Who wouldn’t dream of being their own boss? It is possible to succeed in starting your own business easily. With the desire to be independent, the pleasure of the challenge, or simply the desire to lead, there is no shortage of ambitions these days. The following article will propose to you the available aids that any beginner or experienced entrepreneur who want to open their own company in France.
Financial aid
Obviously, to create a company, it is necessary to have a starting capital. The minimum value is estimated at 37.000€ for joint-stock companies and 120.000€ for European companies.
There are financial aids for young people, job seekers, company employees and disabled people who do not have enough capital. There is the NACRE (Nouvel Accompagnement pour la Création et la Reprise d’Entreprise) or the Aides OSEO (Bpifrance Financement) which offer a loan at zero interest and without guarantee amounting to 1,000 to 8,000 € in 5 years.
There is also the ARCE (Aide à la Reprise et à la Contribution d’Entreprise), an aid offered by Pôle Emploi for just 45% of the remaining unemployment benefits at the date of starting the activity.
Not to mention the Solidarity Loans and Micro-credits (up to 10,000 € depending on the project for 5 years), the PCE (Loan for Business Creation) (between 2,000 and 7,000 € for 5 years). The Prêts d’Honneur (ranging from 2,000 to 50,000 € and more for a zero interest rate) and the Concours (delivered by the State as a prize for the winners of national or regional competitions).
Social organizations
Apart from financial aid, there are also social organizations whose aim is to help each entrepreneur to build his or her new company. The Agence France Entrepreneur (AFE) is one of these associations that manage this kind of lucrative activity. It intervenes in entrepreneurship, whether on a local or national level, offering its presence with its massive network of support, financing, or business management.
On the one hand, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) favors personalized accompaniment services, its different tools, and training workshops to contribute to the support for entrepreneurship.
On the other hand, the BPI France assists rather on finance thanks to its treasury, which allows the ambitious to have grants, loans, advances or bank guarantees to boost their plans.
In addition, there is also the Réseau entreprendre: an association of volunteer business leaders who share their experiences and their networks of mutual aid with those they judge to have entrepreneurial potential. We must not forget the most famous network that everyone tends to consult: Pôle Emploi. And yes, Pôle Emploi accompanies at the same time those who are looking for a job, but also those who want to start their own business. Thanks to the multiple services, such as Activ’Créa, for example, entrepreneurs could take advantage of the methodology it proposes to find their company more efficiently.
The legal status
Its legal status often defines the characteristics of a company. Different help is provided for each status: Sole proprietorship, EIRL, SARL and EURL, SAS and SASU, SA and SNC.
It is difficult to distinguish between private and professional assets and all income goes directly to the name of the entrepreneur, as he/she has the title of “Self-employed” or “Independent worker”. Contrary to the SNC (Sociétés en Nom Collectif), these are pretty common because of the heavy responsibility that their title carries. For example, the sole proprietorship is a reasonably simple status, but the most common in the market: it does not require significant investments or large interventions because its business runs on its assets. Indeed, it is necessary to be at least 2 people to build this kind of company, and it is essential to have several partnerships. The profits are already directed by the team and the partners who play an important role on the accounting of the company, and this is what makes it a closed company.
Nevertheless, its advantage is that the partners support the company financially, preventing it from drowning in social debts, giving it a social capital always at the maximum, and the power to impose any of its contributions in the business and the market.