Michele: Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to software social.
This week, we have part two of my conversation with
Lucie Baratte of logology.
I have a totally different.
Kind of burning question for you.
Lucie: Okay.
Okay.
Go ahead.
Michele: So, you and Dagobert are married.
Um, It sounds like you were married shortly before you had
the idea to launch logology, if the idea came on your honeymoon.
Right?
So one of my favorite sort of sub-themes of Dagobert's memes, which
by if, you haven't seen Dagobert's memes, we'll have to link to
it from the show notes, but he just.
Post lots of funny entrepreneurship memes, on Twitter, but one of my
favorite sort of sub-themes in there is how your father is this like
unspoken character, um, in his memes.
There will be like ones, you know, all these ones about like, you know,
how his father-in-law is like, oh, like you're not making any money.
Like, why did you like quit your corporate job to make nothing like,
you know, and basically just kind of ragging on him for, like, not being
more successful or, kind of being an entrepreneur doing something more risky.
I dunno if you've ever seen, you know, us this an American show, but like the
big bang theory where Howard's mother is this character that, you know, and
there's some theater name for this.
So I know we have some theater fans listening, so I apologize.
I don't remember the name of it, but you'll have to tell me of a
character who is only seen off stage, but is very much like a character.
In these memes.
And I'm just curious how you feel about that.
And also like, does your dad know that he's this character in.
Lucie: Well, um, my dad doesn't know about it.
I want to say yet because I'm afraid he will soon.
Um, well, I'm sometimes anxious about this, but de Dagobert is very
confident in saying, I don't care.
He can look at it.
I can explain myself and you know, it's true.
And I was just like, yeah, you know, I know it's true, but, um,
I'm afraid of the family of the consequences, you know, in my family.
Michele: The dirty laundry and.
Lucie: Well, I, I, yeah.
I don't like, uh, conflict that much.
But I have to say that, these meme about my father, brought
me so much relief myself.
I really needed to laugh about it with Dagobert be and with everyone on Twitter
because it hasn't been a very, I would say easy relationship with my, father.
I am the only, daughter.
I have three little brothers.
Sometimes I think I was, uh, raised like, uh, a boy.
But yeah, it was hard.
My.
I have to admit to say also that there is a family history about creating his own
business and being a founder, so it's a long story that was, uh, that began in
the early my great, great grandfather.
Everyone in my family was a founder, but was only men.
Only men were founders.
Only men were able to run a business.
And the sad story is that, my grandfather lost the business that was launched by
my grand grand father and maintained by my grandfather and my grandfather
didn't, manage to maintain it.
And it was something of, I think, a big disappointment and certainly
something about shame for my grandfather.
And so my father inherited of this dynamic and when he was in his
30, he launched himself a business in the industry, but it fell.
And I, I knew my father, I have to say quite depressed this last
30, 30 years, he has now become a teacher in business creation.
So yeah, he, well, I'm not completely at ease to say things
about him, on the podcast.
But since I feel like we are in a, casual conversation, I have to say that
it's difficult for me to, deal with his, um, personal is, um, personality
of, very negative and, and grumpy.
And it's never enough, or, uh, it's always, uh, be careful, you're gonna
fall, be careful you're gonna fail.
And when you fail and say, uh, I told you so, so it's difficult
to grow with this kind of energy.
And I, just got, uh, 40 years old last year, so I had to deal
with, how I'm gonna finally.
Be get read of this image that is putting on me and that is putting on
Dagobert and on our business, because he was kept on saying that it
was not gonna work, that we should stop.
And you know, when you are in the, hardest part of the journey, well, I hope it was
the hardest part of the journey and, but when you are in this very, dark times,
the last thing you need is someone, who's supposed to love you saying you are
not gonna make it and you are not able to do this and please stop now because
you are making yourself ridiculous.
Michele: Mm.
He
Lucie: So it's so, uh, It's such a relief to be able to laugh about this.
And for Dagobert, it's a bit different because, uh, well,
Dagobert is younger than me.
He's eight years younger than me.
It was not easy for him to stand, how it is the expression.
Yeah.
Stand in front of my father when you don't
Michele: stand up to him almost.
Lucie: stand up to him
Michele: up for himself and for you.
Yeah.
Lucie: It doesn't have so much experience for example.
And, all we had was the vision, the passion . the desire and the conviction
that, well, the idea that we can make it for the moment, we don't know how
we are not successful, but we know something is good in this and it can work.
We just have to have more time to make it work well.
So it was, very difficult last year.
Uh, like we were not, um, making so much money.
It's been already, three years, two year and a half working on logology.
So we were quite disparate, not finding the good marketing solutions and
marketing was not our first talent.
I would say obviously like, like many, tech developer or designer,
like me, the first thing you think is not marketing, but we had to learn.
So Dagobert begin to make, uh, these memes and yes, it was interesting
to see that we are not alone.
And Dagobert, I think discovered that he was not alone in this.
I would say male competition too, you know, because it's
something about boys and men.
Like it's not only my father, it's sometimes my brother, you know, when
they are all together and uh, which one is making the most money, which
one is the strongest and you know, I'm sorry, but I think this is kind
of childish, stupid, uh, men game.
And it's complicated because even if you don't want to be in the game, people
will always, put you back on the ring.
Is it the good word, the ring when you go boxing
Michele: Yeah.
Lucie: And so you have to find the right, uh, posture and it's not easy.
When you take punches in your face to stay, clear that
it is okay, I can do this.
I don't have to be the ashamed of myself.
And I can laugh about the situation because yeah, in a way, it's funny, if
you think about this, like this, uh, grumpy character saying, find a job.
Yeah, that was very funny because my, father on the other side, he really,
I think, tried to help, help us.
Like for him, it was something to help us.
He gave us, yeah, some useful advices, some useful tips, but, one day it
was very funny because, Dagobert was talking with him and he realized
that the plan, the great idea of my father helping us was in the end to
close the business and say goodbye.
And I was like, what?
, It's not the solution.
Well, it's not the solution that I want.
That is very interesting, but also that my father is someone.
So, I would say yeah.
Interest in businesses and entrepreneurship and who is, like I said,
uh, teaching entrepreneurship to students.
But on the other hand, it's someone who doesn't like to take risk.
He hates risk.
He hates, not to know what to do.
So , it's not like someone going with the flow, you know, it's, not
this kind of personality for him.
So that's a very paradoxical, personality, which is interesting.
It's about the variety of, uh, human, personality and it's uh, yeah, it's
very good that we could laugh about this, but I'm still a little bit afraid.
Like if my father watched this, so see this, or if my father
listened to this podcast, hi dad.
Um, no harm taken.
Michele: Yeah.
Lucie: Let's talk about this.
I, tried to talk about this a few times, but it's very, um, difficult and it's
also, I think a conflict of generation.
My father comes from industry.
He doesn't know about digital and apps and all this seems a
little bit odd to him, obviously.
And we are in a generation of, exploring all the possibilities
of take nowadays, even with no code, you can do so many things.
And, so yeah, it's two different worlds who can't get to
understand really each other's.
But now lately, it's easier with my dad.
I think that now that we are making money a little bit enough to get
one salary and, and it's growing and logology is growing and growing
each month and it's so exciting.
And, uh, they go siding and, uh, Dagobert, has so many followers and, and a rich
community, with people is sharing so much, My father is slowly changing his
mind about technology slowly, slowly.
Is still a little bit suspicious, like, Hmm.
Maybe you'll fail at the end of the year, but you know, it's, it's a, I think,
sorry, dad, but it's a dumb philosophy to think like this because yes, we'll
fail obviously in something someday, like a failure is just part of living.
And I think to me, with all this history family of, fails and men and
patriarchy, I really don't want, I, I think I reject this philosophy because
I can't see, I can't see failure.
I think I can't accept it.
I think when you accept failure, you are dying a little bit.
You think like you are dying a little bit and it doesn't mean you can't, take
failure and say, okay, I fell on this.
Okay.
This failed, but it's already something part of the way.
Okay.
I fell on this, but let's go on something else and keep on, running and
keep on, uh, you know, like you are an athlete in your head, I love I'm.
I'm not good at sports, but I'm fascinated by the mental preparation of the athletes.
Well, you felt okay.
You felt, but if you go on and you keep on running, well,
you won't remember the fail.
You would just take it, maybe do something about it, but not stay
with it because when you stay with it, you can't take risk anymore.
You can't be alive anymore, or you can't, you.
See this.
And lately recently, my father and my mom, uh, said to me, well, look
at the situation with logology.
Do you really think you're gonna make money with this?
Because look, last year you did this and you were wrong and we knew you were
wrong and you still did the mistake.
And I say, what can I say?
I did a mistake.
We did a mistake.
Yes.
We lose a lot of money.
We, uh, it was very expensive and not only money because money is not the
end of the world is just a part of the problem, but it was very hard on us.
And what can I say, I made this mistake and I'm gonna make
other mistakes in the future.
I have to say to you, other mistakes will be done.
and you've got to get prepared, but I think, and I believe, logology.
I know we can do something.
I know it can be great.
And I have to do this because otherwise, why are we living for, if we don't,
you know, follow the desire and just listen to can, maybe with it won't work.
Cuz it's the same with relationships you have to, uh, would say, nourish
the trust and it's nourishing the desire, nourishing the trust.
Well, it doesn't mean you have to be, uh, completely, I don't know
the, the world in English, but when you do, obviously dangerous thing.
It's not that.
But when people say, when one say listen to your heart,
well, your heart is not wrong.
When you listen to your heart, you know, you can trust something.
There is here, there is a rock inside us.
Where you can land and you were talking about road trips and what's beautiful
when you are in a car and especially United States because wow, the landscapes
are so beautiful and it is so big.
It's very different from Europe.
There is beautiful landscape in Europe.
I'm not saying, but you can drive 10 hours in not, uh, seeing anyone.
So that's an experience for Europeans like me yeah, for me, it's something.
And you know, it's like, you are watching the lab landscapes.
You are watching mountains and country and, and yet you are not moving.
Like the car is moving, but you are not moving.
You stay still.
So it's like meditation in a bit, like when you meditate and you can
look at what's happening when you watch a movie and things are happening
and you are still, uh, sit on your chair and you know what I mean?
It's like the world is always movement.
The thinking is always in movement.
The emotions are always in movement.
And in the same time, you are always still.
You are always here ways here.
Your heart is always inside of you.
It's just, uh, like a gym it's not easy to do, but yeah, maybe because I'm 40 I
have time to, to reflect on these and no.
So you can't, um, you have to know, certainly you have to know when to
stop and not to get sick of working too much because otherwise, the subject,
the idea is not to forgot about yourself is about trust in your guts.
So yeah, trust my guts.
And I know I will make mistakes in the future, but I refuse
to see it as a failure.
Michele: Mean, I guess we, you know, sort of having empathy for your father
here, you know, he carries so much shame.
It sounds like right?
The shame of watching his father's business collapse that was in
the family for generations.
I'm, sure that brought him tremendous, uh, shame or, or was put upon him
and then him saying, no, I can do it.
I'll have my own business.
And then his own business failing and effectively retraumatizing him.
Like he, he sounds traumatized by these business failures.
And when you are cloaked in shame, you don't have a process to, uh,
really process those in a healthy way.
When you don't feel like you can talk about the failure and say, yep,
this was a failure and I'm going on to the next thing and that's okay.
You know, but socially having that shame thrust upon you and then also
internally thrusting it upon you.
It, it also, you know, you described him as kind of
depressed, like it's isolating.
Right.
And, you know, I love how, um, Brene brown says that the only feeling
worse than shame is feeling alone.
Um, and so often that feeling of shame leads people to feel alone, feel that
they're the only ones in that situation.
And then, when you have gone through a trauma, it's very normal to try
to prevent anybody who love from going through that same trauma.
And so he is sort of trying to protect you from that trauma, but in a way that
is actually not healthy for you, right.
That it does, does not see you for you and see you for your own potential and
for your business, for its own potential.
And also regard your business as, a stepping stone.
It's, you know, a, growth mindset in so many ways is it shows how
hard that is to step into from a position of unresolved trauma.
And so I think we can kind of forgive people for not being able to take on
that growth mindset when, when their own trauma is unresolved and they haven't
had the opportunity to resolve it.
But then I can, I can see for you, you know, curse breakers, like,
I feel like you, you're kind of a generational curse breaker here.
Um, and you have to have that chip on your shoulder.
You really do cuz you have that vision for what you wanna do and,
and that empathy for your customers.
And I think that's, so important.
But it's also, you know, I think this kind of situation you're in and I
think is why Dagobert's memes resonate so widely too is because
this kind of thinking that why would you leave a stable corporate job?
Why would you leave your stable agency job to start this business where you
didn't make any money for at least a year?
Like, There's a perspective of, you know, especially in families where either there
hasn't been entrepreneurship or there's a history of financial instability or
not having enough money that, you know, when you get to the point of having
a stable paycheck, like, that's it.
You've achieved it.
That's success.
Why would you want anything else beyond that?
Right.
And, and this is a very common mindset.
And for people who are starting their own businesses, getting over that
hurdle of their upbringing and what it tells them is normal and expected.
And what's safe for them, whether risk is safe for them, right?
Those are very common.
And I think that's why, you know, his memes and, the character of your
father, which, you know, I guess if your father is listening, um, hello, Mr.
Barratte, um, you know, um, it's not just him as a person that's resonating, right?
It's what that character represents.
And that represents that voice, whether it's in somebody's head or
it is a family member, or it's their old boss or an old coworker, or a
friend who's saying like, who do you think you are to make a business work?
And it takes a lot of resolve and passion and vision, which all of
which I see in you to say, yep.
I understand that, it's totally crazy, but I'm gonna do it.
And if I fail, that's just my first step.
There's gonna be others.
And then people look at you and they're like, yeah.
Okay, fine.
Right.
Like, but you gotta have that chip on your shoulder of, passion.
Lucie: Thank you, Michelle.
Um, yeah, and also I think, that's why another thing that resonates so much
with everyone is that the generational, our parents or grandparents, they did
so much to conform to, uh, society.
I would say like, uh, what was the dream of my grandfather, my grandfather.
He wanted to, well to run the business that he inherited from his father,
but also just to have a stable job, to make money for his family, that,
he could protect his family, that all his children will be healthy
and they will have opportunity to also have a family make =money, be
happy and, you know, buy a house.
Michele: Yeah.
Is he the world war II generation?
Lucie: Yes,
Michele: Yeah, exactly.
They're very strong, understandable drive for stability, which is
very understandable.
Yeah.
Lucie: Yes, completely.
And, in my family, there were, uh, terrible, stories about war.
They were traumatized by this because my great, grandfather was killed by, the
Nazis in a terrible story in the village.
Well, so all this leads to people want to have more stability and for the
last, dozens of, decades around the last decade and, people want, to, just have.
I would say with the quotes, like normal, what they call
normal life, what is normal life?
Normal life is stability, comfort, and yeah, you could
do every sacrifice to go there.
And sometimes I'm wondering, if my father wanted so much to run a business,
maybe would have been happier to say, okay, I, I am, uh, full-time employed
in this company and it's okay for me.
Maybe he had to fix something from the past.
That was not his thing, but for many parents and grandparents, the
image of success for us is not, taking risk, uh, making apps with no
users or, uh, it's yeah, it's, um, it's another vision of the world.
And I also think that my generation and the generation that is coming
after my, after us, after me is not so keen about working at any cost.
Like you don't want to be in the biggest company ever, or you don't
think of your career in the same company, for years, like before you
want to travel, you want to experiment, you want to know who you are.
You want to find yourself.
And I think all the thing that we are talking about, uh, self development
and, uh, wellness is something that.
My generation and the people younger are feeling deeply and we are not ready
to make the same sacrifices that our parents made and our grandparents before.
Michele: And I guess we have not, you know, and speaking of me personally,
as an American, you know, you as a European, this also, this varies quite
greatly from country to country, right?
Or as a French person even, right because there's massive trauma
going on within, Europe right now.
We have not had those same debilitating sort of society
wide traumas that they had.
And that's just, that does us personally, we've had other traumas that we've
gone through, um, in terms of, you know, recession and, financial crisis.
I know that I mean, that really held me back going full time.
Like, I mean, I was in my first week of college and I remember just, everybody
I say, running around just, kind of like chickens with our heads cut off because
everybody's college fund was gone.
Right.
And that's a very American experience of that.
My husband, who was in Denmark, who was paid to go to college,
like it was free, you know?
I mean, he, wasn't really aware of it versus for us, you know, I mean,
our parents had saved for, you know, 18, 20 years for us to go to college.
And then all of a sudden the money is just gone.
And you know, people's parents losing jobs and while we were in school
and like not knowing if you could come back the next semester, right.
And that very much influenced my own perspective on starting my
own business because I was like, I ha you know, this is great.
You know, I have a great, like full-time job that I love and we
have this side business that's allowed me to pay down my debt again,
very American perspective here.
Like, I, I remember like getting to pay down all of my student loans, right?
With money from geo geocodio that gave me the extra money
to do that in the early days.
And that was so liberating.
But then it got to a point where it's like, well, I don't
need anything beyond that.
Paying off my student loans early, that's a huge mark of success, right?
Cuz many people are paying student loans, their whole life for both, for
themselves and for their children.
And so it was really hard for me to wrap my head around, well,
why would I do something else?
And then eventually the business just got to a point where we had to go full
time on it, in order to keep it going.
But I think we all carry these sort of, you know, we have
individual traumas right.
In our own lives, but then there's also sort of there's generational traumas.
There's there's social traumas that we carry that impact how we think
about running our own businesses and, whether we are ready to do that.
And whether that's a risk that we want to take in our own lives and how we react to
kind of failure and, instability, I feel like it's something we don't really talk
about enough as an entrepreneur community.
You know, you kind of hear people make snippy comments about how, you
know, entrepreneurs who get a ton of venture capital, like they're
often from wealthy families because if they fail, it doesn't matter.
Right.
But I think there's something.
First of all.
I think there's something to that.
The fact that knowing that if you fail you're, not gonna
fall through the floor, right?
There's gonna be something that catches you.
But I also think we need to talk more about that, um, that feeling,
that people, that face from their own families or their communities, that
entrepreneurship isn't something for them.
And that just choosing the stable option is the most responsible thing, which is, I
think something I felt as a parent, I felt like it was the most responsible thing
to keep running the business as a side business, even though it would've, I, I
wrestled with this quite a bit, actually.
It was whether I was like, well, I feel like it's the most responsible
thing for me to work full time and do a side business, but I know it would
make me happier to run a business.
And, but I feel like it's the best thing for my family, for me to keep
having a job and I remember a friend saying to me, like, you know, if you are
happier, like you'll be a better parent.
You'll be a better spouse.
You'll be a happier person.
That's worth something.
And, you know, and then someone else was like, ever since I met you,
you've wanted to run a business.
And now you have the chance, like why, why , why are you even, you
know, considering this, right.
But like, we have those, the things that we carry, right.
Lucie: Yeah, it's so completely normal and beautiful because as a mother, I can
imagine, uh, much you want to protect your kids and what you were speaking.
I was thinking of, we are speaking of the past and the trauma of the past, from your
country or my country and the different family history or country history.
But also I was thinking of the future and maybe also the perspective we
have on the future is not the same.
For example, nowadays we spoke about a lot of climate change.
And I know this is a very anxious feeling for a lot of people and we can't
respond to it everyone in the same way, like some will say, okay, so maybe
we'll die in 10 years, so let's do whatever we want and others will say,
okay, I wanna protect what I've got.
I wanna protect my family first.
And I'm not saying when you are an entrepreneur, you can protect your family.
Obviously you are, I'm sure you're protecting your kids and doing your job.
As an entrepreneur is something I, I agree with your, friends is something
better, because you're happier.
So it's good for the children, but it's a complicated question.
Michele: A big topic.
Lucie: Yeah, very interesting one too, but I'm not sure we
have the time speak about it.
Michele: I'm uh,
Lucie: love to, I would love to
Michele: I feel like we could just
Lucie: with this.
Yes.
I would love to talk about you more.
It's so good to have, this conversation with you and to share all this with you.
I have so many question for you.
Um, I would love to talk even talking about the subject of children, because we
are both, women, and both entrepreneurs.
And I think it's a subject we don't speak so much.
Uh, and so it's very, relieved and comforting to speak with you
today, all this sensitive subject.
Michele: Yeah.
Lucie: I dunno, it's a good word, but
Michele: I'm uh, yeah, we'll have to have you on again, but I, yeah.
I'm so grateful for your, openness and your, vulnerability, about this.
Lucie: Thank you for Your welcome and, uh, kindness.
Thank you very much.
Michele: Well, Lucy Baratte, co-founder and art director of logology.
Um, If people wanna find out more about logology or about
you, where should they go?
Lucie: They should go on logology.co doco or on the Twitter profile of
logology and Instagram on Facebook.
And they also can find me on Twitter on Instagram or Dagobert.
Michele: Of course.
Lucie: Yeah, of course.
Michele: All right.
Well, thank you.
Lucie: To see, um, to
Michele: The memes.
I will, I
Lucie: The memes.
Yeah.
Michele: Okay.
Thank
Lucie: thank you very much.
Thank you so much, Michelle.
It was a pleasure to talk to you today.
Michele: Likewise.
Lucie: much.
Michele: Thanks again to Lucy for joining me, I think, as you can tell,
um, I really enjoyed talking to her and felt like we could have just
gone on forever and, really felt like I had to cut off the conversation.
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