Pace of Industry Change is Speeding Up: 10 on the Weekend – Stephane Tajick
Ten On The Weekend is a semi-weekly feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different industry figure, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might in an ordinary business setting.
Our guest this weekend is Stephane Tajick of Stephane Tajick Consulting.
How do you spend your weekends?
You’ll be disappointed. We have had a curfew since December here in Quebec. Restaurants and bars are closed for sit-downs. With the addition of our cold winter, there is very little to do, to the point that every day looks exactly the same from the point of view of my home. I usually don’t work much during the weekend, but I certainly can say I’ve not done anything of note lately other than work. Thank god for football on TV or else it would be very dull.
What are your top three business goals this year?
I’m launching 3-4 big projects this year. I can’t talk about all of them as they are in the pipeline, but I’m happy to say that I have joined an exciting new project with Rogelio Caceres and RCG Global to take by storm the US market. Rogelio is building an incredible team and I’m bullish that we will be able to make the US market a strong segment of the RCBI industry.
What’s your biggest business concern right now?
Time management to deliver on all those big projects will be key, as will cost optimization. The global environment is very volatile right now with travel restrictions and difficulties in processing applications. RCBI programs are opening, being amended, or closing at a faster pace than we are accustomed to. The Cyprus CIP closing and the uncertainty surrounding the EB-5 and QIIP risk reducing the supply of good programs. Others, such as Australia and New Zealand are experiencing backlogs and longer processing time. It’s never ideal to see programs taking too much time to approve applicants, especially with the risk of policy changes. I fear a drop in the quality of programs due to those consequences.
Which book is on your night-stand right now?
There are no books on my nightstand. I do read every night but on my phone. I guess it makes me a typical millennial. I usually read about football, history, politics, the economy, or the industry-favorite: IMI.
How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?
Around 10 years ago. One of my close friends, who worked with immigrant investors, asked me to advise some of them looking to start a businesses in Montreal. I got sucked in by the potential economic impact the Immigrant Investor program could have in Quebec. Six months later, I was pitching a “post-landing economic integration” program to the Quebec government to optimize the economic impact of the program.
What was your proudest moment as a service provider?
Very hard to say. Perhaps I should be more proud of myself. I’m still young-ish, so I hope there are many more challenges ahead. The closest to “being proud” would be to see some of my policy suggestions for the QIIP and QIEP adopted into regulation after so many efforts.
Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
The US market has been the most surprising. A sleeping giant, perhaps, but unexpected nevertheless. A difficult market to enter, very different from other traditional markets.
If you could go 10 years back in time, what business decision would you change?
Looking back, I would say spend less time lobbying the Quebec government for policy changes in regard to the QIIP. Positive advancements were set-back by changes of government. Other than that, I tried to learn as much as possible about investment migration and the mechanisms behind them such as the economic environment creating their need. I’ve been over pretty much all the citizenship and immigration laws in the world but I always feel I still don’t know enough. There is always so much more to know and brilliant people to learn from.
What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
There are so many people to choose from. Many in the industry deserve admiration. Many of the “Montreal Crew” have made a name for themselves and are incredible human beings and businesspeople. It would be ungracious to put only one on a pedestal. But since I have to, I would need to give a shout-out to Marc Audet of Auray Capital, being the first one I built a good relationship with when I started down this path ten years ago. An awesome guy from whom I learned a lot seeing him work and build such a reliable enterprise.
If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
I never think that far ahead. I feel that’s daydreaming. I concentrate on the road map and the few months ahead. All I can say is I hope for the world to go towards a path of greater stability and security.