Bocar, class of 2014: ‘I created my own sports event company in Hong Kong’

A young entrepreneur in Hong Kong, Bocar Cissé founded his company when he was a student, hoping to fulfil his passion for sport and his desire to work abroad. This is the story of his adventure in China…

“Why did I choose the EMLV? It was close to the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre, which allowed me to finish my undergraduate degree in business and modern foreign languages (LEA); there was also a possibility to study abroad plus the opportunity to major in Sports Management.

I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but my business idea came to me in September 2013. I then worked on it for several months before I got going.

In February 2014, I founded Born 2 Win Holding Ltd., a company specializing in events and sport sponsorship. I help companies interact through sport by organizing sporting events and adopting values of sports people in France and China, the latter being the country that I am currently concentrating my efforts on. Another significant advantage is that the business climate in China encourages the development of new business. The country is developing at an incredible speed!

I had clearly chosen a niche market by choosing to establish my company in China but it’s mainly because I love the country and the culture. There are many opportunities in China and particularly in the field of sport!

I discovered China during my 3^rd year in Beijing, as assistant project manager in a company based in Shanghai. I consider that is vital for students to gain international exposure for several reasons, such as improving foreign language skills, developing an open-mindedness and standing out when applying for a job.

Setting up a business in China has been difficult, and it isn’t over yet. For now, I’m based in Hong Kong and in 18 months, I’ll be able to have a branch in China and legally do business within the country. Administrative formalities in China are quite tough and require a lot of patience.

I speak Mandarin because I have an undergraduate degree in foreign languages, and I have been to China several times. Learning Chinese is definitely an advantage for doing business there because there are many people in China who don’t speak English. I would like to take this occasion to thank Mr Stewart, the head of the language department, who supported me and provided constructive criticism.

I am currently managing two big projects:

• Born 2 Win Levallois Trophy, futsal

  I organized a sporting event in France: the inter-school and inter-company Futsal trophy in Levallois (Paris) on Sunday 26^th October 2014. The event united business schools and companies to take part in a friendly sports tournament. It was free to enter.

• Organization of a cultural and sporting event in the south of China

  My work also involves organizing and sponsoring a sports event in China in 2015. It is a football tournament that will take place in the south of China. I am currently looking for sponsors for this event. I will coach a team of under 19s soccer players from Paris (Yvelines) who will not go on vacation in the summer so they can take part in the football tournament with a Chinese team from the Guangdong province and find out about Chinese culture.

My degree at the EMLV partly contributed to what I am in the process of achieving as an entrepreneur with my business Born 2 Win Holding Ltd. The EMLV curriculum provided a solid training that lived up to my expectations. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of solidarity among the students of the EMLV, it’s important to be able to count on your peers. I would highly recommend prospective students to find out more about what the EMLV has to offer and attend an open day.”

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