“Visualising your success.” This was the theme of the TEDxNeomaBSRouen conference organised by the Déclic Entreprendre student society on 30 November in Rouen. “It’s a theme that matches the outlook of our club,” Arthur Cambier, the association’s president, said. The NEOMA students selected seven speakers to share their experiences of success. The idea was to condense their story into less than eighteen minutes. This short, calibrated format is the principle of these conferences. A condensed version of their talks.

Dorian DI BETTA is author of 60 minutes pour se connecter au reel (60 minutes to make connections in real time).

“The brain does not understand denial. Tell yourself what you need to do, not what you shouldn’t do. Give your ideas a chance. Even the worst ideas have a right to live. A single ‘no’ can kill innovation. A single ‘no’ can kill the desire for any initiative. Saying yes is the first step to success. You need to be the angel’s advocate and not just see all the difficulties in bringing an idea to fruition.”

Bruno MOUTOU, coach and facilitator of new company methodologies.  

“Start by writing down your ideas because there can be no success without direction and a clear and precise objective. Write your ideas down on a paper and sign it with ‘I am committed.’”

Michel LANNOU, innovation consultant and WineTech entrepreneur.

“You need to move forward in making your dreams more concrete realities. Become exhilarated and give ambition to your exhilaration.”

Caroline JURADO is the founder of the Les Cryptos de Caro newsletter. Ranked among the top three women involved in cryptocurrency in France, the entrepreneur is truly self-educated.

“I have always been very ambitious. I would visualise the success of my start-up. I would see myself on the cover of Forbes. I failed. I think that success is an unexpected situation and not the fruit of a vision. Successful people are above all explorers.”

Youssef KOUTARI, founder of Kout que Kout, is a sports fan.

“Success is not an aspiration but a state of mind in the now. With taking risks, we do not give ourselves the chance to consider success in the present moment.”

Nicolas BRIENS, Director of the Porsche Centre of Rouen, he joined the German brand after many years of struggle. It was a boyhood dream for this car enthusiast.

“You also need to believe in what you’re doing and do everything to realise your dreams.”

Laura MEDJI, tech and healthcare entrepreneur is passionate about new technologies.

“The key to success is accepting criticism and asking for help. It’s not a sign of weakness but the attitude to adopt so you can progress.”

“I loved organising the event and then experiencing it,” said Tibaut Lascaux, student in the Entrepreneurship/Student Society (PEA) programme at NEOMA Business School.