Nicolas, owner of Tech-Nick Informatique | Serving the community with your expertise through business succession
As far back as he can remember, Nicolas has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. A few experiences as an employee quickly confirmed his choice. At the young age of 18, he registered his first business to offer IT services as a freelancer.
It was a natural step for Nicolas, who has been passionate about technology since childhood. In fact, his father also worked in IT and regularly brought home old computers that he and his brother would play with for hours. A true passion began to grow in Nicolas and only strengthened over the years.
“In high school, I used to repair computers and game consoles for people around me. At 18, I decided to start offering this service to the public,” he explains.
Transforming your passion into a business
Financing a business acquisition with microcredit
To fund the business acquisition, Nicolas first approached banks but was unsuccessful. On a friend’s advice, he applied for a loan with Microcredit Montréal, which he was granted shortly thereafter. “I was surprised at how quickly they processed my application, especially considering I was working under tight deadlines.”
In addition to funding the purchase of Micro-PC Plus, the loan allowed him to increase his in-store inventory, enabling him to offer turnkey services to his clients and diversify his revenue streams.
Microcredit Montréal also provided Nicolas with valuable support during the lease signing process to protect his interests and ensure the transaction complied with the law.
©Saphir Optimiste
Taking care of yourself as an entrepreneur
Now 28 years old, Nicolas is optimistic about the future. After years of supplementing his income with side jobs, he is now thrilled to be fully self-sufficient thanks to his business. This new chapter has given him better work-life balance, which he sees as a major challenge for many entrepreneurs. “As an entrepreneur, it’s not always possible to leave your business for two weeks to go on vacation, but it’s still important to take time for yourself,” he adds.
Less than a year after taking over, the business is growing and doing better than ever. In fact, Nicolas is actively looking to hire a part-time employee to allow him to focus more on business development, more specifically with corporate clients. “I still have things to learn, but I’m doing pretty well so far,” he concludes with a laugh.
Tech-Nick Informatique is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To learn more about the services offered, visit technick.info.
Business succession: a promising path to entrepreneurship
With many business owners nearing retirement, business takeovers are becoming an increasingly attractive opportunity in Quebec. This business model not only helps preserve jobs and local expertise, but also offers new entrepreneurs a chance to launch with a solid foundation. “We need emerging businesses, but that’s a tough path. The alternative is to buy an existing business, which already has a client base, a team in place, and a product or service that has been refined over the years. It already has a good reputation. All of this makes acquiring a business less risky and easier to finance,” explains Christian De Stoop, regional advisor at the Centre de transfert d’entreprise du Québec (CTEQ) and member of Microcredit Montréal’s investment committee. To learn more about CTEQ, visit ctequebec.com.