Fulfilled immigrant entrepreneur

Reina has been running her own business since 2013. Her work includes receiving, preparing, and shipping orders, presenting her products to other companies, creating and sharing her own recipes and other tea-related information on social media, finding new clients and markets, collaborating with other local companies, planning new products and promotions, and organizing workshops and tea ceremonies.

Being an entrepreneur is not always easy, and it takes a lot of time to build a solid company. But this profession is different and rewarding thanks to the inspiring ideas, motivation, and positive energy she receives every day from her clients and other entrepreneurs.

When she arrived in Montreal, Reina didn't speak French, didn't know the city, and had no contacts except for a few friends. She even thought it would have been much easier to launch her company in Japan, where she could have spoken and presented her products in her native language, better understood the market, and already had clients through her family's contacts.

But every challenge she faced in Montreal motivated her to persevere on her journey.

"Talking to potential clients wasn't easy for me at first. Now, it's the part of my job I enjoy the most. When I present my company to them, they are often interested in the products, Japanese culture, or my story. I find it very human, and I wouldn't have this experience if I worked in Tokyo," says Reina.

She now works with over 100 companies and many individual clients daily and looks forward to expanding her business in the near future.

Over 10 years of practical experience have taught her not only how to manage a business but also how to fail and get back up after each failure. She has also learned to appreciate every challenge she faces and every person she meets because she always learns important lessons from them.

19 years after arriving in Montreal, Reina is a thriving immigrant entrepreneur.