Due to the premature death of his father, Jean-Baptiste's family was divided up and he fell under the custody of an elder brother who ran the tannery and other business interests of the family.
Jean began his working life in the fur trade as a voyageur for his uncle, Jean-Baptiste Neveu.
By the early 1730s he had taken over the family tannery and entered into various business arrangements to further this enterprise.
The Seven Years' War and the subsequent English rule was devastating to many businesses of the time and Jean-Baptiste's holdings were no exception.
His sons became voyageurs and the Barsalou tannery ceased to exist.