Maïna Marquette, Skippair
Femmes du Numérique:To begin with, what is your definition of “digital”?
Maïna Marquette:Digital technology is a new era that puts us in direct contact with knowledge, services and other people. Especially from a business point of view, it’s a fantastic opportunity to be directly in touch with your market and your customers, and therefore to learn from them even faster.
FDN:Women, an opportunity for digital. Digital, an opportunity for women. What’s your opinion? Why did you choose this sector?
MM:Digital technology is an opportunity for entrepreneurs in general, as it considerably reduces the barriers between start-ups, experts and end customers.Digital technology also makes it possible to disregard male/female prejudices, as it is a dematerialized medium.
Why digital for our project? Because it’s the reality of our market today. In the boating industry, more than half of all customers already buy their cruises over the Internet. So, naturally, this is where we started our start-up.
FDN:Is being a woman entrepreneur a plus?
MM:It’s not necessarily a plus, nor is it necessarily a minus. As in professional life in general, we can sometimes suffer from a lack of confidence at first sight, which can be largely compensated for by recognition of the work done.
For example, our 100% all-female team won the nautical start-up competition, despite the fact that the nautical industry is predominantly male. However, we are still sometimes saddened by inappropriate remarks, such as the famous one to the effect that our victory was due to our pretty smile!
Finally, we’ve found that the majority of people who go on holiday with us are women. This surely has something to do with the fact that women are static decision-makers when it comes to organizing vacations. But perhaps not only that. Perhaps they feel more understood and reassured when they talk to us.
FDN:Did you have any doubts, hesitations or difficulties in setting up your own business?
MM:Yes, of course. In the very choice to give up our comfort zone, interesting positions and salaries in large groups. But our desire to reconcile professional ambition and personal passion won out. We’re also in a wonderful time for entrepreneurship, which seems to be really valued, which certainly helped us in our choice.
FDN:Tell us about your project. How did the idea come about? What needs do you meet?
MM:Our project is aimed at all those who dream of taking to the open seas, but have never dared because they have no sailing skills and don’t want to spend a fortune. Our initial observation was that current offers in the nautical sector do not meet the expectations of novices: indeed, the players offer a choice essentially focused on the boat, with little or no information on the voyage and the skipper. That’s why we’ve launched Skippair, the first website that lets you take to the open seas in complete confidence by choosing a professional skipper. On Skippair.com, you choose your destination, the professional skipper who will take you there, and, if necessary, the crew with whom you’ll share some great moments!
Our innovative project has been recognized by the press, from Voiles et Voiliers to Direct Matin. Also by the boating industry: we won the nautical startups competition at the end of 2014. We’ve also just launched the English version en.skippair.com!
FDN:How do you defend gender equality in your professional and personal life?
MM:By demonstrating on a daily basis that a 100% women’s team can go very far, and perform well in a variety of areas, including those generally considered more “masculine”. This applies to all the different worlds in which we operate: whether it’s entrepreneurship, boating or web development, where the under-representation of women is still very marked.
FDN:And personally, how have you managed to reconcile work and family life?
MM:Generally speaking, as an entrepreneur it’s important to be able to set yourself limits so as to find the right balance, which is necessary to be able to take a step back and hold on for the long term. Obviously, since launching Skippair, we’ve considerably reduced the length of our vacations. But we still attach great importance to “disconnecting” in the evenings and at weekends. Our previous intense professional experiences in large groups had already enabled us to start drawing the boundaries we needed to set.
This is essential, yet even more complicated in a digital business – a world connected 7 days a week. Our customers tend to contact us in the evenings and at weekends, and we are convinced of the importance of responsiveness in this type of business. So we have to invent intelligent solutions to manage this availability without being overwhelmed.
FDN:What advice would you give to a young woman hesitating to work or start a business in the digital sector?
MM:Dare to take the plunge and leave your comfort zone. Once you’ve made that choice, things get easier. After all, the risk is low. Even if entrepreneurial success is difficult and the energy required is enormous, the likelihood of learning a huge amount about yourself and in terms of reusable skills is 100% guaranteed! We wrote a comprehensive article on start-up advice on the Press-my-web website.
Biography
Meet Claire and Maïna, the 100% female founding team of Skippair. Skippair is a new nautical start-up dedicated tosailboat cruising with aprofessional skipper, enabling everyone to take to the open sea with complete confidence. A few words about our respective backgrounds.