Dorothée & Gabriella - those who don't give up.

Today, it is under a fireworks display of colors, a farandole of balloons, glitter, celebration and joy, that I present to you Gabriella (Toscan du Plantier) & Dorothée (Monestier), co-founders of MY LITTLE DAY. My Little Day, for 10 years already, has continued to grow by offering party “packages” of all kinds for young and old. The catalog of events and products is aimed both at parents caught off guard by the organization of the unforgettable birthday of the little princess, or the little prince... as well as at businesses - look at the decor of our events the Dream Big Factory, it is signed My Little Day. But is it really about decor? No, much more than that. It's about Feng Shui, you know this Chinese art which knows how to harmonize the objects and energies of a place so that its occupants instinctively feel well-being invade them.

Knowing how to organize a party, spread joy and happiness... it's serious! Gabriella & Dorothée have made it a business and their reason for being.

How ? Well, by chance obviously. Well, almost by chance, because they were already linked like 2 sisters at the time of the art history courses that they took, together, more surely united than sisters. Real sisters from the same family don't choose each other, but friends who become sisters in business, yes! You will have understood, I can't help but think of Astrid & me when telling you about Gabriella & Dorothée. They were predestined to develop something together.

As an odd student job, D. was a hostess when G. organized birthday parties. And then this last occupation took over. The two friends began together to play entertainers, storytellers during birthdays and school celebrations - of which there are many. Peter and the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, and all their friends, were their freelance service providers. They still talk about it today with a touch of nostalgia in their eyes. Pablo Neruda said something like "... the man who does not play has forever lost the child who lived within him..." No risk that Gabriella & Dorothée lose their childish soul, where candour resides and the nerve.

Once you have your school diploma in hand, what should you do? Gabriella joins the agency of India Mahdavi, one of the stars of decoration. indoor. Dorothée for her part is a freelancer and Public Relations for contemporary art galleries. It promotes young artists, some of whom will find their way in the underground of the art market. Precisely, it is a maquis and a market, Dorothée confesses that she was incapable of placing and selling “her” artists, as one would sell a car in a showroom, a question of integrity surely. So there was no chance that Jeff Koons would call her to be his agent! It really doesn't matter, especially since after these 6 years spent finding their way, each on their own, the spark was produced that would trigger the shared adventure of My Little Day.

During Dorothée's toddler's birthday party, Gabriella guesses that there would surely be mothers ready to buy pretty birthday cakes in series. The two quickly come to the conclusion... that they did not go to hotel school, but to art history. Forgotten the making of cakes, on the other hand a dazzling moment comes to them. It's not just the cake that matters in a birthday, there's everything else: the decor, the atmosphere, the entertainment, the accessories... so that the event is an unforgettable festive moment. They observed (and experienced) that crossing the city in all directions to find in stores a lot of cardboard plates (ugly), then the party favors (stereotypical), then the balloons (exhausting to inflate), finally the clown or the magician on duty (overpriced)... can put a mother's nerves on edge, at the end of a week which has already brought its share of unnecessary stress.

That’s it, it’s decided, October 2009, Gabriella & Dorothée create their start-up which will sell “turnkey” festive events online, based on a catalog full of sparkling products and accessories, giving free rein to their creativity artistic while making life easier for parents. The “Sense of the Party” as Jean-Pierre Bacri would say, combined with the sense of others.

Art history does not predispose at all to market studies and all those scholarly and specialized things that we learn in business school. Had G & D been formatted by a marketing strategy guru, they would not have launched into a niche as improbable as providing a service to parents who want to please their kids... So they did it!

“To the innocent with their hands full” , we read in the Bible, or rather its modern variant called serendipity. I have often spoken to you about this ingredient that we always find on the trajectory of entrepreneurs.

Serendipity = how to turn an annoyance or a stroke of luck into a business, creativity born from the unthinkable accident between two parallel lines which suddenly, without warning, disconnect and cross to give birth to a human adventure and to a business.

My Little Day was thus born, like Mister K and so many others. Since 2010, the start-up has continued to grow, driven by the first successes - satisfied, better, happy customers - snowball effect and good vibrations in the media... There is no secret, Gabriella and Dorothée put all their heart and connivance into it. They also learned to walk as they walked, discovering the magnitudes and servitudes of business plans, financial and accounting reporting, margin calculations drawn out with a line.... thereby discovering resilience after nights of insomnia, suppliers forgetful, impassioned creditors... but at the end of the day, always being able to say that "we are determined, creative and united as on the first day, and we have brought into the adventure 20 people who love what they do with us”, it’s not nothing. With a turnover that will reach 3 million euros, My Little Day is at a crossroads, no longer a VSE (Very Small Enterprise), not yet an SME (Small to Medium Enterprise).

The time when you could get started in online business by tinkering with your site on the Internet is long gone. This is how G & D launched themselves, with euphoria and a good dose of improvisation, like any pioneer. But now, online B2C, Business to Consumers, cannot be deployed without the support of a digital superstructure, far-reaching, easy to access, readable, responsive and reliable that only cutting-edge service providers can set up. . So My Little Day and its site began their migration, using one of these service providers. It took a long time but it would have taken more to discourage Gabriella & Dorothée. They know that delays, frustration, impatience are also part of the acid test that every entrepreneur must undergo, one day or another. Mister also suffered his. Never Give Up Sisters. Turn around for a moment to look at your trace from 10 years ago, it is harmonious and deep, then look at this new one in front of you. Your new site has just been put into working order, new portal, open to a wider clientele. In addition to children's parties, you will organize themed parties for adults, also called adults. There is no question of contradicting Pablo Neruda and abandoning your child's soul, that must make life cripple, at any age.