FMW: You began your journey as an Entrepreneur at 26, with zero resources. Share your experience.
It seems like it is in another life:) my 26th version and the last 6 years. Entrepreneurship will demand all your focus, discipline, determination, and it is the most transformational journey both on a personal, professional, and spiritual level. I started my career at 19 years old in a multinational company, ING Bank in Bucharest, learning business, organizational culture, customer service, communication, business strategy. After 5 years in the corporate field, I felt I would love to see the CSR field as well, so I joined the international NGO for leaders Junior Chamber International, which brought me to a collaboration with the EU Commission on the Equality Pays Off project, in 2013. In this project about gender equality, I discovered my passion for this field, I always advocated for women empowerment but now I was sure that this is my path, inspired by my grandmother’s life and my business experience in the corporate world.
I started building my social entrepreneurship business, the business plan, the brand, and searched for an investor to build my online platform- step 1. Step 2- on my 26th birthday I left the corporate world and became an entrepreneur. Next step3, was to find a mentor and subscribe to networking events, business events, build my social media channels and my personal brand. I built day by day, year by year, for 6 years my business, working 12 hours a day, sometimes, more, weekends as well 90% of them. I never thought that I will fail, I just launched myself in this journey and worked to build my better, wiser self every day, year after year. I encountered many challenges, temporary failure, health challenges, but as well the most beautiful experiences. It is hard, exciting, beautiful, and transformational.
FWM: How important is collaboration to success?
In my experience building Elite Business Women, collaboration is the key. Imagine EBW is a company 100 % built in collaboration with our Elite Ambassadors, who run our Elite Business Clubs in regions, or countries, with an events license contract and business model. All our actions are built on partnerships with other Organisations and people. Imagine you have a dream to build an educational ecosystem but you are lacking all the resources to make it happen. In collaboration, you will find people with the same dream, put your efforts and resources together, and make it happen! I do say it is extremely important to choose well your partners, personal values are the foundation of a business, so know your partners before signing. I made a lot of mistakes, my first investor, was a mistake. As well, friends and business, is not a good combination and a contract from day 1 will save your life or business. Otherwise, on a spiritual level, people are our mirrors, they will mirror back our beliefs, behaviors, or will make us heal and grow.
FWM: You created a highly-visible online community organically. Share a few of your secrets.
I believe in authenticity in everything I do! I believe that passion is contagious! I believe that truth is the best brand Ambassador! Speak your truth, treat people as you would love to be treated, keep your true self even when you are a public figure. I am the same when I am on a national or international TV, Radio, or press as I am when you meet me in private over a coffee. I love what I do and this gives me energy and I give 100% in every action. As a strategy, I believe in a personal brand, networking, social media, and collaboration. Build your personal brand, communicate your brand online, offline, and in the press, at the same time. People only use one channel and they think a personal brand is a story invented by PR companies. Is not.
- When you have a strong personal brand, sharing your core values and a companies values, people will start sharing your vision and mission and get involved.
- Your presence on Social Media is important to build a community. But the most important is how you communicate, what value you bring to your community/niche/market
- Another important thing is that your WORD is your brand, deliver on your promises.
4. Networking is essential. Go and meet your clients in person, build relationships with them. And be honest, admit when you are wrong and apologize!
FWM: When we talk about building a personal brand. What is the most important?
I will say your values are your foundation and the most important thing! If it is clear to you what values you have, who you are, on this foundation you can undoubtedly build! No matter if you are a sportsman, a farmer, an entrepreneur, an artist, it’s perfect, you know who you are and that’s where we start with the construction part! Yes, of course, the quality of your work, your professionalism are key to building your business. As well, when success will come, and it will come if you work and create with passion and responsibility, don’t forget who you are, don’t change to fit into society stereotype on success. I am always told that I am too friendly for an international business woman, that I laugh too much in public and I help people and it is not appropriate for my brand.
FMW: What are some of the challenges Entrepreneurs are having today? How is Elite Business Women helping others?
I think the most common mistake for start ups is that they don’t build their identity- mission, vision, values, story at the beginning. As well that they don’t take serious the brand communication. Create your identity as a company and build your strategy of brand communication. In this matter we have a program called Media KIT for SME’s helping companies to create their foundation and identity, their communication strategy using all the 3 channels: online, offline, press and implement it as well. The next step where small companies get stuck is in the business development. You have to invest in business development, the company will not grow by itself! We have different instrument for business development- business education, mastermind concept for SMEs, and as well a strong networking system.
For middle companies a challenge is to reinvent themselves, they struggle in the same system, don’t diversicate their sales channels and products or niche. This is why in Romania for example companies last in average for 10 years in the USA the average is 30 years.
FWM: Members of your community enjoy premium business services. What are some of the exciting benefits of your business platform?
We are always happy to welcome & grow our member’s businesses. We do that by offering marketing & branding services, to build the foundation and identity of a company, and on the second phase entrepreneurial education in our Elite Business Clubs’ educational ecosystems- a business will grow as much as his founder will and business networking which is a business a development instrument. We are specialized in business networking since 2015 having 8 Business Clubs in 5 countries across Europe and a network of 12.000 + women entrepreneurs attending our events.
FWM: Share upcoming webinars and virtual conferences.
We will be happy to meet you in our international business webinars, June 30th with the USA, Europe, and UAE, July 15th with Saudi Arabia, workshop July 17th with Lebanon- see the events on our LinkedIn channel, please. As well, we will organize some offline international conferences, but due to COVID-19, we will announce our agenda after August for the autumn events.
