Even entrepreneurs driven by a desire for independence and with confidence in their own abilities sometimes experience solitude or doubt. At such times, peer support can be invaluable.
Réseau Entreprendre was created in France in 1986 by the Mulliez family (famous for founding the Auchan, Kiabi, Decathlon and other groups) as a support network for entrepreneurs. The network has been present in Brussels for almost ten years and helps bring together selected young entrepreneurs with experienced entrepreneurs who want to share their experience on a voluntary basis.
The association’s activities are based around five dedicated support programmes. These are Start and Booster, together with Forward – an accelerator for social impact companies – and Selfmade, which helps women to bring their entrepreneurial ambitions to life. And finally, the network is a partner of BECI’s CEd Relance, through its Oasis programme for entrepreneurs in difficulty.
Since 2015 Réseau Entreprendre Bruxelles has also managed a fund for honour loans, providing candidates with an interest-free, unsecured loan of up to 20,000 euros. This is aimed at promoting access to more traditional financing by acting as the applicant’s own capital contribution, or alternatively can be used for financing operational projects or keeping the entrepreneur afloat until the business starts paying them a wage.
It was through her husband, himself an entrepreneur, that Séverine Cuvelier discovered the network she now directs. Here we talk to Séverine who says that, after working in the family firm, in 2016 she got her dream job.
How many network members do you have?
We supported around 140 candidates in 2023. We also have about 260 members – in other words, supporting entrepreneurs – who pay a membership fee and donate their time.
Is this number increasing?
Since the network was founded, it has grown steadily. Even though the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Brussels is varied, it isn’t vast. We also limit access to the network to those who possess genuine entrepreneurial experience. And finally, we want to remain at a size that allows the entire team to be involved in programmes and workshops.
So, the supporting entrepreneurs pay a fee as well as donating their time. What do they get out of it?
Their involvement is based on a number of strong values: free-of-charge access, reciprocity, professionalism, and the human factor. They are often motivated by the idea that they would have appreciated such support themselves when they started out. Others want to take practical action to develop their region. But above all, many of them view this as an opportunity to enhance their own experience by interacting with younger people in a different stage of their business life. This is particularly true when it comes to digital strategy or launching a new business after selling the previous one. It’s a purely disinterested involvement. Members are prohibited from investing in the companies being supported.
In terms of candidates, what kind of business are you looking for?
We aren’t an incubator. The successful candidate companies already have a certain amount of commercial dynamics. They typically have at least two or three years of experience, and a turnover of 100,000 euros or more. But these figures can vary significantly depending on their sector.
The network’s stated vocation is to ‘support the human rather than the project’. How does this work in practice?
Before joining the network, each candidate has interviews with several members. The aim is to gain a true picture of the person’s entrepreneurial capacities, particularly their ability to pivot when things get tough. But also their ability to listen and ask questions. We also believe that technical skills are available in many places in the market. Even though we also offer these skills, our primary aim is to act as a sparring partner for entrepreneurs in difficulty. It’s our ability to produce this mirror effect via experienced entrepreneurs that makes us unique.
COVID and support plans, the energy crisis, inflation, and other price increases. How have these upheavals affected the network?
Throughout this period, we’ve never seen a reduction in candidates. On the contrary, the cost of credit has forced a number of highly growth-oriented companies to more closely examine their profitability and viability. This has led to them ultimately becoming much healthier. The ‘entrepreneurial bubble’ linked to post-COVID support measures isn’t sustainable in the long term.
Alongside the Brussels network, there’s also Réseau Entreprendre Wallonie. Why the distinction?
We’re part public-funded, but the skills that overlap our mission are regionalised. We need to focus on KPIs set up by the region, particularly our contribution to the creation of local, sustainable employment. That said, I’d love to see the networks unified under a single French-speaking banner. That would give us the opportunity to achieve synergies while still retaining specific features and targets that are highly localised.
Can you say a few words about the Selfmade programme aimed at female entrepreneurs?
We sometimes receive feedback from female
entrepreneurs unhappy with our resolutely growth-oriented mission. During our
general assembly in 2023, I promised that the number of women in the network
would increase from 20% to 30%. In addition to our other programmes in which
they take part, we have striven to create a context in which female
entrepreneurs can discuss important issues in a confidential setting. On the
one hand there is the sub-programme Foundation, to transition from a craft or
passion to genuine entrepreneurship. There’s also Empower space for
discussion between more established female entrepreneurs. The initial feedback
from these is very encouraging. To be honest, I’ve always doubted the value of
strictly gendered networks, as I believe that true benefit is found in
diversity. But we must simultaneously appreciate that many female entrepreneurs
are still too often victims of imposter syndrome.
