Solène De Laborderie (EDHEC 2017): golden entrepreneur

Solène De Laborderie (EDHEC 2017) is the founder of L'Atelier de Solène, which offers a wide variety of gold-plated jewellery at affordable prices for fashion-conscious women looking for everyday items that are elegant and delicate but will resist the passage of time and shifting trends.

EDHEC ALUMNI: HOW ABOUT A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO L’ATELIER DE SOLÈNE?

Solène DL : My objective is simple: combine high-quality jewellery with an average price of €40, positioned around 40% below market rates.

I’ve been passionate about jewellery since I was a little girl, and over the years I made a very simple observation: it is possible to find just the right compromise between price and quality. If you want to buy a piece of gold-plated jewellery of irreproachable quality that won’t oxidise, you have to pay a certain amount (at least €70 or €80 and sometimes much more!).

I decided to opt for direct retail so as to be really competitive on pricing. Women want to be able to change their jewellery as often as their clothes, but that’s only possible if the price is right.

So I stand out with a style that is very subtle and refined, and also with very affordable prices, well below what you find on the market. My clients want to change their jewellery to suit their whims, and my prices reflect that, but without ever compromising on quality: nearly all of my pieces are 3-micron gold-plated and mounted with semiprecious stones. I also offer a one-year guarantee on each one.

EA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?

SDL: I have been imagining and creating jewellery since I was a little girl.

I had never had any notion or ambition to become an entrepreneur. I was able to identify certain affinities during my studies, with slightly more of an appetite for the world of marketing for example, but without ever really being sure what it represented in practice. I had a very balanced profile and followed the traditional educational path of a studious young woman but without any certainty about my career.

As a student, I used to give classes in a haberdashery. Every week, I used to teach young girls how to make their own jewellery using glass beads and stones that can be cultivated like mother-of-pearl.

I had a (minor) revelation after my experiences on a gap year with big firms: L’Oreal and Unilever. I learnt a lot, although without any real fulfilment.

It was more reassuring than gratifying to know that a nice job as product manager was waiting for me when I finished my studies.

I took the time to reflect – a moment of introspection that was quite important and at times not very reassuring. I realised that since the beginning I had done what was expected of me instead of doing what I really love. I didn’t even really allow myself to think that it was possible to be passionate about my work. Then, at the age of 24, I tried it. I realised that you can only be successful at what you love. And I love jewellery. It is difficult to evolve and be happy in a profession that you see every day as a duty.

So I made the most of my final year at EDHEC to set up L’Atelier de Solène. I was afraid to take the plunge, but I didn’t want to waste any time.

It was a world I knew intimately, it had been my passion since I was a little girl. I tried various workshops and produced my first gold-plated pieces. Then everything quickly gathered pace. Daily efforts to gain influence and build partnerships on social networks paid off and allowed me to quickly boost my brand awareness.

Now, at the age of 26 and less than two years later, I have hired a team of staff, I work with various suppliers and workshops to outsource production, I finally have my own offices, a website that works wonders and a physical store in Rue des Batignolles that’s always crowded! And I wake up every day delighted with the choice I made. 

EA: WHAT MOTIVATES YOU ON THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE?

SDL: Now, after nearly 2 years, the business has developed and become structured.

But my freedom of choice and the daily excitement I experience are the main drivers behind my motivation.

I am in no way confined to a specific role.

I’m burgeoning with ideas about all kinds of things: new collections, organising photo shoots, videos, improving the website, social network feeds, building partnerships, daily efforts to gain more influence, press reports, etc. I’m never bored!

My superb team also gives me motivation on a daily basis. Wonderful people who have come on board and help me manage the communication and marketing for L’Atelier de Solène. Their ideas and motivation simply fuel mine.

EA: HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT EDHEC OR WITH THE NETWORK OF GRADUATES HELPED YOU ACHIEVE THIS PROJECT? 

SDL: Thanks to EDHEC, and in particular the invaluable help of Jean-Michel Ledru, I had the opportunity to spend a year and a half at Station F.

For my part, since I didn’t have any fundraising objectives, Station F above all allowed me to spend time with other entrepreneurs, establish a network and work with new businesses.

EA: WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHERS FROM EDHEC INTERESTED IN BECOMING ENTREPRENEURS?

SDL: The two most important pieces of advice are the lessons I myself learned from my experience as an entrepreneur:

Listen to yourself before listening to others. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged or poisoned by negative and pessimistic perspectives.

If you have really studied your project, believe in it and are ready to invest 1,000,000%, there is no reason not to take the plunge.

However, don’t become an entrepreneur just for the sake of it. There is a bit of a trend today for entrepreneurship that I find a bit risky. It is true that it is a wonderful adventure, but there are times that can be so hard that if you’re not absolutely passionate and if you don’t live for your project, it will be very difficult to overcome the obstacles and challenges that can come in many guises (financial, social, moral, etc.).

EA: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

SDL: We have just completely overhauled the websitewww.latelierdesolene.fr and opened our first physical store at 8 rue des Batignolles, 75017 Paris! 

As for upcoming projects in the short term, we hope to extend the B2C retail network to regions outside Paris by opening up new stores and intensifying the pace at which we release new collections, moving up to one collection every month (compared to one each quarter last year).

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FIRM (SOCIAL NETWORKS, WEBSITE, ETC.)

Website: www.latelierdesolene.fr

Facebook Page: L'Atelier de Solène

Instagram: @atelierdesolene