A business plan thanks to French association Adie, leading to a second chance on the job market

While the "first regional delegations opened in Lille and Bordeaux in 1993", Adie's inter-professional network continued to expand. In 1995, the first loan was signed with the banks and, by 1996, the association had granted more than a thousand loans. By the turn of the millennium, 69 départements had their own Adie branches, staffed by a team of around one hundred employees and supported by three times as many volunteers.

2003 saw the creation of the European Microfinance Network, chaired by Maria Nowak, responsible for obtaining "the amendment of the monetary and financial code to give new scope to microcredit in France". Covering the entire country from 2009, Adie "finances some 11,500 loans a year". A great success and an unrivalled sharing of expertise.

After Catherine Barbaroux, who succeeded Maria Nowak as President of Adie in 2011, it has been since 2016 Frédéric Lavenir's turn to lead Adie .

Recognised as a public utility since 2005, French association Adie is celebrating 160,000 entrepreneurs financed and 30 years of trust in 2018. In fact, 77% of jobseekers consider that microcredit has helped them in their job search, particularly thanks to mobility microcredit, while 71% have seen a significant improvement in their financial situation.

Through its various divisions, French association Adie supports the financing and insurance of micro-businesses, helps with their creation and/or development, while providing the professional expertise of its employees and volunteers, as is the case in the Gard with its branch in Nîmes, on the premises of the Chambre de Métiers et de l'Artisanat and its 3 permanent offices, in Alès, Bagnols-sur-Cèze and Remoulins.

The steps you need to follow to get started

Adie "Free help for all entrepreneurs" consists firstly of :

- a 3-day group training course "to consolidate my approach and strengthen my entrepreneurial skills".

- a "1.5-hour meeting with a specialist to work out the cost of your project",

- a personalised coaching to help with the 4 aspects of the project: matching the project to the applicant's personality, skills, sales, financial management and administrative management".

- practical factsheets on the adie.org website on the stages involved in setting up a business, with themes on needs and different business sectors.

- free web conferences and workshops throughout the year,

Finally, "Je construis mon projet" (Building my project) is a free online tool that helps you create your business plan and start your business with all the odds on your side.

Good to know

Adie members are there to help you. All you have to do is call 0 969 328 110 to make an appointment with your local team.

In the Gard, you can go to the branch in Nîmes and the offices in Alès, Bagnols-sur-Céze and Remoulins and meet the 2 advisers, the 6 volunteers or the regional manager.

You can also start the process online. Once you have registered, you will be able to attend workshops near you.

Some examples of projects supported by the Adie

Juan Manuel Gamarra's Fournil Vagabond is "a professional reconversion project, a travelling bakery, with values: a micro-bakery and a wood-fired oven on a trailer. It's also a poetic and political project.  A bread that travels and is committed. A bread that rebels against the speed, mechanisation and commodification of the world. A bread that is certified organic, local and a transformer of the world, a symbol of change, of a return to our roots and anchored in the earth that nourishes us"...

Habitat Essentiel  by Pablo Marin, a passionate builder of "tiny houses, the fruit of a human adventure and an ambition to redefine the notion of habitat. A shared vision that transforms wood and ideas into spaces that breathe ingenuity. A simplified, eco-responsible, made-to-measure life"...​​​​

La Maison de Steban by Didier Rodriguez: "Based in Anduze, La Maison de Steban, a creator of rare spice spirits, is still expanding thanks to its application for a microcredit from Adie, which provided the impetus needed to recruit staff and build up cash flow. A successful business plan devised in partnership with Adie's advisor. Today, La Maison de Steban has 180 retailers in France".

L’échoppe de l’Ours by Marc-Antoine Lemonnier, an online shop that is "a real journey into the fantastic world of LARP (life-size role-playing games).

L’Auberge des légendes by Patrice Depommier, a storyteller on a caravan in the Gard region. "A bookseller for over ten years on Reunion Island, this literature buff decided in 2008 to embark on an adventure that was as original as it was exciting: founding the Auberge des Légendes in the Gard region. Thanks to the support of Adie, the man known as Le Colporteur (door-to-door story teller) has been able to launch a major publicity campaign, finance the publication of his own story and carry out extensive work on his caravan to adapt it permanently to his work as a travelling storyteller. In 2021, he was honoured by Adie, winning the Créadie Occitanie competition in the senior category". 

Finally, last but not least, Sublink by Lauranne Chinette-Pailhe, eye designer and dermographer, a "professional renewal through a project... After a meeting with an Adie adviser, Lauranne obtained a microcredit and set up her Belleza beauty centre".

Many thanks to Charlène Chanterault and Alain Germond, advisers for the northern part of the Gard, for their collaboration on this article.

The right address: Adie, (Adie Occitanie facebook page) : Alès office : Mondays at the Maison de Projets, 34b avenue Jean-Baptiste Dumas, Tuesdays and Fridays at the Hup building, 6 place des Martyrs de la Résistance. Bagnols-sur-Cèze office: Thursdays at the Office des Entreprises, 169 rue Fernand Jarrié. Remoulins office: Thursdays at Espace Coworking Remoulins, 4 rue Saint André. Nîmes branch: every day at the Chambre de Métiers et de l'Artisanat du Gard, 904 avenus Maréchal Juin. Contacts and workshops in your area.