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Ad firm owner wants province's leaders to grow industry and attract skilled workers

Nicolas LeBlanc has worked in Mexico City, Paris and New York City but the entrepreneur chose Moncton to launch his first startup.

LeBlanc said the supports in place here have put his advertising company - Etch Media Group - in place to roll out its business plan.

Two years ago, LeBlanc began building his firm around creating and sourcing news, arts advertising and other content for digital signs, which his company is gearing up to install in elevators for two property owners with whom the firm has contracts inked.

A music producer by trade, he needed advice on finding capital and developing his plan to penetrate the market, so he approached Enterprise Greater Moncton - a local economic development agency.

"They helped me with refining the business plan but also how to finance the business," LeBlanc said in an interview in his second-floor downtown Moncton office.

"They don't give you the capital but they showed me what options were there and how to get it," he said, adding that his advisor at the agency helped him remain "realistic" about forecasted revenues and expenses.

"When you start a new business and you don't have that experience, you do have that feeling that you're flying solo," LeBlanc said.

The firm employs three others besides LeBlanc - a business development specialist and two graphic designers.

Etch Media is also among the latest additions to PropelICT's business accelerator program, for which the tech association matches entrepreneurs with industry veterans who help set milestones the company should reach and form an action plan to meet them.

Through Enterprise Greater Moncton, LeBlanc met this week with local contacts in the property management, real estate and advertising industries - as well as other business advisors - while also participating in a conference call with PropelICT mentors.

"You have a lot of people there that really know what they're doing," LeBlanc said of the mentors.

In exchange for the help, companies contribute a percentage of their royalties back to the association under a scheme that sees no charges during the first year and five per cent after year one with five-per-cent increases on the charges annually that cap at 15 per cent after the third year.

Jeff Roach, the executive director of PropelICT, said the accelerator program is based on "experienced, high-level people donating their time."

Roach is challenging the province's business and political leaders to get behind entrepreneurship in a bigger way to grow industry and attract skilled workers to the province.

"We can't really expect to grow any creative sectors, technology sectors at all, without focusing on entrepreneurship," he said.

"The future of our economy is very bleak if you hang your hat on attracting businesses from away."

LeBlanc, who as a music producer worked on contract in the advertising industry in several jurisdictions, said the creative minds of today are attracted to cities by "project" opportunities; if there is a critical mass of industry opportunity, he argues they will stay once their project is complete.

Adding more startups to the mix will help attract "smart people," he said.

"It basically helps develop the region," LeBlanc said.