Change your mindset:
doubt is not the end
Everyone doubts. The best entrepreneurs too. What changes is what you do with it. Doubt can hold you back or drive you forward - your choice.
Two blocks always come up: "I don't have the right contacts" and "I don't have the right profile". Both are stories we tell ourselves. This chapter is here to take them apart.
Cédric came from a bakery. Barnabé was an employed coach. Tony Tich was an artist and a Yamakasi. None had the "right profile" on paper. All of them started a business in sport. What do they have in common? They decided to stop waiting until they were ready.
"My father was a baker, my grandfather too. One day I needed a coach. The person I got was radiant - she helped me open up to new possibilities. That's what I wanted to share. Being an entrepreneur isn't just about business, it's an attitude, it's taking charge of your life."
"I was failing at school, I didn't really know where I was heading, but I knew I had a passion: dance. I put everything into it, I trained, I took part in workshops all over the world to learn, and then to teach."
Find your why:
sport, passion, life experience
Want to last? Don't jump into something just because it's trendy. Go for something that grips you. Your "why" is the fuel that keeps you going when everything gets hard.
A good project is a problem + a solution + an action. No need to invent the next big concept. Just meet a real need around you.
- Write down what you love doing: sports, activities, settings where you feel alive.
- Note what angers you or deeply moves you in your neighbourhood, your circle, your life.
- List what people come to you for: listening, motivation, organisation...
- Cross-check your answers - what they have in common is your inner fire. That's where your project begins.
"I couldn't see myself staying an employee. I wanted my own business. I'd been in the sports-coach routine for several years. My goal was to push myself, to set higher goals and not stay stuck in that routine."
An opportunity can be attractive. But over time, what keeps an entrepreneur going is truly bringing their project to life. When the only goal is money, people are often disappointed.
A project isn't built alone in your bedroom: it gets challenged by others and fed by those who already master the field.
- Write in one sentence what you want to change, for whom, within 3 years.
- Write down what you refuse to do, even if it pays.
- Set a 6-month goal that brings you closer to that vision.
- Present your vision to 3 people in the field and write down their questions: they are your next tasks.
From idea to concrete offer:
structure without drowning
No need for a 40-page business plan. Start by building a simple, testable version of your idea. You move forward, adjust, improve. Just like in training.
Most important: don't get stuck on the legal status. Start testing, even without an official structure. Make it official when you feel it's taking shape.
To sell services and run your activity legally. Free online registration. Ideal for starting alone without investment.
If your project is collective or social. To apply for grants, involve several people, build partnerships.
One simple service, a clear price, a defined audience. Not 10 services at launch - just one, well targeted, quick to test.
Targeted problem - proposed solution - target clients - expected revenue. That's it. The rest comes with field experience.
Stay self-employed while working in a gym chain: you pay a monthly rent and keep your status. Details in the next chapter.
To coach for pay in France, a recognised qualification (BPJEPS, CQP, STAPS) and a professional card are mandatory. Full details in Part 4.
Cédric puts it clearly: when starting out, human support matters more than the legal structure. "What helped me was having people who show up."
The MyCoach franchise meant he didn't have to start from scratch structurally. For you, an association or a micro-enterprise plays that role: they give you a legal framework without holding you back.
If you don't know where to start, in France the Mission Locale (up to age 25) can help you clarify your idea, identify your needs, build a first action plan, find the right partners, test your project in the field and secure your situation while you get started. From age 26, go to France Travail or a BGE.
Three questions to prepare before the meeting:
- What is my project or idea today?
- What are the main difficulties I'm facing?
- What would I like to have achieved in the next six months?
Entrepreneurship in sport isn't just coaching
When people think "sports entrepreneurship", the reflex is almost always the same: becoming a coach. It's a solid path, but not the only one. The sports business sector accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs in France, and most of them don't involve running a session.
If coaching isn't for you, or if you just want to broaden your range, these jobs can also be learned without a long degree, building on skills you may already have developed without realising: organising, selling, storytelling, filming.
Running social media for a club, a gym or an athlete. Sport is a content-hungry sector - a skill that grows fast with practice.
Selling memberships, equipment, partnerships. Sports retailers and gyms are constantly recruiting for these profiles, often without requiring a specific qualification.
Organising a race, a local tournament, an open day. An organisational skill that easily turns into freelance work or a salaried job.
Video content creation, performance analysis, managing booking platforms. Digital opens doors to anyone who can teach themselves the tools.
Limiting yourself to coaching means closing doors. Someone comfortable with social media or sales can build a solid business in sport without ever running a session - and combine several roles over time.
