Getting very small businesses ready for e-invoicing: a service worth launching?

Documented hypothesis · French demand not validated · observations checked on 24 October 2026

What we observed

The timetable is set: businesses established in France and liable for VAT must be able to receive electronic invoices since 1 September 2026, through an approved platform; issuing becomes mandatory for SMEs and micro-businesses on 1 September 2027. Compliance offers are already online:

Two positionings are already emerging: by channel (working for accounting firms) and by software (users of one specific tool).

Who it is for in France

Very small businesses that invoice with a spreadsheet, a till system or old industry software, and that will have to issue e-invoices in September 2027: tradespeople, shops, liberal professions. Their accountant is often their first point of contact.

The proposed angle (our hypothesis)

• One industry software package: users of a sector's quoting and invoicing software (construction, healthcare, repairs) all have the same connection question.
• One area: on-site support, in partnership with a few local accounting firms that don't have time for the technical side.
• The window has a date: after September 2027, demand shifts from setup to support.

The test

1. Pick a software package or an area. Contact five accounting firms: how many clients are not ready, and who is handling it?
2. Interview ten very small businesses: how do they invoice today, have they chosen an approved platform?
3. Offer three setups at a trial price and measure the time actually spent per client.

Continue if, stop if

Example criteria, to set before the test:

• Continue if at least one firm entrusts you with clients, or if the businesses pay for the setup without negotiating.
• Stop if the software vendor or the platform already does the connection for free, or if the time spent per client makes the price unsustainable.

The legal framework

• Approved platform: issuing, receiving and transmitting invoices goes through a platform approved by the authorities. A support service helps choose and configure one; it does not present itself as a platform if it is not on the official list.
• Chartered accounting: keeping, centralising or monitoring a company's accounts on its behalf is reserved for chartered accountants registered with the Ordre; practising illegally is a criminal offence. Configuring an invoicing tool is not keeping the accounts: keep that line clear in your offer and your contracts.
• Invoicing data: you access the business's invoices and its clients' contact details; a GDPR processor agreement (article 28) governs this access.

Before you launch

• Price the offer with the margin calculator and the launch budget: the amounts are your assumptions.
• During the test, getting paid for a pilot requires a legal structure: micro-entreprise or company.
• Detailed test method: validate an idea before setting up your company.

Method and limits

Offers found through web searches and on Product Hunt on 24 October 2026, based on their public pages; the list is not exhaustive. No third-party prices are quoted: check each website. The positioning is the one each offer states, not an assessment. The proposed angles and criteria are our hypotheses, to be confirmed by your own interviews.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to be an approved platform to help very small businesses move to e-invoicing?

Not to advise and configure. The transmission of invoices, however, goes through an approved platform on the official list.

Can a consultant keep their clients' accounts?

No. Keeping, centralising or monitoring a company's accounts on its behalf is reserved for chartered accountants registered with the Ordre (ordinance of 19 September 1945).