Would you like to set up your own company or start a self-employed activity as a micro-entrepreneur? You don't know who to contact or where to turn for support?
Public bodies are often very active in supporting future entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs.
They are actively involved in your project from the outset, right through to finalizing your application and launching your business.
However, it's difficult to find the right contact: there are so many of them, and some are specific to certain categories of activity and legal forms.
First and foremost, it's important to define your project, so that you know which status to choose and can get in touch with the people best placed to help you.
Today's focus on public sector players involved in business creation
There are several key contacts to keep in mind when launching your business as a micro-entrepreneur.
The Centre de Formalités des Entreprises or CFE is undoubtedly the most important.
This is the organization to which you should submit your start-up file.
He or she will also be on hand throughout your micro-entrepreneur career to provide administrative support for your business.
This may correspond to different insitutions depending on the type of main activity you carry out as a micro-entrepreneur:
- For a liberal profession: you come under the jurisdiction of your URSSAF center.
- For a commercial activity : you come under the jurisdiction of the CFE of your Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- For a craft activity: you come under the jurisdiction of the CFE of your Chambre des Métiers et de L'artisanat.
INSEE will also be a useful contact when it comes to obtaining your SIREN number, following your business start-up declaration. This number is essential if you want to start working.
But there are many other contacts who can help you manage your micro-business.
In this respect, support networks such as Boutiques de Gestion, CCA or Chambre de Commerce et de l'Artisanat , or Adie, which provides micro-loans to support business start-ups, can be interesting partners for facilitating the creation and management of your project.
These organizations can also put you in touch with accountants, lawyers and other experts if required.
In the case of companies, the public bodies that can help you develop your project include the Consular Chambers.
Based on your main activity (commercial, agricultural, craft), you can enter into discussions with the Consular Chamber best able to help you from among :
- Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA)
- Chamber of Agriculture (CA)
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)
These three institutions are public bodies whose aim is to represent the economic activity of their region as effectively as possible, but also, and above all, to support project leaders in the success of their business.
In particular, they highlight the following aids:
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Le parcours entreprendre en France is a training program that enables you to follow courses in accounting, marketing and other subjects. Please note that this is a paying course.
- Personalized support from a business start-up or takeover advisor. The advisor will not be able to meet with you on a regular basis, but will be able to help you make progress with your project and highlight areas for improvement.
In addition to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, there is also APCE, the French Agency for Business Creation.
Its role is to inform, help, communicate, analyze and promote companies. The APCE website is packed with useful information to help you move forward with your project.
What's more, a directory is available on this site, enabling you to find local facilities, get advice and meet professionals.
Last but not least, BPI France, or Banque Publique d'Investissements, finances and supports entrepreneurs in their business development for innovative start-ups.
The latter provides you with a real working methodology, along with advice on marketing and sales, on creative processes, and legal support for the trickiest questions.
The CCI or Chamber of Commerce and Industry are very useful local contacts.
In addition to offering highly specialized information on the region in which they are based, these centers enable entrepreneurs to take part in workshops and other training courses, and to arrange meetings with their advisors.
Everything is in place to support entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs in the realization of their projects.
There are 175 throughout France.
In conclusion, micro-entrepreneurs and business leaders can put their trust in the public sector.
This proximity between public players and entrepreneurs is intended to be strengthened by the current government in order to facilitate business creation in France.
Written by our expert Quentin Moyon
June 4, 2018
