Fluidra’s chairman, Joan Planes, talks about his experience as an entrepreneur
June 16, 2010-
Fluidra’s chairman, Joan Planes, participated in the first day of the Day of the Entrepreneur’s ninth edition, which took place in the Fira de Barcelona exhibition hall. Before an audience of around 100 businessmen, Planes talked about his experience as a founder of a family-owned company 40 years ago that went on to become an international leader in the sectors in which it operates.
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In an informal discussion over lunch presided over by the IESE lecturer, Joan Roure, Fluidra’s chairman hoped that his talk would inspire the entrepreneurs present, assuring them that “passion and creativity are essential, as well as the ability to take risks, which must nevertheless be calculated risks. “There are always risks when you start something new and different. It isn’t difficult to do, and I urge you to do it. It’s worth it”.
The Day of the Entrepreneur is a major, well-established event in the entrepreneurial initiative and business growth sectors, which Barcelona Activa has been organising since 2001. Those who take part are looking for advice, networking, financing and training when they attend the various activities organised during the two-day event.
One of the most valued aspects of the programme is the opportunity to share fears and doubts with other businesspeople who were once entrepreneurs. This is true of Fluidra’s chairman, Joan Planes. In an informal discussion held today over lunch presided over by an IESE lecturer, Joan Roure, the entrepreneurs present were able to listen first hand to the story of a businessman with more than 40 years experience, who founded a company that started out as a small family-owned business specialised in pool equipment, and became a world renowned multinational corporation that is listed on the stock exchange and has four specialised business units in the world of water.
Among other anecdotes recounted by Joan Planes, who was born in a small mountain village in the Pyrenees, he revealed that when he was young, the starry sky above his hometown Estamariu led him to consider the vast range of opportunities that the world and globalisation can offer. He also told the story of when he drove to France in his own car full of pool products in order to launch them onto the French market and, despite initial frustrations, how he opened the first branch there in 1974.
Joan Planes continued to go over his journey and to give advice to those present, covering topics such as the importance of counting on family support and, in terms of business, the importance of local members that will support a company’s expansion. Fluidra’s chairman wanted to send out a clear message to the future businessmen: “An entrepreneur should live with passion and let their creativity fly. Accept that there will be risks, of course, as there are always risks when starting something new. But I urge you to go ahead and do it. It’s worth it.”