When Leo Green advises a client to tighten his belt or lose his shirt, he's not talking finances. Rather, the 51-year-old CA and clothier is helping customers to look their best.

As co-owner and manager of Montreal's Boutique Jacques and Execstyle.com, Green is not your typical number-crunching "suit." His business offers image consulting to executives, outfitting them in everything from mainstay shirts and ties to formal attire and casual chic. "We help the client portray the right image, and feel good about the clothes he wears," says Green.

While he's always kept a hand in the shop that his father, Jacques, opened in 1958, Green didn't get seriously involved in the business until 1983. After graduating with a BCom from Concordia in 1970, Green landed a position as financial management planner with Canadian General Electric. But the job left him wanting. "I felt like a small cog in a big wheel," he says. "I wanted more independence and to feel that what I was doing had an impact."

When auditors came in to CGE, "the proverbial light went on" and he decided to become a CA, earning his designation in 1973. After seven years in public practice and a position as financial systems coordinator at Royal Victoria Hospital, Green went out on his own as a mergers and acquisitions consultant, with an office in the same building that housed his father's shop.

"It wasn't long before my family drafted me into the business," he chuckles. "It was a tremendous opportunity - and it was exciting. I had the challenge of growing the shop, but still keeping it personal."

And grow the business he did - serving clients all across Canada, the US, and even in Europe. And now with the store's web site, the reach is limitless; they recently shipped a couple of suits to Japan. "We took what made the store successful - customer service - and transferred it to the web site," says Green. "That's what sets us apart."

Indeed, while many e-tailers leave you on your own to click through cyberspace and place orders, Execstyle.com splashes a toll-free number all over its site. "We enjoy talking to customers and we want to make sure they keep coming back to us," says Green. "We do everything possible to make sure they have the right size, garment, fabric and style."

For example, they have a database that allows them to see what the customer has ordered before. Or, for a new client, they'll get the appropriate height, weight and measurements in order to put together a flattering look, choosing from popular labels such as Calvin Klein and Hathaway. Because it provides this kind of personalized service, the business has a merchandise-return rate of less than 1%.

Green attributes his success in part to his training as a chartered accountant. "It gives you a certain mindset - that every decision has bottom-line consequences. And it teaches you to be analytical and not to overlook details," he says.

In the end, Green has found the independence and sense of purpose that he was looking for at the beginning of his career. "What I love about my job is that it gives me the ability to change directions and call my own shots," he says. "I can make my own decisions and see the results of my actions."

Resume
1970 Graduated from Concordia University (BCom)
1973 Received CA designation
'71-'78 Practitioner with Richter, Usher & Vineberg
1980 Became financial systems coordinator at Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal
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