2023-11-05 07:32:00
The man recognizes it: he has an “atypical” background. “I am completely self-taught in entrepreneurship. Teaching gave me a lot of free time and I have always been hyperactive. After I got married, I started a photo booth rental company with two friends. I learned a lot of things. Entrepreneurship is an illness. Once you get it, you never get rid of it.”
A big leap into the unknown
In 2017, the young man bought, with the help of a partner, an old farm located in Obourg, in Hainaut. “Basically, we were supposed to make it a real estate project. Then, it became a workshop for professionals, a wedding hall and, one thing led to another, a restaurant. We were directly included in the Gault&Millau guide.”
What training can you access as a freelancer?
At the time, Quentin was still a teacher, even if he switched to part-time work to be able to better devote himself to his entrepreneurial activities. “But I was no longer 100% in my job. It wasn’t honest with my students who were counting on me. I had to make a choice. I resigned and I resigned. I launched as an independent.” It’s the big leap into the unknown. “For my wife, it was not easy and I sincerely thank her for letting me realize my dream. She had married a professor and not an entrepreneur. We had our own pace of life, private loans to repay. She didn’t want to not that our life would change and that we had to tighten our belts. We never rolled in gold but we might go on vacation and go to a restaurant from time to time.”
Work hours also change drastically. “I now worked until midnight every day and started once more at 6 a.m. We really had to organize ourselves, especially since in six years we had three children. We had our ups and downs. low. But things fell into place and, ultimately, we found ourselves better than before.” Le Hennuyer also discovers the advantages of being independent. “What I find incredible is the freedom we have. I can drive my children to school. I also feel much more useful to society than when I was a teacher, even if I loved it this job. But it was a bit routine and I no longer had the impression of having this significant impact on the world around me. Everything was also complicated in teaching. To organize a simple school trip, it was the cross and the banner. Today, as soon as we have an idea, we go for it.” The entrepreneur would like to produce his own products for his restaurant or build a small hotel.
“It’s not money that makes a project”
When he started, Quentin had “no basic capital”. “It’s not the money that makes the project but the project that makes the money. You have to dare to get started, do it for the right reasons and not to be rich at all costs. It’s when you leave your comfort zone that we become the most creative. We do great and beautiful things when we lose our bearings a little. When we have good ideas, the rest follows.”
The entrepreneur was able to benefit from help and advice from different organizations. “There is real solidarity between entrepreneurs and overall, I find that we are well supported. But what is very complicated is hiring staff. It costs a lot of money. I the impression that certain political decisions are not connected to the reality of entrepreneurs. We always feel like the bad guy and that’s not pleasant.” Two years following his big leap, Quentin says he has no regrets. “I find it very interesting to have had two professional lives. They are two completely different worlds.”
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