ENTREPRENEUR of the month : Aurélien LEPRETRE, EDHEC 2000, Insitaction

Aurélien Lepretre (EDHEC 2000) has created Insitaction, The ON/OFF Agency in 2004. He is sharing with us his experience and his success since the launch of Insitaction 7 years before.

Can you tell us something about your background?
Since I left EDHEC in 2000, my career was geared to the idea of starting a business based on communication and e-commerce. I started as a strategic planner at Publicis Conseil in Brussels and then in Paris. It’s a fascinating job that combines sociological analysis, behavioural studies and marketing and, above all, a good dose of creativity. I was lucky enough to be involved in some really interesting budgets at national and international level like Coca Cola, Renault and Hewlett Packard. This experience taught me a good deal, I learnt the ropes, acquired working methods and met some very interesting people. After this first experience, I got a job at Accenture, where I grabbed the chance to find out about another sector, that of consultant in information systems. It was the same area but an entirely different atmosphere! After 6 months of training at Accenture, I’d become a developer in e-commerce and CRM applications. And after 18 months, I left to set up Insitaction, that’s positioned halfway between these two experiences! Insitaction was founded 7 years ago and today has 30 employees based in Lille and Paris. Our aim is to support our customers in setting up, using and optimising e-commerce platforms. Today, we work with all the main players: brands, retailers, chains, mail order or "pure players". Our ambition is to become the French e-commerce leader in the next 5 years!

What’s your field? How do you see it?
Insitaction is an agency that specialises in sales and digital communication. We support our clients through the whole value chain linked to jobs in e-commerce, consulting in IT development architecture, without forgetting the community and traffic management. It’s a really exciting sector! We’re forever looking anew at we are, whether at conceptual, technical or strategic level. Social and ubiquitous (or mobile) computing are major trends in today’s world. You can’t ignore them if you’re involved in retail or e-commerce. It’s a bit complicated sometimes and it takes time to stay abreast of the latest trends and innovations, which is why we decided to create the ‘Retail E-Commerce club’ so that all alumni who’re interested can exchange news, share, develop, and create new ideas around these areas. Do join!
Personally, I have many responsibilities. I’m a fervent defender of intrapreneurship, so I manage my teams so that they can be internal entrepreneurs, taking as much responsibility and autonomy as possible to manage their business unit. First, I'm involved in consulting, initially with any new agency business, and then I manage some of the very big projects we’re working on today. My days are jam-packed but the sector and responsibilities are so rewarding! I learn something new every day…

What are your company’s prospects?
Our positioning, jobs, know-how, skills and references have led to really fast growth which we’re learning to manage. The team is getting structured and is growing, and the work we’ve done in the last 2 years regarding our organisation and working methods has made the difference for our customers and with regards the competition. In particular, I hope that we remain as demanding in terms of quality and service for each of our clients. We offer tailored services and approaches, and I don’t want us to drift into the 'ready-to-wear’ and industrialisation, which would certainly be easier and far more profitable but it doesn’t match who we are or what I am. I hope that we keep our values and retain this customer-oriented approach that is so important to me. The quality of our achievements and missions is linked to the distinctive qualities and skills of my teams. Our growth prospects are pretty good! We expect to open an office in Paris, Brussels and Lyon by 2013. We should finish 2012 at 40 and move on to 50 for 5 million euros of gross profit margin in 2013.

The web is a sector that’s recruiting. What jobs are there for experienced and/or new grads?
Recruitment is a key success factor, it conditions our growth, and it’s one of my main priorities today along with all the rest… ;) Our jobs remain little known and they attract few EDHEC profiles and yet there’s no doubt they are the jobs of the future or even of the present. And the jobs of functional project manager or customer managers are quite accessible. You need to enjoy working with the web and want to join the other …the dark side, with those who design and develop what you all use today to do your shopping!

To know more about Insitaction.