Three entrepreneurs use their knowledge and experience to produce handmade high-quality bicycles.
Ronny Perez Jaramillo, Mathieu P. Hamel and Étienne Trudeau are the three proud owners of Memento Cycles. They design and manufacture high-quality bicycles in their workshop located in Rosemont, Montreal.
For many years, the three of them worked together as bike couriers and messengers. Their experience in the field, and the knowledge that comes with it, have given them a better understanding of the cycling industry and its needs.
The cycling industry, like most industries, is dominated by mass production in low-income countries. It focuses on low-cost and low-time production bicycles. Memento Cycles differentiates itself from the bunch by choosing quality over quantity.
The Rosemont-based artisans weld and assemble the bikes themselves. Every bicycle frame they make is customized for every client so that the bike perfectly fits the person’s body. They design and make their products for cyclists who want to ride a bicycle that feels like an extension of their own body, and offer a solution to those who want to ask for more from their bike.
Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
Both Trudeau and Perez Jaramillo are engineering graduates. They took to the field so that they could earn high salaries and work in very safe, stable jobs like they thought they were supposed to. Instead, they decided to make the daring decision to choose passion over money and boldness over safety.
Perez Jaramillo believes that Memento Cycles is about more than making a living by selling bicycles.
“It’s about learning and growing,” he explained, referring to both being an entrepreneur and a human being.
Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
The Work Market is Changing
The pandemic has redefined the way Canadians think about their work. For many, it’s opened up options beyond working for someone else. Employees and employers now have to deal with the new rules of the labour market.
The human resources firm LifeWorks uses the Mental Health Index (MHI) to measure Canadians’ level of happiness and satisfaction at the workplace. The firm has conducted surveys every month since 2017, and their data can be used to understand the evolution of Canadian workers’ views and feelings about their job.
Their study on the MHI found that the Canadian workers who feel a sense of belonging and acceptance at work have among the highest mental health scores. Lower mental health scores can cause lower productivity while higher mental health scores result in higher productivity. They also found that more than one-third of employed Canadians are either thinking about leaving their job, or are unsure because their current job does not satisfy them.
Additionally, Statistics Canada publishes estimates of business openings and closures every month. Their latest comprehensive report released in July 2020 compares the first few months of the pandemic to the same months during the preceding year. It states that the number of new businesses has risen by eight per cent from March to July 2019.
We will have to wait for more recent data to make conclusions about the long-term effects of the pandemic, but the first five months’ statistics suggest that the pandemic has encouraged Canadians to start their own businesses.
Memento’s history
Perez Jaramillo and Trudeau graduated in 2020 and 2019 respectively. Fresh out of completing their degrees in engineering, both believed that an office job would not satisfy them. They felt the need to work on their own terms toward an objective of their own. They both appreciate the ability to work when they choose, and to take a day off when they feel like it.
“It all started when I was taking entrepreneurship classes during my last semester at university,” said Perez Jaramillo with a smile.
“I was really looking for a project to start my business. At first, it was not about the bikes; it was more about being an entrepreneur.”
“At first, it was Étienne and me,” Perez Jaramillo remembered. They asked Hamel to join because they thought that his experience in the cycling industry and his knowledge of bike mechanics would be beneficial.
“I think that three is the perfect number for our business. Everyone brings something different to the table. We had to buy a lot of tools and machines to produce bike frames. It was good that we could split the expenses in three.”
Trudeau is the one who had the idea of producing cargo bikes. “All the cargo bikes we have here are imported from the Netherlands and are very hard to get. It costs about $10,000 to buy and ship the bike to Montreal. It should actually only cost you $5,000. Étienne thought there was a market there. This was all we needed.”
Trudeau explained that cargo bikes are the fastest way to deliver goods in the city. They have a very small front wheel with a wide platform attached to the fork which makes it easy to carry great loads. There already are a few companies in Montreal that use those bikes to make deliveries. The three entrepreneurs hope to convince those companies to stop importing expensive bikes from Europe, and instead, use their locally made bicycles.
“At first we only wanted to make cargo-type bikes,” Trudeau remembered. But they quickly realized that it was quite complicated to start with such a complex product. They decided to start making regular bicycle frames. The trio quickly found out that this was still hard. This is why they decided to start by making bike racks and small accessories.
Étienne attaches a bike rack to the front of a bike. They shared that the fitting is one of the most important part of the process. Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
Similar to the two other partners, Trudeau still works a part-time job. He is a bicycle messenger for a company that uses cargo bikes to deliver goods on the Island of Montreal. He is very used to riding those unique bikes, and hopes to be able to produce and sell the first cargo bikes made in Montreal.
Why are Memento’s bikes unique?
The three Memento owners were cyclists years before starting their company. Their background and experience allow them to better understand the demands of bicycle lovers. Perez Jaramillo believes that “cyclists are the best persons to create cycling products.”
“People do not want to buy something they could have done themselves,” he said. “They want to buy something special, clean, and unique.”
Manufacturing bikes on a smaller scale than most bike brands allows memento Cycles to create a relationship with the customers. Perez Jaramillo thinks this is central to their work.
“I loved the idea of working with my hands,” Perez Jaramillo explained. He always was more cerebral than manual but he “was very attracted by the idea of learning to weld and work the metal.”
Kaitlynn Rodney/ The Concordian
The road to success was a bumpy one, but Perez Jaramillo tries to find something positive in everything.
“We made a few mistakes,” he said, “but I think that we learned from every one of them. As long as your mistake does not destroy your company or kill anyone, I am sure you can draw something positive from it.”
Trudeau believes that one of the biggest challenges is to manage to reach out to as many people as possible. “In order to do that,” he said, “we need to have a diversified range of products.”
There are 600,000 bikes sold a year in Quebec. The three Memento members hope that they will be able to sell at least 20 bikes a month. That would allow them to leave their respective part-time jobs and focus on the company.
Looking Ahead
“When I come here, I don’t have the feeling that I am working,” Trudeau shared happily. “If I was not in a love relationship, I would spend all my time here without feeling like I am spending all my time at work.”
Being an entrepreneur can be very challenging at times, requiring a great amount of motivation to keep going even when the pay is not as good as one would hope or everything seems to want to fall apart.
Perez Jaramillo finds his motivation by comparing his life to those of his fellow classmates. “I have friends who graduated from the same program I graduated from who have a nine-to-five type of job, a good salary, and a nice office to work in. But they all tell me the same thing: this is not enough. They feel like they are missing something. This is why I tell myself that even if I had a full wallet, I would not necessarily be happier.”
Trudeau explained that his bachelor’s in civil engineering and Perez Jaramillo’s bachelor’s in mechanical engineering are relevant to their work. They use a lot of the knowledge learned in their studies, especially when it comes to materials and their particularities. Harmel completes the trio well with his knowledge and experience in bike mechanics.
“There are too many generations who convinced us to study a lot, find a decent job, and get settled,” Trudeau said. “I see too many people who are unhappy with that type of life.”
Perez Jaramillo believes that “entrepreneurs are people willing to dedicate their heart and their soul to their projects. I don’t mean to become crazy — but it’s almost that.”
Why bored twentysomethings are starting businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic
I was three weeks away from starting a new season as a tour guide in Europe when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. My company cancelled all their trips, and I was left unemployed. Bored and unstimulated, my options were to get an uninspiring job at the grocery store or the pharmacy, which were the only businesses open during the peak of the first wave. Or, I could go back to school.
The fear of boredom pushed me to pursue a new career by going back to school while the world waited to return to normal. I had everything to gain by trying something new.
I found a graduate diploma program in journalism, an area that intrigued me, and was accepted. For the last few months, I have been studying harder than ever, but, for the first time, I am thoroughly enjoying school.
I noticed that the people closest to me were also understimulated and started using their free time to challenge themselves in new ways. But they chose a third option: starting their own businesses.
Friend after friend launched new online businesses hoping to make a little extra money, but most of all, to keep busy while the world was at a standstill.
Here are some of their stories.
JESSICA MCLAUGHLIN (Age: 26), OTTAWA, CANADA
In the Great White North, a national lockdown was announced in March. Non-essential employees were forced to work from home and social gatherings were banned, which was horrific for self-declared extrovert Jessica McLaughlin.
“I needed to find something to keep me busy because I was going crazy,” said McLaughlin. The 26-year-old government employee said that while she was thankful to keep her job, the loss of social activities left a void in her life. So, McLaughlin focused on the one hobby she could do alone within her house: baking.
Thus, Sweet Ginger Bakes (SGB) was created. Named after her red hair and love for all things sweet, SGB offers people in the Ottawa and Montreal areas various baked goods, the most popular of which are the customizable sugar cookies.
“I was a big ‘procrastibaker’ during undergrad,” she said. “I would bake to put off studying or writing papers.” In her spare time, McLaughlin would spend hours intricately decorating goods for friends and family, who saw the potential for her to start a baking company.
SGB opened its virtual doors on Instagram in April, and, for the following six weeks, McLaughlin was extremely busy.
Instagram calculated that, in 2019, 83 per cent of users discovered new products and services on the platform, which allows small businesses like SGB to find marketable audiences. Acquiring 138 followers since her launch, McLaughlin earned enough revenue to buy a new baby blue KitchenAid mixer and quality sprinkles, which, she says, “are deceptively expensive.”
Though McLaughlin doesn’t see herself doing this full time in the near future, she isn’t stopping either.
“I think the pipedream would be to open an actual store,” she said. But even if this never happens, McLaughlin said all the effort it took to get the business going, like decorating at 2 a.m. or running to the grocery store for last minute eggs and butter, were worth it.
“I find joy in making new designs and making people happy through baking,” she said. “It’s nice to be part of someone’s moment … knowing that something that I enjoy doing can make others happy.”
MARTA SANTO (Age: 28), COMO, ITALY
Italy was the first European country to enter a lockdown on Mar. 9, when the virus took over the northern region of Lombardy before spreading across the country. Marta Santo, an Italian tour guide, was working in Austria when Italy announced it would soon close its borders.
Santo was in the middle of a 21-day tour, but had to leave her group with another guide and race home or risk being stuck abroad. The journey took several days, but she made it home in time. From then on, “It was full-on crazy,” she said.
The lockdown in Lombardy lasted two and a half months, during which people were only allowed to walk a short 200 metre distance from their homes.
“There were police everywhere; they used drones to check on people,” she said.
Then, in August, Santo contracted COVID-19 and was quarantined for 18 days. With boundless time on her hands, Santo, a trained artist, started drawing again.
“It was like people baking bread, but for me it was painting stuff,” she said. Santo hadn’t painted in five years, due to her nomadic job limiting her ability to carry art supplies.
But her family, friends and the boredom of unemployment inspired Santo to open an online art store on Etsy, an e-commerce site focused on selling handmade crafts. The store, called UnaTea, launched in October, selling prints of Santo’s illustrations, as well as personalized paintings, drawings and magnets.
Santo even used the time to teach herself how to draw on her iPad so that her work could be safely stored and printed, and — when tourism resumes — will allow her to keep drawing on the road.
Since its launch, UnaTea has sold over a dozen pieces, the most popular of which are the personalized items drawn in Santo’s unique style. Santo can spend up to nine hours creating a single piece, from the conceptualization of the work all the way to the final touches.
“It’s sort of my meditation, I think, when I paint and when I draw,” said Santo, adding that she feels no pressure to make UnaTea her main source of income.
“I think it’s always going to be a hobby to be honest, and I’m happy with that,” said Santo.
TOBY MOORE (Age: 26), MONTREAL, CANADA
Starting an online business has become increasingly easier, with little-to-no funds needed to create Instagram, Facebook and Etsy business pages. According to Stats Canada, national retail e-commerce sales grew by 99.3 per cent between February and May of 2020 and many new online businesses have appeared since the pandemic.
One of them was created by Toby Moore.
Moore had just graduated from McGill University with a master’s degree in urban planning when the virus spread globally.
“That first job … that’s generally the hardest barrier to get over, so having a whole global pandemic on top of that is definitely not conducive to helping someone [find a job],” said Moore. But the 26-year-old saw his ample free time as an opportunity to learn and expand his interests.
“It started with a few ideas, interests or passions of mine,” he said. Moore had been DJing as a hobby for eight years, so naturally streaming his DJ sessions was the first step. But he wanted to expand on this idea and brainstormed, “What other online events or things can I do to bring people together?”
From inside his childhood bedroom, he created T1K, a diverse entertainment company providing trivia nights, a podcast, roundtable discussions, a radio show and many more events.
“T1K is about bringing people together in a knowledge/education/learning environment where people can share, discuss, grow [and] have fun in a positive way,” said Moore. Topics like management, the environment and careers are discussed on the podcast and at events to engage listeners and dive deeper into current issues.
The podcast, playfully named “Toby or not To be,” explores the different career paths and choices of interviewees. Moore also created a roundtable discussion centred on sustainability and has welcomed guests like Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Mayor Sue Montgomery and Councillor Christian Arsenault.
T1K started in June but has not made any sales as of yet.
“I’m continually thinking of how I can incorporate a financial side into it,” said Moore. He believes that the company is still too small to charge customers for services and selling ad space doesn’t support his business concept.
But the project has been fruitful in other ways. T1K attracted the attention of Sur Place, an non-profit that offers free experiential arts education, where Moore is currently on the board of directors and occasionally offers workshops on podcasting.
“It’s been such a big opportunity, experiment and learning process, and I think that’s what I wanted,” he said.
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Victor Hugo wrote in Les Miserables, “There is something more terrible than a hell of suffering — a hell of boredom.” And right he was.
A wave of boredom spread around the world just as fast as the pandemic, but McLaughlin, Santo and Moore turned it into an opportunity to develop their hobbies.
While the businesses differ, what is common among all three entrepreneurs is that their ventures were not created with the aim of making money or becoming a full-time job. Instead, it allowed them to use their time to do what they love within the confines of their homes.
Michel Zhao opted out of cell biology to expand interior design business
It all started with boredom and a timeless desire to make money. Concordia student Michael Zhao realized that, despite his love for cell biology, he wanted to do more than study.
“I was really bored, and looking for a job didn’t seem fun for me,” said Zhao. “I think it’s very important to have fun doing something.”
Last March, Zhao began a project he thought would be a good step toward a lifestyle he felt comfortable with—interior design supply. Zhao is now the middleman in the world of interior design, the link between supply and demand, dealing with furniture, textiles and decorations.
“Right now, we’re doing a lot of old French styles, like châteaus,” said Zhao. “People see this hundred-of-years-old chandelier and say ‘I want that,’ and I find someone who can replicate or create it with whatever changes they want.”
Zhao’s fascination with symbolism, paired with a bit of Versace influence led him to name his company Arachne. The name is taken from a Greek myth in which a talented weaver is turned into a spider after losing to Athena in a weaving contest.
“A lot of things we do are textiles, and Arachne, as in spiders, they weave, right?” Zhao explained with a smile. “And I chose the logo based on that.”
The black and gold logo is a spider shaped like Spider-Man, sharp-edged with long legs and a small body. Two olive leaves symbolizing Athena surround the spider. “The inspiration came from Versace and their black and gold Medusa,” said Zhao. “The idea is I want to make something so beautiful that it will stun everyone that sees it.”
Right now, Zhao is the company’s only employee. But, when addressing his customers, he believes it’s important to use the pronoun “we,” to establish a form of trust and wholeness for both the customers and suppliers he works with. “I’m the guy who finds all the manufacturers and gets them to work together,” Zhao said. “It’s basically a distribution and collection thing, and there’s more than one party involved.”
When it comes to marketing himself, Zhao targets smaller companies that would not necessarily have the means to hire a full-time middleman. “For them, it’s better to work with an outsider than to hire someone because I take the risk,” said Zhao. “If I’m an employee at their company, even if it’s my fault, the company is still held responsible. By outsourcing it to me, it’s never the company’s fault.”
One of his most notable projects this year was a Quebec City home, which the owner wanted to emulate a “princess castle.” “Crystals [were] everywhere,” Zhao said with a smile. “She wanted her visitors to have their heels click to crystal on the floors.”
Zhao makes money from each project and, according to him, he has made about $50,000 since his first.
Although he has yet to establish an online presence, Zhao has been on the road meeting with people and companies at interior design expos, cocktail parties and networking events.
Sticking to business cards with an email and a phone number, Zhao continues to strengthen his business locally and internationally. His latest project is in Los Angeles. “It makes me happy that I can sleep in,” Zhao said with a laugh.
The inside stories of young local entrepreneurs and their advice on how to build a business
Entrepreneurship means developing an idea from scratch and creating a business opportunity for yourself. It means taking everything you know and applying those skills in the real world. For students and recent graduates, it might seem like a daunting challenge, but with the right plan and guidance, anything is possible. Whether this translates into opening a restaurant or managing an online store, it takes a lot of time and determination to develop a business plan that grows into a long-term venture.
Here are the stories of three young Montrealers who took the initiative to follow their dreams and build a business.
Stephanie Le, owner of Ca Lem
6926 Sherbrooke St. W.
Photo courtesy of Ca Lem.
Stephanie Le opened an ice cream shop called Ca Lem with the idea of creating a space for students and families who live in and around the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) area. Her goal is for people to experience different flavours of ice cream by blending Vietnamese and traditional Canadian flavours.
“Initially, the goal was to open a small ice cream shop and see if it was something I could manage,” Le said. The more she worked on Ca Lem, the more Le loved being an entrepreneur. ”I wanted people to experience all these different flavours of ice cream, because it’s a great way of bringing people together.”
Currently a marketing student at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), Le said she learned how to think as an entrepreneur in university. “It sculpted my brain to consider different aspects of business, such as marketing, budgets, event planning and, most importantly, a foundation to build on.”
Le previously worked at a restaurant, and that experience allowed her to understand why customer service is key to managing a business. According to Le, Ca Lem is an extension of her personality, which revolves around being sweet, kind and full of positive energy.
Le’s advice for future entrepreneurs: “Think outside the box. Be a leader in your own journey.”
Yusuf Habib, owner of Boulangerie Habib
6655 Victoria Ave.
Photo courtesy of Boulangerie Habib.
“Don’t buy into the idea of being an entrepreneur,” said Yusuf Habib, an independent student at Mcgill University and owner of Boulangerie Habib. “You need to accept the reality of the job and be prepared to work 12-hour shifts if necessary.”
On March 1, 2014, Yusuf and his father decided to open a bakery with the hope of building a successful family-owned business that would grow over time. Boulangerie Habib serves cakes, fresh bread, pizza and Mediterranean delicacies.
According to Habib, because of Montreal’s cultural diversity, it took him time to get to know his clients and adapt his work ethic to their needs. “I’ve always been someone that dives into situations,” said Habib, who has learned to be a problem solver during his time at the bakery.“You try your best to plan for either the best or the worst, but you must be able to adapt to any situation in business.” His father taught him that lesson at a young age, instilling in Habib the need to constantly learn.
Habib’s advice for future entrepreneurs: “If you advertise fresh bread daily, you need to stick to your word. Honesty should resonate throughout your business, because that’s how you are able to build trust into your brand.”
Sina Amiraslani, owner of Ashley’s
5942 Sherbrooke St. W.
Photo courtesy of Ashley’s.
“There is a risk to being an entrepreneur,” said Sina Amiraslani, who opened his own vegan-vegetarian restaurant in 2017. “Nothing is guaranteed.” After graduating from JMSB with a degree in finance, Amiraslani knew he wanted to be his own boss, and with that came the idea of opening his own restaurant. His goal was to combine his creativity and entrepreneurial skills, and Amiraslani felt owning a restaurant combined both perfectly.
Located in NDG, Ashley’s offers a wide variety of options for vegans and vegetarians. According to Amiraslani, the concept of Ashley’s is to provide tasty meals for people who are curious about vegan and vegetarian cuisine. The restaurant allows him to develop dishes any demographic would enjoy.
Amiraslani described his restaurant as a child still needing care and attention, as he draws close to opening up a terrace for the summer season.
Amiraslani’s advice to future entrepreneurs: “Be prepared to sacrifice. If you want to grow as a person and entrepreneur, be prepared to suffer through many hardships.”
