The 110 "Entrepreneurship" students from the Reims and Rouen campuses met in Paris for the launch day of their course specialisation. For the first time, this end-of-course specialisation is launched in partnership with KPMG.
Christophe GACHET,  KPMG associate, began the day with a brief presentation of his background and the work of  KPMG before getting straight to the point with some very practical questions: what qualities are required to become an entrepreneur? How should a business plan presented?

Pierre Lebel (PGE 2004) then presented his experience as an entrepreneur, which began at NEOMA BS. "In a first-year class, 4 of us worked on an idea for a smart shopping cart. Then we quickly wanted to compare our idea with what was happening in the real world.  Because it is not having an idea that counts, it's making it come true." The entrepreneur explains his progress from the realisation of the first prototype to the fundraising campaign, without forgetting to mention the help provided by KPMG, of whom he is a client. "It is important to know where you are most effective and where you can add the greatest value. In this context, support is crucial because it allows you to keep going while you have so many other things on your plate."

A question from a student allows the speakers to address recruitment difficulties. "Recruitment, whatever the profile, is very complicated," says Pierre Lebel. "We made a lot of mistakes. In an entrepreneurial adventure, you learn as you go. But when you learn with your money, you learn very quickly!"

When asked by the students about the importance of relationships with partners, Pierre Lebel explains that:  "If you share the same objective 100%, working with a partner is quite simple. A perfect alignment of interest and vision is necessary. You have to be able to recognise when you have made a mistake and avoid the unspoken at all costs. For us, this went very well.  Personally, I never imagined being an entrepreneur alone. It is absolutely essential to be a team of two: for the lows because it helps to bounce back and for the highs when you have to keep your feet on the ground!"

One point of view advocated by Christophe GACHET is "with hindsight, the complementarity of the partners' profiles and personalities is often an asset." The end of the morning also provided the opportunity for the KPMG associate to pass on some valuable advice. "To give yourself the best possible chance, you need to surround yourself with the right people, think long, but jump into action quickly, define your project, but accept to be constantly challenged."

The lunch break gave the participants a chance to discuss some of the issues some of the students are facing with their projects more freely. The afternoon was devoted to  a speech on the future of entrepreneurship by Olivier Ezratty, author of the online "Start-ups" guide and former Microsoft marketing director.