Hello my name is Anne Mignard and I invite you through the ZDNet podcasts to discover the world of digital transformation in small and very small businesses.
Today, we are going to Paris, rue Saint-Ambroise, in the 9e district, find Boubaker Salouba, owner with his wife Adeline of the bakery-pastry shop called Atelier Guinot-Baker. Both are not 30 years old and embarked on the adventure of local commerce, in August 2019, with one objective: to make good bread and good cakes with today’s methods.
As soon as the business was taken over, they installed fiber and restyled the entire store to bring it up to date. Light, heat, machines, cleanliness and good smells. But modernity has also gone through computer tools. A particularly state-of-the-art fund that does them a lot of service.
How to avoid losses
Imagine, with each transaction, it records the product purchased, the time, the date and of course the price. Very useful data for Boubaker, which allows him to anticipate sales and avoid losses. The big concern for bakers, because a cake or bread can be delicious today, but very average 24 hours later. And then, with the price of cereals exploding today, explains Boubaker, it is better to know the quantities to order if you do not want to weigh down the finances.
Finances precisely, let’s talk about it. The accountant who follows the young couple can, thanks in particular to these cash register data, know the situation of his clients. Data stored in a cloud automatically. A time saver for everyone.
An accountant who is also well equipped with technology, since he regularly meets with his clients by videoconference. Same thing for Boubaker when he has to talk to his banker or his suppliers. He just has to go upstairs to the shop and turn on his computer. But for a baker and pastry chef, making good bread and good cakes is not enough today… it still has to be known!
Orders from Canada, Morocco, England and Portugal
For this, the two lovers launched just at the end of 2020 on social networks. Via Instagram and Facebook, they regularly post their creations and collect comments. Sometimes unpleasant, but most often delicious. They are even starting to make a name for themselves, since orders have recently come to them from abroad. From Canada, Morocco, England and Portugal. Customers bought pastries that they had delivered by air, we can imagine.
There remains a field to conquer for Boubaker, the meal delivery platforms. He is studying the market and should launch soon.
Finally if his business continues to operate. The store now has 10 employees. Boubaker could even invest in new connected machines. So of course, he will still have to get up at 3 a.m. to go to the kitchen, but he will have more time to do something else and go home earlier. Especially to take care of their children.