JF Thibault consulted with FranNet franchise broker Gary Prenevost to see if franchising would be the right fit for him.
When JF Thibault’s job as human resources specialist for a mutual funds company in Toronto, Ontario, vanished, he sought out Gary Prenevost.
A bank bought out his old company and was eliminating his division. Not that Thibault was eager to stick around…
“With the bank, everything was centralized and I didn’t like it,” says Thibault, who was used to the fast-paced entrepreneurial environment that often comes with smaller firms. “I decided to leave. But before I left, I had time to think about what I wanted to do next. For sure, I wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
A business contact told him about Prenevost, “the lead guy when it comes to talking franchises.”
“He is a great guy, extremely knowledgeable,” Thibault says. “He gave me all the information. He had tons of opportunities and clients.”
But what impressed Thibault the most was that Prenevost was not putting on a hard sell for the franchises.
“He really worked with me and helped me define what I wanted for myself.”
After going pretty deeply into the information-gathering part of potentially becoming a Speedpro signage franchisee, Thibault weighed the options again, and decided to stick to what he knew best.
“I decided to focus on HR,” he says. “I wanted to launch my own business. I figured if I did, it would probably get me where I wanted faster and I would be doing what I was good at.
“HR is what I’m passionate about. I love it. I love time management. I love recruitment.”
So he and a partner just this March launched their HR firm, Talent Ventures Group, with offices in Toronto and Montreal.
Business is growing and Thibault is pleased.
He also raves about how Prenevost factored into his future, even though Thibault never did buy a franchise.
“He did what was right for me and what was right for the franchisor as well, making sure there was a match,” he says.
“Gary was the best. He was really trying to make sure I was making the right decision for me. This was really outstanding.”