Strengthening the Foundation of Our Family Business

School and First Jobs

During high school, I did part-time admin work for Mr. Foundation. My parents asked me about joining the company on the admin side, but I didn’t want people to think I was given the job, I wanted to work for it. At the same time, I also had no idea what I really wanted to do. I had studied psychology at university but it wasn’t for me.

My initial jobs after university were admin roles, first in a political leader’s office and then a local staffing firm. As a child, my parents always taught me to work up the ladder in a company, so after a year at the staffing firm, I asked for the opportunity to become a recruiter. They saw the potential and said yes.

After developing my recruiting skills for a year, I moved to a fast-growing corporate IT staffing agency. This was a trans-formative job for me. When I started, I was shy and timid. But with the right leaders and support, I grew in my role and achieved my goals. I also grew personally and gained more confidence.

My Pivotal Moment

Then my mom got sick and everything changed. My mom was my best friend and role model. I will forever be grateful to the agency for enabling me to spend six months with her before she passed. I still cry when I think about this time in my life. My mom’s death was a pivotal moment for me.

I returned to work but felt completely numb—broken, disconnected and unsure of who I was anymore. My sense of purpose had slipped away. First I tried to rebuild it by buying a house and throwing myself into a major renovation, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t fully re-engage or find my focus at work. That’s when I decided to leave the agency.

A conversation with my dad changed everything again. After my mom passed, he talked about retiring, selling the business and travelling. I did not want the company to be sold because my parents grew it together. Selling felt wrong to me. I told him I wanted to join Mr. Foundation and use my experience in recruiting, leadership and admin to help grow the company. He was excited but nervous: It’s his baby. I was beyond nervous, but it felt right—like it’s what I’m supposed to do and where I’m supposed to be. I still had worries about being a young woman in construction, especially in a small business. Would the employees and clients take me seriously? What if I failed?

With the skills and confidence I had developed working in IT recruiting, I believed I could succeed. I joined the company and haven’t looked back.

Moving Forward

This past year has been a whirlwind of economic uncertainty, big decisions, new processes, new technology, new people and a lot of learning. But we finished strong. We restructured the business, bringing in a marketing specialist, a new accountant and an incredible operations manager. Together, we created forecasts, budgets and targets that set us up for the future.

What will this future bring? Our goal is for Mr. Foundation to become the Ferrari of foundation repair. We want to retain our great team and achieve continuous improvement so we can deliver a  seamless, stress-free service to our customers. We want to stay true to our roots as a family business that’s honest, trustworthy and transparent and makes real contributions to the community.

With my promotion to Vice President, I’m realizing my childhood dream and stepping into a role that feels both earned and deeply aligned with who I am becoming. I can’t wait to play a bigger part in helping our family business grow and better serve the Ottawa community.

Working in an industry where women still make up a small percentage of leadership, this moment means even more. I hope my journey shows that there is space for us, and that while the path to your calling isn’t always straight, it’s worth following.

You can find me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siobhan-lecours-47535a114/

To learn more about our company check out our FAQs: https://mrfoundation.com/faq/