Whatever the sector of activity in which one launches, three measures applied from the start allow one to better face the hazards.
To be accompanied
“A company is a collective experience in which the manager is alone“, notes Olivier Lamarque, general director of the Réseau Entreprendre association, which supports 2,000 new entrepreneurs each year. The business leader is in fact the only one to decide, just as he is alone when faced with problems. “But we must not remain isolated, Olivier Lamarque insists, but be accompanied, whether it is through a banker, an accountant or a network like ours, where a successful entrepreneur supports a person who is starting out. The accompanying manager has the experience that saves the novice time. He identifies the difficulties and leads him to deal with them without neglecting any of them.”
Within Réseau Entreprendre, which focuses on companies that have growth potential, and therefore job creation, with 10,000 supporting entrepreneurs, monitoring is planned for a period of two to three years. It is structured around a minimum of one meeting per month between the new business leader and the supporting entrepreneur. The association also organizes monthly exchanges between creators. “They stimulate each other, give each other confidence, and move forward faster,” notes its general manager.
Appropriate monitoring of the development of the young company is also planned with the employees of Réseau Entreprendre and the accompanying entrepreneur, again, once a month, at least. “These meetings allow the new manager to connect to a virtuous ecosystem of entrepreneurship. Being together allows you to compare your lines of thought with the solutions of others. The support reassures, gives confidence, and is a growth accelerator,” assures Olivier Lamarque.
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Put money aside
The interest of the financing plan is in particular to detail the initial investments, such as the purchase of equipment, the acquisition of a business lease, the completion of work or the working capital requirement to start the activity. It therefore allows the entrepreneur who is starting out to assess his financing needs and, based on his personal contribution, to determine the amount of the loan to be taken out with a banking establishment. However, indicates Éric Luc, chartered accountant and communications director at Fiducial, “Once the start-up investments have been planned, it is always a good idea to plan for more, in order to create a safety reserve. Initial risks exist and you have to be able to overcome them..»
It is important to ask your banker for the right loan amount from the start.
Éric Luc, chartered accountant and communications director at Fiducial
Delays in work on a commercial premises can, for example, delay the opening of the store. However, if the business owner has recruited “a rare pearl” who he does not want to see leave, he will have to pay him a salary, even though his business is not yet generating any turnover.If the safety reserve depends on the activity, for an investment of 1 million euros, it is generally necessary to plan for 10% to 20% more,” estimates Eric Luc. Thus, for a taxi driver, the start-up can vary from 0 to 50,000 euros, depending on whether he is paid directly at the end of the journey or whether he specializes in medical transport. In the latter case, for an activity started on August 21, he will have to wait until October to receive his first payments.
“Whatever the field practicedadds Eric Luc, It is important to ask your banker for the right loan amount from the start. Asking them again after a few months, explaining that you made a mistake in your forecast, will have a very bad effect and will undermine the credibility of the project and your seriousness..»
Take care of your health
“Entrepreneurship is good for your health, but if your health is better, it is riskier,” warns Olivier Torrès, professor at the University of Montpellier and founder of the Amarok observatory, which monitors the health of business leaders. Entrepreneurs have hectic lifestyles, especially when starting a business, with stress and poor sleep as a result. Meals, often eaten quickly, are not always healthy, and time for physical activity wrongly appears to be secondary.
“Maintaining a work-life balance remains a real challenge and it is still often difficult for managers to establish regular follow-ups with their doctor,” observed Sylvie Bonello, general delegate of the MMA Foundation for Entrepreneurs of the Future, during the publication, in June, of the 10e edition of the barometer produced with Bpifrance Le Lab. Thus, 32% of the managers surveyed admitted to having given up consulting a doctor in the last twelve months, including 15% on several occasions. 60% of them mentioned a lack of time and the need to prioritize their activity. However, a healthy manager is a factor in the success of the company.
