From Consulting to Cargo Bikes: Amélie Guicheney’s Career Leap

In 2021, Amélie Guicheney co-founded Gaya, a French brand that designs electric cargo bikes for families, turning a personal conviction into a business. Her path there, however, included an intentional detour that many professionals might dismiss as a step backwards.

After eight years at a small consultancy where she felt she had stopped learning, Guicheney joined travel startup Evaneos in a role with less seniority—and a lower salary—than her consulting position. She accepted the offer anyway because she saw it as a chance to acquire new skills in a completely different environment. “I was ready to earn less for a few years if it meant I could keep learning,” she explains. Nine months later she was promoted to a equivalent level of responsibility, and she eventually joined the company’s executive committee.

That experience cemented a philosophy she’d pass on to her own children: a career is a marathon, not a sprint, and you should sometimes make moves that appear to regress in order to leap forward later. She also stresses the value of aligning work with personal values, noting that since founding Gaya, deep passion for the mission gives her energy through tough periods.

Guicheney admits she neglected networking earlier in her career, but now sees it as a critical accelerator. She has started joining professional associations and clubs to build relationships she once overlooked. Her final advice: “Don’t put excessive pressure on yourself in the first years. A career lasts forty years.”

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The Real Lessons Behind a Step Backwards

The ‘Reculer pour Mieux Sauter’ Move

Guicheney’s leap from a comfortable consulting job to a less prestigious, lower-paid role at Evaneos might look like a setback on paper. But she framed it as an investment in her own employability—a bet that acquiring new skills would pay off faster than staying put. The data from her own story supports the logic: within nine months she regained her seniority and continued climbing. The key insight is that titles and immediate compensation can be less valuable than the learning curve a new industry provides.

Why Learning Trumped Immediate Pay

Her rationale goes beyond a personal anecdote. In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly shifting demanded skill sets, Guicheney argues that continuous learning is the only way to stay relevant. Accepting a position where she didn’t tick every box forced her to adapt, and it ultimately made her more versatile. This mirrors a broader career trend: professionals who move laterally or slightly downwards into high-growth fields often end up with more options than those who cling to a static role.

The Networking Blind Spot

Guicheney’s candid admission that she “didn’t network well” earlier is a reminder that even accomplished leaders can neglect relationship-building. By deliberately joining industry associations and clubs, she now treats connections as a professional tool, not an afterthought. Her story underscores that networking is not about quantity but about strategic access to ideas and solutions you wouldn’t otherwise encounter.

Applying the ‘Step Back to Spring Forward’ Mindset

  • If a job offer provides exposure to a new sector or skills you lack, treat a temporary pay cut as an investment in your long-term employability—Guicheney regained her seniority within nine months at Evaneos.
  • Treat your career as a forty-year marathon, not a sprint; avoid the pressure to have everything figured out in your first few working years.
  • Build professional relationships early. Join an industry association, club or community that aligns with your field—Guicheney only started doing this later and considers it a missed accelerator.
  • Seek roles that genuinely excite you. Passion for the mission, she says, provides the extra drive needed to perform when work gets tough.