Corinne Zigah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cash Angel, an alternate investments business dedicated to portfolio management, education, and angel investment. Corinne’s main role as CEO is to build the team and also increase the impact of the business while her husband Xolali Zigah is the creative visionary. Together, they want to build a school program to better educate children about money and how to create and manage wealth.
Born and raised in the Parisian suburbs as the child of Portuguese immigrants, money was tight growing up. But even though she didn’t have money back then, Corinne’s carpenter father and seamstress mother were adamant about the importance of education. This persistence helped her establish her career years later. At some point in her life, she met finance guru Xolali Zigah through mutual friends in 2014. She eventually fell in love with him and she ended up marrying him in 2017. This marked a turning point in both her professional and personal life.
Already aware of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, thanks to Xolali, the duo decided after the wedding to build upon the education platform he had created through his first website to co-found Cash Angel. Three years later after co-founding Cash Angel, the couple has moved from the French capital to the French Riviera, where they have established company headquarters in Nice. As the CEO, Corinne wears several hats all at once. She believes that it’s an exciting time for the business, as people turn to alternate investments such as Bitcoin to safeguard against inflation. Corinne also hopes to inspire others in a similar situation to her through the creation of a community of female entrepreneurs.
InLife International recently caught up with Corinne to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur and here’s what went down:
When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?
I’m from an entrepreneurial family since my mother owned a tailor shop and my dad was a carpenter. I always had this mindset even when I was an employee. At some point when I was working, I felt that values were not aligned anymore with what I was doing. Then, when I became pregnant with my first child I decided to quit and become an entrepreneur.
How did your life look before being an entrepreneur?
I was an HR manager in a multinational company with 58, 000 employees called ADP (listed in NASDAQ 100). I was succeeding in this career because of my commitment to the company and my interpersonal relations.
As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you?
To be in perpetual discomfort. It’s for sure the hardest part of entrepreneurship but this is what excites me the most.
In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur and explain why.
Responsibility. A business is like a baby for me. You take care of it from the beginning, you have moments of doubts, fears, excitement, pride but you know that what happens to it is completely under your full responsibility.
What were your top three motivations for starting your business?
Freedom, family, and challenges.
What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?
Never wait for the right time, never chase perfection because it will lead to procrastination and surround yourself with people who are better than you at something, and then delegate. Remember that each time you fail you learn to get better afterward.
What are the three biggest challenges you have faced growing the business and how did you overcome them?
Having a newborn baby the first year of my entrepreneurial journey. Being a young mum and entrepreneur at the same time is not easy. I had a nanny coming to my events. I used to work early in the morning at around 4-5 am. Also, finding the right team. I had to fire people that didn’t match my expectations. Now we have a better process of recruitment in order to find great people to work with us. And lastly, working with my husband. It’s always a challenge but we decided to embrace it. When we are at work we are professional partners, very corporate, but at home, it’s completely different since we have 2 daughters of 16 and 32 months. However, to be honest, it’s still something we need to work on because we tend to change subjects when we are not supposed to.
What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?
In the beginning social network but today word of mouth.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
People come for you before coming for your product so don’t be afraid to be yourself all the time.
What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?
Be like a child, don’t be afraid to fall. Perseverance + consistency is the key to success. Don’t chase perfection and the perfect plan, chase the journey and build the plan throughout the journey. Be responsible and don’t look for excuses each time something doesn’t work for your business. Lastly, we are 100% responsible for our acts, our choices, and our life.
