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A graduate and incubator at KEDGE, Laura is developing Oustao, an e-commerce site for handmade decorative items.
A graduate of the PGE program, Laura is now an entrepreneur incubated at the Business Nursery, where she is developing her e-commerce project, Oustao.
To begin with, tell us about your educational background: what courses did you take at KEDGE and before arriving at KEDGE?
Originally from La Ciotat, I did a year of preparatory classes in Marseille and then switched to a second year of economics and management at university. After this second year, I joined the PGE program at Kedge Business School Bordeaux (still called BEM at the time). I decided to specialize in marketing and digital marketing in M1 and M2. During my studies, I took a gap year in Australia, where I was able to complete my first internship. It was a year that also allowed me to travel extensively. I finally completed my M2 as a university exchange student in Mexico.
Tell us about your career path after completing your studies: what positions have you held? What did you learn from these positions?
I did my end-of-study internship at Elle & Vire, and it was somewhat by chance that I joined the company's digital and CRM department. I loved the customer loyalty aspect of CRM, so it was quite natural for me to continue my career in this type of position. I joined the CRM teams at Club Med, then LVMH, and then became CRM manager at the Boston Consulting Group for the past two years. I developed a lot of technical skills related to coding and databases, and I deepened my knowledge of data analysis and customer loyalty strategy. My last position, which was more event-oriented, also allowed me to be in the field more regularly and to manage a team.
Tell us about your project, which is being incubated by the digital Business Nursery.
A year ago, Léa and I left everything behind to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure. We created Oustao, an online store selling decorative items that aims to promote traditional craftsmanship by working hand in hand with local artisans. We combine our Mediterranean influences with the expertise of artisans to create unique items. Each item is produced in small batches, exclusively for the online store. We design the items and manage inventory, online sales, and shipping, allowing artisans to focus on their core business: creation. We launched our online store on March 8 with a first collection that is sunny, full of character, and at once rustic, simple, and modern. This collection pays tribute to the region that saw us grow up: Provence. The 11 objects were handmade by six artisans from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
What are your development goals for the future?
We want to promote artisanal expertise and give a more modern vision of craftsmanship. First, we really want to succeed in creating a community committed to our project and our world. We hope to expand rapidly internationally, develop pop-up stores, and maybe even open a boutique. Developing our network of artisans is also a key objective.
How did your education at KEDGE Business School help you become an entrepreneur?
The big advantage of our business school education is that it gave us a foundation in several areas (accounting, finance, marketing, law, etc.) and allowed us to dabble in a little bit of everything, which is very useful when you start your own business because you're not completely in the dark. The alumni network has also helped us a lot. For me, this is one of Kedge's strengths. The network is very active, and you shouldn't hesitate to use it. When I was there, I don't think entrepreneurship was yet a key focus for Kedge, but I know that has changed a lot since then, which is good for current students.
How does the support offered by the Business Nursery help you build and develop your project?
We were delighted to join the Business Nursery Digitalisé last November. Initially, it allowed us to feel less isolated, to share with other project leaders, and to discuss common issues. It also gave us the opportunity to be supported by highly competent coaches and experts who take the time to follow us, advise us, and challenge us. Workshops are regularly organized on topics such as SEO, digital strategies, etc., which help us enormously in our development. The BN team has also set up numerous partnerships that incubatees can benefit from and that we would not have been able to obtain on our own.
If you had to give one piece of advice to KEDGE graduates or students who would like to follow in your footsteps, what would it be?
Entrepreneurship is a wonderful adventure, with ups and downs, but it allows us to move forward and evolve. Professionally, it is the richest adventure we have ever experienced. For us, it was a carefully considered choice, particularly in terms of the financial aspect, which should not be overlooked. I think we were also quick to surround ourselves with the right people, which I believe is very important.
Anything else to add, any message you'd like to share?
We are a young company and have only just launched our online store, so if you have any feedback, advice, or simply want to chat, please don't hesitate to contact us! We hope that our decorative items will bring a little sunshine and Provence into your homes!
