Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz aren’t just ski resorts. There’s an active community with a combination of French and English residents, all looking to make a living and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Many of the area’s first residents came here to ski, but realising they’d need something to keep them in Mutzig and fondue, they’ve developed innovative ways to make a living from the area’s increasing popularity. With a bright idea, a bit of luck and a huge amount of hard work, these people have turned their Alpine dreams into reality and their accounts make for some pretty inspirational reading!
Cyril Papa – Getting snappy with Polaroid
“Renting out Polaroid cameras for both private and professional events across the three resorts is my business. I first noticed this as a business opportunity when planning my wedding last year; my wife and I wanted to do something original, but it would have been very expensive to buy a Polaroid for use on just one occasion. We thought this would be a fun idea for a business and started offering Polaroid’s for people to hire for their events about seven months ago. It has really taken off!
This is the perfect local business as so many people come to town to have fun and want to remember all their happy moments. All the tourism here provides the community with great opportunities for a range of different business opportunities. It is definitely something to nurture. We must be as welcoming as possible and show how proud we are of our village.
I’m a professional ice hockey player for the Penguins, so I can’t ski during the season anyway; the business gives me something to do in the afternoons, when I’m not training. MyPola is also a great way to meet new people even though it’s mostly online; designers, bloggers, web creators, a huge range of interesting people. This year I’ll be running Polaroid parties across Morzine’s bars and of course continuing to rent to holidaymakers. Then for the future I might think about expanding internationally, so keep your eyes peeled!”
Find MyPola online (my-pola.com), on Facebook (/mypola2013) or call +33 (0) 6 22 94 08 78
