
France is changing... Last year, thanks to the creation of the auto-entrepreneur status, the number of setting-up companies hit the record level of 580 193. That means a 75,1% increase compared with 2008. Since january 1st 2009, doing business has never been so easy and affordable in France. Consequently, all the spotlights were focused on this new category of businessmen and businesswomen during the 17th edition of the «Salon des Entrepreneurs» in Paris, which I attended on Februrary 3th and 4th.
As François Hurel (President of the Union des Auto-Entrepreneurs) claimed, it is possible to create an «auto-entreprise» in just 10 min on the website : www.lautoentrepreneur.fr. According to a poll from Opinionway, the most attractive disposals of this new status are the freedom feeling, the simplification of the administrative process and the fact that is not necessary to pay any taxes if the turnover is under or equal to zero.
During his speech, Hervé Novelli, secretary of state in charge of SMEs (Small and medium enterprises), was very pleased that this entrepreneurship freedom is the Key factor of this success story. In a country where people use to get bogged down in paperwork for any initiatives they want to take, and where so many people envy public servants benefits, this successful initiative is a real (positive) cultural revolution.


