Growing up in Madagascar, 32-year-old Synthia Bléomelen never imagined that she would run her own creative business in France.
“I met my Breton husband Yves in Madagascar,” she said, “and when we decided to get married, I came to Finistère. When I stepped off the plane in December 2015 in my miniskirt and summer clothes, that was a big shock!”
It took her a while to get used to the cultural differences and the language.
“My first jobs in France were as a home help for the elderly and in my spare time I started to do crafts, like my mum used to.
“I cannot tell you how much I love earrings and I love colour, so I started to make my own jewellery.
“I soon realised that the little beads and metal hoops you buy in hobby shops were not the best quality or hypoallergenic, so I needed to be more selective.”
She gradually managed to source better materials from professional networks and learned about working with leather, resin and polymer clays to get results that are durable and keep their colour.
From hobby to business
Sisi Kréa crafted earrings on displaySynthia Bléomelen
“Gradually, people asked if they could buy some of my earrings, so I tried a few local markets and it motivated me,” Synthia said.
“You could say that I started the business because I needed the space. I love creating, so to keep making more, I had to sell some stock!”
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At the end of 2021, Synthia started her own business, Sisi Kréa. She chose ‘Sisi’ as it is her husband’s nickname for her, and ‘Kréa’ because in her native language there’s no letter C, so it’s ‘creative’ with a Madagascan twist.
“My husband has always been really supportive,” she said. “We had a baby and a five-year-old, so I worked part-time and made jewellery at the kitchen table, and he would look after the children when I did summer markets and Christmas fairs.
“I love meeting people and learning what sells best – it is rarely what you think!”
One step further
A couple of years later, when her youngest child had started school, Synthia’s husband helped her to set up a workshop in their old utility room.
“It also has a separate entrance, which means that people can make appointments, and I do an ‘open house’ on Wednesdays, for clients to drop in and buy directly,” she said.
“In 2025, I did summer markets almost every day, and in Audierne they held an outdoor Christmas market for the first time. I rented a wooden cabin there from December 12 to January 4, which was tough, especially when the children were off school.
“I could do a bit of work on site, but it was a gamble to see if I would earn enough to cover the costs. Thankfully I did.”
Business practicalities
Synthia set up her business as a micro-entreprise because it has “minimal paperwork”.
She explained: “You only pay social charges based on what you earn, so if you don’t earn anything, you don’t pay, which helped me to test my business to see if it worked.
“There’s an upper limit of €77,700 as a micro-entreprise but I’m nowhere near that.
“It takes a lot of work even to earn minimum wage from crafting, so it is good to keep a part-time job to begin with.
“I had an Etsy store for a while but the costs soared, so I am closing that and planning my own website.”
One of the hardest challenges, Synthia said, is finding the right price: “You need to cover the costs of your materials and market stand, but you cannot pay yourself an hourly rate because nobody would pay those prices.
“Some people think I buy everything ready-made and just assemble it, but I genuinely create my jewellery. That is another advantage of having an open workshop, because people who care about handmade items can see where and how I work.”
Given that French is Synthia’s second language, she still sometimes feels self-conscious or lacks confidence.
“At the same time, people tell me that because I am not French I stand out – for how I speak, for how I dress and for the fact that I am always laughing!”
“I just love doing this. I am in my little workshop until the school day ends, and sometimes I go back to it in the evening.
“Working for myself gives me flexibility and I try to get the balance right. You have to juggle family time with selling your products, creating, ordering materials, keeping enough stock and also posting on social media. You need to be very organised, and I am not the best at that!”
Her advice for other creatives looking to make money out of their passion? “Dare to try. If you love what you are doing, it is well worth it.”
Find Sisi on Instagram (@sisikrea29) or Facebook (SisiKréa).
Micro-entreprise essentials
A micro-entrepreneur is essentially the same as being freelance, self-employed or, in French, an auto-entrepreneur or travailleur indépendant.
You can start a micro-entreprise alongside a salaried job.
You don’t need a lump sum to set up a micro-entreprise or special accounting – you simply need to open a separate business account.
You can opt to declare your earnings each month online and you only pay social charges based on your income. Social charges for a micro-entreprise are approximately 24%.
There is a limit to what you can earn as a micro-entreprise – €77,700 for craft and manual activities or services such as teaching and coaching, or €188,700 for commercial activities such as reselling products online or for catering.
As a micro-entreprise, you have lower benefits for sick leave or pensions.
