Entrepreneurship in the territories: is it the right time?
At the end of lockdown, many Ile-de-France residents chose to leave Paris for a less stressful environment closer to nature. These people are looking for a simpler life in line with their values.
We are still far from the urban exodus, however 60% of French people say that if they had to create a business, they would do it outside the city. Added to this is the desire to realize an impact project aligned with their engines and which has a local anchorage.
For many, the equation becomes complex because:
- they don't know where to start
- they need to have visibility on their finances
- they are afraid to choose because the fields of possibilities are still too wide
- they don't feel legitimate
Nevertheless, they are burning to take action!
Territories, new Eldorado of the ecological transition?
Paris, like many cities, is on the path to ecological transition. However, their actions remain limited by a set of severe constraints and a relatively limited living potential on their perimeter.
On the other hand, peripheral rural areas offer potential for action to materialize commitments in favor of ecological transition. However, to positively transform this potential, it is necessary to reinvest these neglected territories by integrating them into a logic of cooperative development and respectful of their identity.
There are therefore many opportunities for entrepreneurship in the territories, but today few actors to seize them.
To accelerate the ecological transition in the territories, we have structured 6 challenges that you will see in detail a little further down.
Entrepreneurship, who said it would be easy?
Are you full of energy, are you ready to pack your bags to seize these opportunities? Be careful, even with the best intentions in the world, you will not miss some challenges.
1. Maintain a constant level of energy
Given space, energy and time, nature is able to create life everywhere. Entrepreneurship is no exception to this universal rule. It needs time and energy to live and grow. For this he needs:
- clear objectives,
- a caring community,
- methods
- good state of mind.
2. Take care of those around you
Even if your close personal entourage supports you in your desire for adventure, one of the first pitfalls of the entrepreneur is loneliness. And this is all the more true in sparsely populated territories because the kilometers sometimes separate us from the ecosystems of impact entrepreneurs.
Surrounding yourself with a caring community that shares your desire to act is key to building a team, finding your first associates or simply continuing to stay in action. It may take time, but once the connections are made, they are often more concrete and authentic than anywhere else.
It is therefore important to join ecosystems in phase with your values, which will continue to inspire you and support your actions. Do not hesitate to leverage digital to keep and consolidate your links.
3. Be vigilant and maintain a territorial balance
It is likely that your desire to act upsets some habits. Even more if you try to innovate. It takes time to be accepted into a new community.
The key is to co-construct with the actors of the territory. By engaging them very early in your adventure, you will ensure that your desire to undertake will address a HARD problem (painful, urgent and recognized). Also make sure to communicate with generosity, on the problems you are going to solve, to engage a first community that will open the doors of your territory to you.
Align its planets and provoke destiny
It is often said that entrepreneurship requires an alignment of the planets. I would add that entrepreneurship also means knowing how to identify your own planets.
When undertaking for the first time, it is not forbidden to be accompanied to provoke destiny. Especially since there are formulas that have proven themselves to succeed in your entrepreneurial adventure.
Simple formulas...but far from magical.
For example, with Ré-enchanter nos campagnes we have developed the following 3 pillars to unrisk your entrepreneurial adventure in the territories.
1. Join a collective that will take up a challenge in line with your driving forces
At this stage we will not yet talk about a project. During this phase, we will identify the challenge that corresponds to your deep desires. We will then explore and identify a real need for territory that will be the basis of a viable project that will allow you to live from it.
2. Adopt the tools and mindset of the innovative entrepreneur
Even if each entrepreneurial adventure is unique (because remember, you are unique!). We have an almost crystal ball that will give you visibility on the emotional stages that you will experience on your way to becoming an entrepreneur. We will never repeat it enough, entrepreneurship is not easy. But with the method, the right state of mind and the right entourage, there are many barriers that we can overcome together.
3. Experiment with the actors of the territory to bring out a concrete project
This experimentation phase will allow you to confront your assumptions on the ground and validate a value proposition. You will build with the stakeholders, a concept that will meet a real need.
Structured challenges to go faster and further
At Le Bastion, we have structured 6 challenges of the ecological transition which constitute territorial needs. Our partners stand ready to co-construct with the participants of the Re-enchant our campaigns scheme.
Challenge #1 - Act on a healthy food offer in the territories
You will become an actor in the food resilience of the territories; whether from the perspective of production, processing or preservation of land and biodiversity.
Challenge #2 - Develop inclusive habitats
You will rework uses to develop resilient habitats that promote social ties, preserve resources, create accessibility and autonomy.
Challenge #3 - Activate the circular economy in the territories
This challenge will allow you to become an actor in the resilience of territories by helping to limit its dependence on incoming resource flows. You will also be an actor in territorial innovation, through the development and promotion of new sectors and non-relocatable jobs.
Challenge #4 - Activate alternative mobility in sparsely populated areas
Act for a more sustainable, economical and accessible mobility of goods and people. The challenge is to make it a lever for the economic development of a territory and a factor of social integration for citizens.
Challenge #5 - Activate ecotourism in peri-urban/rural territories
Become an actor in the preservation of heritage, biodiversity and social ties in the territories.
Challenge #6 - Develop the energy autonomy of territories
Join this ambitious challenge and participate in the decarbonization of our economy.
👉 To know more about those challenges, join us on Le Bastion