[Interview] The year 2020 was rich in emotions and learning, 2021 begins on the same tone. On the menu for this new season: motivation and determination to stay the course. Moussa Camara, founder of the association, looks back on the year 2020 marked by the crisis related to Covid-19 which led the association to redouble its agility and lists the objectives for the new year.
The year 2020 was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and an unprecedented crisis. How has the association adapted?
Moussa Camara : The year 2020 was chosen to deploy the Determined program throughout France (Le Tour, ndlr). We had started the year on a high note with four training courses underway and after three months, a lockdown was put in place. Like everyone else, we weren't prepared for it.
We had two options: we could either suspend the current training or continue it anyway. We chose the second option because it was out of the question to cut the link with the project leaders.
We therefore had to adapt quickly by moving from face-to-face courses to 100% distance learning.
To adapt, the pedagogical team had to rethink our training model in order to make distance learning possible. To do this, we set up workshops, mini-work groups, and inter-promotional training sessions. In 3 weeks, we managed to mobilize about sixty speakers who were part of the Determined network and who were used to giving distance learning courses. The results were very positive.
What were your findings?
M.C : Our first observation, in the face of these exceptional events, is that we were able to show resilience; we stood up to an extraordinary situation that we had not foreseen at the outset, like everyone else.
The second observation is that these trials have enabled the entrepreneurs we support to question their project, to innovate, to change their vision and to adapt. Some of them, for example, were in sectors totally impacted by Covid-19 but were able to reinvent themselves by adapting their project from the outset to the health situation. We were able to work with them on all these aspects.
The third observation is that the fact that we continued to provide training also allowed the contractors to continue working on their projects in preparation for the end of the containment. When the containment ended, they were able to get back to work right away.
What was your main strength in coping?
M.C : What motivated our team was above all the desire to help entrepreneurs, not to leave them on their own. This was the moment when they needed us the most. And that's what pushed us to readjust everything so that they could continue to benefit from quality training.
In times of crisis, how do we train future entrepreneurs?
M.C : Entrepreneurship, in normal times, calls for mental strength and self-transcendence. In times of crisis, entrepreneurs ask themselves more questions, they doubt more and may give up. Anxiety and lack of self-confidence increase.
To compensate for this, we had to put in place a strong human presence. The time and availability we were able to give them made all the difference. We had to mobilize the whole team, mentors, volunteers... to answer each of their questions and concerns. It allowed us to really support them.
There were cases of entrepreneurs whose project was no longer possible with the health crisis. They had to pivot, adapt, innovate or change their project. Some even saw their project get a boost because they were able to bounce back very quickly. And this ability to adapt is the key to the leitmotiv that we instill in the Determined.
What lessons do you draw from the year 2020?
M.C : The first lesson is resilience: the ability to do things even when the horizon is not necessarily clear. Then, the second is to always remain determined to succeed despite the obstacles.
For us too, these obstacles have made us stronger because, despite the crisis, 2020 was the year in which we trained the most entrepreneurs, the year in which we expanded to the most cities in France, and the year in which we grew our team from four employees to about fifteen today.
2020 was also the year we received the most applications: more than 1,000 for nearly 200 entrepreneurs trained. There was a resurgence of people who wanted to start their business after the lockdown. We received people who had their idea during the confinement.
It was a year that really paid off: we were on the field a lot and we were able to build an incredible team that worked really hard, without giving up anything.
The real lesson to learn is that despite the crises and trials, when you have set a goal, you must never give up and be faithful to your values.
And for 2021, what can we expect?
M.C : In 2021, we continue with the same determination and enthusiasm. We want to launch promotions in new cities, while renewing promotions in all those where we have been present in 2020.
Our central objective is to increase the number of people trained from 400 to 1000 by 2023 in the 25 largest cities in France.
