“I’m having to tighten my belt to keep my company going”

“When I graduated from business school I became a consultant but I knew it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. After six months in my first job I wanted to work abroad and I accepted assignments in Morocco, India, and England, to get away, and make up for my lack of interest in my work. By 2018, I was ready to set up my own business. A friend of mine had set up a craft brewery in Paris, so I told myself I could do the same! Not beer, but kefir. I had grown up watching my mother make it and I could see a market for it. My big mistake was to go it alone. I spent 18 months testing my drink in my tiny kitchen in Paris. At the same time, I started selling directly to bars and restaurants, to test its popularity. Kefir is a fermented drink and several bottles exploded all over walls and ceilings. When you set up your business, you’re full of enthusiasm. I had three customers and I thought I’d made it. I took on huge premises, adopted the same production levels as my friend’s brewery, contacted bars instead of