Hood Heroes, episode 17 - Alex Kénol, entrepreneur, but above all human
It is impossible to talk about entrepreneurship in Montreal without thinking of Alexandre Kénol. Manager of the Third Place, a local business, artistic promoter and college coach, these are the various hats that Alex wears, a nickname with which he insists on being called.
Having grown up between Laval and Montréal-Nord, the young entrepreneur of Haitian origin shares with us how he juggled two neighborhoods in order to get the best out of them and build himself as an inspiring citizen. He welcomes us to the Tiers Lieu, a space for co-Working which he founded in Laval in order to meet the entrepreneurial needs of the city and the North Shore.
True Handyman
Alex is a busy man. Very busy. “I wear a lot of hats,” he starts with a laugh. When people ask me what I am doing today, I always answer by saying what I am not doing, it's easier.”
Alex has an impressive posture. However, the energy it gives off, from the height of its six feet, is warm. “Welcome home,” he says between laughs as he welcomes us to his company premises.
At Tiers Lieu, the 35-year-old man advocates a caring and community corporate workspace. “Here, we are convinced that economic, social and cultural success requires involvement in the community and collaboration between actors from different backgrounds,” he explains.
In addition to his role as CEO of Tiers Lieu, he founded Tiers Lieu in 2019 Geak a company that organizes community engagement events for businesses.
He also created the artist platform Feaster, which it manages in parallel. Using this platform, Alex is promoting local talent that is not being promoted enough, he believes.
A great sports fan, he also coaches the women's soccer team at Montmorency College in Laval. For him, “sport is what brings communities together,” he says, pulling up his round glasses over his nose. It is therefore logical that he should devote part of his time to it.
As a young man from Laval, he grew up between his neighborhood of origin, Vimont, and Montreal North, where his grandmother lived. “I spent a lot of time with her at the time. I was very close to her,” he said. For Alex, growing up with one foot on each side of the river was beneficial: “I was lucky enough to grow up in Montreal North because I made a lot of friends there,” he recalls.
A project guy
Alex grew up in a family that was “typically Haitian from Montreal,” he tells us. He remembers his adolescence, his parents who had high academic expectations of him, and it was not always easy for entrepreneurs to break these traditional barriers. “I am a project guy. When I talked to my dad about the entrepreneurial ideas I had in mind, he didn't want to know anything,” he says again.
He even remembers a conversation with his father: “If you are not aiming for the professions of doctor, lawyer, architect or accountant, it is as if you are not speaking to me in French: I will not understand what you are saying to me”, affirms his father then, a memory that Alex tells today with a touch of humor in his voice.
While he's laughing at it today, that wasn't always the case. “It was complicated to stand out from the crowd and to be considered marginal by your parents”, he admits. He stares at the void, seems absorbed in his past, and adds that this period was not only difficult for his family, but also for everyone around him.
Whether in Laval or Montreal, he knew that he was “a bit different” from the others. “I always wanted to push the door, to go further. I did this because I saw the violent reality of young people in the neighborhood, and I wanted to offer myself more options,” he explains then.
Kill the doors
The light through the large bay window of the Tiers Lieu gradually begins to disappear, it announces the beginning of the sunset. This is when Alex chooses to tell us about what he did to not “fall into bad street circumstances, like violence or crime.”
Indeed, it was not always possible for him to ignore street problems. “I looked at other paths that were easier. I was very lucky to be surrounded by people, because I quickly understood that “easy” money was not really easy,” he reveals. In fact, he is forever grateful to his parents: “even if they were not necessarily thrilled that I would do something other than what they had planned for me, they greatly helped me stay on the right path.”
When asked about the opportunities he has encountered along the way, the soccer coach answers us tit-for-tat: “I had to smash the first doors that opened to me.”
As he grew up, he saw that some people were able to reach their goals. He doesn't understand why he can't do it so easily. However, he has ambition and does everything he needs to succeed: He enrolled in university in management, obtained leadership experience by creating the Laval futsal league, and was involved body and soul in entrepreneurship. Then, reality catches up with him: “when you are a black man and you have projects, you have twice or even three times as many obstacles to overcome. This is the main reason why I try to be most involved in my community, whether through my work or through my determination,” he declares, his eyes bright.
To be a role model for young Black people in Quebec
Although he had to work so hard to get to this point today by multiplying the hours and the involvement in the roles he has occupied over time, he does not want the next generation to experience the same thing. “I try to give back by always being available for the youngest. I am a coach today, but I also like to go inside schools to give lectures and talk to younger people about how to succeed in entrepreneurship, especially when you come from a racialized community,” he explains.
Extremely grateful when he gets involved with young people, Alex feels that he is the one who is lucky to be around them and not the other way around.
“There are young people who are experiencing certain things and who may never be able to talk about them. What they don't know is that there are other people who have gone through the same nebulous places, he explains. Having a big brother or big sister vision for them can greatly play a role in their motivation and help them.”
What to say to young people
Whether through his coaching or mentoring role, Alex always comes back to the same song. According to him, we must focus on the uniqueness of each young person and break the negative vision that everyone can have about themselves. “Everyone has different abilities. The point that I make and will always continue to defend is to never compare yourself,” he says in a message dedicated to those who would like to hear it.
Before we leave Le Tiers Lieu, Alex makes us one last confession. One of the most important lessons he learned: “There's nothing really worth it that's not paid dearly.” What it encourages is ambition and determination. “You have to start,” he finishes, happy.