EDHEC Alumni : EDHEC Alumni: Can you explain in a few words how Truster.fr came about?

Jean-François Drweski : Truster.fr came about following a meeting between Gilbert AVAKIAN (ESSEC 2003) and Jean-François DRWESKI (EDHEC 2004), two entrepreneurs with complementary backgrounds. Gilbert spent 10 years in organisational and management consulting and was responsible for several digital marketing and multi-channel retailing missions on behalf of major financial players. As for Jean-François, he spent three years working as a consultant after he graduated before moving into financial and operational auditing with Accor, initially in the context of prepaid services (restaurant vouchers and prepaid cheques for the payment of service providers) and later in the hotel and construction industries. He took charge of an auditing department in 2012.  This dual skill set – with knowledge of products and industry – combined with an appetite for adventure led to the creation of Truster.fr.Truster.fr was the product of a simple observation: there was no reliable firm in a position to provide Internet users free of charge with recognition of service providers in the home based on objective criteria to meet their needs (geolocation, user reviews and certification). The originality of our project therefore lies in its objective: to create a climate of trust built on the recommendations of users, allowing people to choose high-quality service providers, a kind of digital word-of-mouth in sectors where a lack of transparency is often the norm and user reviews are hard to find and unreliable. Our services cover three areas:
• Family (childcare, educational support, care for the elderly and other dependants)
• Daily life (DIY, gardening, IT assistance and housework)
• Work and repairs in the home (plumbing, locksmiths, electricity, masonry and painting). The platform targets household members aged between 25 to 55/60, service users and those who order services for their children or parents..

EA : One year after the launch of the company, how would you assess this entrepreneurial adventure?

JFD : The firm is made up of two associates and two interns. The website Truster.fr was launched in February 2014 and currently has around 1000 individual members as well as 500 home service providers. For the moment, it focuses on Paris and the outlying region. We started off with capital of €120,000 (50% owners’ equity and 50% from external investors). From a professional point of view, our assessment of 2014 is therefore positive overall, although for the entrepreneurs things always move too slowly! From a human perspective, 2014 was an intense and rewarding year in terms of meetings, exchanges and discoveries, our first complete year as entrepreneurs. From a personal point of view, I feel as though I have learned a million things about everything and… about myself!

EA : Have you ever benefited from the network of EDHEC graduates?  

JFD : Jean-Michel Ledru gave me the benefit of the incubator’s network, where I was able to meet with former entrepreneurs. I then had the opportunity to meet with a few graduates working in the sector of services to the individual who set up their own firms. Beyond that, not really. 

EA : What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?

JFD  : • First of all, team up with people with whom you can have a professional and above all personal relationship. Two associates are like a couple, a choice not to be made lightly. 
• Listen to the advice of experienced entrepreneurs. Doing things right the first time round is impossible, so it is essential to meet regularly with established entrepreneurs so you can develop your concept, your approach and your habits. 
• Quickly get an initial version of your product or service up and running so you can test it and compare it with other testers. Based on that feedback, you can develop and perfect it. It’s hard to imagine because we all tend to want to do things right the first time round...
• Form a “monitoring committee” as quickly as possible. Whether it’s made up of friends or acquaintances with complementary backgrounds, it will help you take a step back and encourage you to make progress. 
• It’s good to surround yourself with critical people who are likely to challenge you and share critical opinions, but it’s even better to surround yourself with positive and optimistic people who are able to give you a boost when you’re feeling low and help you keep going when you feel like throwing in the towel! 
• From a financial point of view, however much capital you have, act as though you had little or no money. Earning money is hard, but spending it well is even harder.

EA : What’s next for Truster.fr?

JFD : We are planning to raise €300,000 in 2015 to finance our development based on four areas:
• Location: extend to other major cities in France 
• Product: set up an e-store and develop a mobile application for emergency professions covered by the platform 
• Communication: purchase keywords and work on SEO to improve incoming traffic 
• Technical: make our IT development in-house 

EA : Do you have expectations from the community of EDHEC graduates?

JFD : Beyond the publicity that a communication initiative within the EDHEC network would generate, we would like to establish useful contacts with a view to preparing and successfully completing our fundraising objectives. And also meet with experienced people, as you can never meet enough! I believe strongly in chance encounters, and networks are made for that! 

More informations

> www.truster.fr
> The blog : blog.truster.fr 
> Follow Truster sur Facebook
> Follow Truster sur Twitter
> Follow Truster sur Google+
> Follow Truster sur Viadéo
> Follow Truster sur LinkedIn
> Contact : support@truster.fr or jfdrweski@truster.fr