Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Hello! Bonjour! My name is Eddy Courtois and I am the founder of EasyLearnFrench.com, your new website to learn French! EasyLearnFrench.com is perfect for all types of students: beginner, intermediate and advanced. You have 2 options: you can learn French thanks to my video subscription program (hours of French lessons accessible from the comfort of your home) or you can join my French Academy (which includes weekly French lessons, weekly audios, private groups to practice, oral discussions to build confidence and a global community to feel supported). I am a French man (I was born in Paris) but the Head Office of EasyLearnFrench.com is located in Auckland, New Zealand.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I am the founder of EasyLearnFrench.com, your new website to learn French! I’ve always wanted to become a lawyer so I studied and got my Master’s Degree in Law. But I quickly realized that law was not my passion. So I decided to follow my heart and I became a teacher. I never looked back! Now I’ve been teaching for years and I cannot imagine myself doing something else!
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: In order to be successful, I truly believe that a business needs to solve a problem. So I decided to ask 100 people if my teaching techniques would help them to learn French. Their answers have been very encouraging so I decided to get started!
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: The three pieces of advice I would give to budding entrepreneurs are:
1- Start now! Don’t wait for everything to be perfect (your website, etc.). Perfection doesn’t exist! Of course you will make mistakes but you will learn from them. Just start now!
2- Know your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t be afraid to delegate. For example, if you don’t understand social media, hire an expert. This will save you time and money in the long run!
3- Your product/service needs to solve a problem. Be genuine, be yourself, be different. The uniqueness of your product/service is what makes you successful.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to:
1- Realize quickly if something is not working. You need to be fast to find out what’s working/what’s not working. Otherwise you will lose time and money.
2- Be creative in order to offer a unique product/service. Never stop improving! A successful business doesn’t mean that it’s ok to stop thinking of ways to improve.
3- Listen to your customers to make sure they are happy and recommend you to their friends and family.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: On average, I work 8 hours per day (9:00AM to 5:00PM).
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: I think my videos received a lot of attention quickly because I am positive, creative and genuine. I believe that people can feel that through my videos.
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: I use three different platforms to market my business:
1- TikTok. I have more than 5 million TikTok views and more than 100,000 French learners on Tiktok. You can find me on TikTok under @studyfrench
2- Instagram. You can find me on Instagram under @learnfrenchwitheddy
3- Youtube. You can find me on Youtube under ‘Learn French’
My most successful form of marketing is TikTok because I have a lot of views and followers on this platform. People love my free 15 seconds French lessons (video). And if they want to go further and learn French, they visit my website EasyLearnFrench.com to subscribe to my Premium French Lessons.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: I used bootstrapping to fund my venture. If you can do it, I think bootstrapping is a great option to get started. Then, when your business is growing, you can use different techniques (borrowing, crowdfunding, etc.) to expand quicker.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: To achieve long-term success, you need to offer a unique product/service. If you can solve a problem, your customers will be happy and they will recommend you to their friends and family. Recommendations and referrals are extremely important to achieve long-term success.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: My goal is to help people learning French everywhere in the world! That is why in 5-10 years I see myself and my business helping a lot more people! My vision is to grow our Global Community.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I truly admire a company called ‘Thank You’. It’s a social enterprise. 100% of the profit from their products goes towards helping people in need. They sell water, personal care products, etc.
Recommended Questions –
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Employees are extremely important to the success of a company. Finding good employees can be game changing. Employees are the company.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I believe that if an idea is good, customers approve it almost immediately. Therefore, I share my idea with my customers and if they don’t show interest within 1 or 2 weeks, I give up and move onto to a new idea.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: My goal is to help people learning French. Seeing that my students are making progress truly motivates me.
Q 16. What are your ideals?
Ans: My ideal is to teach French to people all around the world in a supportive, joyful and entertaining atmosphere.
Q 17. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: I generate new ideas by talking to my students. I listen to my students.
Q 18. How do you define success?
Ans: According to me, success needs to be defined thanks to 3 different criteria:
1- Your customers need to be happy
2- Your employees need to be happy
3- Your business needs to be financially successful
Q 19. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: I build a successful customer base thanks to my TikTok videos. People learn French thanks to my free TikTok 15 seconds videos. It’s a successful customer base because people who are watching my videos are genuinely interested in learning French. If they want to go further and take their French to the next level, they visit my website EasyLearnFrench.com to subscribe to my Premium Courses.
Q 20. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is when my ideas are helping people! I also love the flexibility and freedom.
Q 21. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: My most satisfying moment in business has been when my student told me that my courses allowed her to realize her dream. She’s always dreamt of moving to Paris and thanks to my courses she’d been able to learn French in order to start a new chapter of her life in France!
Q 22. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: With great power comes great responsibility. Being an entrepreneur is very rewarding but it’s not always easy. Starting a business can be risky. Those who work for someone else might be seeking stability and security.
Q 23. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Freedom
Q 24. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: Being an entrepreneur gives me freedom and flexibility. It’s amazing because my business is online so I can travel and visit my family overseas when I need to!
Q 25. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: My greatest fear is the end of my business. Sometimes, I ask myself: ‘What if everything stops?’ but then I remember than my business is solving a problem. My students learn French thanks to EasyLearnFrench.com because they find what they need on my website.
Q 26. How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: My business is an online business. I wanted my business to be online to give freedom and flexibility to my students. They can learn French from home, at the office…from anywhere!
Q 27. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: I believe you need to identify what works/what doesn’t work (for marketing for example). Then you can focus on what works and scale your business.
Q 28. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: My parents have been my greatest inspiration. They taught me to never give up!
Q 29. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: My favorite book is ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle.
Q 30. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: I hired the wrong people. Hiring the wrong people did cost me time and money.
Q 31. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: You can put systems in place to prevent mistakes. But I believe mistakes are a great way to learn!
Q 32. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: I love singing, swimming and horse riding.
Q 33. What makes you happy?
Ans: I love when my students are making progress. I love freedom and flexibility. Because my business is online, I can visit my family overseas when I need. All these things make me happy!
Q 34. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: When you start your business, you have to work hard. You have to work long hours. So I believe that to be a successful entrepreneur you have to sacrifice time.
Q 35. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans: I would ask: What is your dream job? What do you want to achieve in life? What are your dreams? What makes you happy? If you could change your life now, which changes would you make?
Company Detail:
Company : Learn French
Contact : Eddy Courtois
Address : 2 Fisher-Point Drive Auckland CBD
City : Auckland
State : New Zealand
Zip : 1010
Phone : +64 21 102 4824
Email : info@easylearnfrench.com