Christian Deslauriers

Pursue your dreams. Chance favors those who persist.

 

Christian Deslauriers, an entrepreneur extraordinaire who owns or partners in five diverse businesses while spending his day as a Criminal Defense attorney.

Christian Deslauriers is the Owner and founder of LUBI, his newest start-up company. Developing an app for the business is currently his main focus, a platform that will integrate all points of sale platforms to a single payment platform. It completely eliminates the need to download individual merchant apps. The app can be used on any digital device to simplify orders and complete payment transactions to any merchant, anywhere, at any time, in any language, across any merchant platform.
The system’s objective is to eliminate lineups through technology.

LUBI and the associated app has been in development for the past four years by Christian DesLauriers. The company is due to launch its system within the next 30 days and Christian credits his wife for her support and brilliant mindset throughout the process.

Outside of LUBI, Christian Deslauriers is an Entertainment and Criminal Law Attorney. Christian’s other businesses include a bar and restaurant: Clansey’s in Rossland B.C., which reopened in December 2018. He is a partner in Cyrcle, an online payment platform. He is also an artist manager and producer for Diana Roze, a new singer due to release her first single recording and video in early 2019.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I was tired of waiting. I was in line to buy popcorn and refreshments before a movie and I noticed the problem. Most of the delay is due to the ordering and payment process. I wanted to make it easier. I knew I could come up with an answer that could resolve the issue. I thought about the apps that are currently used at fast food places for easy pick-up before they were actually out there. I just had to integrate the app to make it universal for all merchants in all languages. So, that is what I did. So, the real answer is that the idea came from the exasperation of waiting.

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

I do not have a typical day, but I am up at 5 am, most of my day is achieve by noon. I spend my mornings going from courthouse to courthouse, taking care of other businesses in the afternoon. I have partnered with each of the businesses that I have and I rely on them to do their part with the businesses. I also practice traditional Japanese Karate (J.K.A.) 4-5 times a week. When you practice this, you cannot think about any problems. It is almost like meditation. I work hard and I play hard.

How do you bring ideas to life?

You have to have high quality people around you. To start up I went to an incubator. I needed the right people in the right trades. For the LUBI project, the cornerstone was to get selected by the Telfer Executive MBA program. I had 6 MBA students working on the market analysis for a year. This was a game changer cause the students came back with a complete detailed market study confirming there was a market for my idea, this was due diligence. Once you have a good business plan with a market analysis done, all you need is the right team to make your dream come true.

What’s one trend that excites you?

What excites me is the disruptive trend in mobile technology and artificial intelligence. I think it is exciting and interesting, as long as it is kept under control. We have to have some limits when it comes to artificial intelligence. But it can extend man’s opportunities. For example, it took ten years of research to come up with a solution to a problem that took a computer one week to come up with three different solutions. The artificial intelligence is like an extension to the human brain.

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

I wake up early. From 5 to 8, I can get more work done than most people do in a day. I think the secret is to get all of your work done before the work day really kicks in.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to try to build as much residual income as you can, as young as you can. As a lawyer, I am hired to be face to face with a judge. I am hired to take care of a person’s problems. There is no getting away from that. It is my required service. Had I worked on a development project, I would not have to work in a service that requires me to work 60 hours per week. My passive income are my buildings. While I work, my tenants pay rent. LUBI may do the same in the future. Same for Cyrcle, the online payment platform.

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

People tell me that I should be focusing on one project at a time. I don’t agree with any of them. I believe if you have good people in your business then it can be manageable. For example, Richard Branson, the president of Virgin, has over a hundred businesses. He just has good people in place to make it manageable. Same for Elon Musk.

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

Pursue your dreams. Chance favors those who persist. I have seen too many people who have dreams and they never go after them. So, I think you have to persist in your idea.

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

I think having good people around you and developing good partnerships can make you grow. It’s difficult to grow all by yourself, but if you have highly competent people around you it will work.

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

As a lawyer, I put my trust in someone and my trust was misplaced. I overcame it by learning from the experience. I am much more cautious now about who I trust and I ask much more questions.

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

I have an idea that I am working on right now, but it is for me to accomplish. I believe that marijuana is going to be legal in more and more countries, so it would be a good idea for young entrepreneurs to get into that business, producing and harvesting.

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

I spent more than a hundred but it went towards promotion for Diana Roze. It was money well spent. Personally, I spent it on my Karate fee. It is an intense sport and to be good at it you have to work very hard. I need it daily to stay fully focused.

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

I use the integrated apple software on my iPhone. Calendar and Email. I live with it. Everything is organized in my calendar.

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

The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries. If you have an idea it motivates you to go out there and try.

What is your favorite quote?

You better live your dream than dream your life.

Key Learnings:

• Having good people around you and developing good partnerships can make you grow.
• Chance favors those who persist.
• The secret is to get all of your work done before the work day really kicks in.
• LUBI will simplify the lives of individuals and merchants alike.