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LF: Usually I start my day at 6:40AM. I wake up my daughters and check my new messages, bookings and emails. I try to answer to the emergences and then I bring the girls at school. Then I answer to some emails and have some meetings. Never before 9am! With my new company Go Beyond, a transportation company specialized in touristic tours, I am on the road until 2pm. Then I go back to work, have some calls, and manage my 2 companies. Between 5pm and 8pm I am taking care of my daughters and then continue working until 11pm! Then not enough time to watch a movie or something else. I directly go to bed!
LF: I have some breaks with my kids, go out with friends sometimes, try do to some sport, and try not to be stressed!
I love what I do and I try not to do what I don’t like!
LF: The business model is still the same. Beyond the Beach links tourists with locals in order to discover an authentic and friendly Martinique. I have created a new company, Go Beyond, because I have noticed that there is a need for tours in small groups. Tourists also wanted to go out at night and discover special activities. That’s why I have created innovative tours in my island, and offer customized and private tours.
LF: I am working a lot! So it is a bit difficult sometimes to manage my personal life and my professionnal life, espacially because I have children. So I had to explain to them that mommy has a lot of work to do to earn money to buy them beautiful things, for instance. It is for a moment and it will not be like this my entire life, so I am patient!Another big challenge is being a woman in the transportation field. Because usually only men are working in transport. So I have to do a very god job and find MY place!
LF: Innovation for me means “do something new, something different, something positive and great for my potential customers.” So my challenge is to be the first doing innovation in the tourism field in Martinique and bring new products, and new services, as long as I can.
LF: I thing that you have to dream big first. This is important. Then you have to organize your ideas and set goals for your business and time them. My opinion is that if you don’t have realistic goals sometimes, you will be often disappointed because you will not achieve your goals.
RB: Who or what motivates you to keep going with your business? And Why?
LF: My family, my daughters, my friends all motivate me to keep going. And, when I think about my former colleagues when I was an employee, I know that I can’t be an employee ever again, so I have to go back to work or I work harder!
RB: Has your definition of success changed since you have started your business? If so, How?
LF: I was always thinking that success is about money and celebrity. Now, for me, success is winning your own money by working for it. If you can pay yourself with your own company, now you have succeed!
RB: What would you say is the most important skill required to run a business?
LF: Be serious, patient and honest. It can take a long time to achieve your goals so be patient. Be honest with you first. Be serious because you will have a lot of work!
RB: There are a lot of myths about entrepreneurs. Now that you have started and are successfully running your own business what would you say is the biggest myth? What have you learned most from it.
LF: That entrepreneurs are rich! That’s false! They have a passion, they trust themselves, they are motivated, so they can accept to not have a lot of money for years before they can have money to be good.