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To have a better understanding of my wikipage, please have a look at my blog for Red carpet (my business): Red Carpet Blog = = = 1) Palgrave Test = = =


 * According to the test, I am a person who take risks, but calculated risks.**

Section 1: it is partly true, but also conflicts according to me with the results of the section 4. But it is true that I am not always self suffcient. I kind of like taking risks and I do not mind the tension and the pressure. I like challenges. Section 2: indeed, I am quite independant. I like being with others and I am never alone, for example I have a roomate, but I am independant. Section 3: I have quite a lot of ideas and projects but I am not very creative to draw for example. Section 4: I like taking risks and I am quite quick and efficent. I set high goals for myself. Section 5: It is true because I think that you have what you deserve and what you have worked for. but there is also a bit of luck.I have a strong determination.
 * My opinion on the test:**

Now, let's have a look at the sections, according to the scores I had: First of all, I am a person who takes moderated risks (10 points in section 4: risk taking). Then I have a strong determination (9 points in the section 5: drive and determination). Then I aml dedicated to my work, and creative (7 points in the sections 1 and 3: need for achievement and creative tendency). I am a quite autonomous person (4 points in the section 2: need for autonomy/indenpendance - 4 points is the average).

After a discussion with my classmates, they do think that I take risks, it may be linked to the fact that I am both a realistic and optimistic person. They also agree with the test concerning my strong determination and the fact that I am very much dedicated to my work. But, there are two points on which they disagree: - they think I am much more indenpendant and autonomous than the test says, - and they think that I am less creative than the section 3 says. In fact, it would be better to flip the scores of the sections 2 and 3: 7 points for autonomy and 4 for creativity.
 * The opinion of my** **classmates:**

=** 2) The useful talents for me as an entrepreneur **=

I think that the talents I would need are: - to have solid skills in **accounting and finance** - to be more **creative and innovative** I have those skills, but it would really be helpful for me to be more creative and to be good at accounting and finance. Maybe I would have an accounting manager but anyway, I think that it is very important to understand well what is going on in the company and how to improve or take advantage of teh situation. Concerning creativity and innovation, I think it is the skill I would most need to have. So, I would hire creative people.

= 3) Some relevant websites for an entrepreneur = After some research, it appeared to me that the following websites are useful for an entrepreneur: - three in French: [] (this website can provide you with advice and fundings, and you have access to their network) [] (to share your experience and learn from the experience of the others) [] (services to help you in your business: it is the website of the Trade Centers) - two in English: [] (this site is really useful because you can find information about human resources, marketing, finance...and studies about entrepreneurship...) [] ( this website is very useful and can provide you this business ideas, franchises for sale, there is a community, a blog... you can find a lot of advice and you can share your experience. There is also advice about how to make your business grow and so on...).

= 4) Picture search = Here are the pictures that best symbolize for me what it is to be an entrepreneur. To me the first step to launch a business is to have a good idea. It can be any profitable idea, but is better if the idea is creative and innovative! It is not necessarily an idea you get at the end of your education, it can be any good idea and you can be a self made man! I think that to have a successful business, you should innovate, have new views, be creative, launch new ways to see things and problems, and above all have no fear to launch your business idea (provided you have previously checked it is realistic). In a word, you should take out beaten tracks!



You need to have a strong network and good relations to have help, clients, friends... We can see that it expands: each friend brings you new friends and relations. Your network grows each time you meet someone, but it grows of much more than just of this person! There are web networks such as facebook, twitter…. It can also foster new ideas.



You also need a team! If you are an individual entrepreneur, your team can be your family, your friends, your accounting manager, and everyone that backs you up! If there are employees in your company, each one is a member of your team! Your team can have multiple aspects, with women and men, foreigners, young people with a lot of motivation and older ones with a great and useful experience… What matters is to have a good team and you need team building!



This picture is linked to the other one: people in general complete each other, and in your team, you need to have somenone who has skills that completes yours, in order to have the whole picture! Everyone matters!



This picture represents what must be the mindset of an entrepreneur. This diamond symbolizes three things: - Working hard: the shape of the diamond is difficult to obtain, the craftsman has to work hard. So has the business man to obtain good results. - Be profitable: a diamond is expensive and precious. It symbolizes wealth. Every business must be profitable and bring money to anyone who works in it. - Bring new light: the light changes through the prism of the diamond. In the same way, the entrepreneur has to bring new light, new points of view to the company. He has to see things differently.

= 5) My picture of an entrepreneur: = This is a picture that symbolizes an entrepreneur: This is a picture of my mother. She is an entrepreneur. Indeed, she started her own business. She is an attorney and started her own law firm. In the picture, she is wearing her suit. She is standing and seems very happy and dynamic (smile, frank look...), but also professional and motivated. She wears jewels and likes being a woman. She is in her office. We cannot see it on the picture, because of the size, but there are files next to her. A lot of files! She works very hard. Next to her office, is the office of her colleague and the one of her secretary. Their team has strong links! Besides her professional life, she has a personal and family life (and I prove that! ;-) ) and likes to feel good in her office (she decorated it). Her office reflects her personality and shows that she is committed to her work (to work well, she needs to feel at ease in her environment).

Why did I take this picture? Because it symbolizes an entrepreneur for all the characteristics I described above. When we say a "new business", we often think of young internet start-ups, but a law firm is a company!

= 6) Trend watching = My company, Red Carpet, has three main activities. The organization of: - <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Traditional galas and great events <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">-  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“carbon zero” galas and great events <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">-  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Student jobs fairs More and more companies, business schools, engineer’s schools, universities, and other organizations are willing to have great ceremonies either for the diplomas or for other occasions such as seminaries, prom bals, parties… It is very trendy today. For example, this is the website of a student association that organizes the Gala of Grenoble Ecole de Management: Le Gala - GEM = = = = = 7) Best practice = <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Now, let’s have a look at « best practice »! But, first of all, what is best practice? <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A best practice is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance. (Wikipedia). One of its characteristics is that a same best practice is used by many companies. The aim is to get the same results but without losing time and money avoiding problems thanks to proper processes. So, best practice is the finding the most efficient and effective way to achieve your tasks. For that, you use processes that have been already been successful, and thus which are proven and reliable. But, according to the environment, a best practice can evolve, if improvements are found. In my business, I could use it because it would be helpful for the processes: I need to have effective and efficient processes, and one of the best ways to do that is to refer to best practice. Indeed, processes will be a very important part of the job (find a client, analyze his needs, make a proposition, contact our service providers, supervise the execution…).

= 8) Core competencies = <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Everyone knows that you need to have strong competencies to be an entrepreneur and to have a successful business. But not every entrepreneur needs to have the same competencies! It all depends on the type of business you launch. As for me and my business Red Carpet, I think that I need some competencies that can be classified in 3 major categories: leading competencies (since I will lead a company of 60-70 persons, logistics competencies, and web competencies (for the blog, the wikipage, and the marketing and communication). The five core competencies I need are (not in any particular order): <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Management skills (to be a good leader of the company) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Logistics, organizational and processing skills (to be efficient and to control perfectly all the processes, because processes are inevitably the basis of the work of Red Carpet) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Accounting skills (it is compulsory, even if I have an accounting manager, because as I said above, as the manager I need to understand how my company works and what needs to be done) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Web competencies (it is a very important skill because my business is very much based on the internet, as you can see on this wikipage and in my blog) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; msoansilanguage: EN; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Marketing and communication skills (I need to have marketing and communication skills to promote the company either in life or in the website. Communication in particular is very important because reputation and network will be the keys of success for my business).