Alain Nadeau

An experienced and passionate entrepreneur, Alain made his own the motto “No guts, no glory”, as he started his first management company at the age of 17 and now oversees business activities at Nutcache. Throughout the years, Mr. Nadeau received numerous awards and honours for his quality as a leader and the innovative nature of his businesses.

Where did the idea for Nutcache come from?

Nutcache was brought to life in 2013, but several months prior to the launch, we invited our employees to think of a name for our new application. One of the employees, who’s still part of our team today, came up with a squirrel as he suggested that our application should be represented by a cute animal and the name Nutcache as the nuts are related to the squirrel and a cache is a place where you store/hide stuff. Also, cache sounds like cash. This is the idea behind our brand.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical day looks like a typical day for any entrepreneur: Every day I exercise leadership, put my skills and knowledge to work to solve problems fast, but most of all, I must have the humility to recognize my mistakes and the determination to keep learning.

Being an entrepreneur means being creative and innovative, but this is only possible when you are open to observe others and learn with/from them.

How do you bring ideas to life?

As an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience, I am always looking for new opportunities that will have a positive impact on people’s lives. When an idea comes up, I first discuss it with my wife who always offers me sound advice and then with my planning team to see the feasibility of the project.

What’s one trend that excites you?

In my opinion, the new challenges that the current world situation brings are for me a source of motivation. Of course, I wish this pandemic had never happened.

However, since the beginning of 2020, entrepreneurs had to demonstrate adaptability that goes beyond anything they have experienced before. What all the world went through forced people to rethink priorities, values and ways of doing things whether it be at the personal, family, or professional level.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Every day, at the end of my workday, I reflect on what I have done and what will motivate me to get up the next morning. For 30 years, my main motivation has been the certainty of facing new challenges, finding solutions and overcoming them as a team.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell him that he did the right thing by not listening to people who told him to take over the family business. You have to listen to your inner voice.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

It might sound cliche, but to succeed, you must never ever give up. No matter the difficulties you will face, you must focus on your final goal.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Don’t get discouraged… Every day brings new challenges; just take them one at a time without panicking.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Never underestimate the value of planning… Good planning helps avoid mistakes. Of course, mistakes are common and necessary, but the important thing is that failures are seen as a learning process. The ideal is to test and validate your business approach as soon as possible – and not to be afraid of changing the strategy completely if necessary. Another important thing is to know your target customer and be innovative to reach him. Innovation is not only about creating a new product for the market. It is mostly to promote changes that bring benefits.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Probably hiring a person that doesn’t believe in and shares my dream. Now, I avoid this situation by hiring people not only based on their skills but more on their attitude to help me achieve my goal.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

The Covid-19 was difficult for a lot of people, but at the same time, it created totally new business opportunities. I believe remote working is here to stay and will even grow over the years bringing new opportunities for business application developers.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I have purchased protective equipment (masks) and disinfectant products for our employees in Brazil. The health and well-being of my employees are very important to me and I feel it is my duty to make sure they work in the best possible conditions.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

The answer to this question is pretty obvious to me: Nutcache! Since Nutcache is an all-in-one project management solution, we get all features we need to plan and track our projects, maintain control over tasks and ensure great collaboration between teammates to improve overall productivity.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

A biography of Elon Musk. I always find it very inspiring from someone who has everything in life but still seeks to push his limits and change the world.

What is your favorite quote?

A quote from John F. Kennedy: “We choose to go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard; … because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

Key Learnings:

● Put your employees first. Listen to them; always be open to new ways of thinking and working.
● Stick to your vision. There will be ups and downs along the journey, but you must stay the course.
● Take time for yourself and your family. A successful business is meaningless if you can’t share its success with your loved ones.