Meet Yasmine | Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges

As part of the Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges project, we invited Zeineb Khalfallah (@zeineb_conscience on Instagram) to join us in our visit of 11 businesses of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges who have participated in the project. In addition to the exhibition on Promenade Jean-Brillant of the pictures taken by Drowster and Gaëlle Leroyer, Zeineb shares with us the moments she took with the owners and managers. Learn more about your merchants and professionals of the Côte-des-Neiges district! // Find out more on Zeineb talks and meet Yasmine Bensalem, notary and owner of Yasmine Bensalem Notaire.

Having grown up in Côte-des-Neiges, Yasmine Ben Salem of Algerian origin, launched her notary’s office in 2012. At only 27 years old, she never thought she could take the plunge into entrepreneurship at this age. Today, the 36-year-old works with several clients and feels lucky to be running her own business.

If the young notary found the courage and the inspiration to take the plunge, it was thanks to a strong and independent female role model: her mother, Zohra Senouci, herself an entrepreneur.

“My mother is a very strong and determined person. She is the one who pushed me to start my own business.” Said Yasmine during her interview with SDC Côte-des neiges.

To promote her services, Yasmine had to step out of her comfort zone and be creative. “When I decided to fly on my own, I had no clientele. My challenge was to find original ways to make myself known to my target. I called all the banks that were close to my office and made appointments with the managers of each branch. When I showed up, I told them that I was not a client, but a potential partner. I would introduce them to my services so that they could recommend me to their customers. And that’s how I built my business through word-of-mouth recommendations.”

Yasmine told us that she relies heavily on the relational side of things with her employees. “I often end up becoming their confidant. I have clients who call me first when they have a problem. Without meaning to, I’m like their psychologist.” She continued with a smile.

To conclude, the young notary confided to us that although she had the choice to expand her office and to subcontract files, she opted not to do so in order to keep the personalized exchanges with her clients. “I had already expanded my team to take on more projects, but I immediately backed off. I realized I had less time to spend with my clients, something I didn’t appreciate.”

Writer-journalist-reviser: Zeineb Khalfallah | Photo credit: Drowster

Complete the experience by visiting the free exhibition on Promenade Jean-Brillant from September 15 to December 5, 2021. Info: here

ABOUT THE PROJECT: Portraits of merchants and professionals of Côte-des-Neiges is a project aimed at connecting citizens with businesses in the territory of the Société de développement commercial (SDC) Côte-des-Neiges. Through a series of portraits taken at 11 businesses and businesses, we discover 16 owners and managers of businesses in the area. This social and cultural project is intended to be a real encounter with the people behind the professional. Through this very first edition, you will discover women and men, young professionals and experienced entrepreneurs, from different cultures, from different backgrounds, offering a varied commercial offer and all having in common their love for Côte-des-Neiges. Discover the exhibition section here on the Promenade Jean-Brillant and continue the experience online thanks to the touching interviews carried out with each of them and available on the SDC Côte-des-Neiges blog and via QR codes on each panel. This project is an initiative and is under the artistic direction of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges. The exhibition component was produced in collaboration with the Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges and the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.