Читать книгу Open Innovation - Pascal Latouche - Страница 30

Probably the most surprising point for me was to realize that this serial entrepreneur (four Tech companies assembled in less than 20 years) had never actually studied Tech. G2J is not an engineer. How did he do it? Did he have partners? No, far from it. On the one hand, he’s an information overeater, he’s a self-taught techie. Every time he finds something, he takes the time to dig it out through hours and hours of hard work. “I’m a fast learner, and once something’s learned, then I can do it”. On the other hand, many people in his network were always there to advise him. Finally, the quality of his services made and make that it is the clients themselves who encourage him to move forward.

I would be remiss if I didn’t describe in a few words G2J’s various endeavors. His first company was named Datavoice. The purpose of this start-up was to sell value-added services via premium-rate numbers to the many bettors in horse racing. His second company was called First Telecommunication (in the USA) and was designed to be resold at a discount price, international telecommunications minutes previously purchased wholesale in the USA. His third company was named G2J.COM. From its creation in Martinique to its subsidiaries in China and the USA, this company has symbolized the excellence of secure videoconferencing services, delivering to the closed world of major principals (all the G7 central banks in turn, Orange, EDF, Danone, etc.). He then created LabNoo Technologies (Lab Network Open Online). This is (because we are in the present), a holding company that has carried and is carrying company projects such as Meetnoo.com and minority shareholdings.

All these companies have one thing in common: data management. It’s a leitmotif for G2J. He explains it by being an islander. For him, remote data management was always essential. Digital technology and its potentials have indeed freed creativity and the world from many constraints.

There is one point I wanted to save for the end of the discussion on G2J. Please note that G2J has always worked on a salary basis until G2J.COM was able to do without it. In short, the entrepreneur G2J has spent a large part of his life working as a paid employee and as an entrepreneur. You can imagine how much energy it can take. His life was, is a whole without boundaries between the private and the professional. It’s just his adult life with this attention he told me for the well-being of his children. Moreover, he made the switch to the world of 100% entrepreneurship at the time he considered that this security had been achieved.

Currently G2J is in Rwanda for business and as far as I can judge … the adventure continues!

All the best!

I retain two essential points from Mr. José Jacques Gustave. The first is a quote: “Ideas are worthless, what counts is execution!”. The second point is an invitation to readers: “There is no such thing as risk, it’s a lack of imagination, so go see for yourself!”

Question 1: what do you find inspiring about Mr. José Jacques Gustave’s journey?

Figure 1.1. Mr. José Jacques Gustave. For a color version of the figure, see www.iste.co.uk/latouche/innovation.zip

1 1 A BTS is a French advanced technician’s certificate, a Brevet de Technicien Supérieur.