Grad’s automotive ecommerce gains traction
Nov. 16, 2021
It’s National Entrepreneur’s Day! To mark the occasion, read about Guy-Olivier Potvin, an ambitious young entrepreneur and graduate of the Automotive Business School of Canada.
From starting as a lot boy at Groupe Park Avenue to working his way into sales, financing, marketing and project management, Guy-Olivier has been able to understand customer needs and take action on pain points in the automotive industry.
“I have been very fortunate to have had such amazing exposure throughout my time at the Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC),” he says. “Even though I did not have connections in the industry to begin with, the ABSC guided me every step of the way and opened some incredible doors. Now as a graduate of the program launching my online business, I look back at my time and see that I have gained nothing but valuable lessons and lifelong friends”.
Guy-Olivier Potvin has also graduated from Startup Accelerators like the Founder Institute, the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre ‘s Further Faster program and has been working alongside the Development Economique de Longueuil and his advisors to launch his Automotive Retail Platform: Creddie.
When asked to describe his project, he says: “Simply put, we have built software that brings verified and paying consumers to specific units inside of dealerships all across North America. We know dealerships are here to stay and our goal is to help bring the power back to them by being their consumer-facing ally.”
He recognizes that the world is changing: “As we continue to face new challenges, this only motivates me to participate and witness the tremendous evolution the automotive industry will undergo”.
Entrepreneurship at Georgian
Entrepreneurial thinking is embedded into all Georgian programs, so students become problem-solvers, with a solutions mindset. With help from the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre (HBEC) several students, like Guy-Olivier, have started their own businesses.
HBEC assists entrepreneurs in four main areas: training, connections, funding and mentorship. They bring all four of these areas together to surround an entrepreneur and help take their business or idea to the next level.
This article was originally published in the spring 2021 edition of GeorgianView magazine, the college’s alumni publication. It was revised and re-shared in November 2021.