Mónica Albarrán - Empowering Entrepreneurs to Thrive

Founder's Voyage · Aug 22, 2024

Transcript

SPEAKER_00

00:00:00

business is not personal is this excuse for people to be mean, to do things that they know they shouldn't be doing. There's nothing wrong with being personal. I know that you have to separate emotions, that's a different thing.

SPEAKER_02

00:00:35

Our featured speaker today is founder at MOOC, a business and personal development platform that helps entrepreneurs build businesses with purpose and generate profit and meaning. Monica, it's a pleasure to have you here with us today. Thank you for being our guest speaker. I would love to hear a little bit from your perspective, just a brief intro, if you have it, and we can kick it off with some questions after that.

SPEAKER_00

00:00:53

Yes, sure. Thank you so much for having me. I always enjoy these kind of conversations because they're very enriching. So thank you so much. I'm honored.

SPEAKER_00

00:01:03

I started my professional life as a tax consultant for big companies for 10 years and then started as an entrepreneur. I didn't follow any education in entrepreneurship as an entrepreneur. I mean, I was a consultant in business, so that was kind of my background. Started in that world and never wanted to come out. I mean, I enjoyed it so much. I started a company that grew a bit and then find out that that wasn't what I wanted and then started a few other companies. In 2013, I created MOOC, which is the company I am working most of my time in. And also I started as an investor, first angel investor and then in VC funds. I love investing. It's very fun to me. That is what I do. And I'm also a mentor. I'm sure we will talk about it today and I'm really happy to be here and share some of my experiences if they help for, you know, someone that wants to be an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_01

00:02:06

Excellent. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01

00:02:07

I'm very interested in that you started a business, it grew for a bit, and then you're like, actually, this isn't really specifically what I want to be working on or how I want to be working towards it. We've had a few speakers before that have raised the idea that they've started a business that actually had a lot of potential to grow, and then they realized, I don't want to be doing this role. Can you tell me a little bit about your early experiences and maybe any mentors you had and how they directed you or gave you advice or learnings to come up with the kind of role that you want to be doing now in entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_00

00:02:44

Yes, it was funny because I have had a few crises in my life and I didn't want to have them.

SPEAKER_00

00:02:52

I was like opposing to those crises and it's just things that happen. The first one was when I was a consultant, I was working with companies that were so big. What I thought was, what am I doing? I mean, exactly what am I doing here in the world? And I thought, I am saving billions to billionaires. I was like, I'm not sure I want to leave that as a legacy. You know, I want to do something else. And then when I started the company, this was a manufacturer of cardboard, innovative solutions. So we did point of purchase for big companies too. We did furniture out of cardboard, coffins and toys. So that was different because it was a sustainable company, it was creative, we have a lot of people, we were a team of 500 people, I was able to be a leader to all those people and change their lives while we were creating this company. We created incredible products but as I was going through this company and wanting to be a big company because that was my background. I don't know, something happened in between that I thought this is not what I want. I didn't sleep. I have two daughters. I have always been a present mom. I have raised them myself. I mean, I have a husband,

SPEAKER_00

00:04:21

but I mean, I didn't have a lot of help raising them. I worked flexible time so I could be with them. And in this company, I was a CEO. I found myself being unhappy for the first time in my life. many problems that were difficult problems, and not just business, but people problems, the kind of people we have, it's the base of the pyramid. They're workers that have a small salary. I mean, if you compare it, it's a small salary, and they have big problems. And there were accidents, and, I don't know, harassment and things that I was not used to working on. I mean, one day a girl got stabbed outside the company because we were in an industrial zone, so it was not very safe.

SPEAKER_00

00:05:11

You know, those kind of things that you never imagine you're gonna be when you start a company. So at some point I have a problem in my shoulder working out, so I went to the acupuncturist for the first time. I remember in that session I started crying and went on crying like for two hours. And the acupuncturist said to me, you know, this is not the shoulder. What's the problem? It's you. You have something inside that you haven't out. Keep on crying. We will close the clinic and you can keep on crying. And I realized then that I have been doing things, following the expectations of others, you know, following what society says that it's success. And I found out that I was not in the same page with what people think about success. You know, I didn't think that success for me was the same thing. So I decided to sell the company and just like that, I mean, I have those kind of things happen in my life, just finish with something and just say goodbye. So I sold the company and then started working on myself, looking, I mean, this Carpentries was such a light in my life, like a before and after person. And, uh, I wouldn't say a mentor, but yes, because I mean, he didn't

SPEAKER_00

00:06:37

mentor me. But just going to the appointments was like so liberating. And I really thought I woke up that day. I don't know if you have had that feeling, but I, I felt I was asleep. I had a great life very successful for the society. I mean, I have a great role like a consultant, I had a lot of money and everything. But I was not happy. I was not fulfilled. I was not following a purpose. And I am a purpose driven person. So in that moment, what happened is that I started understanding who I was, it was amazing that when I sold the company, and I said, Okay, what am I going to do now, because I am very curious, and I am very, you know, intense, and I'm a learner. And I love to do many projects. So I started looking at myself, and trying to understand who I was, I didn't even know who I was, I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't even know what I was good for. And then I started that journey. And that was the basis in which MOOC was created. So that guy woke me up. I am always I'm going to be grateful for that person. I even am an artist to totally amateur and I did a painting and a poem and gave it to him and it's called awakening because he awakened me and it was so cool. So one of the books I have here is the healing. I am a titioner I was certified at the healing. He gave me that book what it was the the first actual book in self development and these kind of things, you know, more scientific and based on spirituality and self growth and

SPEAKER_00

00:08:25

all that. That was the start of my journey to

SPEAKER_02

00:08:28

First, thank you for sharing. I think that's really powerful. And I think we kind of all think about those pivotal moments, right, throughout our journey. And it's amazing that you were able to kind of shift so drastically, right, from kind of the career you were in and the path you were following to, okay, well now I'm gonna do something completely different. One thing you mentioned as you were talking, and I think this kind of leads into probably some of the work you did with MOOC, but you mentioned the people, right, and the people being the pillar and the base of the company and you really looking out for them, right,

SPEAKER_02

00:08:57

And it kind of seems like it speaks to some of your values, right? And some something that's core to who you are. And so it seems like you took some of that, you know, core ideas and built it into MOOC, but would love to hear a little bit more about how kind of that transformation happened and how you were able to kind of identify the need for MOOC and the services and products that they provide and how that formed over time. You know, it's one thing going from corporate to startup and in theory, it's easy to say, right? but then there's a huge gap and a giant leap, especially a leap of faith that happens. And I think, I guess, continuing that story or that journey going from, you know, that awakening, as you say, to starting MOOC and realizing that this is a viable product. What was that like? How did you, how did you kind of come to that realization of, well, this is it, right? This is where I want to be in the place I want to sit. And I think to take a step back, do you mind just

SPEAKER_02

00:09:49

giving a little bit of a, an overview of MOOC and what they do. I know I've been through the website and have a little bit of an idea about it, but I'd love to hear from you first.

SPEAKER_00

00:09:58

Yeah, sure. MOOC is a business and personal platform for entrepreneurs to build or rebuild meaningful and functional businesses that work for them and they're aligned to who they are and what they want while they generate good money and enjoy the voyage. You know, the, the journey, uh, that's the main thing. And it's funny because MOOC was created in a different way. I think I have been an entrepreneur before I have created a few businesses and they all started with what's the need, you know, Oh, we don't have any good and, uh, healthy products that are, that tastes good. Okay. Let's do them, you know, let's create them. and I have a company that does that. MOOC was very different because it was my personal journey. And at the end, that is what MOOC does. Find the personal journey of a founder, of a creator, and help build something totally aligned to him or her. I didn't know this when I started. It was just like a business consultant practice. It started from there. And when found out that I have created the perfect business for me, then this reverse engineering to see what I have done to be there. And now that method that I put together and consolidated and documented and created products around it, now that is MOOC. So what happened is that when I sold this company, I didn't know what to do, but I did know what I didn't want. So that was a great starting point. So I said, I don't want to have this big company with so many employees because it's exhausting for me. I know that for many people would be great. And I really enjoyed it. I don't regret a single second of my journey. It was enough. I mean, I was done. And so I said, okay, I need to find something that doesn't bore me. An operation bores me. I was bored. You know, it was the same and the same and the same and the same problems and the same people and the

SPEAKER_00

00:12:13

discussions with my partners and I was bored. So I wanted something that challenged me every day, how I was challenged, different kinds of problems, different kinds of people. So I said, okay, what kind of a business can give me that? I have always been a consultant. So that was easy for me. That was natural. I am very good at structuring businesses. People are not very good at that. I am good in finance. People are not very good at that. So I said like, okay, I have some value to give to people that they are not very comfortable with, or they don't really want to do it. And I love doing it. So I started there. And then I said, okay, I have always wake up very early in the morning, because I had to, not because I wanted to. And I said, I want to start late. I don't know, 10am, you know, I want to do all my routines, I am a meditator, I love to exercise, I love to sit down and have breakfast, you know, maybe some reading before I start working. I want that life. I want to be with my kids. I want to eat lunch with them every day. I want to be with my husband. I want to watch a movie now and then.

SPEAKER_00

00:13:22

You know, like I started creating a business to understand what I wanted as a life for me. So I started changing a few things. When I kept on going with the advisory and being a consultant, I started getting tired. So I said, okay, how can I do this differently? Okay, creating methodologies that I can repeat, not doing everything from scratch. So I started doing methodologies. And then I thought, nobody knows Excel. I work a lot in Excel. So nobody knows it, they make a mess of my files. So I need to create a software. So they have something that they cannot move.

SPEAKER_00

00:14:01

So I created a software. So that was kind of how it worked for MOOC. Like, understanding what I wanted, how my life, how I wanted my life to be, and then started modifying the business for me. And at some point, I reached a moment where I said, I am doing what I want. I enjoy working. I have always enjoyed working. I mean, I would lie if I said I didn't. Even doing tax planning, I was very happy working. But now it was different because I felt inspired, I felt motivated, I started looking at the impact I was doing and that filled me with a lot of energy I haven't felt before. Before I felt I was creating a great product for a specific necessity and that I was fulfilling it and having money in return. Now I felt I am so happy I helped that person and that that person is happy, it's enjoying his or her business, it's doing what he or she wants, you know? Like it was a very different impact and that started to make me very happy. So I kind of shifted the mentality on how can I do this more? Because I felt so energized and I love speaking in public. I love giving conferences and speaking and doing workshops. So again, I started, okay, how can I do this more? Started doing alliances with groups that really wanted this because something that happened also in MOOC was

SPEAKER_00

00:15:39

I was going like counter current with the startup world. I am also an investor. And investing in VC, it's all about growth. and not personal growth, like growth, economical growth. And everything is just grow, grow, grow, grow. And I don't mind if you don't sleep, I don't mind if you don't eat, I don't mind if you're smoking a pack of cigarettes or drinking your brains out every night.

SPEAKER_00

00:16:07

I don't care, you have to grow. I am not built that way. So it was like a disconnect. So when I saw this impact here in my small world, I was so motivated and tried to work with people that thought the same way. I started working with startups, for example, that said, no, no, no, I don't want to know anything about my purpose or my superpower. I just want to, you know, get to the money part. And I was like, no, I mean, then don't work with me. I don't mind. That's not the way I work. My methodology, the first steps are who you are and what you want. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00

00:16:46

That's absurd. Okay, so then just go work with somebody else. So I started kind of molding my clients, understanding who was actually my ideal client. Who are these people that think like me, that want to do something more than just generate money, that want to have a life out of their business, that think that business is personal? I think business is personal. People say business is not personal. I don't agree. How can it not be personal? I understand that you have, it's, I don't know, you sleep eight hours, you work the other eight and the other eight you do whatever, you know, it's a third of your life, at least because some of us have been working like 16 hours a day, you know, for a long time. So I think that the idea of business is not personal is this excuse for people to be mean, to do things that they know they shouldn't be doing. There's nothing wrong with being personal. I know that you have to separate emotions. That's a different thing. That doesn't mean it's not personal.

SPEAKER_00

00:17:55

So that's how MOOC was born from a necessity from me, maybe not from the market, but then as I went by, I saw how more and more people, And right now it's impressive the kind of amount of people that are willing to take this approach versus before things are changing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

00:18:18

I think you've raised two really important lessons in there. You designed your business for you, a business you got use from solving that problem. And you're like, this is the problem I want to solve, but not just for me, for everyone. And I think that's so crucial in entrepreneurship to be like, I want this product, I want this service. You know, I think that's so, so powerful. And then the other piece that I think you were talking about at the end there is de -selecting clients or customers that aren't yours, that aren't, like, don't fulfill the criterion you have is it's so important to not get bogged down with people who maybe want a great service and in a lot of ways are good, but they aren't what you're looking for, aren't what you're looking to work with. And I think that's, that's incredibly powerful. And I really, really appreciate that. Hello all. I you're enjoying this episode with Monica. I wanted to ask you, our listeners, if you could give us a review in your podcasting platform of choice. We don't have sponsors and don't run ads, but are looking to grow. So if you feel we bring value to your listening experience, please drop us a review when you get a chance. Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_01

00:19:32

What I do want to dig into a little bit is you've got all of these different perspectives on things you've done in your life. You've been in the very corporate position, you've done a number of businesses, and you're working on MOOC, you're loving that business, and you've been doing a lot of investing as well. In your eyes, what do you think are the key traits or combinations of traits that you want to see in a founding team to know like these are the guys that are doing something that matters and that I believe or you believe are going to succeed? What does that sort of look like?

SPEAKER_00

00:20:05

It's funny because it has changed I think on traits that I thought were relevant before. Right now I think the most important thing is to know who you are and what you want. If I meet a founder that doesn't know that, I know that his or her business, life in general, would not be balanced. And balanced doesn't mean that things have to be equal. They can be like this, a lot of work and just a little family. It's not a matter of being in the same level.

SPEAKER_00

00:20:41

When people don't know that, I have seen that they derail and then they go back to something more real. Maybe it's a great business on an economical standpoint. Maybe it is a hit and everybody loves it and it makes a lot of money. But there's nothing there, you know, for that founder. And eventually that won't be a good business for me from my standpoint. I'll give you an example in investing because my clients are traditional businesses. I don't work with startups mainly. I work with traditional businesses that want to make a life out of their business. So this company that you may heard about, it's called Corner Shop. You know, this company starts up with an incredible problem, solves it very nicely. We are all happy customers and it grows a lot. I had the privilege to know an important member of the team and I talked to him and he was devastated. He didn't sleep. He didn't eat. He was so tired. I mean, like extremely tired. He wasn't happy at all.

SPEAKER_00

00:21:49

So that was the first thing. They sold the company for millions and billions and whatever zeros. That's a success for everybody, you know, like, ooh, and all the news. There's no corner shop right now, Uber Eats make the acquisition, and there's no solution anymore because it's not the same solution. They integrated something there, but we don't have, as a customer, we don't have the solution. And I think, is that what the founder wanted? Like really? He wanted to solve a problem. He solved it. It was great. Now there's the problem again. You know, I'm not sure like if that's a success for me. I know that for many people is, but for me it's are you happy? Are you living your life the best you can? Are you your best version? Is that what you wanted or not? So for me it's those two things that someone knows who they are and what they really want and that in this process of entrepreneurship they accomplish that for them and then you give to the people, because if you do your MOOC, if you do your daimon, if you do your gift every day, I even have goosebumps, if you do that every day, things will happen. It's not like searching and running towards something. It's just being you and being the best you you can be every day, work, dedicate, you know, your energy, your time, your talent to something you really believe in, and then things will happen. Now that we were talking about books, one of the best books I have read is The Untethered Soul.

SPEAKER_02

00:23:23

Yeah, that was just recommended to me. I just picked it up. Yeah, I haven't I've gotten through the first chapter or so, but it's great so far. Yeah, that's really cool.

SPEAKER_00

00:23:30

This guy is impressive.

SPEAKER_00

00:23:32

And he has another book that it's called The Surrender Experiment. It is not as good as The Untethered Soul, but it is very good. And he talks about this. Just let life guide you. You think, we think that we know better than life. We don't have a clue what life has for us. And it's not just that, but what do you have to offer to life? And if you go with the flow, being yourself every day, like being conscious about who you are, what are your gifts, and just deploy them into the world in different solutions, in different businesses, being good with people, helping each other, et cetera, something is going to happen. You know, something is going to return to you in the energy, you know, in the reciprocity of the energy you're putting in. So that is what I believe. Maybe it's not like a very normal answer, or, you know.

SPEAKER_02

00:24:28

I think it's great to see different perspectives, right? And especially on entrepreneurship, where it is, like you had mentioned, it's all about, you know, growth. We want to see growth year over year, more, more, more, right? And really actually thinking about, okay, what's the purpose? I think purpose -driven entrepreneurship is so important, especially at the early stages when you're trying to start something, when you're trying to do something that matters to you. And so I think that was very well said and really appreciate kind of you walking us through that and thinking about the question that you posed is, are you happy right now and doing what you're doing? And I think that's great to think about as you're going through your day -to -day and making sure that like, yes, for your example, this with Corner Shop, we could build this next Uber Eats or be acquired by Uber Eats, right? But what's gonna happen is the company can be, you know, gutted and eviscerated and if that's what we want

SPEAKER_02

00:25:12

Then that's if that's our goal is to get acquired and then move on awesome that could make you happy But to your point, you know is what you're doing aligned with who you are I think that's really important to think about as you're working through that and I know you mentioned something early on that I'd love to love to get a little more insight into you'd mentioned you also mentor Would love to hear a little bit about how you got involved in mentoring a little bit more about it but really about how you're aligning kind of some of the work you've talked about in purpose -driven entrepreneurship and really aligning who you are with the work you're doing and how you incorporate that into your mentorship.

SPEAKER_00

00:25:46

I started very early. So when I think one of my childhood dreams was to be a teacher. I have a, an older brother and a younger sister. She's seven years younger than me. And at some point my mother told me, can you help me help your sister do the And I was like, yeah, I don't know, I was maybe 13 or whatever, and I put my school, like money school, and I just started to do tests for her, and I really loved the teaching part.

SPEAKER_00

00:26:18

When I was in high school, I was around 15 years old, there was a possibility to be a volunteer helping grown adults finish high school. So, I into the program and I, you know, did math classes or geography, history, that kind of topics to help them have their high school certificates. And I was so, like, in my zone. I felt like a fish swimming back and forth. And I really loved that. So I kept doing that. I gave classes to my classmates. I was good at math and physics and all the difficult topics in school. And I really, really loved teaching and helping people. And then at GE, I worked at GE for six years, GE has an amazing volunteering program. It has GE Foundation and a lot of alliances with many different things. And one of them just by chance was entrepreneurship. I didn't even know I had entrepreneurship at heart, even though my family is pretty entrepreneurial. And I started helping young kids in an entrepreneurship program. And then people started inviting me to different entrepreneurial projects. And I started doing that. My background is in business, so I have like the skills. And, I don't know, it just happened and I started giving chats and workshops and one -on -one mentoring. And I have been doing that since 15 years old. I'm engaged with many of the entrepreneurial organizations in Mexico, well, Mexico and in other parts of the world. I it's MassChallenge, Founders Institute, I mean, there are global organizations. Last year, I started, I always wanted to help people that didn't have resources. I don't know why, but it's something I crave for.

SPEAKER_00

00:28:23

At some point in my life, I saw this movie or series or something about women that are victims of violence at home. And I didn't have like the picture of the enormous problem that is because these women get out of home with their kids, many times they're very little kids like babies or toddlers, and they get out of their houses with nothing. Not a cell phone, not five bucks, nothing. And they go to these shelters and in the shelters they help them out. And I thought I would love to to contribute to these people and show them how to be financially autonomous because they don't work because the husbands didn't let them work. So I thought this would be so scary. So I started looking for organizations that had these kind of people. And I found an incredible woman that has this big organization in Mexico. It's not the exact same thing,

SPEAKER_00

00:29:26

but these are women that are in rural communities with no resources and with a very challenging life, like very challenging. That's when you know that you're so, you know, privileged. So I started creating a program for them. And we did a pilot last year with 50 of these women, giving them this workshop on entrepreneurship for them for different kinds of things they do there, farming or sewing or creative things and showing how to make money out of them and be autonomous. And I don't know. it has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I don't know, I think mentoring was made for me. I get so energized and I just love it. I love to see the people, the faces, asking them, what did you like about the workshop? And their answers, and they're so excited and They want to do something important. When I do these programs for my clients, it's very funny because I do webinars to invite people and, uh, I don't know, maybe a hundred say they are going to be there and maybe 50 go, you know, or these women, there were 50 places and they were 50 women.

SPEAKER_00

00:30:54

And that is just so moving because they want to be better. And I really want to work with people that want to get better. I don't want to convince people. I want them to want this and go and take all the advantage. So mentoring has done that for me. Be with people that really want to be better. I love that.

SPEAKER_01

00:31:14

I think that's such a great point. Working with people who are wanting the change that you're trying to help them achieve completely changes the experience. It's like if you're trying to teach someone who isn't interested in what you're saying and doesn't want to know what you're trying to share, it's impossible as far as my experience has shown me. I respect teachers so much because how they manage like 30 kids who don't want to be there is mind -blowing to me. But when you've got that person who's just like, I am into this thing that you're sharing, that changes the experience so much. And I love listening to how passionate you are and how strongly you feel about this. It is really lifting for me to hear that from you. And I really, really appreciate you taking us through all that. One thing that I did sort of want to reference back to, especially in regards to different businesses, you've, you've started is leadership is a core. Great.

SPEAKER_01

00:32:07

I think for entrepreneurs and for mentorship, you have to be able to lead people. How has your leadership style and your thoughts about leadership changed over time, especially in reference to like, you know, the first beginning businesses you worked on first now, if there has been a change,

SPEAKER_00

00:32:26

I think, as many other traits, leadership is one that you are born with. And also, you can develop. I think it's both. Some Some people are born with more of that trait than others, but everybody can learn and be a good leader. And before, I think what has evolved in my leadership view and my style is that first I thought it was a trait that you learn, that there was a methodology to be a leader, you know, like different things that you needed to do in order to be a good leader. And as the time has gone by, and I got myself into this knowing yourself world, what has changed is that now I think that we can be unique leaders in who we are. So I'll give you an example. If you have the leadership knowledge of situational leadership, for example, You will teach people and influence them and guide them in different ways, depending on where they are, which I think that is a very good way of being a leader. But if you are a person that loves people and that are, you know, an extrovert and you love conversations and you love to be with them, and I am not, we are going to be different leaders, even though we have the same knowledge and the same methodology and the same everything. I have seen myself understanding what kind of leader I am. When I had this this big company, and there were many people there, I have always been, I think, empathic, and I love to talk to people. I am not this non accessible person. I'm always accessible. I you know, I'm affectionate, and I love hugging people and talk to them, whoever they are, that's something my dad taught me. I'm the same person with, you know, the richest men in, in the world or people with no resources, that's not an issue for me, the gender or whatever. I, I am the same with all people. That hasn't changed, but what did change is to understand who I am as a leader and do not comparing myself to others because I am not the same way. I don't know. For example, many people love the leadership style of Steve Jobs. I mean, he was a wonderful leader, like a wonderful leader. I do not resonate with so many things he did with people, you know, because I'm not that way. He was great. Yes, he was. I mean, he accomplished a lot, but that's not who I am. So people that are like that, Okay, go and find him as a guide.

SPEAKER_00

00:35:20

I don't because I am not like that. So I think it's finding how you can give more to your people or the people you're guiding. So for example, people tell me, I know I had to have better communication with my team. Yes, I mean, communication is key, but maybe you are very bad at communicating verbally. You can write, you can do assessments, you can have a methodology and give feedback in different ways. You don't have to have a conversation, not necessarily. We think that there are some things we have to do. One of my mentors in life told me one day, leadership is about, imagine that your kid is in a carousel going round and round, in a merry -go -round.

SPEAKER_00

00:36:08

Leadership is being there and saying hi every time he looks at you. And I thought that is so cool. Yes, it's being there. The people know that you're there for what? For whatever. Whatever they need and that you can give it to them in the way that you can. Not in another way. It's not natural for you. I think that is the thing that has evolved for me in leadership.

SPEAKER_02

00:36:38

Very well said. I think one point that you brought up really was about leadership styles, right? That it can be unique to yourself and how you are a leader, right? I think to that point, a lot of times we start to think about who are good leaders, who are effective leaders, and how do we model what they have done rather than thinking through our own personal experiences and how we can be effective leaders with who we are and what's unique to us. So, and I think that example too, the very practical example of communication, it's different for everybody.

SPEAKER_02

00:37:06

So maybe some people would prefer to communicate via written, some people speaking, right? And so it's all different. And I think being aware of that is really what makes a good leader, right? To be able to be aware of those nuances and adapt and accommodate. So I think that was really well said. I love the way you put that. So thank you so much. One question we always ask at the end of the session. So we're gonna kind of close it out with this question is, What advice do you have for others in the community or what advice have you been given that you want to impart on others in the community? What are the words of wisdom that you want to leave individuals that are listening to this with today that they can take with them into their entrepreneurial journey and beyond?

SPEAKER_00

00:37:44

Throughout this journey, I always thought about what can you say to people? I mean, what do you believe in? What's like the core thing you have inside? And what would you say to people if you have everybody listening to you, all the world? What would you say?

SPEAKER_00

00:38:02

And I worked on this for a long time, like understanding exactly what I want. It was summarized in one phrase, which is make it mean, make it work. And what this mean for me is you can have the best life if it means for you. Find the meaning. What means for you? it's not the same I mean for you you have meaning in certain things that I don't so what's your meaning and if you give the meaning it will be a meaningful life if you don't it won't and the other is make it work everything is workable you can have what you want everything that you want you can't have everything but you can have everything you want. So what is that? Make it work. Change the things. Ask yourself, who said this? I have seen so many limitations in the work I do. Like, I cannot do that. Why? Because somebody said it,

SPEAKER_00

00:39:09

and you can't say it the other way around. You just have to think of something manifested in your life. Change it. No, I can't. It can't be done. Everything can be done. You know, if you look at the past, so many things that we never thought possible are possible now.

SPEAKER_00

00:39:28

So make it mean, make it work. And the final thing that I have seen is execution. I it's the most difficult thing to achieve in general, in life, but also in business. We think, we imagine, we plan, but when execution comes, so difficult. So, my pointer here, this is a phrase that I think would knock down all the books and all the workshops and all the, you know, quotes. It's just decide and do it. I think the key of doing is deciding first. If you decide it, then you will do it. If you don't decide it, that's when you doubt. But when you say, this is what I want, period, and I decide that I'm going to do this 100%, you will do it. But if you're like, I'm not sure, I'll just try it a little bit to see if it works. Oh, my friend, I have news for you, it won't work because you're not all in. So decide, just do it. So those would be the main tips or the main mantras.

SPEAKER_01

00:40:36

Brilliant. Thank you so much. Genuinely, I think that's something I needed to hear today. Decide, go all in and do it. I love that. Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate that. Unfortunately, we have come to the end of the hour. I'd love to take another two or three hours of your time, but I won't do that.

SPEAKER_01

00:40:54

Do you have a method if people from the community want to reach out with questions or things like that? Do you have a preferred method of contact for people to reach out to you?

SPEAKER_00

00:41:03

Yes, of course. I can give you my email and my LinkedIn profile. So people can reach me to me and I would be thrilled to keep the conversation going with whoever that is interested. Awesome. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01

00:41:17

And obviously, thank you so much for all of your thoughts and everything you've shared with us and taught us today. It's been, I would definitely say hearing your journey has been quite inspiring to me. I think you're an amazing person and I really, really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00

00:41:31

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01

00:41:33

Absolutely. Matt and myself and the whole team behind Founders Voyage feel really fortunate to be part of this community with you all and for the opportunity to bring this cooperative learning experience to the community every week. That's my wrap at the end. Thank you so much for coming on, Monica. It's been an absolute delight.

SPEAKER_00

00:41:50

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01

00:41:51

Have a lovely day.

SPEAKER_02

00:42:03

You've just finished another episode of Founders Voyage, the podcast for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. The team at Founders Voyage wants to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you enjoyed your time with us, and if so, please share this with someone else who might enjoy this podcast. You can also support us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and by donating to our Patreon. Outro music today is Something for Nothing by Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band.