This month, find out more about Noémie Léo, founder of Sahaya, a local business supported by Pays de Gex Entreprises.

When asked what inspires her on a daily basis, Noémie talks about her family of entrepreneurs, who have instilled in her a sense of initiative, perseverance and the freedom that entrepreneurship offers. She also mentions the business leaders she supports every day. Seeing them grow, gain confidence and develop their businesses is, in fact, her greatest source of satisfaction.

During her career, Noémie experienced burnout in 2022–2023, which marked a turning point. This ordeal taught her to better understand her limits, to strike a balance between her professional and personal life, and to build her self-confidence, enabling her to develop a business in line with her values.

Today, her next challenge is to grow Sahaya and ensure its long-term viability whilst preserving what makes it strong: a personalised, human-centred and local approach.

She chose to set up her business in the Pays de Gex because she has always lived there. Deeply attached to the region, she appreciates its economic dynamism, its diversity of businesses and its entrepreneurial spirit, which make it a region conducive to exchange and collaboration.

Her entrepreneurial motto, from management pioneer Peter Drucker:

‘Effectiveness is about doing things right; efficiency is about doing the right things’

Sahaya was born out of an observation: after managing the administrative affairs of her husband’s businesses and setting up her own taxi company, Noémie was approached by other entrepreneurs who were overwhelmed by their administrative workload. Faced with this common challenge, she set up Sahaya to offer the self-employed, craftspeople, micro-businesses and SMEs reliable, thorough and bespoke administrative support, freeing up their time so they can focus on their core business.

In just six months of operation, Sahaya is already supporting seven clients from a variety of sectors – including taxi drivers, yoga teachers, electricians and a deep-tech start-up – and has two new support projects in the pipeline. Its growth is based on four core values: trust, listening, proximity and rigour.