A daddy’s boy destiny
“My destiny was all mapped out”. A native of Alsace, the young Virgile followed the advice of his parents: business school, international corporate volunteering and taking over dad’s box.
“I didn’t ask myself any questions. There was a lot left unsaid and, frankly, I didn’t have much choice. It was a time when this type of proposal was not refused. There was a career plan and we were going for it. I also didn’t have the maturity to assume and be aware of my decisions. I said yes and I closed the lid… I wasn’t 25 and became the manager of a textile company”.
An early career in textiles before globalization
In this sector, everything had to be modernized: the fledgling IT, the strategy, the improvement of quality. It lasted 20 years with successes and failures.
” I regret nothing. The company thus grew until the moment when globalization overwhelmed us. The workforce went from 120 when I arrived to 220, at the top of the curve, then we went back down to flirt with 50 on the first bankruptcy filing in 2008”.
Anticipating, Virgile also, feeling the tide turn, tried to ally with foreign suppliers. “My idea was that the Asian entity could bail out the French parent company”. Result: the company, like a hen continuing to run after its head was cut off, lasted until 2018.
“I lived on airplanes. I also didn’t want, as long as everything was working, to look for lice in the heads of my Asian “colleagues”…”
A vertiginous fall and an immediate rebound
Then, when the economic situation deteriorated, it was necessary to measure the extent of the diversions.
Europeans are adept at playing chess. It is a question of putting their “enemies” in a situation of “checkmate”. The Asians opt for the game of go where the subtlety consists in suffocating, little by little, his adversary. We had to decide. In October 2018, I returned naked from the Far East.
Virgile then had to act very quickly and rework urgently.
“I didn’t have a lot of time in front of me. I went to recruiting firms. My idea was to land a senior executive position in a company in the region and manage the last part of my professional life as well as possible. For the first hunter, my age and my background would make my reintegration difficult. The second advised me to take the opportunity to change, do what I want as long as it’s in tune with my engine. Had I already achieved something in line with myself? Something that I like, that drives me, in line with my personal project? I didn’t want to choose a passion job that has, for me, a relationship with a passing feeling. It had to be consistent with my background, my personality.
The choice of a job he knew nothing about
Virgil did not think long. 6 months later, he launched himself, independently, but in a start-up style. It would be advice to promote the sustainable development of its customers. The former head of a textile business, however, had a handicap that was normally prohibitive in France: he knew nothing about sustainable development. On the contrary, his former activity had put him in the front line regarding the pollution generated by factories… Then, he always hated advisers of all kinds, always ready to spend a lot of time, which they charge to inquire advice from others…
I started in 2019 anyway, without training, I didn’t have the means or the time. I activated my networks again. 10% of my prospects followed me. 20% told me that sustainable development was not their cup of tea and 70% always had something better to do… They told me: it’s great but come back in 3 months. When the deadline passed, they had another emergency. So I rearranged my services, explained that development pays more than it costs.
Result: not only a professional success but a personal metamorphosis.
I am now aligned with my values. How is this measured? For example, I have always had difficulty marketing my products. It wasn’t shyness. But I didn’t want, for example, to stoop to demonstrating their qualities. With sustainable development, things have changed completely. I now want to support my clients, to help them by offering “green” solutions. It allows me to prospect. Aligned with my work, I have strength and resources that I didn’t have before.
Altogether…
“Is my new situation easy? No. I left the prey for the shade. Anyway, I had no choice. But, you have to dare to change. There are many safety nets in France. It is likely that I would not have decided to start this 360° turn without my financial and professional problems. So I have no advice to give. The strength is to be found in oneself, internally. It is also about experimenting, accepting to make mistakes, correcting them, being on the lookout, correcting quickly. 80% of the work I do today was not on the program when I started reorienting. My salary was also halved. I received around 8000 euros per month. Today I am paid 4000. It is also random. My financial conditions are “insecure”. But I feel like I’m more fulfilled than before. »
Align action and convictions
“My wife supports my approach. My children see me as consistent with myself and this pushes them to question their professional future. They too are looking for a form of coherence with themselves. Am I happier? I can say yes. I am no longer torn between what I do and what I think, between my job and my personal life. The world I promote is the one I want to live in. I also do what I want to do. I used to work for a polluting industry. My encounters are more rewarding. There are, in this sustainable development, exceptional characters, extraordinary stories, reversals. I can ignore toxic personalities, individuals from the old world, who do not question themselves, propped up on old values, old systems. Honestly, I prefer doing what I do today. It’s about flourishing.”
* The first name has been changed at the request of the person concerned.