“I have failed 10 times more than I have succeeded in my life.” Xavier Neal’s 5 counter-advices that all women should be inspired by:

We thought he was shy, a bit of an autistic geek. he jokes about it himself. Acting in full light had not been her forte nor her thing until now. But that was before. Because at the start of the 2024 academic year, the man many consider France’s greatest entrepreneur came out of his shell to perform on the Olympic stage on September 18. And give his advice in stand-up style, on a deliberately sensational topic. “How to become a billionaire”, which actually meant more to explain “how to become an entrepreneur”, as well as to trace his autobiographical thread. event book, A real desire to make a messwill be published by Éditions Flammarion (1) on September 25.

In fact, it is this book that perhaps best explains who Javier Neal really is. We explore his way of thinking, of appropriating subjects, of “disrupting” fields as diverse as the internet, the mobile phone, but also agriculture, education and media, in this always very personal way of going out the window or “breaking”. system”. He is the first who regretted it. “There are few women, she notes, in important positions in France”, company managers, scientific fields… Her book can be a master class for them elsewhere. , because throughout the pages we understand that in order to succeed, that is, to do what we love, to find what makes us happy, but also to think big, to change society, to make a difference, you must (also) know … to disobey. Taking side steps and even “full of nonsense”. The recipe seems to have become his trademark, his pleasure, even his expertise, one is tempted to add, as this prism seems to be built into the system for him. This is not necessarily the case for women, who often impose themselves through hard work, discipline, or sacrifice, hampered by the reflexes of the “good student” they struggle to shake off. That’s where Javier Neill’s advice comes in to teach us how to make a big hit in the anthill. Maybe because school wasn’t really his thing. Or because he arrived like a dog at a bowling market that wasn’t expecting him. “If the game puts you at a disadvantage, change the rules,” he essentially advises. Here are five tips, or counter-tips, taken from reading his book and pondering the urgent, dimension-shifting.

1- The yellow line, you will bite

It is already a known fact. In 2004, right at the start of Free Adventure, Xavier Neal was jailed at the Department of Health for aggravated pimping and concealment of social asset abuse. The problem. prostitution sex shops owned by a company he recently bought… Judge Renaud Van Rooymbeke will open the case on these pimping charges in his favor in August 2005, but will sentence him to two years in prison. probation and a fine of 250,000 euros for concealing the misuse of company assets. Receiving him in his office, the judge advises him. “It was a revelation,” writes Xavier Neal, “the best advice I’ve ever been given. I practice it thoroughly. I am not the only one. if you look closely, the entrepreneurs who have recently created big companies like Uber and Airbnb spend their time playing with the laws of the countries where they develop. What can we learn from this story? Obviously, the idea is not to end up in jail, nor to attract conviction. But Xavier Neal suggests avoiding the busiest lanes by wearing seat belts and harnesses. Allowing yourself to change the rules instead of constantly obeying them within the bounds of legality. In beginner’s parlance, this is called “shaking the game.” The future never belongs to the wisest.

2- You will learn by playing

I have failed ten times more than I have achieved in my life. My luck is that I forget, I move on.

Xavier Neal

At the root of his success, Xavier Neill explains, is this precious character trait. “I take everything as a game.” He is not so much interested in making money as just winning. “To arrive first,” he clarifies. The consequence of this state of mind. an extraordinary ability to try our luck and make mistakes…we would benefit from inspiration to survive in business. His advice. “Make mistakes”. – which is still easier to afford when you’re at the head of a 10 billion euro fortune, but still. “I’m the biggest loser in the country,” ventures the entrepreneur. I have failed ten times more than I have achieved in my life. My luck is that I forget, I move on. If we allow ourselves to be discouraged by our failures, or if we listen to everyone who says it’s impossible, we’re doing nothing.” When he presented the Station F project (today the largest new campus in Europe) to the President of the Republic, François Hollande, he asked him: “I’ve never asked myself that question,” smiles Xavier Neal. I left the Elysée saying to myself. “Maybe he’s right.” But I also told myself that I had to forget about this very quickly, otherwise I would never make Station F. When it opened, we received over 3,000 files. QED.

3- You will become “street smart”.

This is how Xavier Neal chooses his partners. more than degrees or even glittering career paths, he looks for profiles of “street smarts,” meaning “resourceful.” How to recognize them? In his book, Javier Neal offers a very colorful method. Imagine your toilet is clogged. Are you the type to call out for tenders to find the most efficient and cheapest solution? Call the little plumber down the street to come and fix them? Or roll up your sleeves and open them yourself? “WHAT? street smarts they are the ones who choose the third option,” he says. A stimulus for “solution thinking” when everyday life would like to drown us in a list of problems, and they never fail to come.

The important thing in life is not whether you will succeed or fail. It’s about who you want to do it with

Xavier Neal

4- Your like-minded people, otherwise you will recruit

Based on previous training, Xavier Neal reveals his recruitment method. Here we are again on the efficiency model. For recruiting, Javier Neal eschews headhunters or other consultants. He goes on LinkedIn himself. And connect directly with the profiles that interest them. Obviously, many people think it’s a joke when they read his messages that were sent without a photo. Those who answer get the first point. The rest is decided during lunch, when the entrepreneur quickly feels “what a person has in his stomach”. “For many,” he explains, “the method is unacceptable. But why bother conducting fifty interviews? When you put people to work, they are exposed immediately. They deliver or they don’t. If things go badly, we part on good terms. And there you have it.” This is called trusting yourself. Or give another dimension to the word delegate. “We cannot succeed alone,” continues Javier Neill. I often say this. diversity creates success. Without my colleagues, with a very diverse profile, “Free Adventure” would never have worked.” Multiplying young profiles in your teams, from different social backgrounds, trainings, ages and genders, fuels creativity and awakens intelligence. “Did you go to Polytechnic or HEC?” Great, but who cares? What do you know how to do, how do you navigate in this ocean of knowledge, these are the right questions,” the entrepreneur insists. “The important thing in life is not whether you succeed or fail. It means knowing who you want to do it with.”

5- You will ask children’s education

What does the founder of Free think about the intrusion of digital technology into our lives, and the place it should or should not occupy in children’s education? Selected pieces. “Not only is digital learning insufficient (in school, Editor’s note), but we didn’t realize the extent to which the Internet is challenging the acquisition of knowledge, writes Xavier Neal. Today, knowledge is everywhere, we no longer need to know things by heart. We must learn to organize them. Learning to learn, that’s the point” (…) “Kids will use Chat GPT anyway. So instead of banning them, let’s teach them to use it smartly. And let’s take the opportunity to explain to them how it works (…) The best way to fight fraud is still to integrate AI into learning. I still think that technology makes it easier, not hinders it. If students are more illiterate than before, it may be because we are not teaching them to use these tools.

(1) A real desire to make a messBy Javier Niel, interviews with Jean-Louis Messica, Ed Flammarion, 25 September, €19.90.