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Hello, I'm
Nik Leger

Sr Product Director/Entrepreneur

About

Put people first, embrace change, execute, tell the real story.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned in my early career to build, manage and sell a product.

For people to care about your business, you need to FIRST care about them. It is quintessential to put people first in everything we do. It allows us not only to build people up (and sleep at night) but also to get ahead as companies.

You can’t just work IN the business. You need to have the focus to work ON the business as well. We must constantly iterate, validate and orchestrate.

Execution is everything. Once your people are engaged, delivery is what sets you apart.

Tell the real story, in the right way, at the right time. Don’t just share any story. Share the uncomfortable truth. Be relevant and authentic.  It’s what binds it all together in this digital day and age.

Download visual resume as PDF format

Skills

Some of the skills I've been honing

Currently building an online marketing platform for SMBs. Also doing consulting work for startups who need help with their product management or large organizations who are struggling with their digital transformation.

Product Management

8 years, market fit and scalability

Local Marketing

8 years, 80% of marketing technology is snake oil

Sales Management

12 years, people buy an emotion

Digital Evolution

8 years, it's about people; not technology

Knowledge

I’m a business creative that comes from a background of sales, entrepreneurship, and operations. I’ve always had a knack for innovation and I’m constantly learning to try and keep up with the tsunami that will be the fourth industrial revolution.

  • Business Model Canvas
  • Learning Management
  • Customer Experience
  • Program Management
  • Enterprise Software
  • Workflow Management
  • Blockchain
  • Game Theory
  • Machine Learning
  • Agile – scrum

Weaknesses

I talk too much, I can get distracted and I sometimes forget to unwind.

Language Skills

French is my first language. I scored at 98th percentile in University.

I’m perfectly fluent in English.

I’ve studied 4 years of Latin and have basic reading skills in Spanish.

I also have a major in Arabic studies but haven’t practiced in quite a while.

English - Fluent
95
French - Native
98
Spanish - Learning
50

Experience

Building products since 1996

I started my first business in my mid teens and built my first product in my early twenties. I’ve had management roles since in product, sales, and marketing mostly in the media, hospitality and software industries.

Soon to be revealed

Co-Founder

2016-2017
Spent the last 8 months leveraging APIs, deep machine learning, and blockchain technology to build a sales and marketing platform to allow small and medium businesses to tap into the 3800+ word class providers of advertising and marketing technology that are fueling corporations across 106 functional areas of marketing…

…all from a single mind map interface, a single local ad broker, and a very friendly ad bot.

TC Media - Local Solutions

Sr Product Director

2014 - 2016
Ramped up account managers to a ratio of 1 per 400 clients.Launched listing management offer under 8 months. Expanded basic websites to premium websites that compete with agency custom sites.
TC Media - Digital Incubator

Product Director

2013 - 2014
Built unique WordPress offer by adding a robust layer of standardization on top. Built a client success model that would yield less than 4% yearly churn for our websites. Built custom workflow engine for execution.
TC Media

Product Manager

2012 - 2013
TC had been hesitant about selling websites for about a decade. When Sales VP  was looking for his man to build the product, my former boss easily convinced the executives I was carved for the job.
TC Media - Weblocal

Sales Manager

2009-2012
A good friend of mine needed a right hand to build a call center from scratch. We cracked the code for selling online directory outside the province, with one cold call, on credit card, and then scaled by building a team of 20+ agents.

Education

Continuous Learning

These are some of the classes I’ve taken over the years to keep sharpening the saw.

Northwestern (Coursera)

Org Leadership

Winter 2017
5-course specialization equips managers to lead change and create lasting value in marketplace. Lead collaborative teams that effectively manage negotiations and conflict. Communicate and influence through storytelling and other communication strategies. Start with clarity of purpose, understanding customers’ needs, leverage data analytics, and drive design to meet those needs effectively. With a capstone project.
Stanford (Coursera)

Org Analysis

Fall 2016
Learn multiple theories of organizational behavior and apply them to actual cases. Systematically analyze how an organization operates and can best be managed. Armed with a tool-set of organizational theories, the participant will be able to systematically identify important features of an organization and the events transforming it; choose a theoretical framework most applicable to the observed mode of organizing; use that theory to determine which actions will best redirect the organization in desired directions.
Stanford (Coursera)

Game Theory

Summer 2016
Mathematical modeling of strategic interaction among rational (and irrational) agents. Includes modeling of conflict among nations, political campaigns, competition among firms, and trading behavior in markets such as the NYSE. Provides the basics: representing games and strategies, the extensive form (game trees), Bayesian games (modeling things like auctions), repeated and stochastic games, and more.
HEC

Biz Model Canvas

2015
Combine the Business Model Canvas with other innovation techniques and visual tools, designing innovative business models and a strategy for the future.
Pyxis

Agile Product Owner

2013
Maximize return on investment (ROI) and optimize total cost of ownership (TCO) of products and systems. Helps participants develop and solidify this understanding―from early stakeholder management to release planning and delivery.
TC Media

Wilson Learning

2011
The Counselor Salesperson (CSP) uses a four-step consultative selling process that helps salespeople transition from simply making transactions to solving real business problems. CSP focuses on adopting a Counselor Mindset—a mindset that builds profitable, long-term customer relationships.
University of Montreal

Bachelor of Arts

1993-1997
Pursued a major in Arabic Studies with a minor in psychology and a minor in communication
College Jean-de-Brebeuf

D.E.C.

1991-1993
Earned a College Diploma in social sciences and mathematics from Brebeuf while pursuing a career debut in theater and cinema.
College Notre-Dame

D.E.S.

1986-1991
Our private school did not cater to students who cared for both science and social sciences so we created a new curriculum with chemistry and history.

Tribe

Some of the talented people that I feel very privileged to surround myself with and to call on for inspiration, support, networking or pure talent. As Jim Rohn put it: “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” And I have been blessed to find myself in such fine company.


Udo Blenkhorn

Digital transformation Consultant

The inspiring Monique Caron-Bouchard taught me to “never take for granted what your conscience won’t admit” and Udo certainly embodies it well. A mechanical engineer by trade, a natural pitchman, a music pioneer and a true original as Adam Grant would put it, Udo is quickly becoming a media force to be reckoned with in this era of digital transformation we live in.


Martin Dagneau

Call Center Pro

My partner in crime since the early nineties, Martin has been a true inspiration both personally and professionally. A true sales virtuose and a contact center expert, Martin has been a management rising star for as long as I can remember and grasps the human factor in operations at both the strategic and tactic level like very few others in his field. Every minute of his counsel is a treasure trove.


Jean-Sébastien Deschambault

Software Architect,Entrepreneur

JS is a constant inspiration and keeps pushing the limits of what we an accomplish, what we should strive for and what lies within our grasp. JS has been a web tinkerer at heart since the nineties. His ability to see the connecting thread makes him a virtuose at software architecture. But it’s his talent for business and his deep understanding of what drives people that compound to make him a unique ally and a fierce builder.


Martin Gauthier

Software Architecture
Consultant

Martin is a force of nature. When Udo introduced me to the man a few years back, he prefaced it by saying “if you can think it, he can build it”… And we’ve been thinking and building ever since! 🙂 If someone cracks the code of how to deliver real value in digital marketing for Small and Medium Businesses at scale, it may well be Code Mountain. Watching Martin code is reminiscent of watching a Mozart put pen to paper and simply directly write a complete symphony.


Olivier Lefebvre

Business Creative

Oli was already deep in SEO in the early 2000s. His agency and media background give him a solid depth in the field. But it’s his true artist mind that brings a unique flow to what he can see, build and connect and makes him a digital force to be reckoned with. Few people can oscillate the way he can from left to right brain and it fuels his unique ability to make things happen, hack growth and build robust holistic systems to capture value.


Toby McGovern

Experimental Medicine
Scientist

Light of my life, she makes me want to live, laugh, learn and love. Toby is an incredibly brilliant researcher. She works with the best of the best and is known for her uncanny scientific intuition. She will find the anomaly, embrace the truth and follow the science down the rabbit hole, where conventions are challenged and misconceptions shattered. If my business ends up half as good as her science, watch out world… 🙂


Andrew Morgan

Sales & Marketing Expert, Entrepreneur

My latest partner in crime, Captain Morgan fully deserves the moniker. He can certainly rally a crew and he’s proven time and time again that he can navigate the most treacherous waters and lead the ship to port. I knew Gartner was a solid player but it’s through Andrew and his impressive skill set that I got a real sense of what the business was all about and what it could accomplish. I’m honored to count such a web pioneer as a friend and business partner as we build the future.


Bradley Wing

Technology Marketing Pro

Brad has been an incredibly valuable business partner the last couple of years. He always has his finger on the pulse, he can read the players like no other and provides deep enlightening insights on the state and evolution of the industry. I always base partnerships on the value of the people that build them and he is the reason I was led to realize that Sweet IQ would rapidly become the dominant player in local intelligence. World class people for a world class business.

Influence

Here are some of the thinkers and tinkerers that had a major impact on me over the years. Check out their books and drop me a line if you’d like to discuss any of the work, concepts, and applications. Am always happy to revisit any of these fine publications.



Fourth Industrial Revolution

Klaus Schwab – 2016

Some of the changes upon us, mostly driven by technologies such as blockchain, autonomous driving, robotics, nanotechnology, biohacking and deep machine learning- to only name a few – are having such an impact that some of the experts consider we are now entering a fourth industrial revolution. If you’ve been curious about any of those major advancements and how they’re currently shaping our new lives, I strongly encourage you to pick up this excellent book by no other than the founder of the world economic forum. It makes for a relative quick read but delivers such a breadth of robust information. If you sometimes feel like you need to catch up on what’s going on and would like to keep it in your peripheral vision, this is the book to accomplish that. Great read!

more…

Originals

Adam Grant – 2016

Amazing book on true originals. Fantastic read. Review coming up soon.



Grit

Angela Duckworth – 2016

I had seen the title on the bookseller shelf and was already intrigued when Ed Brimmer highly recommended the book – that just arrived in the mail! Review coming soon 🙂

more…



Contagious

Jonah Berger – 2016

If you enjoyed the tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell, you’ll love how Jonah Berger digs deeper down the rabbit hole and maps with gusto in this fascinating book that will no doubt fuel your marketing efforts. Review Coming Soon.

more…



Blockchain Revolution

Don & Alex Tapscott – 2016

Eric Lousteau once taught me that revolutions can only unfold once a change in mentality has reached critical mass. Don Tapscott has certainly been keeping his finger on the pulse of every major digital revolution for the last decades and few have done as much when it comes to educating the masses on these paradigm shifts. Don and son Alex deliver a solid exploration of how blockchain came to be, what impact it has had since and what the major hurdles will be for the future. If you’re looking for a chance to wrap your head around this brewing revolution, dig in! It’s superb work. Read it. ”

more…



Blockchain

Melanie Swan – 2015

With Blockchain at the core of web 3.0 and powering the 4th industrial revolution, I’m digging in to try and catch up with all that’s happened over the last 8 years, since the publication of the original blockchain paper by the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto.

If you read the excellent Blockchain Revolution by Don & Alex Tapscott to introduce the subject, this Blockchain analysis by the founder of the Institute for Blockchain Studies will give you a chance to deep dive into some of the
blockchain applications, promises and state of advancement as well as their limitations. Swan’s work is thorough yet accessible and very well structured. Albeit dense where it needs to be, it makes for a quick yet complete read on the state of this new revolutionary ecosystem of technology.I highly recommend it.


more…



Elon Musk

Ashlee Vance – 2015

My girl knows that deep down I’m a science geek. She knows that the Tesla is on my wish list and that I’ve been interested in Elon Musk’s career. She was also there when I was especially fascinated by the fantastic long tail post on “Wait but Why” by the inspiring Tim Urban

So she decided to buy the book for xmas. I couldn’t put it down. I already had a lot of respect for the man but man was I blown away! I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t read it but let’s just say there is much more to Elon’s plan than what I previously conceived. And what a tale of the utmost all around resilience. A fantastic read for me 🙂



Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson – 2015

I was somewhat familiar with Steve Jobs: his rise and fall at Apple; his great comeback; the Mac, the iPhone, the iPad; the legendary talks…What Walter Isaacson delivers in this stunning biography is what made the man tick. Throughout his childhood, his partnerships, his marriage and his family life, you get to know the man, his dreams, his vision and his drive. Here is a man that you may adore or profoundly dislike and that you may approve of or disapprove of whether you’re a fan of Apple or not. But regardless of how you feel, it is fascinating to accompany Steve on his journey that simply
reinvented 5 major industries: personal computers, music, cell phones, distribution and design. A truly compelling read.



Weology

Peter Aceto & Justin Kingsley – 2015

This was an awesome read. Very cool concepts in there. Review coming soon.



Product Management

Jock Busuttil – 2015

I’ve been digging into what makes product management tick and was happy to stumble upon The Practitioner’s Guide to Product Management by +Jock Busuttil It’s recommended by the Pragmatic Marketing team and a fun exploration of one’s career and learning on the interesting path that product management can be. A solid read with some good insights and a healthy dose of humor. 🙂



Scrum Inc.

Jeff Sutherland – 2014

An esteemed colleague and friend of mine, Sebastien Paris, introduced me to Agile a few years ago. He taught me how it was a way of life much rather than a framework & that I was already a natural practitioner of the basic components without even realizing it. I eventually got formal training as a Scrum product owner and have been trying since to include it in everything we do.

Despite the training, I recently felt like something was still missing. And Jeff Sutherland’s book brought it all home. I read it in one evening and highly recommend it to anyone who has a lot to do in a complex environment!



Value Proposition Design

A. Osterwalder & Y. Pigneur
-2014

A solid framework to build a value proposition as a team quickly and efficiently. Review coming soon.



7 Habits of Highly Effective People (25th anniversary)

Stephen Covey – 2013

This is the anniversary edition of the original classic that came out what seems like ages ago. Been a big fan of Covey
since. Review coming soon.



David and Goliath

Malcolm Gladwell – 2013

A very cool read by Gladwell. A fascinating account of underdogs in there. Review coming soon.



Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell – 2011

Some very cool concepts on how to master anything in there, including the infamous and controversial 10000 hours. Review coming soon.



Busines Model Generation

A. Osterwalder & Y. Pigneur
-2010

In 2015, TC Media sent a group of 25 or so executives at HEC for a 2 days intensive training on the Business Model Generation framework. I was impressed with the work of Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur who combined elements from lean startup, design thinking, blue ocean strategy, SWOT analysis and the work of most relevant business model thinkers there ever was, to come up with this innovative approach for the collaborative and highly efficient design of business models. It was published with the help and support of 470 brilliant collaborators from 45 countries and the quality of the work is stunning.

I browsed the books for the class and applied what I learned as much as I could in my daily work. But it is only recently as I read it again back to cover, since a group of interest I’m leading is building new business models for upcoming startups, that I got to appreciate this magnum opus for what it is: a behemoth classic and a must have for any disruptor. No wonder it was translated in 30 languages!



Rich Dad Poor Dad

Robert Kiyosaki-2011

Kiyosaki is one of the prolific authors on passive income. A classic. Review coming soon.



How the Mighty Fall

Jim Collins – 2009

I’ve always been a big fan of Jim Collins since the days of Built to Last. I was happy to recently go through How the Mighty Fall. A very quick read and not as hyperbolic as some of his other work but an interesting incursion nonetheless into what make the great ones stray and how they become the architects of their own demise…



What the Dog Saw

Malcolm Gladwell – 2009

One of the lesser known Gladwell. Awesome read. Review coming soon.



Game Theory

Kevin Leyton-Brown – 2008

In order to fully contribute to some of our ongoing projects, I needed to dig into the Game Theory, so I took a Coursera class with Kevin Leyton-Brown (UBC), Matthew O. Jackson (Stanford) & Yoav Shoham (Stanford). Fascinating class with a lot of relevance in business and everyday life. Review coming soon.



Emyth Mastery

Michael Gerber- 2007

If you enjoyed the emyth by Michael Gerber, you should dig into this very practical, very actionable emyth bible. Review coming soon.



Blink

Malcolm Gladwell – 2007

If you like neuroscience you will love this enthralling story by Gladwell. Review coming soon.

more…



E-Myth Revisited

Michael Gerber- 2004

The classic by Michael Gerber on why most businesses fail. Very inspiring. One of my favorites on entrepreneurship. Review coming soon.



Built to Last

Jim Collins – 2004

By far one of the most impressive piece of business research I have come across. Review coming soon.



The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell – 2002

Certainly one of the better-known masterpieces by Gladwell and for a good reason. A fascinating exploration of what makes things scale. If you’re in marketing and haven’t read this, treat yourself. Review coming soon.



Good to Great

Jim Collins – 2001

By far one of the most impressive piece of business research I have come across. Review coming soon.



Awaken the giant within

Anthony Robbins – 1992

One of Tony Robbins’most popular. A great exploration of how to leverage the power of NLP in everyday’s life. Review coming soon.

Portfolio

Ideas, plays and moves in the making

Here are some ideas the tribe and I are currently thinking about, exploring, validating or working on. Feel free to explore and connect… Just click on any image to load project details.

Get in touch

Book a call

Go ahead and book some time together. Am always happy to meet with passionate, curious and driven people that strive to deliver real value and make a difference.

Let's Connect

Am always happy to meet with passionate, curious and driven people that strive to deliver real value and make a difference.

Nikola Leger
Montreal (Quebec), Canada
Phone
514.245.9361
Email
nikleger@nikleger.com

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Nikola Leger

creative.
inspired.
engaged.
innovative.
ingenious.
resilient.
systematic.
curious.
holistic.