Business insurance agents: trusted allies for entrepreneurs
Starting a business takes a little courage, plenty of confidence and a whole lot of preparation. Oh, and talent! The talent to come up with great ideas and to… surround yourself with the right people!
Our team invites you to discover three homegrown businesses as well as their owners, who have chosen our agents as trusted allies to provide advice, support their growth and help them secure business insurance coverage tailored to their reality, allowing them to focus on what matters most to them: entrepreneurship.
Domaine Lafrance: surrounding yourself with the right people to innovate in business
Proud heir to the family orchard and a multigenerational passion for apple growing, Éric Lafrance is President and Co-Owner of Domaine Lafrance with his wife, Julie Hubert, who is also Vice-President and Controller. Together, they are carrying on the tradition of the business founded in 1925 by drawing on the know-how and innovation that define their team. This allows them to produce quality ciders and spirits and surround themselves with trusted partners who can help them achieve their ambitions, especially following their breakthrough into international markets.
According to Julie Hubert, the freedom that comes with entrepreneurship leads to “special relationships with suppliers, collaborators and the team you choose to work with.” For entrepreneurs, choosing who to surround themselves with means choosing people who complement them, people who can build on their company’s strengths, particularly by protecting their assets and infrastructure, as well as ensuring business continuity. “It’s all the more important to have the right advice to protect what we have and what we offer,” she adds.
With coverage that matches their ambitions, the owners of Domaine Lafrance have the peace of mind they need to give free rein to their entrepreneurial creativity. This has allowed them to diversify their offering and develop products born of their unique know-how, earning the company international recognition. Incredible recognition that exceeded their initial optimism and that, having established the company’s reputation within the industry and beyond Canada’s borders, requires appropriate coverage to ensure business continuity as well as meet client demand and expectations for quality.
Moreover, since a client-focused approach is a fundamental part of Domaine Lafrance’s business model, the entrepreneurial couple wanted to work with an insurer committed to building the same kind of close relationship with them that they have with their own clients. According to them, working together is how you bring out the best in everyone and achieve success.
“When you invest so much as entrepreneurs—time, money and energy—it’s extremely important to surround yourself with the right people. It’s absolutely essential.” - Julie Hubert, Vice-President, Co-Owner and Controller at Domaine Lafrance
Domaine Lafrance found a like-minded ally in Promutuel Insurance, with whom the company has enjoyed a relationship of trust for 20 years. For Éric Lafrance, it is essential that his insurer have an in-depth knowledge of the family cidery’s current and upcoming projects in order to fully understand its situation and identify its needs. The key to achieving this? Good listening skills. That’s why Éric and Julie know they can count on Georges, their business insurance agent, for informed answers to their specific questions: his attentiveness and ability to communicate effectively make him a reliable and reassuring source of support—and a friendly one, too!
Because Georges is just as familiar with Domaine Lafrance’s history and regional context as he is with its owners’ creative drive, he makes himself available when they need him to explain their insurance coverage and help them maintain their momentum by ensuring they have the right tools—even when something goes wrong. Éric Lafrance explains: “In entrepreneurship, there are highs and lows. With the right preparation, you can bounce back from the lows more quickly and limit the impact on the business.” With the sound advice of their business damage insurance agent, the co-owners of Domaine Lafrance know they can move forward with their plans because they are protected against the unexpected events that can arise along their entrepreneurial journey.
Domaine Lafrance is the product of a visionary family whose members have dreamed big from generation to generation. With their business insurance agent by their side, Éric Lafrance and Julie Hubert are “in business”—and confident—because he understands their long-term vision. Why? Julie answers without hesitation: “He believes in our projects.” By choosing exceptional partners, this homegrown Québec company has brought local flavours beyond our borders, a source of pride that fuels its owners’ creativity.
Le Gars du Lac: protecting what you’ve built and your peace of mind
The business known as Le Gars du Lac is the unexpected result of Olivier Jean’s desire to have fun. After discovering a passion for traditional cuisine, particularly the famous traditional Lac-Saint-Jean deep-dish meat pie, his idea of sharing local dishes with a wider audience quickly took off. At 36, he now heads an established and diversified business that shines across the province. Thanks to his business, fruit ketchup, meat pies and, of course, the “real traditional Lac-Saint-Jean deep-dish meat pie” have earned a special place on the tables of food lovers looking for great flavours and good company.
However, Olivier Jean reveals that entrepreneurship comes with its share of “rough waters” — risks along the journey that entrepreneurs need to be well protected against. For many business owners, for example, starting a business requires a significant investment of their own money and, even more so, their time. These challenges can also include managing stress as well as balancing work and family life. Those who work closely with entrepreneurs must understand the full scope of these financial and human considerations to ensure business continuity. “Understanding the reality of an entrepreneur isn’t always easy,” explains the young business owner. “Risk is part of the job.” Motivated by his own experiences and what he has learned firsthand, Olivier has surrounded himself with professionals who understand the challenges of entrepreneurship, allowing him to maintain the work-life balance that suits him and pursue his projects at his own pace.
To prepare for the unexpected, Olivier Jean chose a trusted ally from the very beginning, turning to Promutuel Insurance to support Le Gars du Lac. There are many risks associated with the restaurant business because kitchen equipment can be very expensive, as can quality ingredients, product storage and transportation, among other things. An equipment breakdown during the holiday season can quickly jeopardize a highly profitable period if it results in a loss of inventory. Keeping a business in this industry running smoothly requires a great deal of organization and constant planning. “For your business to thrive, you have to make a lot of small decisions, but most importantly, you have to make the right ones!”
With recommendations from Sandra, his business insurance agent, Olivier knows his business is in good hands. “My agent is extremely important to me. She helps me better assess my needs, both in the warehouse and on the road,” he explains. “Sometimes, a piece of advice can make all the difference.” The entrepreneur explains that in the restaurant industry, everything can change overnight. He points out that in the event of a major loss, few businesses would have the financial means to start over from scratch. Having a business insurance agent who fully understands this reality is essential for Olivier. This allows him to stay focused on growing his business.
“I realize that having the right coverage ultimately gives me more time to focus on what matters most to me: entrepreneurship.” - Olivier Jean, Owner of Le Gars du Lac
While Olivier Jean knew from the start how to make a great traditional Lac-Saint-Jean deep-dish meat pie, becoming the owner of Le Gars du Lac taught him that the key ingredient for success in entrepreneurship is surrounding yourself with people you trust. People who have the experience and expertise needed to help entrepreneurs protect the passion that drives them and what they have built, while inspiring them to keep creating.
Filtration Québec: supporting growth from generation to generation
Nadia Marziali comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. “Filtration Québec has always been a part of my life. It’s my grandfather’s company. I started out there as a labourer.” Four pregnancies later, she moved into an office role at the company, eventually becoming Vice-President and Owner alongside her brother and father. The manufacturer of standard and custom filtration products now serves industrial and commercial businesses as well as individuals and is experiencing promising growth. Nadia attributes Filtration Québec’s success as a 100% Québec-owned company to her team’s strong sense of belonging and their dedication to the company’s success. “Having people you can trust is worth its weight in gold.”
To repay the trust her teams place in her, Nadia Marziali attaches great importance to ensuring the long-term future of her business. “An entrepreneur must take risks to move forward, but every risk must be calculated. But when it comes to insurance, we don’t take any chances.” The owner knows that her colleagues depend on their jobs for their livelihood. That is why the business must keep running, even when the unexpected happens. “We want to make sure we have the right coverage if something happens, to limit the impact.” For Nadia Marziali, one of the challenges her business has faced in recent years has been managing its rapid growth. As its needs grew exponentially, the company had to relocate several times, all while ensuring that production was not disrupted.
During these pivotal periods, Nadia was able to turn to Marie-Ève, her business insurance agent at Promutuel Insurance, a company Filtration Québec has trusted for… four generations. “We’ve known each other for 50 years!” she says of the insurer that has watched the family business thrive. Despite the significant changes brought about by the company’s growth, it was essential to ensure that its operations were well protected so the owners could respond to unexpected events without slowing productivity. “So we don’t let our clients and employees down. A lot of people are counting on us.”
Nadia immediately felt she was in good hands with Marie-Ève. She believes that her business insurance agent’s responsiveness plays a major role in delivering the excellent client service Filtration Québec prides itself on. In addition, she knows the manufacturer’s family history, needs, values and expectations. Over time, they have built a close, trusting relationship that helps ensure Nadia receives the right advice for her business insurance needs.
“Entrepreneurship is hard, but it’s worth it, especially when you have the right people around you.” - Nadia Marziali, Vice-President and Owner of Filtration Québec
What would Nadia Marziali’s grandfather say if he could see how far the company has come since 1974? “He’d be blown away!” his granddaughter replies without hesitation. “He’d be proud because we did what he did—we took it one step at a time.” Times have changed for Filtration Québec, but its trusted insurer has remained the same. With Marie-Ève, her business insurance agent, by her side, Nadia Marziali is well equipped to take her business—and her colleagues—even further.
The freedom that comes with entrepreneurship
Our business insurance representatives are proud of the trust established businesses such as Domaine Lafrance, Le Gars du Lac and Filtration Québec have placed in us. As Éric Lafrance and Julie Hubert, Olivier Jean as well as Nadia Marziali can attest, our team knows how to support them by providing the coverage they need and being there for them day after day, year after year—sometimes for as long as 50 years—regardless of their industry.
For us, being THERE for local entrepreneurs means listening to their ideas and drawing inspiration from them to provide the right advice. It means supporting them through adversity so they can take their ambitions further, sometimes beyond what they thought possible.
To learn more about the coverage available to entrepreneurs and discover how our business insurance agents can become your trusted allies, check out our guide.
