Tanguy Bard de Coutance: Nocode, AI and Ecological Communication

At just 35, Tanguy runs an ecological communications company, Biodegr'AD, alongside his two partners. Always on the lookout for knowledge and innovation, he embarked on the 30-hour online training delivered by Alegria.academy with the aim of automating all his company's processes. 💪

Between his career path, his various projects and his challenges, Tanguy tells you all about it! 🤩

His background

Tanguy's story began at university, where he studied economics and sociology at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. It was in this academic environment that he discovered his vocation for entrepreneurship. In parallel with his degree, in 2012 he took a University Diploma (DU) dedicated to student entrepreneurs, an avant-garde initiative at the time: "Lyon 3 was one of the first universities to offer such a program, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to take the plunge!"

This DU, associated with the "Pépites" program, enables students to capitalize on their experience by setting up their own business while obtaining a diploma: "This program offers unique support with juries made up of specialists from a variety of backgrounds, from law to incubator management, not forgetting professionals from the public sphere, so it was really formative".

The result was Biodégr'AD, which he founded with two partners. Biodégr'AD is a company whose mission is to revolutionize communication by focusing on ecology. Their objective is clear: to enable local authorities, major groups and even small associations to communicate in a responsible and environmentally-friendly way. Tanguy's team is now working on large-scale projects such as the Olympic Games and the Tour de France, which also rely on ecology to promote their events.

One of Biodegr'AD's flagship innovations is ecological pavement marking. Using high-pressure water sprayers, they create markings via stencils, transforming sidewalks into environmentally-friendly communication media. The second ecological communication technique used by Biodegr'AD is the use of aerosol chalk. 

The introduction of NoCode was a real revolution for Biodegr'AD. "Thanks to NoCode, I've been able to automate all our tasks! It's made us more productive, reduced human error and simplified processes for the teams in the field," confides Tanguy.
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Discovering NoCode and AI 

It all begins in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tanguy, seeking to optimize his company's processes, comes up against the complexity of accounting tasks: "It's a boring part that didn't really interest me," he admits.

Tanguy and his team began automating their accounting process using a variety of tools. They set up a CRM to manage invoices, and used optical recognition software to automatically extract data from documents. "We started automating our accounting process with accounting software, as well as our invoicing process via a CRM," he explains.
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In 2020, Tanguy discovered QuickBooks and Sellsy software, but ended up opting for more robust alternatives such as Folk and Ipaidthat. "QuickBooks withdrew from the French market and its support was poor. As for Sellsy, it was very expensive for few users and doesn't support native NoCode, even though it's a very good software with open APIs!" he recalls. It wasn't until 2021-2022 that Tanguy really discovered the potential of NoCode with tools like Zapier: "I said to myself 'I don't understand why I didn't get into it sooner! However, he began to integrate these tools into his business, which considerably improved efficiency and reduced costs.

In 2023, Tanguy decided to get serious about NoCode and enrolled in Alegria.academy's 30-hour online training course. "If I'm going to save time, I might as well get some training," he says. He also sees AI as a valuable ally, using it daily to train and solve problems. "AI is a helper, an assistant," he says. However, he recognizes that AI is no substitute for human expertise, citing an example where Shana Cohen, our Alegria.academy expert and coach, was able to solve a problem in ten minutes that the AI had failed to understand.

Tanguy emphasizes the economic and time advantages of NoCode. In 2015, he had spent 15,000 euros to develop an internal dashboard and application, which he finally did on his own thanks to NoCode 8 years later. Thanks to NoCode and training, he was able to achieve much better results for a fraction of the cost. "With the training and the tools, I was able to automate everything and develop my in-house application. All this on a budget of between 1,000 and 2,000 euros in just 4 months - that's time and money saved!" he concludes.

How he uses it every day

Always on the lookout for new optimization opportunities, Tanguy integrates NoCode and AI into his daily professional life. However, he prefers to leave room for spontaneity in his personal life. "I don't use AI or NoCode in my personal life," he admits. However, he does use the Notion tool to organize himself, which he describes as "a spreadsheet, not especially like NoCode, because I don't automate anything from the tool. It's like a diary where I write down my ideas".

In his professional environment, Tanguy takes a radically different approach. He seeks to automate everything he can. "I've reached almost 90% automation in my company, so that I have time to do new things," he explains. This philosophy enables him to concentrate on higher value-added tasks, optimizing his efficiency and that of his company.

Tanguy's technical stack

Tanguy was able to optimize his company's processes thanks to a meticulously designed technical stack. His first step was to completely redesign the Biodegr'AD website with Webflow. Once the site was up and running, Tanguy integrated Webflow with Folk to manage all customer interactions, automating many of the administrative tasks involved in sales.

For project management and invoicing, he uses Notion. This platform enables him to centralize all his project information and track the progress of each task. He then uses Ipaidthat to automatically generate invoices from data collected on Folk and Notion.

Tanguy, who is committed to Google tools, also uses AppSheet linked to Google Maps to create the application for teams in the field, notably by integrating Google Maps to manage service rounds. At the heart of his automation system is Make, with a dozen or so scenarios in place for automatic data transfer between different applications.

At the end of March, Tanguy finalized the whole process of automating his company. "It took me between 3 and 4 months, from mid-December to the end of March. I spent weekends working non-stop. I wanted to get this up and running fast, and I've got a business to run on the side, so it was necessary!"

What he's most proud of

"I'm proud of the fact that I'm always ready for change, always curious, and always eager to learn," he confides. For him, these qualities are essential, especially in the age of artificial intelligence and constantly evolving technologies. He sees openness to change as crucial to adapting to the new realities of the professional world: "For me, even more so with AI on the way, I think these are the future qualities that human beings must have," he asserts.

He also stresses the importance of getting out of one's comfort zone. "You have to be open to change, because when you're in a rut you don't want to change," he explains. This philosophy has helped him to embark on new projects and adopt innovative technologies such as NoCode and AI. It's this open-mindedness that has enabled him to stay at the cutting edge of his field and continue to innovate.

Tanguy's cheat codes

Without further ado, here are Tanguy's tips for succeeding and thriving in the dynamic world of NoCode and AI :

1. Always be curious: Curiosity is the driving force behind innovation. Never stop exploring new ideas and technologies.
2. Be creative: Even if your ideas seem far-fetched, you can structure them later. Creativity is the key to finding unique solutions.
3. Always be eager to learn: A thirst for knowledge is the key to staying up to date and adapting to the fast-changing world of technology.
4. Always be open to change: "Because the older you get, the less open you are to change," he says. Openness to change is a vital skill for staying relevant and competitive.

By following this advice, Tanguy believes that everyone can not only survive, but thrive in the ever-changing world of NoCode and AI!

What next? 

For Tanguy Bard from Coutance, the future is full of new opportunities and exciting projects. "I want to start new projects, which is also why I got into NoCode," he confides. As new projects, he mentions his possible launch as a freelancer or NoCode coach in the years to come.

Tanguy sees NoCode as a way of realizing new projects, exploring new ideas and sharing his knowledge with others. His ambition is to continue learning, adapting and innovating, while helping others to do the same. His passion for change and constant learning is what drives him to consider these new career paths.
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We wish him every success in all his projects!