New episode, well, here we are, starting this week, recounting our tribulations from "backstage" … in the land of Gandi.

It’s a difficult exercise, if there ever was one, trying to tell you what’s going on behind the scenes, avoiding soothing speech and information (judged) too confidential. It is moreover on this last limitation that a number of companies (from the smallest to the biggest) abandon their original intention for transparency, whether it’s through a blog (in which case dialogue is possible) ¹, through an article or a book.

At our humble level, it’s enough to take a deep breath and be aware that nothing is stopping us from continuing to have this direct line on all subjects: "we’re not launching the space shuttle here," and therefore our clients come more because we’re honest and serious than because we’re coming out with a 3D  strawberry flavored interface  (sorry, it’s to help Patrice who needs some more clicks on his site to really challenge threadless).

Therefore. Gandi.

At the beginning, just after having signed thousands (I’m not exaggerating) of pages of the purchasing contract, as well as the contract with my associates, I found myself on my motorcycle, roaming around Paris, in a quasi state of shock. I’m sure I made a few calls, but the question of the moment was more:  OK, now, what do we do? I have to say that after a year on the roller coaster during which I almost became religious (but I resisted), my alignement was "Chaotic Neutral".

A breath, and we’ll be active on all fronts, my associates, colleagues and your humble servant:

-        The team. Who stays, who’s going on to something else, who’s coming?

- The product: What are the development priorities (back end, interfaces with Registers, site, new products…),

- The organization. Getting the financial reporting in order (even creating it), review all the supplier contracts (it’s crazy how certain people have been taking advantage of Gandi), putting in place supplementary health insurance, bonuses, etc…

- Communication (this blog is part of it). We make and shall not make intrusive marketing, and we wish above all to be able to establish a direct link with our customers. In order to avoid going all over the place and to remain completely focused on your needs.


The feeling, after taking a look at what we call the "data room", in fact all the documents with which sales are made, is what can be called a "glorious mess", functioning automatically and perfectly in its "historic" configuration, but it’s incapable of evolving in that state.


Now it’s crazy, but he who doesn’t evolve dies, except some prehistoric animals who are there to confirm the exception to the rule… And then no thanks, we aren’t old enough and we aren’t sufficiently isolated to act that way.

 
Our idea is to work as artisans, but with an industrial vision. A little like the cheese producer who sells directly to a central purchaser… thanks to his savoir-faire and organization. Let’s say, to be more precise – I have some projects with Valentin and Laurent, therefore I don’t have any desire to be deprived of desert – that the machine needed to be relaunched :)

Once on the premises, after having waited for the last approval (I’ll skip over the last minute problems – there are incompetents everywhere) we “started anew” by taking everything off both internally and externally (nothing naughty),by making our intentions clear. Gandi must be a credible alternative to the large European groups (1&1, Strato, Pipex ...), by cultivating this difference. The objective is not a perfect size, but to offer products and services that we would like ourselves as customers, while keeping our "Gandi spirit" and therefore our human size. We will continue our support to the Open source world, we will even expand it for causes that are even more preoccupying (an example, in the name of the company, we still haven’t taken the final decision).


Today, we have advanced on all these subjects, and the first visible results will be announced and sent out soon. That is to say the second quarter of this year.

To make things a little more concrete, we will have a new site (functionalities), a new design (logo, colors), new ergonomics (all this while keeping what gives Gandi its force, simplicity), two new products, one which will make a big splash (we think so in any case), put at the disposition – without additional charge – of our clients, and a whole (big) heap of more or less visible improvements.

Finally all this will only be possible if the owner of the building (where we are going to move soon) will authorize us to go to work after 8 PM, because for the moment we just had the surprise (completely out of nowhere), to learn that it wasn’t going to be possible: they close the offices until 8 AM the next day!!!. What? Internet? To work? You’d never think of it!!!. Okay, then.

At moments like this, I adore my country.

As usual, no question is annoying, so please don't hesitate.