This KEDGE graduate is a co-founder of l'École de l'Optimisme (The School of Optimism)

💬 INTERVIEW

1️⃣To begin, tell us about your educational background. What did you study, both before and at KEDGE?

To summarise, my 20-year career consists of operational management, project management, and sales and purchasing. Back at school when I was doing the MAI FC, I was able to take advantage of the time to step back and assess my personal and professional development wants and desires, which was full of sharing, experience, teaching, and education. Then I had the chance to start a company.

2️⃣Tell us what you did after your studies were finished. What positions have you held? What did you learn in those positions?

I’m a curious person and my whole life has been filled with professional opportunities and rediscoveries. I started working in operational management, where it was a daily challenge to reconcile resources and methods. Afterwards, I had the pleasure of heading organisational projects within different companies. Finally, I moved to sales management to do the upfront work on projects and operations.

3️⃣ What are you doing / what is your situation today? What gave you the idea and desire to do what are you doing today?

Today, I am deeply involved in creating the l’Ecole de l’Optimisme (School of Optimism) both on the operational side and the creation of the website, and organisational and procedural support. It’s a 500 m² space in Suresnes that will house a bilingual Montessori School (nursery and elementary) and an adult training centre, mainly with workshops in Positive Psychology.

4️⃣What are your business goals for the future?

There are different objectives for the different technical, personnel, and financial functions. We are slated to open in February 2020. From an economic point of view, we hope to be in balance in our third year of operation. Our development objectives are mainly based on our ability to optimise the usage of the site and to promote all that the school has to offer. We are therefore concentrating our efforts on highlighting the place and the activities offered there. Advertising, press relations, internet, RSS, mailings, market presence, mailboxes, we are doing everything possible to meet this objective.

5️⃣ How did your education at KEDGE Business School help you become who you are today, and which of its courses helped you develop your project?

The two subjects covered by our school were nourished by all the subjects I took while at KEDGE. For children, I am convinced that we can move from simply teaching knowledge to teaching them to be aware of their own skills and to help them develop a desire to learn. For adults, soft skills, attitudes, and self-awareness can now be learned and communicated.

6️⃣ If you had to give advice to any KEDGE Alumnus or Alumna who would like to do something similar, what would it be?

Dare and move forward. You have to constantly be trying things out. Be curious and open to change so you can grow with each experience and each moment. There are no failures, only learning opportunities.

FACEBOOK   WEBSITE

Contractor Entrepreneurship MAY