“We want to open a store that sells video games and Japanese videos in Nice. It’s a project that has been in the works for several years, and we want to make it a reality as soon as possible,” say Karim and Valentin, both 23 years old, who therefore attended the 4th edition of Génération Entreprendre, the Business Creation and Takeover Forum.
Karim and Valentin hoped to find all the answers to their questions to be best supported in their project. “We are employees, and we know that job seekers get financial support when they create a company. So, we would like to know if we need to resign to benefit from these aids,” explains Valentin. Their project is already well-developed. They enlisted students from EDHEC to conduct a market study. They planned to query institutional partners of the fair like AFPA, ANPE, Assedic, and the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Directorate of Labor, Employment, and Professional Training. Valentin and Karim are project holders, and Generation Entreprendre is aimed at them. Statistics are clear: a supported company is more likely to survive and pass the critical three-year mark. Supported, they survive in more than 80% of cases. Without support, this percentage is halved.
The fair features over forty stands, conferences, and workshops, intended to help young people like Karim and Valentin make the leap, sparking their confidence to start a business. Pierre Breuil, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, calls for the dynamism of the locals: “We want a Generation Entrepreneurs, not a generation of whiners. Creating a business is not a minor issue. It is important to keep in mind that starting a business means creating jobs.” The numbers support Pierre Breuil: a well-supported very small enterprise (TPE) creates three jobs in three years.
In 2005, 9600 companies were created in the Alpes-Maritimes department. Generation Entreprendre awarded two of them:
– Pénélope Saddlery managed by Christine Haffi, which received the Business Creation Heartthrob Award.
– M.F.C.A managed by Denis Ribat, which received the Business Takeover Heartthrob Award.
The fair aims to be comprehensive, to encourage these young individuals to launch into business creation confidently.
