(Photo: 123RF)
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GUEST BLOG. I was fortunate last week to go to New York for a business meeting. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me, New York is one of my favorite cities in the world. Being of a French father and a Quebecker mother, I feel like a New Yorker at heart, finding in this city a bit of America and a bit of Europe.
As with each of my visits, I come back inspired and especially pumped up to achieve all my wildest dreams! Few of the cities that come in our veins like this one.
Of course, New York has flaws. Endemic traffic, an often noisy city, astronomical cost of living, social inequalities, poverty … but like any megalopolis, chaos and extremes find a way to co-exist.
As an entrepreneur and rap enthusiast, I often think of Jay-Z’s Sinatra-inspired line in her song “Empire State of Mind”. “Since I made it here, I can make it anywhere”. And he’s right. New York is the perfect playground for any entrepreneur. Its millions of inhabitants and visitors, its cosmopolitanism, its different neighborhoods, lifestyles and everything that revolves around it allow the entrepreneur to find the entire planet inside the city.
Not a day goes by that I’m not on the lookout for new trends, for the new idea that will revolutionize my business. Traveling allows me to open my eyes to what is being done elsewhere. An entrepreneur who does not travel is like a tennis player who plays against a wall … no way to move forward, to surpass himself.
In search of inspiration, in lack of motivation, during a stroke of the blues, I go directly to New York to wake up. Last week, I was able to visit a few concept stores with our Marketing Director Anik. Nike, Glossier, North Face, Eataly, Starbucks Reserve, it’s crazy how inspired we came out.
Although I love Montreal, we unfortunately do not have the critical mass of inhabitants and tourists which justifies the considerable investments in this type of store of the future. With names like Nike’s “House of Innovation” where there must be only a few dozen t-shirts and shoes for sale on 4 floors to the customer experience in the all-pink beauty store of the Glossier beauty brand. in the Soho district, we were first and foremost experiencing the revolution in retail, branding and customer experience.
Some love it, others hate this urban jungle which never ceases to amaze me. However, in my eyes, New York is a must-see for any entrepreneur who dreams of taking on the world.
Getting out of your comfort zone of your cozy cocoon is super important. Let us remember that in business, it is not the big ones who eat the small ones, but the fastest who eat the slowest.
Our meeting was most inspiring and we came out even more convinced of our game plan. Now, after this dose of entrepreneurial vitamins, we are back in Montreal and have a lot of work to do before our next trip to the city that never sleeps!
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