SME Consultant in Montreal:
Operational performance and financing of innovation
Progrès Conseils is a consulting firm for SMEs established in Montreal since 2003. We are involved on four fronts: operational performance, SR&ED tax credits, R&D financing and technology commercialization. Our clients are manufacturing, agri-food, chemical and technology SMEs in Quebec and Ontario that want to structure their operations, better document their innovation activities, access the right financing programs and bring their technologies to market.
We work in your teams, on your issues, until the changes hold.
Four services to help your SME perform
Operational performance: structure, measure, improve
Your operations are working, but not as well as they could. Decisions take too long, priorities change often, some people carry a disproportionate share of the weight of the organization. We map your processes, we install the performance indicators that your managers will actually use, and we stay until the new ways of doing things are adopted.
- Process diagnostics and bottleneck identification
- Implementation of KPIs and operational dashboards
- Clarification of roles, responsibilities and governance structure
- Continuous Improvement, Lean and Process Mapping
- Manager coaching and skills transfer
What you get: aligned teams, faster decisions, and processes that hold up over time, even when you’re not in the room.
SR&ED tax credits: Recover what you are entitled to
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is one of the main tax incentives for innovation in Canada, and one of the most demanding to document. Many SMEs underclaim, or do not claim, potentially eligible work due to a lack of time or internal resources. Since 2003, we have managed hundreds of claims, with a 98% success rate.
- Eligibility analysis of your projects, free of charge
- Collection and structuring of technical documentation on an ongoing basis, not at the end of the year
- Drafting of technical and financial reports
- Preparing and filing the application with the Canada Revenue Agency
- Full support during CRA audits
R&D Funding: SR&ED, CRIC, IRAP, Mitacs and Private Capital
SR&ED is just one lever. The Quebec CRIC, NRC-IRAP, Mitacs, NSERC and, for growth projects, private capital combine differently depending on your stage of development. We identify the right programs, build the files and defend them, from the first application to the funder’s questions.
- Identification of relevant programs according to your project and your company profile
- Coordination of federal and provincial levers, to avoid blind spots between the two levels
- Preparation of support or turnkey applications
- Business plans, financial preparation and connection with investors
Technology Commercialization: From Lab to Market
A technology will have to go through the proof of concept, the pilot scale, the transfer to manufacturing and marketing. Élie Khalil has walked this path himself, to products used today by major brands.
- Market validation and go-to-market strategy
- Proof of concept, pilot-scale process chemistry, technology transfer to manufacturing
- Regulatory Compliance and Intellectual Property Strategy
- Prospecting, networking, licensing and licensing
Where to start depending on your situation
| Your situation | The service to look at first |
|---|---|
| Your teams are overloaded, decisions drag on, everything rests on two or three people. | Operational performance |
| You develop products or improve processes, but you don't know if the work is eligible. | SR&ED tax credits |
| You have an innovation project to fund and you don't know which programs to target. | R&D funding |
| Your technology is working, but it's not yet generating the revenue you expect. | Technology Commercialization |
Most of our mandates start with just one of these four needs and then expand.
An SME that structures its operations better documents its R&D, and more rigorous documentation then facilitates the preparation of credit and financing applications.
What sets Progrès Conseils apart
On the ground
We work with your teams, on your concrete issues, until the changes are in place and used.
Simple and accessible
Solutions calibrated to the real constraints of an SME: the time, budget and staff you really have.
Calibrated for SMBs
Our expertise is built for SMEs, not adapted from a large company model. You work directly with experienced professionals who understand the growth, financing and execution constraints unique to companies of your size.
Since 2003
Progrès Conseils was founded by Juliana Khalil, an engineer and MBA HEC, after a career at General Motors and Pratt & Whitney. More than twenty years later, the firm has supported hundreds of SMEs in Quebec and Ontario.
Get to know the team.
Let’s discuss your situation
Every SME is different. The first step is always a 30-minute conversation to understand where you stand, identify the priority need, and determine if we are the right people to support you. No commitment, no pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Which service should you start with when you have several needs?
By the one that costs you the most right now. If your operations prevent you from delivering, start with operational performance. If you are conducting development work without claiming it, start with SR&ED. If the obstacle is financing or market access, it will be R&D funding or commercialization. We decide this issue with you on the first call, before any mandate.
Can an operational performance mandate be combined with an SR&ED claim?
Yes, and it’s frequent. The two reinforce each other: the documentation of the processes put in place for operational performance is directly used to support an SR&ED claim. We then coordinate the two components with a single team, so that your people don’t answer the same questions twice.
Do you have to be a technology company to work with Progrès Conseils?
No. We support SMEs in aeronautics, agri-food, chemistry, environment, engineering, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, plastics and machining. A company that improves a manufacturing process often carries out eligible work without knowing it. Eligibility is assessed according to the activities actually carried out, which is the purpose of the free preliminary analysis.
Do you work with SMEs outside of Montreal?
Yes. We support SMEs throughout Quebec and Ontario. Depending on the mandate, the intervention combines on-site visits, which are essential for field work, and remote follow-ups.
How do your services differ from those of a large consulting firm?
You work directly with experienced professionals, not with a team of junior consultants supervised remotely. Our fees are calibrated for SME budgets and our recommendations take into account the staff you actually have. We stay until implementation, not until the report is submitted.