Interview with National Advisory Committee member - Pascal Harvey
March 15, 2022
Watch Pascal's video belowThe Leading Lenders’ team had the chance to sit down and chat with Pascal Harvey, General manager of the Réseau des SADC et CAE du Québec. Pascal is passionate about the development of the various regions of Québec and his vision is directly in line with that of the Réseau which, for more than 40 years, has worked tirelessly for the development of communities, including by working closely with women entrepreneurs who are helping Québec’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to thrive. In this interview, Pascal answers questions about the Leading Lenders’ initiative and related topics. (Please note that the video is only available in French. A written and translated version of the interview is also available below.)
Question #1: In your opinion, what is a leading lender?In my opinion, a leading lender is someone who will see beyond numbers and project profiles. It’s a lender that will take the time to know the person he or she meets to plan the business project according to a more atypical profile, since according to what we are currently experiencing, in particular in terms of labour force scarcity, business projects will obviously no longer be the same.
Question #2: What inspires you about the Leading Lenders project?What inspires me about the Leading Lenders’ project is that we are used to seeing projects that are built around the entrepreneurs, whereas this project is built around lenders, which is very innovative. It’s a way of doing things that we don’t often see and it’s very inspiring because it equips the lenders so that they can face any type of situation and any type of context. Ultimately, the lenders are better prepared for the projects that will present themselves and for the individuals who will present themselves.
Question #3: In your experience, what are the most significant barriers women entrepreneurs face when trying to access business financing?Obviously, one of the first barriers that women face when they meet lenders with their business project is that lenders will often consider the project based on the individual and their aspirations. As we are often in business model that is different since women are much more likely to ask for help throughout the entire entrepreneurial journey, lenders are often less used to it. They are generally used to doing business within a system that is already built and with parameters that are already established. I think that women entrepreneurs can break down these parameters because they often come up with projects that are out of the ordinary and with different contexts. I think that to make a perfect match, it is obvious that the lender must be on the same level as the entrepreneur to be able to discuss and use the same language in order to help break down these famous barriers.
Question#4: What tips would you offer to lenders who are looking to support a woman entrepreneur during her journey?The first piece of advice I would give to lenders who will accompany women during their entrepreneurial journey is to be open-minded. Obviously, the context in which we live today in terms of business projects is very different from what we lived in the past. So, you must be open to something new. You have to step out of the conventional box to adapt to the people in front of you and women entrepreneurs often have very good business projects with very innovative aspects. It is therefore necessary to see, as indicated before, beyond the numbers and beyond the established system and be open to new ideas.
Pascal Harvey is a member of the Leading Lenders’ National Advisory Committee. We invite you to learn more about Pascal by visiting his page on our website.
Question #1: In your opinion, what is a leading lender?In my opinion, a leading lender is someone who will see beyond numbers and project profiles. It’s a lender that will take the time to know the person he or she meets to plan the business project according to a more atypical profile, since according to what we are currently experiencing, in particular in terms of labour force scarcity, business projects will obviously no longer be the same.
Question #2: What inspires you about the Leading Lenders project?What inspires me about the Leading Lenders’ project is that we are used to seeing projects that are built around the entrepreneurs, whereas this project is built around lenders, which is very innovative. It’s a way of doing things that we don’t often see and it’s very inspiring because it equips the lenders so that they can face any type of situation and any type of context. Ultimately, the lenders are better prepared for the projects that will present themselves and for the individuals who will present themselves.
Question #3: In your experience, what are the most significant barriers women entrepreneurs face when trying to access business financing?Obviously, one of the first barriers that women face when they meet lenders with their business project is that lenders will often consider the project based on the individual and their aspirations. As we are often in business model that is different since women are much more likely to ask for help throughout the entire entrepreneurial journey, lenders are often less used to it. They are generally used to doing business within a system that is already built and with parameters that are already established. I think that women entrepreneurs can break down these parameters because they often come up with projects that are out of the ordinary and with different contexts. I think that to make a perfect match, it is obvious that the lender must be on the same level as the entrepreneur to be able to discuss and use the same language in order to help break down these famous barriers.
Question#4: What tips would you offer to lenders who are looking to support a woman entrepreneur during her journey?The first piece of advice I would give to lenders who will accompany women during their entrepreneurial journey is to be open-minded. Obviously, the context in which we live today in terms of business projects is very different from what we lived in the past. So, you must be open to something new. You have to step out of the conventional box to adapt to the people in front of you and women entrepreneurs often have very good business projects with very innovative aspects. It is therefore necessary to see, as indicated before, beyond the numbers and beyond the established system and be open to new ideas.
Pascal Harvey is a member of the Leading Lenders’ National Advisory Committee. We invite you to learn more about Pascal by visiting his page on our website.
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