Succeeding in Quebec: What Nobody Tells You About Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, perseverance, and personal growth are at the heart of the journey of Cripin Foquet, a Quebec entrepreneur and newly published author. Through his companies and his book titled The Power of Resilience, he aims to share a message of hope and demonstrate that entrepreneurial success is accessible to those who are ready to seize opportunities and persevere.

Invited as part of a local journalism initiative, Cripin Foquet discussed his journey, his professional achievements, and the values that have guided his rise within Quebec’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

President of Avenir Plus Inc., a company founded in 2021 specializing in industrial maintenance, diagnostics, equipment repairs, and industrial equipment cleaning, he is also president of Master All Inc., a company operating in the automotive and industrial lubricants sector.

“I am president of Avenir Plus Inc. and, for the past year, president of Master All Inc.,” he explains while presenting his professional background. For him, these projects represent much more than businesses: they are a direct contribution to the economic development of Quebec and Canada.

“We contribute, like any normal company, to Quebec’s economic growth by creating wealth, creating value, and creating jobs,” he says.

Turning Challenges into Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Like many entrepreneurs starting a professional venture, Cripin Foquet had to overcome several obstacles, including gaining the trust of his first clients.

“Entrepreneurship, as I have said, is a very, very complex exercise, but it requires resilience. It is my favorite word,” he emphasizes.

According to him, one of the biggest challenges faced when launching Avenir Plus Inc. was convincing the first clients while the company did not yet have a track record proving its expertise.

“When you are new on the market and you are selling a service, you need a record. People want to know where you have worked before, where your company has already provided services,” he explains.

The situation changed when a first entrepreneur gave him an opportunity. Once that trust was established, his team was able to demonstrate its expertise.

“Once we were given that chance, we proved that we were capable, and the rest happened naturally,” he says.

For him, Quebec represents an environment where quality work can quickly open doors.

“In Quebec, there is something I love: when you do good work, people talk about it and it promotes you very quickly,” he adds.

Success Is Not Based on Luck, but on Preparation

When asked about the role of luck in his journey, Cripin Foquet rejects the idea that success is simply the result of chance.

“I do not believe in luck. I think luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” he says.

According to him, an opportunity can only be fully seized when a person has the necessary skills, discipline, and preparation.

“If you are not prepared and an opportunity comes your way, you will not be able to seize it,” he explains.

This philosophy summarizes much of his entrepreneurial approach: identifying needs, providing solutions, and continuing to move forward despite challenges.

“Quebec industries still have problems, and they are waiting for solutions,” he believes. “You have to find a solution that responds to a very specific problem in the industry.”

A Journey Marked by Resilience

The theme of resilience occupies a central place in Cripin Foquet’s personal story. In his book The Power of Resilience, he reflects on the experiences that shaped his journey.

Born in a remote village in Cameroon in the early 1990s, he explains that he grew up in a family where access to education was not easy.

“I was born in a very remote village. My two parents never went to school,” he shares.

Despite these circumstances, he explains that his mother played a decisive role in his future by deeply believing in the importance of education.

“This mother believed that in order to make a place for yourself in tomorrow’s world, you absolutely had to go to school,” he says.

Because of this family determination, he left his village to continue his studies in the city. It was a difficult transition since he did not yet understand the French language.

“I did not know how to speak French. I only spoke my native language,” he recalls.

Faced with this new reality, he chose not to give up.

“My mother made me understand that it was possible to succeed, but that I had to go to school,” he explains.

For him, resilience is therefore not only a professional value, but an attitude that has accompanied him since childhood.

“I had to be resilient. I could not drop out, I could not give up in the face of all these challenges,” he states.

Difficult Experiences Turned Into Steps Toward Success

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Cripin Foquet also experienced demanding jobs, including agricultural work in Quebec.

“Some people told me: ‘I cannot leave Cameroon to come work in the fields in Quebec.’ Yes, we went to pick blueberries,” he says.

For him, these experiences represent an essential part of his personal development.

“There is never glory without suffering,” he insists. “If you are suffering right now, if you are facing difficulties, know that it is the process that leads to glory, that leads to success.”

He says he never considered abandoning his goal.

“I never wanted to give up. For me, difficulties are part of the process,” he says.

A Book to Inspire a New Generation of Entrepreneurs

With The Power of Resilience, Cripin Foquet wants to encourage more people from diverse backgrounds to believe in their entrepreneurial potential.

He explains that he wrote this book to show that success is possible regardless of a person’s origin or background.

“The purpose of this book is to multiply the number of Cripin Foquets. It is to inspire more people,” he says.

According to him, Quebec entrepreneurship must continue to welcome talents from different backgrounds.

“We can succeed in Quebec, whether we are African, Haitian, Quebecois, or wherever we come from. We can succeed; it is possible,” he states.

However, he reminds people that success requires seeking available resources and not remaining isolated.

“You have to go and find the resources. You have to work hard, you have to challenge yourself, and you must not give up,” he advises.

Building Tomorrow’s Quebec Today

When looking toward the future, Cripin Foquet says he has not set a specific limit to his ambitions.

“My limit is the sky,” he declares.

For him, true success is not only about achieving personal goals but also about preparing the next generation.

“We will reach a point where, when we are ready to retire, we will have trained enough people to take over so that what we have built today continues into the future,” he explains.

His final message is directed especially toward people from diverse backgrounds who wish to enter entrepreneurship.

“Connect with people who have already taken this path like we have. There are several support structures available in Quebec and Canada that are ready to assist you,” he encourages.

Through his entrepreneurial journey and his testimony, Cripin Foquet defends one central idea: origins do not determine destiny. According to him, with preparation, perseverance, and resilience, anyone can transform an opportunity into success.

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