Our alumni, Sébastien and Grégory, share about entrepreneurship after their studies.

Former students in Master’s Start-up management and e-commerce, Sébastien Bouet and Grégory Batlle, share their path with Digital College and launch their entrepreneurial project: Anankey Agency. They tell us about their experience and steps to create their start-up, from the will to the realization. An enriching and inspiring testimony that highlights the ambitions of our students today as they step into the professional world.

What was your experience?

Sebastian: I didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur at all. I wanted to get a Master’s degree in Digital Communication and then find a permanent job because this option seemed safer. That being said, I was inquisitive to learn about the inner workings of entrepreneurship (you never know). That’s why the second year of Master’s in Start-up management and e-commerce at Digital College was enticing to me.

Gregory: I have a rather unusual background. After having completed a Professional Baccalaureate in carpentry, I decided to change paths and obtain a professional degree in trade. I did it in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for two years, during which I was an in-store salesperson. After these two years, I changed paths again to try marketing, communication, and web marketing. I took a whole year to educate myself through training and practice via personal projects. I then completed an online Bachelor’s degree in marketing, web marketing, and communication to validate my skills. Finally, I decided to finish with a Master’s degree in Web marketing at Digital College to enrich my knowledge in this sector.

Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?

Sebastian: Until April or May, I was thinking of turning my work-study program into a permanent contract. Greg, who is at the origin of the project, had offered to contribute in my free time, but we both knew that we would give little chance to our web agency by not dedicating ourselves to it. The health crisis swept away any prospect of a permanent contract at my training company. I saw this as an opportunity to build something on my own that I could be proud of.

Gregory: I spent three years developing websites as a freelancer while still a student. This allowed me to confirm the specialty I chose and that I wanted to work full time on my own after my studies. I always had in mind to create my own business. When I was very young, I still remember creating fictitious companies, hoping that when I had the ability (age, experiences, motivation, income), I would do it.

What is the concept of your agency?

Gregory: The concept is simple: allow small structures (VSEs/SMEs) to be visible on the Internet. How do you do it? Via a website, a mobile application, and online advertising. These are our three main service bricks.

We were keen to make these accessible, leading us to define a simplified development process. Thus, we offer formulas dedicated to small structures at competitive prices. To do this, we rely on a template we developed. We have created several methods matching the importance of the project. Customers with more expectations can request a customized website.

Finally, we will soon offer in our future e-commerce a wide choice of pre-developed and unique websites, allowing us to provide our customers with professional, affordable, and quickly operational and functional websites.

In addition to our three primary services, we offer our digital skills through customized services covering all aspects of digital communication.

When did you get the idea for this project?

Gregory: When I was in my last year of study at Digital College, I took the opportunity to join a program dedicated to entrepreneurship. I had to create my own company after my Master’s degree, but I had not yet thought about a specific project. Since I was also a freelancer, I thought it would be good to create an agency related to what I had been doing for the last few years and, therefore, my core business: website design. The web agency idea came out rather quickly. At the same time, I met my associate and friend Sébastien in the first year of my Master’s degree at Digital College, and I always had in the back of my mind the desire to suggest this idea to him so he could participate. He first contributed to the project with his writing skills and then became my partner by creating the company with me.

What are the advantages of this sector?

Sebastian: Today, when you want to get information about a company or make certain purchases, you go first on the Internet, even if you ultimately intend to purchase in a store. The significant advantage of our sector is that it is open to all organizations. We see that many of them have integrated this issue. However, it is challenging to develop your business on the Internet without internal web skills or with the concern of spending as little as possible. That’s why redesigning existing websites are an integral part of our service offering.

Gregory: It is an ever-evolving sector, and it offers the possibility of having a fresh outlook on any situation and business project. To work in this field, you need to be open to change. Everything goes very fast. The Internet giants are constantly evolving, and practices are continually changing.

I would say that the main asset of this sector is that every day hundreds of companies are created. Therefore, these companies immediately need visibility, a website, and everything related. We constantly remind our clients that creating a website is the first digital step for a company, but it is far from enough.

What were the obstacles to launching your project?

Sebastian: We have mainly faced administrative and legal problems. It is necessary to be patient and very careful in all the steps of creating a company, even if it means calling upon legal firms to write the statutes or the Conditions of Sales, for example. We were in a hurry to start our business, so all the preliminary steps seemed to take forever!

How did you manage to turn your idea into reality?

Sebastian: We spent time polishing everything to start our activity serenely. We must enjoy each step as a victory! The drafting of the statutes, the partners’ agreement, receiving the certificate of incorporation, finding an address for the agency, and so on… These are all steps that brought us closer to the overall realization of the project and that we did not downplay. It kept us focused on our goals, not just drowning in administrative procedures

Gregory: Sébastien said it all; we must be patient and thorough. Step by step, we built our offer and our brand identity, and then we went through creating a company. We called upon a dedicated organization for the creation because we did not feel ready to enter the legal/administrative creation system alone without a minimum of help. It was beneficial for us, even if there were a few hiccups.

How did your background at Digital College help you in your project?

Sebastian: The experience shared by the various speakers helped us understand the reality of entrepreneurship. We knew how to avoid some traps, as well as the choice of our statutes and the amount of the starting capital to be more credible and protected.

Gregory: My experience at Digital College confirmed my desire to create my own business in the digital field. As most of the speakers were entrepreneurs themselves, it was exciting and motivating to learn more about them and their working methods and receive their advice.

The creation of a business project in the second year of my Master’s allowed me to go very far in the visualization and design of my project. Therefore, I asked myself questions that I had not necessarily thought about, but also to work on the financial and legal parts.

Do you have any advice for people who want to start their own business?

Sebastian: Surround yourself with good professionals! While there is nothing more rewarding than reaping the rewards of your work, the road to entrepreneurship can be tedious, it is always good to have someone to encourage you and help you make your project a reality!

Gregory: If I had one piece of advice to give, it would be to not wait! I have always had people around me who have held me back from my entrepreneurial goals for various reasons, primarily financial. Fortunately, I never listened to them and always did whatever I wanted. I put the little savings I had into advertising for personal projects but also training to enrich myself. As soon as I had an idea, I launched it almost immediately. I failed a lot, and I am not ashamed of that. It’s all part of a long process towards being more mature, developing a working method and experience. The more you will test, create, develop, grow things, and build things and ideas, the more you will put your mind in an unstoppable conquering mode.

To conclude, at Anankey, we have undertaken an R&D process that allows us to develop a project that is still secret but will see the light of day in 2021. It is an independent concept of our web agency but is still in the digital field. Of course, we can’t wait to come back to you to present it when it’s finished!

A lovely project for our former students in Ms Start-up management and e-commerce. At Digital College, we are proud to see student projects develop in the job market. An interview that highlights the initiatives of our students about their course. Thank you to Sébastien and Grégory for their testimonies!