A mature project
Sylvie Boes, 55, went from accounting to managing organic stores, founder of the L’Instant Bulk license
It took more than ten years for Sylvie Boes, who was in charge of management and accounting in a Parisian SSII, to complete her retraining. “At 42, I felt the need to take stock of my skills. He confirmed that I was very far from my deepest aspirations. His desire for harmony with nature gave rise to the idea of a trade in organic products. Sylvie then trained for a year as a saleswoman specializing in organic products and discovered the life of a store owner during an internship in a Biocoop. But now is not a good time to launch a store. “The dominant model in 2008 was the supermarket.” She resumes her job and holds on thanks to the support of a new companion and a change of direction at the SSII. In 2017, the company was bought out, the atmosphere deteriorated and Sylvie felt she could no longer stay.
“I was 51 years old and my project had matured. In addition to organic food, I wanted to go to the end of the logic by selling without packaging: organic, local, in bulk! The market has also evolved and Sylvie now believes in her small shop in the town centre. She opened it in 2018 in Rambouillet (Yvelines). Immediately, it’s cardboard. She soon hires a saleswoman and, in 2020, her companion, a recently made IT executive, becomes her partner and opens a second store in Dourdan. This year, they have created a license, L’Instant Bulk, and two contenders are already in the running to open their own shop.
The fun of slashing
Christian Guicherd, 59, from HR to brief therapy and hypnosis practitioner
It’s a film that rocked the professional life of this engineer, successively production manager then HR manager in the industry. In 2003, he sees Yes, but…, by Yves Lavandier, with Gérard Jugnot, who recounts the meeting of an unhappy young girl with a psychotherapist practicing brief therapy. “I said to myself: one day I want to do that, support people individually rather than collectively.” In 2018, Christian Guicherd left his job and began by following support with a retraining specialist. “It allowed me to confirm my desire and to light the fuse. I started because I understood that it was the right time: more dependent children, savings…”
For eighteen months, the former HRD accumulated training: neurolinguistic programming, psychopathology, hypnosis… He became a life coach, first in his living room, then in a practice he opened in Lyon in 2019. I was 56 at the time and discovered myself as a slasher! In addition to my practice, I give management courses in a business school, I am interested in spiritual hypnosis, quantum therapy…” His wife, a former executive assistant, is still employed but has launched in parallel in home staging. “Our incomes have been reduced a lot, for sure, but we are free to choose how, when and with whom we work.” What makes him say, concerning the retreat: “We are not sure to stop.” Or want to!
The freedom to shave
Laurent Mercier, 53, from cars to hairdressing
As a teenager, Laurent Mercier loves going to the hairdresser. He imagines himself as a barber in a small room with a single chair, against a rock’n’roll backdrop. But he doesn’t dare talk about it. “At the time, around forty years ago, this profession was very feminine. A boy who wanted to become a hairdresser was frowned upon. So I joined a more traditional commercial sector,” he sums up. Over the years, he worked in agribusiness, banking, then the automobile, climbing the ladder to manage several dealerships. “This first life pleased me a lot, he confides. I liked managing teams, creating projects, transmitting…”
But, little by little, his motivation crumbles. And, in March 2020, the house of cards collapses. “From the first evening of confinement, I told my wife that I would not return to my work. I wanted to take the time to ask myself, to understand what I really wanted. She knows that I do not say things in the air, ”he says, laughing. Begins the time of introspection, until remembering this first idea of childhood, long buried: “Mentalities have evolved and, above all, the fashion for beards has returned. Men also want to take care of themselves. I decided to become a barber!”
Back in the office, Laurent can’t stand it any longer: “I asked for a conventional break. HR and the CEO were lovely, they understood and let me go,” he recalls. On the other hand, passing the CAP hairstyle at 52 is sometimes tricky: “When you find yourself in the middle of seasoned hairdressers and you are told that you are useless because you cannot align two curlers, the ego take a hit! It was a tremendous challenge. I worked like crazy to succeed. I wanted to prove that I was capable, and especially to have the sesame to open my living room!
Laurent gets his CAP in the summer of 2021. He has already found his suppliers and his salon. With only one chair, as he imagined as a teenager! Gentlemen Team opens in Vertou, near Nantes, in September. “I didn’t think I would make the buzz, but with this reconversion, at my age, the town hall of Vertou offered me to tell my story in its newspaper. I was also interviewed by West-France, Ocean Press, local television… All of this has helped me get people talking about my salon”, rejoices Laurent, who already has around 170 to 200 appointments per month.
On the other hand, there is no question of changing his concept: he is keen on his unique armchair which, he says, makes it possible to create a bond. “In the hairdresser’s chair, it’s a bit like at the shrink, people confide. Here, they know they can speak with confidence, where most salons lack privacy and discretion. It’s a moment for them, pleasant, without interruption, confides the entrepreneur, absolutely delighted with his choice. I gave myself my freedom. And, at my age, it’s a wonderful gift. I operate by my own rules while giving people a bit of happiness.”
It’s never too late to change lanes
5 tips from Hélène Picot, professional retraining coach and creator of the “Dream, dare, go for it!” method.
1. Listen to each other, finally. “The first thing to do is to start dreaming again. Understanding the conditioning that pushed us towards a job that we may never have wanted is the beginning of the spring cleaning!” In a few weeks, coaching can help put words to deep but buried wishes. , or to clarify an ill-defined project. A psychotherapist can be useful if personal problems get involved. In all cases, time for introspection is necessary.
2. No longer doubting your (many) talents. “The risk is to miss out on what you really dream of out of fear, and to stay in your field by becoming a consultant, for example.” Exit therefore the “mental executioner” who murmurs “I am a senior, I am a has-been”. “We need to go further than the skills assessment.” Make way for the list of talents that fifty years of life have allowed us to accumulate: what we know how to do, what we like to do, what we want to do.
3. Adapt your project. If we dreamed of being a doctor, we will move towards short courses in paramedical or naturopathy. The declination of the project will be different according to the criteria of each, that of the standard of living for example. “An aspiring florist who wants to earn a lot will gravitate towards decorating posh weddings or fancy hotels rather than a boutique.”
4. Get the right training. “In general, six to nine months are enough,” notes Hélène Picot. “Multiple” training courses are interesting, which allow you to acquire new skills and/or titles step by step.
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5. Organize the rest of his life. At 50, you are freed from many responsibilities – children (almost) no longer dependent, credits (almost) reimbursed. It is possible to reshuffle all the cards: change city, lifestyle, even spouse! “He must be aware of the process, but it must remain very personal. We must avoid the stress of the type: “Where are you?” Also to be avoided: the cognitive biases induced by those who would see you “doing this or that”.
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