Bachelor of Law and Notarial Studies in Hand, Marie-Ève Chalifoux Became a Notary in 2008. Opening her office to offer her legal services, she simultaneously became an entrepreneur. Six years into her practice, she discovered the business mentorship services offered by the SADC des Laurentides during a networking event hosted by the Sainte-Agathe Chamber of Commerce.
Thanks to her three years in a mentor-mentee relationship, Ms. Chalifoux developed and strengthened her entrepreneurial knowledge and skills as a businesswoman. Today, six years after her mentorship journey, she sees herself as a better manager.
Ms. Chalifoux recalls being listened to and guided by her mentor through her questions and reflections. The solutions explored with her mentor helped her make her own decisions, better analyze various administrative aspects, and progress toward her goals while ensuring her business ran smoothly. Looking back, she is proud of the path she has traveled from the start of her career to today.
For her, the relationship between a mentor and a mentee is based on openness, respect, and confidentiality. The trust she placed in her mentor was essential, allowing him to better understand the person behind the entrepreneur, listen, and grasp the professional and personal environment in which she operated.
Fondly remembering her meetings with her mentor, whom she occasionally meets at events for entrepreneurs, she remains grateful for the quality of their discussions and his support. “The relationship you can have with a mentor is truly special,” she says.
Today, she says that if she had known about business mentorship from the beginning, she would have sought a mentor in the early years of her practice.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs
Marie-Ève Chalifoux advises entrepreneurs to seek mentorship. She shares that being guided by a mentor in development, profession, and business activities offers the opportunity to grow as both a person and an entrepreneur. The moments of sharing and exchanging with a mentor bring reflections on the mentees’ vision.
By Dyane Bouthillette