The corporate grind isn’t for everyone and many dream of being their own boss. However, this isn’t always easy to achieve, and leaving the comfort of a job to head out on your own is challenging. Jérémie Breault found himself in this position, and his cousin’s success in rentals gave him the confidence to leave his job and start O Lac. In the past few years, he has built up his business and started using Booqable to accept online bookings and manage inventory.
O Lac
When Jérémie was 24, he became tired of his corporate job and quit because he was fed up of working for someone else. He had a head full of dreams and ambitions, and while he enjoyed working with people, he wanted to do it on his terms. So, he took the plunge and began planning his own business, doing something he enjoyed. The inspiration came from his own family member’s success.
Jérémie admired his cousin’s lifestyle and what he had been able to achieve running an outdoor rental business. He suggested that his cousin start a similar company in his hometown, Venise-en-Québec, but his cousin told him he didn’t have the time and suggested he start his own. This convinced Jérémie to start O Lac, an outdoor equipment rental business catering to summer and winter activities.
O Lac provides rental equipment for kayaking, other water sports, cycling, and winter sports. In addition, it offers guided tours, group activities, courses, and relaxation services like a spa. This has allowed Jérémie to serve a wide range of customers throughout the year in an idyllic setting surrounded by beaches and mountains. He also offers seasonal pricing to cater to the different activities available, depending on the time of year.
Growing demand
Initially, demand was easy for Jérémie to manage, but his area experienced a considerable growth in tourism in 2022. People were taking vacations and looking for activities they could do independently without excessive travel. While he welcomed the increase in inquiries, it exposed some challenges in managing the business. So, he began looking for a solution to help him get on top of his operations.
During his search, Booqable stood out as providing everything he needed to regain control. Previously, he had been running into issues with overbooking and people making last-minute reservations. Now, he can see exactly what equipment is available, and the system prevents bookings from being made when it is not available. He can also avert last-minute bookings by setting the minimum time for items to be booked before the start of the rental period.
In addition, he has been able to create a rental website that allows customers to browse inventory and book themselves independently. This has saved him a lot of time, alongside Booqable’s automation to streamline management. He has also found the system easy to use, and onboarding temporary staff is very quick. Finally, the mobile app gives him and his team fast access to upcoming reservations.
Expanding the team
Jérémie has done an incredible job growing his outdoor rental business from the ground up. He has been able to overcome challenges that have come his way and continue to build the business throughout them. Now, he aims to expand his team with full-time employees and instructors to allow him to spend more time investing in the business and other ventures he wants to pursue.
