Global Summit of Women 2003
Marrakech, Morocco

Successfully Weathering Business Downturns and Failures
Gisèle Rufer, Executive Chairman, DELANCE SA 

Every one of you knows life as well as I do and every one of you has developed her own system of survival and of handling hardship. It is a natural process we learnt in our childhood, from experience, from life. I’m not going to give you determined rules to follow, I don’t have them. All I can do is talk to you about my personal experiences to overcome difficulties and, eventually, become enriched by them, even if the result is not always what I had expected.

Mon entreprise c’est moi = I am the enterprise

Both in business and in my private life I follow the same set of rules. They are instinctive, intuitive. In times of turmoil, crisis, urgency I act fast and focussed. You never know if they will work and quite frankly, I don’t care. I don’t even ask the question. I just act and look for a solution. Other things around me lose their importance. A formidable energy carries me forward and allows me to achieve incredible things. Several times in my life I had to go through times of such turmoil making it necessary to mobilize this “energy kick”. Sometimes for shorter periods, sometimes for quite some time. Every time, so far at least, I made to the end.

The crisis

In times of crisis I ask myself “What do I really want?” “What are the risks?” “Is it really important?” “What is the simplest solution and the most easily applicable one?” “Who is affected?” Sometimes these routine questions lead to a total reconsideration of the matter. I talk to all persons involved – networking has always been very important to me – and I look for solutions which satisfy most people. By doing this I can rely on their support which gives me additional strength. And I hold the line as close as possible.

My experience

For those among you who have never heard my story I shall quickly summarize my dream of a product and an enterprise which I started in 1996 at the age of 50. Since childhood I have been fascinated by women’s matters and their history. You know yourselves that women constantly tell stories to each other and that the ears of little girls are perfect receptors. Like you I carry in me the lives of all women who have preceded me. Fascinated by these extraordinary beings I wanted, once adult, to spread their glory. For many long years I haven’t found neither the time nor the words. That is, until life pushed me.

The Ignition

As a product manager at OMEGA I finally succeeded in persuading my superiors, all men, to develop a watch exclusively for women and with a unique concept. Unfortunately, at the very last moment when we already started production, the project was cancelled. The female customers did not really interest my superiors. “For women we have men’s watches just a little bit smaller.” But women are not men reduced in size. Frustrated I left the company. In just two years I changed jobs three times. I started to doubt my capacity to adapt to new environments. I simply failed to push my ideas, women’s ideas, in the male dominated watch industry.

What should be done?

I decided, at the age of 47, to go back to university and followed a postgraduate course in management and entrepreneurship. It gave me the opportunity to become aware of my capabilities and skills, get a certain distance and regain self-confidence. I left university with the feeling to be the born entrepreneur. I had all the skills and all the weaknesses. I realized how they made me totally incompatible with a big company with their hierarchical structure not dissimilar to the army.

My strengths

What are the capabilities of the successful entrepreneur?

1.        She has an exclusive product with which she can be identified without reserve. She is the product.

2.        She is a mirror image of her customers and knows them in and out. Her product is for her.

3.        She is ready to immerse totally into the enterprise. She is the enterprise.

4.        If without money, nowadays often the case, she finds innovative ideas.

My Start

I took a good look at myself and decided I had all these vital characteristics. I decided to create this dream watch symbolizing both the time of women and their creative power myself. Alone, finally adult. I wanted to make it the powerful TALISWOMAN for women who want to change the world. There is no room to tell you the fascinating time of the conceptual design, the finding of the name, of the creation of the company and its functioning. That’s another story (see www.DELANCE.com)

The First Tests

I founded DELANCE in 1996. In 1998 I signed a contract with a distributor in New York willing to invest US$ 10 Million into the launching of DELANCE to the US market. The contract made us partners for 15 years, which should have provided a good base for trust and excellency.

He orders 2’000 watches, pays half of them at time of order. The other half at time of delivery. In three months he opens 50 points of sales all over the United States. Becoming aware of this incredible result, a large and renowned French luxury goods group submits him a purchase offer. He sells his enterprise. The French group buys all DELANCE watches back from all local agents and replaces them with their products. The remaining order for DELANCE watches is cancelled.

That’s how big companies deal with the dreams of little women who dare to enter their territory. To make things worse, at the same time the supplier of the cases goes bankrupt and 15kg of gold vanish, I lost $200’000. Some months later I discover my faithful employee had helped herself freely from the company account.

Shortly after, my brief case with the show collection is stolen in a hotel. The insurance doesn’t pay, they claim that I should have had a body guard. Just to complete the stress my children leave the home and marry and my husband leaves too …. for another woman.

What remains to me?

Occasionally my pain was such that I asked myself if I could physically stand all this … but I survived and my enterprise survived.

Where did I generate the energy to go on when everybody around me advised me to stop, telling me it was too much. It was the desire and the determination to offer to the women of the world a TALISWOMAN reminding them any time of their creative power, their love and values. I want to tell them don’t give up, unite, together we can change the world. It is just to tell you this that I’m here today. The symbolism of the DELANCE watch will always remind you of this.

Distribution Network

Wishing to organize the distribution of the DELANCE over the world I face real and serious problems. The financing, the visibility and protection of the brand, the promotion and the traditional distribution which is not automatically open to new brands. What can be done?

Do it together

While discussing with other women in similar situations to mine, I had the idea to let them use the name DELANCE, too. Like a label meaning “Product of Excellence made by Women, elected by DELANCE.” On every continent we shall found a selection committee which will select different types of products but strictly according to criterion described  in a charter defining the requirements concerning not only the product itself but also its production. The synergy could make the name DELANCE known in the world quite fast. Of course, women around the world must be encouraged to buy the products with the label "DELANCE, made by women".

The virtual shop

In a first phase we propose to sell these products in a virtual shop which could well be the Internet Site of the Global Summit of Women. Of course, all must be organized strictly according to predefined rules. The products would be distributed with the label DELANCE. In a second step, my dream would be to establish in the 10 largest cities of the world DELANCE boutiques, franchised only with the products fulfilling our rules. In order to remain credible and coherent the whole network will be managed by women.

A new enterprise

Obviously, I need your support. The support of women who believe that we can improve the conditions of women around the world. We need an individual ready to launch herself into this adventure. I shall give the name DELANCE, I shall participate in the selection of products and talk at conferences like this one around the world. I see my part in being the DELANCE Ambassador. And I have the energy and enthusiasm to do this for many years to come.

Macolin, June 19 2003