ENTREPRENEURSHIP
LISE COOCOO-DUBÉ DÉPANNEUR ÉNERI - MANAWAN, QUÉBEC
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ise Coocoo-Dubé knows how to make the most of a challenge. As an Aboriginal woman and an entrepreneur, she says it is important to be resilient and capable of responding to a changing environment. Lise and her partner own and operate a convenience store in their community of Manawan, Québec. The Éneri convenience store, named in honour of her father, offers the usual convenience food, several fastfood take-out options, a deli counter, video rentals and propane filling services. In business for 12 years, she talks about what is important to her in her business. “I am proud to provide essential services and jobs to people in my community. Currently, we have eight full-time employees and three part-time. That’s not bad! I’m proud to be part of the economic development of my community.” The store is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week, because, as Lise explains, “We open earlier for the moms, in case they need milk for their children. We always want to be there for the community.” She tells us what inspired her business: “It was my father who inspired me. There was a convenience store on the road between Manawan and St-Michel. It had always bothered my father that non-Natives had opened the convenience store without his permission. We wanted to evict them so we could build our own. But in the end they closed, and since the Manawan population had grown, we decided to open a convenience store in the village.”
They started small as a business in a tiny trailer, without so much as running water. She describes a dream she had about her father at about that time. “When we wanted to build the counter in the little trailer, we bought all the materials, but the guy couldn’t start the work right away. Then one day I had a dream about my father. He showed up and said, 'There’s no one working on this, I’m going to do it myself.' Then he went into the trailer and started taking out the materials to build our countertop. The next day I called my nephew and told him about my dream. After that, he called someone and the person showed up five minutes later, and said, ‘Okay, what do I do?’ That got the ball rolling,” she recounts with a laugh. “That’s why we named our business after him. I feel like he has always been there with us.” She also mentions the Native Commercial Credit Corporation (NCCC) and its support. “The NCCC played a major part in our business. They recognized our efforts, they took us seriously, they recognized all the steps we had taken, and they helped us grow. Without them, all this would have been impossible.” She continues, “I know a lot of girls and young women who would like to start a business. I know it’s hard. You have to be strong, and you can’t be afraid to speak your mind and to speak your truth.” She continues, “Be bold. Be brave. Be persistent. I know one day someone will hear you.”
Learn more about some of the Indigenous women entrepreneurs that the Aboriginal Financial Institution network has supported at nacca.ca JULY 2023 | 27
