Being in control of your life is what appeals to one local entrepreneur. Sylvain Allaire is a former Canadian military commander and the managing partner of Dartmouth-based HR pros, a human resource management company.

After his career with the military ended, Allaire knew he was too young to retire. “In previous generations once you got a job, you had it for life,” he said.

HR pros has been in business for three years with a focus on helping small businesses with human relations and giving them the building blocks for preparing them for the next generation of workers.

Allaire is out to gain more businesses knowledge next week as he takes part in the 2011 Halifax Entrepreneurship Expo on Monday.

Philip Calvert, an event organizer, said the expo is very important for Halifax.

“There are a lot of young people today that are in business for themselves and it creates a lot of employment and economic impact in our community,” he said.

As for setting up shop in HRM, Allaire said he and his business partner started here because of the “open and diverse nature of the city.”

His advice for anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur? “Have a solid business plan, set realistic goals and don’t be afraid to go out and ask questions.”