Laure Babin, CEO and founder of Zèta, is one of those people who dare to go after their dreams. In 2019, with 200 euros in her pocket, she embarked on a crazy project: to create eco-friendly sneakers, 100% upcycled from waste. Discover another dimension of this young entrepreneur who has overcome her fears to throw herself body and soul into an impactful project.
What is your proudest achievement so far in life?
My team!
Is there anything essential you would have done differently if you had known or realized it earlier?
Anticipation. It’s an important aspect that must be taken into account!
What company is particularly inspiring to you right now in its execution, innovation, or maybe in its communication and transparency?
Patagonia.
Patagonia is a designer of outdoor clothing and gear for the silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly-fishing, and trail running. The brand is known for its strong ecological commitment.
A meeting that you made and that marked you, or maybe someone who inspires you particularly?
I would say Guillaume Le Cunff, the CEO of Nespresso, for his very visionary and innovative approach.
How do you maintain and develop your entrepreneurial culture?
My network, podcasts, and now I go out for coffee with people.
Are there any tools or apps that contribute to a better productivity and maturity of your company?
Notion. I would say Sellsy for the billing side. Planoly on the communication and marketing side for social networks. And finally, Slack, for the corporate side. I’m not a big fan of multidata and that’s enough for me for now.
Is there an app in your phone that you would recommend everyone to have?
There’s one I love, it’s an app called Moovance, which rewards its users every time they ride a bike, take a train or walk. They earn points. The app automatically detects if the user has ridden the bike or walked, so they unlock points that offer discounts at partners.
Is there anyone in the entrepreneurial, tech or innovation world who has an inspiring background that you would recommend to me to have at this microphone?
I would love to meet Marc Simoncini, ex-CEO of Meetic, for his approach and I find that he is more and more inclined towards CSR projects and I would love to have his vision on that.
Is there any advice you’ve been given that has been useful in your life so far?
It’s going to sound a bit corny, but for me, it’s been confirmed: get out of your comfort zone, put your fears aside and don’t hesitate to go for it. It doesn’t matter if you mess up, it’s not a big deal.
And in my case, for example, I think that if I hadn’t gone to Portugal to meet the factories, the suppliers who make the shoes today, the project would never have taken off. It would never have worked, because I had to meet them to get them to agree to work with me. And honestly, it’s scary when you’re 21 years old, and you’re going solo on the Portuguese country roads with a rental car. But if I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I realized that I could do it and from then on, all my fears disappeared.
Is there any music that you could listen to on repeat right now?
I’m a big fan of Marvin Gaye, so I would say all of his music.
Is there anything you can tell me about yourself that people would be surprised to know?
I know some Khmer, because I lived in Cambodia for four months.
Is there a habit you are trying to get into or stop at the moment?
Doing more sports, because I realize how good it feels.
Getting up earlier and going to bed earlier. And I realize how much it changes my day to go to bed before 11 p.m. and wake up at 6:30, 7 a.m. and have the whole day ahead of me. It changes everything.
Can you give us a book that has particularly marked you?
Confessions of an entrepreneur like no other, by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. Not very original, but very interesting on corporate culture and management.
And if you had to give any advice to someone who would like to have the same career as you, what would it be?
Go for it. There is no better profession than entrepreneurship. You have to go for it.