I'm Jeremie Paulin. I run five brands out of Renfrew, Ontario —
Mikron Machinery (moulders and rosette makers since 1995),
Mikron Barn Door Hardware,
JZ Trim & Doors, JZ Holdings, and JZ Development.
In 2008 my business went from over $5M to $100K in a single quarter. I was 34, mortgaged to the eyes, with a young family at home in Renfrew. Six months later I was profitable again — not because I had a coach, but because I had two other operators who wouldn't let me stall.
Every stalled decision in a real business gets paid for in cash or in years. Usually both.
I built Commit to Successes as the group I wish I'd had that summer. Ten owners weighing the same kind of decision — a pivot, a new revenue stream, a hard call about what the business becomes next. Real work, done in front of people who've done it before.
I'll say the quiet part too. My wife Lynn runs the books across our companies. My son Zach runs property analysis and cross-business operations. We work together every day, and it works — but it took real structure to get there. I've also been on the other side of family in business, and it nearly cost me two companies. I know both versions of that story, and when family is in the room, I'll bring both to the table.
Family is the reason any of this matters to me — the business exists to protect it, not the other way around. Every operator I want in this room understands that math.