VISTIM celebrates its 8th birthday and is keen to drink share a lot of champaign memories and good vibes. Virginie Boyard and Gérard Sinnes answer some reflective questions.
- What was the major milestone or accomplishment that the company achieved in the past years ?
If we go back a few years, in 2019, after our first trial-and-error phase, we set up a plan for strong growth and aim to double our revenue by 2021. We put a lot of energy into it. And then came the Covid! It turned our plan upside down… Of course, we could never have foreseen what would happen…, But thanks to everyone’s strong engagement and professionalism we managed to achieve our goal in 2022! This is our major milestone!
For the future, we would like to build on this dynamic. First, we want to continue building our quality brand, highlighting our exceptional level of service and expertise. We do believe that we have even more growth potential in the coming years, thanks to our established reputation and recent efforts in communication and marketing. We have many things to be proud of and so many new exiting challenges to undertake!
- Reflecting on the company’s journey so far, what have been the most significant challenges you faced as a leader, and how did you overcome them?
One of most important challenges was to distinguish ourselves as a company that ‘creates value for its customers in everything it does’. Building on our employees’ competencies and team spirit was a critical milestone. We were able to create a very strong cohesion amongst the team which fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing and leads to the capacity, for our consultants, to bring the best possible solutions to their clients. That’s the way we differentiate ourselves from the rest of the market.
- Can you share a memorable story or experience from your early days with the company that highlights the spirit and values upon which it was founded?
I remember when we started to build our furniture that we had bought from a big Swedish store. The chairs and desk had to be ready for starting on the Monday and this was a very practical challenge that created a very good team spirit through the concrete experience of working together on a project. It was all about collaboration, all about going outside of our comfort zone… Be ready for the unknown, welcome new challenges. Working hard and having fun at the same time is possible: The proof was in the building of our office furnitures! It was also important for us to welcome our 1st employee with everything ready to work, and not in an “under construction” environment. We are people focused, and we wanted this message to be visible and concrete from the beginning.
- How do you prioritize fostering a positive company culture, and what initiatives or practices have been implemented to create a supportive and inclusive environment for employees?
First of all, we don’t manage by figures! Secondly, we trust our people: for instance, I can’t remember any cases where we had to refuse an employee request for flexibility, remote working etc. The result is that our people feel trusted and supported. This team spirit if very precious for us and we are proud of it. We also take errors as opportunities for learning, not as trigger for sanctions.
- What strategies have been pivotal to VISTIM’s success?
Our approach is in our name: Vision / Strategy / Implementation. It means that whenever we serve a client, we first want to understand what their end purpose is. We need to understand THEIR vision of their business. Then we implement our plan in a pragmatic way fitting the needs and expectations of our customer. There are many ways we can continue to grow or expand. We have always grown organically and plan to continue for a long time… Future growth may even include international expansion…
Happy birthday VISTIM!