When Denise Cormier jumped into the world of business ownership in 2011, she never imagined the venture would turn into a passion.

“I really like it all – the joy of the kids in the morning, the parents who have a place for their children while they work, helping the community,” she said of her daycare business. “It’s like a big family.”

The owner of Garderie des P'tits Mollusques, Inc. in Bouctouche has worked hard over a decade to grow from a small business caring for 12 children, to multiple daycare facilities in more than one community.  

It all started in 2011 when Denise and a friend were painting her mini home in Bouctouche to prepare it for sale. The friend, who at the time had 15 years of experience in early childhood education, encouraged Denise to transform the space into a daycare instead of selling.

“She knew what she was doing, but she didn’t want to be in business, she wanted to be an educator,” Denise said.

“She said ‘I will be there. I will support you’.”

Denise made the jump from working at a jewelry store to business ownership. The daycare spots filled up quickly, and there was more and more community interest for childcare spaces in Bouctouche.

“They were calling me saying ‘we need a place at your daycare’ and a lot of people knew us. I couldn’t go to the Co-op anymore because everyone was looking for me,” Denise said, laughing.

Six months after opening the business, Denise decided she’d build an extension to create more spaces for families in the community. Already the owner of the mini home, she approached a traditional bank for the loan.

“They denied me… because you need at least two years in business (to get a loan,)” she said.

Her next move was across the street to her local Community Business Development Corporation (CBDC) where she was able to get a small business loan for the extension. She went back to CBDC Kent a year later, in 2012, to get another small business loan to build a second extension.

“If the CBDC wasn’t there I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” she said. “They’re here to help and they want to work with you and find solutions.”

Following the expansion, Denise continued to grow her business to serve even more families. In 2015, she purchased a second building to start an after-school program. Then in 2018 she found a piece of land in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, where many families had expressed interest in having a local daycare.

She once again approached the bank who said they couldn’t help with the purchase, and could only give her a mortgage once the daycare building was built.

“So, I went to see the CBDC and they gave me a mortgage,” she said, which allowed her to open a daycare with 46 spaces for children in that community.

In 2020, she purchased the former Caisse Populaire building in Sainte-Marie with traditional financing to open a 30 space after-school program.

The vision for her business continues to grow. With the help of the CBDC Kent, Denise recently purchased two pieces of land in Bouctouche with the goal of building a brand new daycare facility with space for up to 120 children, to replace the original daycare at the mini home.

After her initial dealings with the CBDC, Denise said she’s continuously encouraged entrepreneurs she meets to reach out to the organization for help and guidance.

“It’s really like wow, there’s someone who listens to you and believes in you and wants to help,” she said of the CBDC.

While growing her business, Denise has also continued to grow professionally taking courses in both finance and early childhood education at Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick. She’s also a member of many early childhood education organizations to help make a positive impact in her field.

“You have to take an interest in what you’re doing,” she said. “You need to get involved and like it. For me, it’s not an investment. It’s something I like.”