Isabelle Saladin, founder of I&S Adviser, is a serial entrepreneur. Creation, growth, failure. It tells of her ups and downs. Episode 2 : in search of meaning.

Associate meaning and business, this may appear to be contradictory and full of good feelings, but it is quite possible. To run the economy is not paradoxical with the involvement in projects that represent a set of values. I was introduced very young, by pot incorporated every year, at Christmas, in my family, to the attention of an association, or even when I was in the United States where the charity business is commonplace.

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Very male oriented and committed to this as “France wins”, but having spent a lot of time in the United States, I was deeply disgusted that Americans are constantly in front of us, and especially that they are buying the chips French. The pinnacle of their approach : the ces in Las Vegas. Number of French start-ups of the digital scrambling, not to open markets or to support their international expansion, but to find investors. However, this show was thought of by the Americans as a wonderful marketplace – let’s not forget that what counts for them, this are the results: in inventing THESE, they open up privileged access to what the French are creating more promising, detect what interests them, invest with the objective, in fine, to pass the “chosen ones” under the american flag. Particularly unnerving …

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to Provide a meaning, it is to give a boost

so I thought my 3rd company to “save France”. I&S Adviser helps our entrepreneurs tricolor do as well as the Americans, or, even better, and this, using one of their recipes : relying on entrepreneurs “who have already done” to successfully pass the capes of growth (fund-raising, acquisition, international development …).

at the same time I imagined an activity for serial entrepreneurs who do not engage only in it for the money, but because they want to make their experience at the service of their peers. We are now a dozen to share and pass on our best practices.

My idea was also, once the business is launched, to the benefit of an association. This is done : I became an ambassador for Apprentices of Auteuil, my company supports several of their initiatives including their incubator “opens the box” dedicated to the young people who have not had much luck in life at the outset but who have the energy and desire to go forward. More we offered them our help, the more we learn from them, and the more one receives their share.

I have thus given meaning and impetus to my business. But I always kept the memory of the painful bankruptcy of my previous company, Art-DV, in 2011. If the situation is changing in France with the removal of the fichages to the Bank of France, first, 040 in 2013, then more recently the 050 with the Law COVENANT, it remains as the look on a contractor that failed remains terrible : no one lends you more money, you are not hiring, in short we do makes you more confident.

Change the view on failure

I wanted to avoid others to know what I had experienced. With three other entrepreneurs, I imagined an associative project to bring our little stone to the building (there are already associations like 60 000 Rebounds, Second wind or even APESA) by breaking the codes and to “get with the boxes”.

thus was born in may 2018, the movement of the Rebondisseurs French : it brings together entrepreneurs who have bounced back, but also all those aware that the galley can occur important when. Our desire: to change the look on the contractors that have experienced accidents of course, to break their isolation before they fall down too low – as it is always difficult to find to talk to about her problems – so that they are no longer stamped “looser”. Our means : take the word as much as possible and everywhere, to facilitate communication through social networks and a web-based platform. We already have over 600 members after a year of existence !

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“The courage to say, is an asset in business” Entrepreneurs, if they stop to say : “I’m not doing this for the money,” “fear, an ally for the entrepreneur”

Give meaning to it is therefore a powerful lever of development : to enrich its team, to further the discussion, to change the economic environment, political and societal. I’m convinced that doing business is not evil, and helping others is normal…