A team dedicated to success CCISM – Initiative Saint

The Newsletter of Initiative Saint-Martin # 4 - October 2012
A team dedicated to success
Of course motivation, desire to please,
leadership and people management are
all essential qualities. Of course the idea
of the product or service, the business
plan, market research and marketing
plan is all essential data. Of course one
has to do the accounts, build a financial
plan, identify investment costs, estimate
operating costs, determine the cash
flow, the breakeven points and find
funding. Of course it is necessary to
define and select the appropriate legal
formula adapted to safeguard heritage
and social protection of the entrepreneur. Mastering all these technical
skills will definitely guarantee success.
However, when I first meet a candidate
who is creating their business, I start
the interview by asking: «Are you in
good health?» This is usually met by
a moment of surprise. But... Imagine
the captain of a brand new boat, with a
crew full of the conquering spirit, ready
to set sail... Imagine if this captain
suffers from seasickness! Who is going
to take the helm? As the old, old saying
goes: work is health. This is true for all
workers, but it is even truer for the entrepreneur, whose work never stops. It
is better to be aware of this fact before
starting out. “So, a toast to your good
health, Captain!”
Yawo Nyuiadzi,
Chartered Accountant
Board Member of Initiative Saint Martin
The platform of Initiative Saint-Martin not
only grants loans to entrepreneurs, they also
accompany them throughout their project in
order to boost all possible chances at its success. Under the leadership of Marc Chakhtoura, the Director, two employees work in close
contact with the beneficiary. Omar Morales’s
mission is to welcome the project manager
and to follow each step of the creation of his
company, from the initial idea to the obtaining of the loan. With a Master’s degree in
Commerce, he guides the future leader in the
administrative complexities and fine tunes his
project with him. «Everyone has a chance,»
says he. Once the loan has been granted, Bhanicia Bryan - who also holds a Master’s degree
in Commerce - takes over, offering any advice
needed to the new entrepreneur over a period of at least three years. «Our discussions
allow the entrepreneur to take his business to
the height of its activity,» she observes. «The
economic environment is not easy and our
support enhances the professionalism of the
grant holder, which is essential to his success,»
says Marc Chakhtoura with conviction.
Bhanicia Bryan and Omar Morales
CCISM – Initiative Saint-Martin
Mutual cooperation that works
The Chamber of Commerce of Saint-Martin
(CCISM) and the platform Initiative both
play important complementary roles in
answering questions posed by an entrepreneur and work in synergy together with him,
each from its own field. At the CCISM, the
project developer will be given all the information about the legal structure of his business and all the practical information about
registeration. At Initiative, we focus on the
actual project itself and its viability. We talk
about market research, turnover, estimated
budget... The teams who are in place are well
aware of these difficulties and their aim is to
grasp a better understanding of the project.
«When the personal capital contribution is
insufficient, or when the need for support is
evident, this person is systematically direc-
The number
This is the number of loans that
have been granted to project
developers since the beginning
of year 2012, for an amount of
162.000€. 14 of these projects benefited from
additional bank loans, for a total of 299.000€.
19
Marc Chakhtoura, Director of Initiative Saint-Martin,
and Maguy Gumbs, Director of the CCISM
ted towards Initiative Saint-Martin,» says
Maguy Gumbs, Director of the CCISM, «and
we appreciate this pooling of resources that
saves time for the project developer.» This
efficient dynamic holds only one objective:
to give the project the best chance of materializing and the best chance at success.
Thus, 461.000€ all in all were injected into
the local economy. At the same time, Initiative continues to support 93 entrepreneurs.
Financed this year or since longer and all
benefiting from regular follow-ups and appropriated advice.
Newly
Financed
ZEN Institut - Sabrina ADDI
12 rue Anegada, Hope Estate
0590 29 08 27
SPA - Beauty Salon. Waxing, face and
body treatments, Cellu M6
LES PETITS DAUPHINS
Caroline CASTAING
2 rue Antoine Lake, Concordia
0690 65 46 34
Day Care Centre. Micro-crèche, children aged 3 months to 6 years, 07h30
to 18h30, Monday to Friday & Saturday
mornings
BOIS ATTITUDE - Olivier CLEE
La Péninsule à Cul-de-Sac
0690 47 60 99
Carpentry. Roof-framing work,
carpentry, custom-made kitchen design
and fitting
EASY LIFE - Marième DIOP
0690 50 78 70
Private or company superintendent.
Administrative assistance, making
contact with service providers, deliveries…
MICHELLE’S RESTAURANT
Jeannette JHONNY
136 Immeuble Liburd, Quartier d’Orléans
0690 55 20 31
Snack – Restaurant. On the main road
of French Quarter, French and Antilles
dishes
HAVANE BOUTIQUE
Carine MANAUD – LAUBAL
Havane Boutique, 50 Marina Port la Royale
0590 87 70 39
Boutique. Sells brand name clothing and
accessories for men
SCUBA ZEN - Jean-Michel PELISSIER
Marina Anse Marcel - 0590 87 36 13
Scuba diving. Sells diving gear, offers
diving courses, snorkeling...
KAR’OUF - Lloyd SAINT-LEGER
11-12 Howell Center - Marigot et Hope
Estate - 0590 87 70 39
Locksmith, locks and safes. Key
cutting, unlocking doors, repair and
installation of safes and reinforced doors,
number plates
VIDEO CLUB HOPE ESTATE
Florent SCHMITT
9 Rue Barbuda, Hope Estate
0690 77 77 77
Video rental. DVD and video game rentals, sells audio-visual equipment, DVDs
and video games.
> Where are they at today ?
Marie-Anne Carabin
L’Express Restaurant
If Marie-Anne Carabin has one regret, it’s
that she didn’t create her own company earlier on in life. She claims this with a big smile and sparkling eyes, whilst preparing her
Goat Colombo which features every Friday
on the lunchtime menu of L’Express, the
small restaurant that she opened in Concordia in 2009. Being a cook by vocation, she
truly realized her life-long dream when
she became a restaurant owner and is now
patting herself on the back for her accomplishment. This gracious lady in her fifties,
originally from Marie-Galante, offers dishes
from her home island prepared through
authentic cuisine, including a finger-lic-
king good “Bébélé” and a spicy “Chaudage”,
which has become her reputed trademark.
Her first customers who came primarily
through friendship, have long become loyal
regulars and thanks to word of mouth, marketing for the restaurant takes care of itself.
Part of her clientele consists of Guadeloupeans and Martiniquaises that are here on
vacation, and who say to her : «We come to
your restaurant because we were told that it
was good.» Her secret? Quality of course.
And hard work. In full appreciation of her
independence, she opens her restaurant
Monday to Saturday at lunch and Tuesday
through to Saturday in the evenings.
> Initiative Elsewhere ... in Guadeloupe
Malika Onesta
3M Médical Services
At the age of 24, Malika Onesta created
3M Medical Services, a micro enterprise
dedicated to the sale and rental of medical
equipment, in Moule. 3M: Merit, Motivation and Modernity. Originally employed in
the same sector, it was as a result of redundancy that she decided to start up her own
business: «I was very motivated to set up
my own business in the medical and business field. I really wanted to provide more
for the elderly or disabled.» Her business is
also aimed at health professionals - nursing
homes, doctors, nurses - but mostly at pri-
vate individuals, to whom it offers delivery,
installation and maintenance of medical
equipment at home. «With the population
growing and ageing, the need for medical
assistance at home is greater and greater,»
she says. And even if pharmacies offer this
type of service, the market is open to competition. «Guadeloupe needs its youth”, she
says, “we need to encourage young graduates
to return home! Upon starting up 3M Medical Services, I was asked many questions. It
didn’t make me doubt myself a second: I’m
young and I have ambition.»
The Newsletter of Inititative Saint-Martin #4 - october 2012
Through the eye of a pro
> the leadership
Point of View
Jérémy Baux
Without a team,
we are nothing
''
''
The main role of Philippe Morel, Sales and Marketing Director of
Dauphin Telecom, is to, together with his team, reach the company’s sales objectives. As a member of the Board of Directors
of Initiative Saint-Martin, he talks with us about leadership.
Dauphin Telecom has continued to develop since 1999. As Sales and Marketing
Director of the company, what can you
tell us about leadership in general ?
Leadership is what gives your employees
the desire to work together in the same direction. Without a team, we are nothing. It
isn’t enough to have ideas, no matter how
amazing they are, if the people who are
responsible for putting them into practice
are not convinced of their true value. Leadership is primarily a question of good
communication, and for me, it has to be delivered within a permanent context of positive thinking. If I am positive, coherent and
I know my case inside-out, there is every
chance that my team will listen to my idea
and appropriate it to run the project.
good leader is firstly someone who leads
a balanced life, someone who is disciplined, both in his professional and private
life. Be courteous. Calm. Listen. Question
yourself and your actions every day. Be
open to others. Smile. Lead a healthy life.
Everything works together and I often refer to the works of Dale Carnegie written
about management and leadership, which
are full of common sense. I recommend
that anyone who wants to improve the
motivation of their employees should go
ahead and read these books.
And respect ?
Respect is vital, in both directions; it’s a
question of ethics. I respect my colleagues
when they give me every reason to respect
them - and this is usually the case - and
they respect me, firstly given the results of
the company, but also on a more personal
level because I am not out to hurt them, I
listen to them and I don’t hesitate to delegate and empower them with further responsibility, without being on their backs.
A leader is not a guru. Everyone can be
a leader in their field and I like working
together with other leaders in a spirit of
mutual trust.
How exactly is this done ?
The goal is for the leader to unite teams
around a common project, of which he is
totally motivated about. Firstly he needs
to boost the idea by presenting strong arguments of all the positive aspects of the
project, in this way the team members will
come to share the same vision as him. He
must then very clearly define the overall
mission, and just as clearly, the different
objectives related to it for each person. Of
Are these rules applicable in all small bucourse, these objectives must be attainasinesses ?
ble, but don’t hesitate to review these obIt is true that we are lucky at Dauphin Telejectives regularly.
com to be recognized as a large well- strucAre we born leaders?
tured company. But we started out with five
Can we become leaders ?
staff members in 1999, under the impetus
Leadership is something we learn – and of Alain Haillant and Eve Riboud, and the
it also improves with experience - but it company has grown within this positive
does require certain qualities, starting and dynamic environment that only a true
with a good dollop of common sense. A leader could have put into place.
The Newsletter of Inititative Saint-Martin #4 - october 2012
At 38, Jeremy Baux is a happy business
owner, who, despite the economic crisis and
since the opening of Gymfit in January 2010,
has only watched his turnover grow steadily.
What’s the secret? To begin each day with
new ideas. To be the leader within his sector,
it is necessary to be attentive to his clients,
but also to have an ear tuned to the activities offered by the most cutting edge sports
clubs from New York, or from Paris. By regularly updating his program, he manages to
expand his client base, as he did with the
creation of a swimming school. His contract
renewal rate at 75% confirms his strategy
and leadership in the field of fitness.
Levy Tony, member of the approval
committee of Initiative Saint-Martin
The Director of FORE Îles du Nord, Levy
Tony, wants to do the listening. She envisages leadership from an original point of
view, the personal approach. «I support my
leadership by using management integration, to better involve everyone in the success of their missions and to build commitment in favor of execution. Nevertheless, we
can’t be a leader 24h a day». “Listening”,
she adds, «is a very instinctive quality, that
involves deciphering the unspoken, noting
body language, looks; observing unusual attitudes in order to encourage positive dialogue and anticipate conflicts.» «Omniscience,
omnipresence and loneliness all touch the
path of the leader, in moments of glory as
in moments of doubt,» she concludes with
hindsight on a poetical note.
The file
> Tourism
Jeanne Vanterpool
The newly elected President, Alain Richard-
Radisson: the key to success
son, and Vice-President of the Tourist Office,
The Radisson Hotel, located in Anse Marcel, announced that 2013
recorded the highest amount of progress made within the establishment since its opening in 1986. For Jean-Marc Jalbert, the
Managing Director of Radisson Blu Resort, Marina & Spa, this
success is the result of a well-managed strategy and the effort
made by all staff members.
players from within the field of tourism, from
Jean-Marc Jalbert foresees «an absolutely
excellent 2013» with a four million Euro increase in turnover, noting that today the hotel stands at its highest level of quality. Working within a reknownly difficult economic
climate, what are the secrets of this success?
For Mr. Jalbert, it is staff training that comes
out tops. Thus, 160 employees - all bilingual
- received 600 hours of customized training
during the six month period of renovation
that the hotel undertook in 2011. These
courses have not only strengthened the bond
between the teams but also increased their
pride in working for one of the finest hospitality establishments in the business. «We
have identified the talents of our employees
and are now giving them the opportunity to
evolve at the Radisson» he says. Since then,
thanks to clear communication as well, everyone knows how to satisfy the client and
makes him feel like coming back. For example, room service for a Continental Breakfast
should not exceed 15 minutes and 22 minutes for a Full Breakfast. This data is recorded
and will be re-examined if it doesn’t meet
the stipulated criteria. «We all wear a badge:
«Yes I can» and we do our best to meet the
clients’ expectations,» assures the Director,
who has created two positions of «VIP Guest
to gather their opinions and together with
130 Howell Center
Marigot - 97150 Saint-Martin
Tél. 0590 52 83 62
www.initiative-saint-martin.fr
FINANCIAL PARTNERS
Initiative Editorial Director
Marc Chakhtoura
Text Brigitte Delaître
Layout Delphine Gavach
Experience Manager», dedicated to clients
on an everyday basis within the hotel. The
hotel makes it their business to know the
history of each client and strives to personalize the service accordingly. Brazilian clients
have increased by 17% in 2012 and the Director plans to hire a Portuguese-speaking
employee. Events are regularly organized:
Creole buffet with entertainment on Thursday evenings, small gifts in the rooms, «Rum
tasting» in September, an art exhibition by
“Art Lovers” in November, and soon to come,
a mini museum of the history of the island...
This all comes at a price and profitability is
the goal at the end of the day, especially working in the local context with the high cost
of living – labor, water... And so if «the client
is willing to pay for the difference,» well, not
everyone will pay the same price. If you book
a year in advance for one week at Christmas,
you will get a 40% discount. The same week,
booked on December 20th, will be sold at
peak rates. As with airline companies, this
«dynamic pricing» system meets the liberal
law of supply and demand and corresponds
to a targeted policy of the pricing strategy.
Training, communication, knowing your
clients, mastering profitability… It’s a dynamic cocktail... Certainly very effective!
Jeanne Vanterpool, have the firm intention
to work together in collaboration with all the
hotel owners through to taxi drivers. «Nobody can work effectively from his own corner,
we need to pool everyones’ experiences and
expectations,» remarks Mrs Vanterpool. And
so, before Top Resa, the Tourist Office worked in partnership with all the hotel owners
them, define a common strategy to conquer
the European market. «The Tourist Office
takes care of promoting the island, encouraging tourists to choose Saint-Martin, but
once the visitor steps out of the aeroplane,
everyone is affected» she says. The idea is
to integrate all stakeholders, the general public included, in the steps to adapt our ways
to the tourists’ expectations. «We are going
to launch a campaign of local awareness to
personalize our service to tourists, one in
which they feel welcome, that they view the
island positively, and finally, that they want
to return. We are the Friendly Island but we
need to nurture this asset on the French side.
«Examples: to show courtesy at all times and
on all levels, even whilst on the road behind
the wheel; keep our businesses open; respond with a smile to all requests made by the
tourist... «Tourism is the economic mainstay
of the island, everyone benefits and it seems
only logical that the whole island be involved,» concludes Mrs Vanterpool.
Co-financé par l’Union Européenne
L’Europe s’engage avec le FSE
The Newsletter of Inititative Saint-Martin #4 - october 2012