Guillaume Bourdon is an architect and designer by training. Ten years ago, he experienced an entrepreneurial failure and realized how important it is to be surrounded by others.
With his association, Les Antilopes - Entrepreneurs Solidaires (formerly known as Second Souffle Lyon), he decided to support entrepreneurs in difficulty: “We value the entrepreneur's capacity for resilience, their energy, their strength, etc. Entrepreneurs are just like everyone else. We are fragile, we have weaknesses, we have vulnerabilities.”
With the support of his volunteer teams, he assists struggling business leaders: “We will help them lift their heads and find a new momentum and new perspectives,” he asserts.
The founder of Les Antilopes - Entrepreneurs Solidaires explains that sometimes, simply being able to confide about what is going wrong, being listened to by peers, and especially receiving straightforward advice can be enough to give “a second wind.” These support services are free: “To find resources, about 20% of our budget comes from the community. Or from organizations like accounting experts, the Lyon bar association. And then it’s entrepreneurs who fund us through sponsorship packages, partnership packages so we can meet our expenses like any other association.”
