“My small business does not know the crisis.” If Alain Bashung sang this already in 1994, the entrepreneurs of 2022 have changed their tune a little. But despite inflation and the war in Ukraine, which sometimes disrupts the supply of certain materials, the small bosses keep their spirits up. This is the result of a study conducted by the “Initiative France” network, where almost 2,000 bosses were consulted. Nearly 90% of them believe they are at least as happy as last year and one out of two freelancers wants to grow their business over the next 12 months.
A difficult economic context
Invited to the microphone of Europe 1, the director of the Initiative France association, Guillaume Pépy, confirms the trend. “We are very surprised”, he confides at the microphone of Europe 1. “We expected that the general context would rather give a soft blow to the creation of companies and that the young bosses would be super anxious on the year 2023. And in fact, two thirds of them answer the opposite”, explains the former director of the SNCF.
“The economic context is what it is”, recognizes however Guillaume Pépy, stressing that many independents were greatly impacted. “It’s super violent. When a baker tells you that the butter, which is used to make croissants or cakes, has gone from 7 euros to 10 euros per kilo in a few months”, this underlines the extent of the problem. , judge the boss of the association.
“Our help is free”
So, Initiative France helps entrepreneurs, even more in times of inflation. “If you start on your own, you have a one in two chance that it will work following three years. But, if you are accompanied, all of a sudden, you have a nine out of ten chance of still being there following three years”, explains Guillaume Pépy. “We are still not well known” nevertheless recognizes the former director of the SNCF. “But our help is free. The loan is interest-free, and we are here to help entrepreneurs, and help you seize opportunities,” he concludes.