{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Coucou! The ABCs of Building Your Business in America from Scratch with Victoire Lester, CEO of Coucou","description":"In this episode of French Insider, Victoire Lester, CEO of Coucou, joins host Sarah Ben-Moussa to discuss the experience of building a company in the United States from the ground up, including Coucou\u2019s approach to hiring and training native-speaking French language instructors, its strategy for attracting American customers, and their experience recruiting and managing a mixed-nationality workforce.   What We Discussed in this Episode Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you become involved with Coucou? What was behind the founding of Coucou? Where did the idea come from? How does Coucou go about hiring and training instructors? How does Coucou\u2019s approach to hiring impact the learning experience? What was it like coming to the U.S. and building a company from the ground up? What motivated Coucou to expand its offerings? What was Coucou\u2019s experience during COVID? Where did the company come out on the other side? Can you tell us a bit about the streaming platform being developed by a Coucou founder? What was Coucou\u2019s strategy for attracting U.S. customers? Can you speak to the experience of recruiting and managing a mixed-nationality workforce of French and American people? What were some resources Coucou utilized during the last 10 years of growth? Would you recommend companies retain a public relations agency? What\u2019s one piece of advice you\u2019d offer a French entrepreneur seeking to launch a company in the U.S.?   About Victoire Lester Victoire Lester is CEO of Coucou, a New York City and Los Angeles-based language school offering culturally savvy, native-taught French classes, in person or online. A Paris native, she joined Coucous as a part-time French instructor in 2016 and was promoted to director of operations just three years later. As CEO, Victoire handles marketing, product development, and operations. She was also responsible for Coucou\u2019s successful transition to an online program in 2020, which has been instrumental in the company\u2019s growth. When she\u2019s not helping Coucou grow, Victoire enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, and indulging in her love of wine, cheese, and oysters.   About Sarah F. Ben-Moussa Sarah F. Ben-Moussa is an associate in the Corporate Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin\u2019s New York office, where her practice focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, financings and corporate governance matters. As a member of the firm\u2019s French Desk, she has advised companies and private equity funds in both the United States and Europe on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, complex commercial agreements, and general corporate matters. As a member of Sheppard Mullin\u2019s Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance team, Sarah also represents renewable energy companies, borrowers, financial sponsors, portfolio companies, commercial banks and other financial institutions in a variety of financing transactions. Her practice focuses on a variety of transactions in the energy sphere, representing renewable energy companies in project-level debt and equity financings of wind and solar facilities.  Before joining Sheppard Mullin, Sarah spent a year and a half studying and working in France,  focusing on corporate transactions and commercial contracts in Europe and internationally. Sarah is also committed to pro bono work, focusing on cases involving children seeking asylum or other immigration-related relief.   Contact Information  Victoire Lester Sarah F. Ben-Moussa    Additional Resources Coucou Coucou on TikTok Coucou on Instagram Coucou on Facebook Coucou on YouTube   Thank you for listening! Don\u2019t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every week. If you enjoyed this episode, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show in Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or Spotify. It helps other listeners find this show. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs. ","author_name":"Sheppard's French Insider","author_url":"https:\/\/www.sheppard.com\/insights?type=Podcasts&sortBy=date&sortOrder=desc","html":"