George W. was only partially wrong when he inquired into the French equivalent of the word ‘entrepreneur’. Obviously, the word is the same in both languages. But is the definition?

Here’s what I would consider to be the top 10 qualities I find attractive in an entrepreneur that is starting a business in France. This list is not exhaustive, nor would the absence of any quality on this list be a deal-breaker. Rather, these characteristics strike me as the 10 most relevant traits for the French market.

10. international work experience
9. priority on building a business over raising subsidies
8. humility and a willingness to acknowledge personal weaknesses
7. educational background that does not include a ‘grande école’. or if they did, they don’t convince me that this degree is the reason they’ll be successful.
6. enthusiasm to surround themselves with people of complementary skills, even when it feels like a potential threat to their authority
5. willingness to relinquish perks: remuneration via equity first and foremost, everything else beyond a reasonable salary strikes me as superfluous
4. motivation rooted in serving a market need, not in engineering the perfect technology
3. preference for execution over perfection
2. appreciation of the importance of product management and marketing
1. prior entrepreneurial experience, or relevant domain experience, or relevant experience of failure