On June 4, the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, met with the 37 entrepreneurs who pilot the 15 start-ups selected by the accelerator that he has launched. And yesterday he recalled during the presentation of these innovative projects that "during four hours working with these entrepreneurs, no one ever mentioned the word 'crisis'.
"This is a confirmation of what can happen in Lanzadera."

Roig, who has always defended that if there are entrepreneurs, there are companies, jobs are created and the country's wealth increases, he assured during the presentation of the first 15 start-ups of his accelerator that "entrepreneurs, along with workers, are the that can get us out of the crisis."

Natural selection
The president of Mercadona declared to EXPANSIÓN that "with risk and entrepreneurship we will get out of difficulties. Together and with actions we must strive to make things really happen." Roig added that "the laws are the physical environment but we, as entrepreneurs, are the ones who have to start swimming." For the businessman, "the Entrepreneurs Law is like swimming. I don't judge her. If it's good or bad, we'll see. The most difficult thing is to jump into the water. We give lifelines to companies, but the most important thing is to swim." The businessman added that "the favorable environment for entrepreneurship is not only at the level of the laws, but at the level of the entire society, which must understand that being an entrepreneur is a good thing."

Referring to the 4,209 projects that have been submitted to be part of Lanzadera, of which only 15 have reached the accelerator, the founder of the Spanish distribution leader acknowledged that "perhaps we have given up on some Steve Jobs, because perhaps we have not known capture them. All of these entrepreneurs have taken many risks and their great challenge is that in the possibility of success there is also the probability of failure."

For Roig, the projects presented yesterday have been selected for their ability to solve the needs of clients, and he assured that while they live in Lanzadera they will also have the mental means that nourish Mercadona's style, which it calls Total Quality: "The Mercadona's management has been a proven successful project for 30 years that is based on the universal truth of giving first to receive later; then ask and then demand. It is based on the fact that the boss is always the client, and things are achieved through a lot of effort."

 

Advice from a business leader
1. "We have to move from the culture of manna to the culture of effort and work." With this phrase, Roig tries to promote a change of mentality in society so that effort prevails and not an accommodative life.

2. "The recovery depends on us, not on the International Monetary Fund or the Euribor." Here Roig tries to promote the work of the entire society to achieve the recovery of the economy and the end of the crisis.

3. "You have to put all your eggs in the same basket and look at them every day." Roig explains here one of Mercadona's work philosophies: specialization in a group of products without leaving them or the line drawn.

4. The businessman does not believe in directors who do not risk their own resources in the evolution of the companies. That's why he says that "advice, with money."

5. "There are no mature markets, but outdated 'number ones'." Roig points out that changes can always occur that lead to steps forward even if it seems that maximum development has been reached.

6. "The seed of failure is in success. If you believe it you are more destructible." Sitting in the success zone is very dangerous and makes companies vulnerable.

 

Questions:

 

1. Which of the tips above do you feel most identified with? Because?

 

2 Which of the tips above do you feel the least identified with? Because?