Chanel Alepin followed in the footsteps of her family and became a lawyer at the Alepin Gauthier law firm. She participated in the first intrapreneurial cohort with her father, François Alepin, founder of the firm. He career path, as well as her personal experience enriched her appreciation of the Intrapreneurship Initiative, and allowed her to view her project with a fresh perspective.
As a co-founder of Groupe La Relève, Chanel was already familiar with Business Families Foundation, as they are partners. It was through this connection that she learned of the Intrapreneurial Initiative. Chanel was eager to join the program when she saw the services being offered and the commitment of the people involved.
In addition to these important features, she believes that Business Families Foundation has a unique ability to understand the family business environment and the particular context that provides. This was enough to compel her to embark on this business venture with her father’s guidance and sponsorship. When asked how she chose her father as a mentor, Chanel explained “although my brother Maxime, and my mother Brigitte are also there, I collaborate more closely with my father on a daily basis. Additionally, the intra-company project was more closely aligned with his field of expertise.”
For Chanel, Intrapreneurship opened the door to many opportunities in her family business and she believes that it has the power to do the same for many other family businesses as well.
Whether it be through information sessions, brochures about the Intrapreneurial Initiative, or creative idea building sessions, there is always a resource to help families learn more and discover whether the Intrapreneurial Initiative is the right fit for their business. According to this young lawyer, there is no doubt that intrapreneurship creates jobs and brings concrete answers t o short-term problems. However, not everyone can be an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur: “Intrapreneurship helps to build confidence in one’s abilities and entrepreneurial skills, but it does not create entrepreneurs, it simply reveals them.”
Chanel is the perfect example of intrapreneurial success within a family business. She demonstrates that through her career path, her project, and her ambition, the
next generation can indeed find their passion within intrapreneurship. By creating their own projects, while relying on the support of a parent company, success is much more likely for a new venture and family solidarity is strengthened. She says, without any hesitation: “If you have an idea that you are incubating, and you want to bring it to life, there is no better place than the Intrapreneurial Initiative, especially for family businesses.”