Lise Giroux and Diane Berthiaume

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell

Published in the Financial Post

December 17, 2007

Lise Giroux is co-owner, along with partner Diane Berthiaume, of ‘Boutique Si…Sa’, a retail apparel shop for women in Montreal, Quebec. Lise Giroux tells Burke Campbell what motivated her to become an entrepreneur.

BIG FAMILY: “I came from a big French-Canadian family. At that time in Quebec, women were to stay home and have babies. I wanted more.”

EARLY START: “I got a job working in a fashion retail chain. It wasn’t long before I was supervising thirty-one stores, in Quebec  and Ontario. I told management I was older, but I was just seventeen. I worked long hours and partied all night.”

SEX CHANGES EVERYTHING: “Later, I moved into sales at Wonderbra, when most lingerie was white. But in the 1960s, the sexual revolution happened and underwear became a colorful fashion item. Soon, I wanted my own store.”

THE DOORS OPEN: “In 1983, along with my partner Diane, I opened a lingerie shop named Secrets and the shop’s mannequins wore beautiful masks. When the store grew to carry a full range of clothing we changed the name to ‘Boutique Si…Sa’. Even today, allure and mystery are part of our image.”

THE BEST ADVERTISING: “The word spread about our exceptional service. Customers now come from across Quebec and even Ontario to shop.”

KEY TO SUCCESS: “As Diane reminds me, ‘You have to find the perfect business partner.’ She is so right. Our partnership has helped make the store such a success these past twenty-four years.”

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