate.
What will happen to the world after the virus? No one knows, but it seems certain that the world of entrepreneurship will never be the same. In this period of uncertainty, the Gaspé Beaubien foundation had to make the painful decision to halt the Club of Intrapreneurs. After all of the blood, sweat, and tears they had invested in this project, it was a heartbreaking choice to have to make.
The founders are used to solving problems. For them, every problem has a solution. But the reality is that with COVID-19, the only solution is the vaccine. It’s basically impossible to run such an innovative program without being able to be physically present and actively working with the collaborators. The only solution to protect family members from potential contamination was therefore to put the initiative of the Club of Intrapreneurs on hold.
"A page is turned, but the chapter is not finished. Once a vaccine is available, we will be ready to act. "- Mrs. de Gaspé de Beaubien.
For Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien, this is not the end of the Club of Intrapreneurs. It’s only a setback, and an interruption of Phase 2. They have every intention of picking up where they left off once it’s safe to do so.
Lessons learned
Despite this difficult period, the founders of the initiative and their team have grown from their memorable 5-year adventure. The lessons learned are worth more than the time and money that have been lost in recent weeks. Among these is one lesson in particular, namely, the importance of making an effort to earn financial aid and support. The principles of work and perseverance will remain at the heart of the initiatives of the Gaspé Beaubien foundation and will be passed onto future generations.
“We could never regret this experience. More than ever, we are convinced that this formula of the Club of Intrapreneurs is the key to solving the problems faced by young entrepreneurs today. "- Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien.
The second lesson articulated by Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé is to initiate young people interested in entrepreneurship very early on. It is essential to prepare them at a very young age, even before they decide to start their own businesses, in order to give them every chance to succeed.
From now on, Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien aims to share all the knowledge accumulated within the framework of the Club of Intrapreneurs to the entrepreneurs of the AquaHacking project. In addition, this experience will serve as a potential pilot for the youngest members of the family.
Hope for the Future
For the past 5 years, Mr. and Mrs. de Gaspé Beaubien have worked tirelessly to promote their values and the project across Quebec. Their goal was to expand the reach of this support system nationwide.
For them, it is high time to start forming an entrepreneurial culture that will last. The club was the best solution to the entrepreneurship problems of Quebec and Canada. After spending 50 years helping families around the world, they are convinced that this is the best system currently in place to help people realize their entrepreneurial dreams.
"What I want to say to people is: Never give up. There is always hope, there is always a way to succeed. As long as you believe in yourself and are ready to work, you will succeed. This is what we did with Expo 67. We proved to ourselves that we were able to do something in Quebec and it was one of the biggest exhibitions in the world. It was done here, with our people.” - Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien.
Mr. de Gaspé Beaubien wants to see other families, the government and other institutions join this system to make it last. Through its determination and passion, the Gaspé Beaubien foundation was there to start the initiative of the Club of Intrapreneurs, but it can’t keep it going alone. All in all, this experience has helped pave the way for the future of entrepreneurship in Quebec.
“There is always a future. Always. As long as you are healthy, you can succeed and persevere with your ideas. For the moment, this is a setback. Afterward, though, we’ll keep going forward. "- Mrs. de Gaspé de Beaubien.