In general, winters are mild in Brittany, especially in Morbihan. But the frosts of this day with its icy atmosphere encourage you to stay warm. Not sure that many customers are rushing to Medical’Isle, whose doors opened in September, in Lorient. What does it matter! Like every morning, Pierre Boitard is faithful to the post. From 8:45 a.m., just after dropping his son off at school, he follows the same ritual: turning on the lights in his shop, quickly wiping the cloth on the shelves and installing the banner bearing the effigy of the sign. on the pavement. Then, on to the paperwork. “You have to be very square to avoid rejection by social security”, specifies this neo-franchisee who is precisely in the process of transmitting support for a walker.
Rigor, however, is not a problem for this 38-year-old former municipal police officer. For fifteen years, he ensured order in Larmor-Plage, a small town by the sea. With him, we did not mess with the rules! No reason for that to change. No, the most difficult thing is to attract the barge. “I did not open a supermarket. The customers do not jostle. You have to take the time to make yourself known, concedes the thirty-year-old, handsome player. Fortunately, I am very surrounded. My family supports me enormously and Olivier Prieur, the founder of Medical’Isle, reassures me. He explained to me that it takes on average a year to build up a solid network of customers. However, I opened only three months ago. So, I know that everything this is normal”. It’s up to him to be patient.
For now, Pierre Boitard has put all the chances on his side. He began by choosing premises of 150 square meters in the most important commercial area of Lorient, “between Lapeyre and Decathlon”, which he completely renovated. At the time of the opening, it distributed 30,000 advertising catalogs – an “old-fashioned” communication more suitable for seniors than social networks. And, since then, he has multiplied the phone calls to prescribers. Doctors of course, but also nurses or occupational therapists likely to refer clients to him. “All of this is starting to bear fruit. This morning it’s very calm, but yesterday afternoon five people came in almost simultaneously. That too is difficult to manage because my priority is advice. . It takes time!” he smiles.
Suddenly, he apologizes: his phone has just rung. Not the mobile, but the store’s landline. It’s his noon outdoor meeting. Because, outside opening hours, this entrepreneur delivers and installs the equipment he markets. Later, he will have to set up a medical bed in an apartment on the fourth floor of a building, near the hospital. “This one isn’t too heavy, but next week I have to deliver an XXL size one for a 125-kilo gentleman. My wife is going to help me because I wouldn’t be able to do it alone. entrepreneurship is also resourcefulness!” he slips mischievously.
Resourcefulness… and a sense of service. A few days ago, Pierre Boitard kindly proposed to an old lady to get rid of her bedding which he had just replaced with a suitable device. The box spring has since been stored at the back of the store while Emmaüs collects it. Nevermind. On the contrary: this type of situation delights this neo-franchisee. “Helping people is what I prefer, he says. I finally found the meaning I wanted to give to my professional activity.”
An article from the Special Franchise Special Edition of L’Express. To be released on March 16
