For expert entrepreneurs Walter France, each manager must define a strategy adapted to his situation in the face of the crisis and above all to his vision of the future : the one after rebound.
Companies are in great difficulty, others are doing well, and some have never been so good but don't brag about it. Still others bow their heads while waiting for better days, while anger roars due to a certain powerlessness in the face of imposed measures. Aides, exemptions and deferral of charges, support by sector of activity, by type of business, national aid, regional… The leaders, despite all the help, have every reason to be confused by the diversity of conditions, constraints, modalities and especially novelties modifying the previous rules of the game, sometimes only a few weeks. But when the storm is strong, that his boat is small and fragile, or big and solid, in all cases it is imperative to ask, to take a step back, to define a guideline and take the appropriate decisions. Your activity is not spectacular but is maintained ? It's not enough to be fat back. You have a little more time than usual, take the opportunity to implement all the improvements you know are essential, enter positive transformations. It can be better management monitoring tools, better administrative organization, a marketing strategy to retain or win new post-containment customers, the implementation or improvement of your digital strategy, new human resources objectives to attract the best employees, etc. Think back to your long-term vision, and especially in the short term, stay as close as possible to your customers.
The levers to activate
You are inactive or at a standstill : do you scan. If you are a trader and you are administratively closed, take advantage of the digital check of 500 euros offered to finance the acquisition of digital distance selling solutions. This financial assistance will be granted upon presentation of invoices to the service and payment agency. It can be paid from January 2021 and is planned to benefit 120,000 closed businesses. During deconfinement, your scan will not be lost : see this as an opportunity to do what you regularly delay. You too can become "omni-channel" like the grown-ups. In addition to all the known aids, remember to activate four important levers :
- The municipalities' e-commerce platform. Interested communities benefit from support of 20,000 euros per municipality, which allows them, via the territorial bank, to benefit from a diagnosis and the development of a local e-commerce platform, remote order pick-up or reservation.
- To reduce fixed costs, if your lessor grants you rent reductions for at least three months, he will benefit from a tax credit. It gives you a strong argument to negotiate.
- Request, if you are entitled to it, l’AFE Covid : Exceptional Covid Financial Aid, implemented for the most impacted contributors who have suffered a total administrative closure, by the National Health and Social Action Commission of the Council for Social Protection of Self-Employed Workers (CPSTI), in the amount of 1000 euros for craftsmen, traders and liberal professions and 500 euros for self-employed people.
- As a reminder, some municipalities have been able to, notwithstanding, grant a two-thirds relief from the CFE (whose payment deadline was December 15) for companies whose main activity relates to those which have been particularly affected by the extent of the decline in activity observed linked to Covid-19 (including among others : tourism, hotel, restoration, sport, culture, air transport and events) ; 600 municipalities have done it.
New aid for investment or hiring
A decree of November 7, 2020 establishes, until December 31, 2022, aid in the form of a subsidy for new investments to decarbonise industrial production tools of less than three million euros. These are goods whose list will be fixed by decree, especially for the recovery of force or heat, or improving the energy efficiency of devices or installations. Attention : no start of execution of the investment project must be made before the date of receipt of the grant application at the Services and Payment Agency. But there is also the Decree, bearing number 2020-1291 of October 23, 2020, which has created aid for all SMEs in the European Union, in the form of a grant, for transformation investments in the industry of the future, no minimum amount. Few companies are aware of the Future Investments Program (ALSO). This program, endowed with 57 billion euros, was set up by the State which finances innovative investments to increase the growth and employment potential of France. Here are some calls for projects :
– "Demonstrator of industrial solutions for eco-design and recycling of textiles, shoes and fashion accessories', with the aim of bringing out innovative industrial solutions : development of a French recycling sector, increased use of new raw materials with lower environmental impact – notably recycled or biosourced -, development of new automated production methods, agile and adaptable… ;
– "Demonstrators and Territories of Innovation of Great Ambition", in order to promote ecological and energy transition by reducing the environmental impact, develop a low-carbon and competitive energy mix, change production methods and consumption practices… ;
– «Metha» : to promote the development of the anaerobic digestion sector ;
– "Technological bricks and hydrogen demonstrators" to develop or improve components and systems related to production, hydrogen transport and its uses ;
– "Accelerating the development of high-performance innovation ecosystems" (sustainable transport and mobility) : in order to support R projects&D carried by all types of companies, from SMEs to the largest, to accelerate the time to market of technologies, ambitious, innovative and sustainable transport services and / or solutions (passengers or goods), logistics and mobility.
Many other calls for projects may concern you : https://www.gouvernement.fr/les-appels-a-projets-en-cours. In most of the cases, a single company cannot answer, the creation of consortia is encouraged.
Find the right contact
The best placed to help you is obviously your accountant. This profession is on constant watch to support you in the maze of aids, and above all knowing where to go and where to put together the files. Ensuite, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, chambers of trades and crafts, chambers of agriculture are also good supporters. And the Government has set up a general FAQ., some leaders are in great economic difficulty, which can lead them to be psychologically distressed. APESA France – Psychological Help for Entrepreneurs in Acute Suffering -, with which the Walter France network has developed an active partnership, was selected by the Ministry of the Economy to create a toll free number : 0805 65 50 50. For Walter France’s entrepreneurial experts who support all kinds of businesses on a daily basis, today, like yesterday and tomorrow : "Staying the course in all situations is a challenge that entrepreneurs must take up particularly in this unprecedented period. Staying psychologically solid by being surrounded and keeping optimism while remaining clairvoyant are the keys to getting through these disturbances as less badly as possible and above all being able to take advantage of the rebound as best as possible when it occurs. The end of the tunnel is not so far ! »
