Charles Passereau, an entrepreneur dedicated to making digitalisation effective

The digital revolution affects all sectors, industries, and professions. As of lately, it seems to be an unavoidable evolution. For most professionals, being visible and accessible on the Internet is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

As an entrepreneur on the lookout for digital trends, Charles Passereau is convinced of the new opportunities offered to many professions by the rise and advances of digital technology. He is the owner and head of Welink, a startup that offers online visibility solutions and a networking platform dedicated to professionals in several sectors. However, he intends to always beyond the basics and support professionals at every stage, from finding new clients to online invoicing.

Digital transformation: What impact?

The paper era, which prevailed for a long time, is now undoubtedly coming to an end. This is nothing new. Excel was first introduced to accounting firms and departments in the 1980s and it aided in completely revolutionising accounting processes.

Digital transformation refers to the set of changes brought about by new technologies and the Internet. More importantly, it refers to the active steps taken by companies to integrate these profound changes into their operations. Very few if any professions will be able to escape the phenomenon of digital transformation. Every day, new professions are impacted by the global movement of digitalisation. Professionals must change their practices to adapt to the changing habits of individuals and new digital practices. Today, more than half of the companies that are looking for a professional do their research online. Businesses – especially small ones – need to develop and maintain an online presence to find new clients.

Far from being limited to the stages linked to prospecting (finding customers), digitalisation also concerns internal processes and customer relations. These include : the automation of certain time-consuming and low value-added tasks, the dematerialisation of documents (invoices, payslips), the digitisation of exchanges, appointment scheduling, etc.

The scope of digital transformation is gradually expanding and impacting business operations in their entirety.

Digitalisation should be viewed by small businesses as an opportunity to promote their growth substantially and sustainably. Charles Passereau, a seasoned entrepreneur and expert in digital transformation, was quick to identify the transformations underway in the legal and accounting professions. After co-founding “mon-avocat.fr” with Benjamin Bing in 2015, a website designed to connect litigants and solicitors, he decided to devote most of his time to the development and launch of the Welink platform, which he co-founded with Kevin Goncalves.

The first Welink milestone was “My Advisers”. Now Welink Accountants, the platform, launched in December 2017, aims to connect companies with qualified accountants. Its function is twofold:

• It allows companies to quickly find the right accountant for their specific needs,
• It allows accountants to easily grow their client portfolio.

Streamlining processes and finding new clients more easily: these are the two main objectives of digital transformation for Welink. The second point is especially crucial, as many professionals are self-employed or heading a small operation and cannot afford to spend too much time and valuable resources looking for prospective clients.

Having an online presence is the most effective way to find clients quickly, easily and efficiently.

With Welink, users can find a professional that answers to their specific criteria in only a few clicks. The platform allows users to find a service provider based on geolocation, the company’s industry and area of practice, and the skills that they specifically require. From the company’s profile, a single click is enough to get in direct contact with them by email or phone. It is also possible to make an appointment online, right on their page.

Welink: What strategy for growth?

Very quickly, the Welink offer was extended to other professions and other locations: building contractors and tradesmen, lawyers and marketing agencies. 

Additionally, each platform publishes a “News” section, the equivalent of a blog, which includes entries about the latest updates in the industry and offers a catalogue that is of interest to both the professionals registered on the platform and the users. Every week, new publications attract thousands of visitors. The blog has recently been made available to our members who are striving to develop their visibility even further by publishing their own articles.

Charles Passereau decided to set up a subscription model, an uncommon business model for this type of service. However, it was considered by the young entrepreneur to be much fairer than the more common commission-based models.

Since the launch of Welink, many services and functionalities have been developed to make it the market reference. The design and branding of the websites were completely overhauled at the beginning of 2021.

Other new features are planned for the coming months to support professionals in their customer acquisition and customer relations management operations.

Charles Passereau, committed entrepreneur and Business Angel

Charles Passereau is a digital entrepreneur with an extensive CV, despite still being in his thirties. A connoisseur of digital transformation and its challenges, he developed numerous projects before Welink, including mon-avocat.fr and cv-stars.com.

A seasoned entrepreneur, Charles Passereau also supports other innovative initiatives with strong growth potential. These include:

• Hello-serena.com: a brand of organic tampons sold online,
• Cleany.fr: a business services solution (cleaning, window cleaning, etc.),
• Revolut.com: a mobile application that allows users to manage their expenses online in over 150 currencies,
  TheGalionProject: a think-tank bringing together the best French tech entrepreneurs,
• Alegria tech

Participation in the Epic Foundation and Pledge movements

Epic Foundation is a non-profit startup that promotes a culture of sharing and reinvents philanthropy by providing entrepreneurs with ethical giving solutions. By supporting a network of philanthropists, Epic enables them to track their donations in a spirit of transparency, ensuring that 100% of their contributions go to charities. This allows entrepreneurs around the world to give the same commitment and have the same kind of impact on society as they do in their businesses.

Charles Passereau has pledged to share the missions of Epic Foundation as well as the fruits of Welink’s success for a good cause. He has done so by committing to donate a percentage of the proceeds from his shares’ sales to social organisations listed in the Epic portfolio.