Chronic. Every week, Jean-Marie Bugarel addresses the theme of entrepreneurship through his experience as a creative advisor and his perspective as a business leader.
“Business incubator”: this is an expression that can confuse the uninitiated. No, it is not a company where we grow young trees… but the idea is there. The young shoots including it is about the companies themselves, which we place, with their creators, in an environment favorable to growth. Concretely, a business incubator is a reception, accommodation and service structure which is aimed at new businesses. As we will see, the principle is that of networking, sharing and pooling costs.
Since the 2000s, numerous business incubators have emerged at the initiative of communities within the framework of their economic competence. This is particularly the case in our territory with the “Interactis Entreprendre” nursery managed by Ouest-Aveyron community and located in the Interactis building in Villefranche-de-Rouergue. A tool which has made it possible to secure dozens of projects since its creation in 2012, with certain young shoots having become beautiful trees, such as the company CCO (IT services), Thiris (network diagnostics) or Mat & Brillant (communication). But what is this fertilizer that promotes the rapid growth of these companies?
The principle of a business incubator
Beyond reception, guidance and assistance in setting up business creation projects, the main mission of incubators is to provide entrepreneurs with premises, offices, meeting rooms or workshops, to a limited duration. At Interactis, these are furnished offices of 11 to 22 m² rented at preferential prices, this incubator mainly welcoming projects in the services sector. Above all, hosted companies have access to shared tools, such as a common secretariat (call and mail management), access to a connected computer network, a meeting room, a cafeteria, while benefiting from training as well as Personalized support on strategy, financial management and commercial management.
In most cases, business incubators allow beneficiaries to connect with experts or professionals on all aspects of their development. In Villefranche, Interactis also offers a “one-stop shop” which brings together in the same place all the players in the local economy: CCI, Chamber of Trades, support organizations, financing platforms, etc.
What are the advantages of joining a business incubator?
The first advantage is the cost: the rents offered are attractive and include additional costs such as fluids. It is thus possible to have a well-equipped place offering optimal working conditions, while other entrepreneurs will choose to work from home, in an environment that is sometimes much more unstable and less conducive to business development.
Another advantage: incubator services simplify daily life (secretarial work, internet, access to a high-performance printer, etc.) and allow you to concentrate on the essentials, namely the development of partnerships and turnover. The gain in terms of visibility should not be underestimated either: in fact, a nursery entrepreneur has easier access to the public and the media.
But the main advantage is undoubtedly that of networking. Because working in a nursery allows you to meet other entrepreneurs, other professionals, which opens your mind as well as the field of opportunities. This is the fertilizer that accelerates the growth of young shoots: a friendly environment, favorable to the sharing of information, meetings, ideas and initiatives. This networking also helps break the isolation of the business manager and constitutes an essential source of motivation. Result: a 2-year failure rate halved.
How to join a business incubator?
Let us first emphasize that integration into a business incubator is only possible if premises are available, and on the condition that the activity is adapted to these premises. This is why most nurseries do not accept craft professions, nor activities requiring storage space, nor those related to care or well-being, for example.
Then, joining a business incubator involves a process comprising several stages, namely a preliminary interview, an analysis of the project, a visit to the committee, before signing the contract for the provision of premises and support. In practice, refusals are quite common.
What is the difference with an incubator, an incubator or a coworking space?
We often confuse a business incubator, incubator and incubator. The incubator is aimed at project leaders who have not yet created their business and who wish to benefit from increased support to launch their activity. Please note that this is not physical accommodation strictly speaking. This support is the subject of a contract called “CAPE”: Business Project Support Contract, for a period of 12 months renewable twice.
As for the incubator, it is a very advanced solution aimed at people with an idea with high potential (innovative, technological or very specialized companies), the aim being to offer them a working environment and optimal networking. for rapid growth, in particular in conjunction with legal and financial experts. We find this type of structure in university research centers or technology parks, for example.
Finally, with regard to the shared work space (“coworking”), it is a place made available to independent workers in order to benefit from an adequate working environment, promoting collaboration and information sharing.
In all cases, the objective remains the same: to create a framework for accelerated development, while benefiting from optimal working conditions. Enough to boost motivation!
The corporate hotel, complementary to the business incubator
2023-11-23 06:05:55
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