Originally from \u00cele-des-Ch\u00eanes, Manitoba, Franco\u2011Manitoban Julien Grenier found his passion in accounting. Since January 2, 2024, he has been at the helm of Grenier Group, an accounting firm he founded that now employs 35 people across three locations.<\/p>\n
During his studies at Universit\u00e9 de Saint\u2011Boniface, Julien Grenier quickly gravitated toward accounting. \u201cI always knew I wouldn\u2019t be good at working with my hands, but I liked the idea of business. After graduating in 2008, I found a job at a bilingual accounting firm in Winnipeg, Talbot & Associates. They are the ones who helped me become a good accountant.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he soon realized that accounting was not \u201cjust about numbers\u2014it\u2019s also about helping people learn how to manage a business. It really helps people. Sometimes, simply changing two or three ways of doing things can save them hundreds of thousands of dollars. It can truly change people\u2019s lives, and that\u2019s why I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julien Grenier stayed at Talbot & Associates for seven years. \u201cWhile I was there, I began specializing in agriculture and advanced taxation. I went on to complete my degree at the University of Manitoba and then earned my Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wanting to go further, he then completed the three\u2011year In\u2011Depth Tax Program to obtain his advanced tax certification. \u201cI then returned to Talbot & Associates as a partner for about eight years, until 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Julien Grenier did, in fact, have other plans for his career. \u201cIt was very important for me to spend time with my three daughters\u201418\u2011month\u2011old twins and a six\u2011month\u2011old baby at the time. So I wanted to work from home and control my own business, my life, and my values. When I tell the story of my career and the decisions I made, I want my daughters to be proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
On January 2, 2024, he launched his own accounting firm from his home: Grenier Group, which initially consisted of himself and two employees, then three.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe offer agricultural tax services, cross\u2011border taxation, intergenerational transfers, accounting for specialized retail businesses, as well as services for medical and professional practice owners. We can truly offer any accounting service\u2014primarily for businesses, but also for individuals when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds that although the firm is not officially bilingual, \u201cI\u2019m always happy to offer services in French to those who want them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly two and a half years after its launch, the firm already employs 35 people and serves more than 930 clients across Canada, and even internationally for cross\u2011border tax services.<\/p>\n
The firm has also grown geographically with the opening of three locations, all in Manitoba: Niverville, which has been the firm\u2019s head office since 2025, as well as Carman and Oak Bluff.<\/p>\n
Julien Grenier wishes to highlight the immeasurable support of his wife, Laura Grenier, and his first three employees\u2014who have been with him since the firm operated out of his basement and who remain by his side today: Connor Hamonic, Kushwant Dhillon, and Kalyn Weibel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were instrumental to the success of Grenier Group. When I talked about my dreams for the firm, they believed in me and always supported me. Today, Kushwant works extensively with agricultural companies and helps me with administrative and executive tasks\u2014he implemented many of the technological tools we still use today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConnor is my cross\u2011border tax specialist and manages a very important client portfolio, and Kalyn takes care of bookkeeping and infrastructure, in addition to managing her own client base. Three pillar roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Grenier Group generates annual revenue of $4\u20135 million. The ultimate goal is $100 million\u2014provided that work remains enjoyable. \u201cThat\u2019s one of my company values: I want to make sure my employees are happy at work. When we were still working in my basement, I used to tell them, \u2018Come over to my place\u2014we\u2019re going to play at working!\u2019 Doing something you love is the key to success.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Although Julien Grenier started his business without assistance, he was familiar with CDEM. \u201cIn high school and at university, I always saw CDEM doing different things with the Francophone community\u2014hosting workshops and programs and being present. In addition, Jo\u00ebl Lemoine, who works at CDEM, was my Business Administration professor at USB. So I was aware of the services CDEM could offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
For him, CDEM provides an essential service to communities, which is why, from the very beginning of Grenier Group, he made a point of giving back by becoming a trainer for CDEM\u2019s Business Start workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt CDEM\u2019s Business Start workshops, I share what I know about business\u2014particularly taxation\u2014with all kinds of audiences. I\u2019ve always wanted to give back to organizations or causes that helped me, directly or indirectly, become who I am today, and CDEM is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12134,"template":"","type-de-publication":[69,75,64],"class_list":["post-12135","publications","type-publications","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","type-de-publication-business-services","type-de-publication-featured","type-de-publication-success-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications\/12135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publications"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/publications"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"type-de-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-de-publication?post=12135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}