The employees, this is the greatest capital of the company

Repeat infringer of the enterprise creation, Sandra The Great book of his testimony on his experiences. Episode 2: the employees, the more big capital.

When you create a company, it is on all fronts : it is necessary to adjust the administrative, find financing, build and test the product or service, develop technology, select the service providers (accountants, banks, lawyers...) and partners. And it is especially necessary to constitute his team.

In the valuation of a business, we list the assets : we often talk of the technology, the product, the reputation of the brand, customers, data, physical assets (facilities, agencies, funds, trade..). But the greatest capital of the company remains well and truly his team, his employees !

I've created a Channel THIS in 1999 and I have re-created last year a new company, Yapuka, "from scratch", starting from zero : zero employee, zero turnover... everything is to be done right away, but my first attention is always focused on the recruitment process.

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First challenge : the bodyguard

first, because in the beginning, the creator of the company has to convince its first candidates : it is obviously easier to attract talent when one is called Coca-Cola or L'oréal, rather than CanalCE/Kalidea or Yapuka !

Then, because the sourcing of candidates for a minimum of the first 30 employees reside necessarily in the network, the contacts, the recommendations of each other or our best friend, Linkedin. In fact, to start a business, you don't have the budget to purchase the services of recruitment firms or headhunters. It is, therefore, the head of the company to solicit its network and seek nominations.

And finally, because one of the advantages offered by the creation of a company, it is to be able to surround yourself with people with whom they want to work : by the values that we bring and that we want to track in their teams or by the personalities that we are seeking because we know that they will work well together and especially with us. The soft skills are more important for me than the hard skills : the soft skills, behavioral, management are essential and it is largely innate, while the technical skills, specialized trades, can always learn as much as they are changing very quickly in our universe today.

The first step is to surround yourself with a bodyguard, people of confidence because you must be able to rely on the first few that join you : they will be key in the device and, above all, they will recruit in their turn, they must therefore be the guarantor of the values of the company. Then come to the recruitment of complementary skills and positions essential : commercial, technical, administrative, computer, marketing ...

Second challenge : to grow its teams

and Then he needs to grow its teams : it is not enough to recruit them, it is necessary to make a success of their integration, their personal and professional development, train, motivate and reward them. The corporate life is not a long quiet river, it is also necessary to sometimes take on the difficult task of separating them if things don't go as planned. I specify this point because it is one of the most difficult things to do : it develops necessarily a affectio sociétatis with the people who join us in the adventure. Gold I am aware a posteriori of have sometimes been slow to make this type of decision. For example, have a turnover rate close to zero for most of my trade (with a loyalty rate of ten years) made me proud. In retrospect, I understand that it was a mistake because it is necessary to regularly renew its sales force in order to maintain it in a challenge, a freshness, and a statement of reasons for the first time.

Then, the question arises as to 1000 euros : can we keep the atmosphere of a start-up that we all like, where all the world knows, is an intimate knowledge, having lunch together, sharing his ideas on the corner of a table, on cushions or in front of a café or teddy bear chocolate ? How to accompany the growth of the company and its membership, in keeping with the DNA original ?

the Third challenge : to lead the teams

Imperceptibly, the company changed, is changing and the risk is great to lose the soul of what we wanted to create, namely a business where it is good to live, where the employees take pleasure in a morning as well as evening work. Promote trade, assist and accompany its employees, whether in the form of mentoring, team-building or management, is a daily challenge. Better, this spirit ensures that the skills and performance of the company.

High in the american school, through my experiences at Mc Donald's and Coca Cola, I applied and I apply even the best techniques that I have proven in team management. Frequent meetings, formal or informal, but effective, while being energizing. Of the "best practices" where we share the techniques win-win that everyone benefits : the results of a team are always greater than the average of the individual results. "Stand up success story meeting," where standing, in a half-hour, every one shall give of good news : the computer in business through human resources, the téléconseillère to the sales manager. It is applauded, it is important, we display figures and pictures on the walls, were scribbled on white boards with colors, smileys. Everyone leaves faster, better-informed and proud of what he has done, what as his colleagues have done and what the company does !

A principle : gender diversity

With Channel EC/Kalidea, my first company, my biggest pride is to have built a structure of 200 employees, with 65% of women, a strong mix and diversity of profiles (young people, older people, self-made man or surdiplômés), all displaying a great involvement and great dedication to the company and I want to believe, at its founding.

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In Yapuka, I surrounded myself with young people because we are in the educational ecosystem, student, but also because my partner and I are fifty-plus experienced. We have with us a team of 100 coaches on a model of autoentrepreneurs who coach the students for their success in the interviews. I don't know yet if Yapuka will re-create the 200 posts but one thing is for sure : the primary role of the business leader is knowing how to create, develop and sustain its teams. Capital number 1 of the enterprise is the composition varied, complementary, motivated, and performance of its employees.