While they want to be entrepreneurs as much as men, women represent only 30% of business creators in France. For Adie (Association for the right to economic initiative), which has supported business creators since 1989, each talent must have a chance.
Article produced in partnership with Adie
Adie is a solidarity association that defends the idea that everyone can undertake as long as they have access to credit and support. Recognized as a public utility, it is organized into a network of specialists, employees and volunteers, and covers the whole of France, with more than 170 agencies and 300 offices. Fighting against all the brakes and stereotypes, it finances and supports entrepreneurs whose projects are not eligible for traditional bank credit by offering microcredits of up to €10,000. And this, whatever the age, the sector of activity and the type of project. Prerequisites ? Desire and the dose of talent that lies dormant in everyone.
Trust and equal opportunities
The women. They are at the very origin of the history of microcredit. When Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate in Economics, created it, he first bet on women, by lending them the means to create and develop their small business to give them the means to support their families and their communities.
Avant-garde, Maria Nowak was inspired by this example when she founded Adie in 1989, convinced that men and women, whatever their level of education and wealth, have the capacity to undertake as long as we give them the means. Trust and equal opportunity: such are the ethics of Adie, which has 45% of women among its audience, a figure well above the national average for business creation of 29%.
Their common point? A fragile socio-economic situation (unemployment, lack of equity, lack of experience, over-indebtedness, etc.), which does not allow them to access bank credit. ” Banks n‘did not seek to understand’, testifies Alexia, who created her dog breeding in Indre in February 2020. “ They just saw that Ihad problemsèmy over-indebtedness with my companion. And they stopped at thatat. » So she turns to Adie, simply bringing a well-crafted business plan, a forecast and, above all, her motivation. And obtains a microcredit which allows her to launch her activity and realize her dream. Certainly ” the person must not be in more difficulty once he obtains this microcredit », Specifies the territorial director of Adie in the Centre-Val de Loire region. ” This is why we create a relationship that is based on both trust and responsibility. And above all, we accompany him at every stage of his project. »
Resist social pressure
Lack of funding is not the only obstacle to women’s entrepreneurship. For Valérie Rocoplan, founder of Talentis, an executive coaching firm, the other big difficulty is resisting social pressure and the lack of support from loved ones. To encourage women to unleash their audacity and allow them to recognize themselves in dedicated paths that resemble them, Adie regularly highlights portraits and inspiring testimonials of female entrepreneurs of all origins, ages and sectors of activity that she has supported.
Because one of the multiple objectives of Adie is also to encourage people to dare to take the plunge. And, above all, to aim high. 65% of the women funded by the association are mothers who, one day, took the risk of turning their passion into a job or creating their own job after being made redundant or divorced. “My business saved me. She proved to me that I was capable of doing something, even after 50 years”, testifies Emmanuelle, who opened her wool shop in Arles. ” I am often asked if it is complicated to be a business leader when you are a woman, young, black and from Seine-Saint-Denis”, adds Sarah, who has opened her service company to large companies located in the department. For her, these brakes were a strength that Adie knew how to value.
Support and coaching
Moral support, confidence building, ready… L’Adie pampers women who are ready to get started and complete their project. Its field of action is much wider, however, because the course of business creation covers certain skills that cannot be invented: taxation, administration, strategy and management are some of the most complex aspects. In fact, advisors follow each entrepreneur from start to finish.
The key words of this accompaniment? Personalization, trust and empowerment. It can take the form of collective training or individual coaching in order to give the project every chance. At Adie, we never give up! Whatever your status, whether you are a graduate or not, if you have a project and motivation, it’s your turn to make your passion your job.
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