{"id":4227,"date":"2019-08-12T10:12:04","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T15:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cdem.flywheelsites.com\/?post_type=publications&p=4227"},"modified":"2021-06-16T15:27:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T20:27:03","slug":"the-passionate-pursuits-of-a-franco-manitoban-entrepreneur","status":"publish","type":"publications","link":"https:\/\/www.cdem.com\/en\/publications\/the-passionate-pursuits-of-a-franco-manitoban-entrepreneur\/","title":{"rendered":"The passionate pursuits of a Franco-Manitoban entrepreneur"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Paul Balcaen, a former aviation museum curator, decided to go into business to pursue his passion for wood. In January 2019, he started his own Mini Lumen company.<\/p>\n

Paul Balcaen, 53, a Franco-Manitoban from La Broquerie, studied industrial design and went on to become an aviation museum curator. But he was always drawn to vintage graphic design and woodworking.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it became the obvious way to combine my two interests in wood and design.\u201d The enthusiast developed his love for visual arts as a boy, when his father introduced him to photography.<\/p>\n

A meeting in November 2018 prompted Balcaen to make his dream a reality, when CDEM advisor Joel Martine told him about the\u00a0Self-Employment Benefit (SE) \/ Travailleurs ind\u00e9pendants (TI) program<\/a>. SE\/TI aims to provide the best possible advice and mentoring to new entrepreneurs of all ages so that their first business experience is a positive one.<\/p>\n

According to Martine, who coordinates the program, \u201cevery client comes out ahead because they all learn a great deal about themselves. They gain knowledge about how business works along with all the key components of success, including problem-solving.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January 2019, Paul Balcaen decided to take the\u00a0SE program\u00a0<\/a>and start his business, which he called Mini Lumen. Why the name? \u201cLumen\u00a0<\/em>means \u201clight\u201d in Latin. I wanted to find something that symbolized the laser I use in my craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Paul Balcaen laser cuts pieces of wood to create his Mini Lumens,<\/em>\u00a0which are decorative objects representing iconic Winnipeg buildings, landscapes and more.<\/p>\n

The entrepreneur explains how he makes a Mini Lumen: \u201cFirst, I create a drawing on my computer using graphic software, or I draw lines from existing photographs. Then, I send them to the laser, which cuts fine layers of wood. After that, I simply have to assemble the pieces to create these mini-frames, which are like miniature windows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Balcaen does everything himself, handling the entire production chain from manufacturing to creating the package design to the packaging itself. His most recent series of Mini Lumens is\u00a0<\/em>inspired by Apollo 11.<\/p>\n

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To get to where he is today, the entrepreneur took part in several CDEM sessions to guide him through the process, including the SE program. He also conducted a four-month canvassing exercise with CDEM\u2019s support and is still in the Self-Employment Benefit Program, which wraps up in September 2019. \u201cCDEM encouraged me and gave me invaluable information,\u201d says Balcaen.<\/p>\n

The 50-something entrepreneur is off to a good start and has already secured a few contracts with nearby museums, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) and the Manitoba Museum. He has also created partnerships with souvenir shops at the Forks and near Riding Mountain National Park.<\/p>\n

He just launched his own Esty Web page where he receives orders for shipment.<\/p>\n

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Paul Balcaen loves his work and hopes to eventually \u201cfurther develop my products by making theme-based series on famous people and Canadian cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

His only regret is that he should have started all this sooner!<\/p>\n

Buy<\/a><\/h2>\n

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