François Billioud from Cantoo on the good, the bad and the ugly of the entrepreneurship rollercoaster ride!
What motivates you to keep moving your startup forward even when it's not always easy?
Just come and spend a day with us, you will understand :) Seeinghow people enjoy working with us at Cantoo, and regularly reading comments from parents and children who tell us that what we changed their lives, makes you want to keep giving the best you've got!
Where and when do you find inspiration?
The most important thing is to profoundly understand the people who will use and benefit from your solution, and to sincerely want to help them. If you know how to put yourself in the shoes of your future client, you will know exactly what to do.
The other thing is to be open to others. Talk to a lot of different people. It is through collaboration and networking that the most innovative opportunities and projects are created.
How did failure or disappointment became an opportunity to improve?
When I started working on this project, it was for an association. When their funding ran out, I tried to continue working on the solution through other associations, crowdfunding, or national education subsidies. I dreamed of an open source and free solution for users. I tried to do what I could with my means, but it was impossible to do both the IT development and marketing the product. It was only when Minashe Selvam agreed to join me, and by joining EuraTechnologies that we were able to give the project the dimension it has today.
What is the best piece of advice you received that you try to apply daily?
Practice positive communication! Whether it's with your collaborators or your partners, valuing others and making it clear that you enjoy working with them is the best way to end up really enjoying the work done together.
If you were a leader (director, captain of a sports team, leader of a music group…), who would you be and why?
Jeanne D'Arc. Nothing motivates me more than a lost cause! 😂 [EuraTech: They are too humble, the cause is certainly not lost, On March 8, 2022, the Edtech Professional Training Trophies of 2022 awarded Cantoo with 2 prizes: the Inclusion prize and the Coup de Coeur prize. Well done! ].