Interview with the nominees for Edhec Alumni of the Year: Pierre Gauthey (2006) & Damien Tixier (2006) Two young entrepreneurs with plenty of talent

After graduating from EDHEC, one began to work in the consulting sector and the other in finance. How did your business, Petits-fils come about?
PG: Well I come from a family of entrepreneurs so I've always had this idea at the back of my mind. Starting a business wasn't such a big deal but I needed a partner. It was after my MSc Strategy Major that Damien and I decided to go into business together.
DT: Unlike Pierre, I had no business start-up background in my family and I hadn't thought about it at all. I'd just left my final year work placement in Fusion Acquisition, a little bit disillusioned, when Pierre spoke to me about his idea. After that, it all happened pretty quickly. Both of us turned down jobs we were offered and we gave ourselves three months to make up our minds: We finally got going at Christmas 2006, once the business plan was agreed!

Why did you choose to go into the social sector with seniors?
PG: It began with a personal experience. I'm the oldest grandchild in my family and seeing my grandmother get older, I realised that there was a huge gap in services for older people. 
DT: Our job helps extremely vulnerable people to do everyday things again like washing and eating. We spend a lot of time with out in the field, and the thanks we get from the families reminds us of why we're there in the first place; we feel useful! And we're really proud to have created jobs (50 staff, including one Edhec alumni). We did it all from scratch.

What made you want to start a business?
PG: I really need my freedom, to be my own boss. I wanted to make my own decisions and be responsible for my own mistakes.
DT: I really believed in the home help idea, and I was keen on the risk-taking side of it:  not having your career all mapped out, not being sure of the outcome: I found that side of it quite exciting!

Petits-fils is proud of its family feel: how do you develop this?
DT: Recruitment is a major aspect of our strategy which concentrates on providing a high quality service. All of our carers have specific training and at least 3 years experience in this sector. Their presentation, punctuality and interpersonal skills must all be faultless. In the final stages of recruitment, we always ask ourselves: would I send this person to my grandmother?

What advice would you give to young Edhec people who'd like to start their own business?
PG: Have confidence in yourself! You need to be able to put the risks into perspective, cope with stress and not be paralysed by fear of failure. There might be quite a long period of doubt and return on investment won't be immediate. You also need a good dose of self-discipline.
DT: Make sure your project is well-prepared and that you've got good people behind you. And then finally, you must be ready to take the plunge. You need to tell yourself that even if it doesn't work out, your EDHEC degree will help you get back into the job market!

How did you feel about getting the Edhec Alumni of the Year award 2009?
PG: We're both very attached to EDHEC. When we saw the prestigious nominees we were up against, we wondered what we were doing there. Winning was a very special moment for us, it gave us true recognition, and the people we meet from EDHEC already talk to us about Petits-fils. We expect quite a lot from the alumni network in terms of communication and developing our reputation.
DT: We were really flattered to get the award. The Club and Entrepreneurial Major really deserve to be developed further. We hope that the experience we can offer will encourage future EDHEC graduates to also make their business dreams come true!