Hola todos,
So it is Monika again from Logrono, Bosonit. Since last time there have been a lot of things going on. So basically Brexit is constantly looming around as it supposed to be in October, now it could be any time until January. So I am waiting that hopefully there is going to be a solution and I can stay the full 6 months of my exchange until April. Fingers crossed for sure!
For this pressuring deadline, I tried to get the most things done from my activity plan. So it was a pretty busy time. I did market research for Bosonit, had meetings regarding the marketing strategy of the company. Observed project deadlines and insider communication patterns. Developed my programming skills in R, regarding data visualisation and data wrangling. Wrote proposals for European tenders. The company is growing at a fast pace which is truly exciting to witness. I think it is important that you can progress independently and take action in your own hands. So I grabbed every chance to network with people and was invited to an event designed for entrepreneurs especially.
I think this was one of the biggest highlights of the month. It was stimulating to meet various entrepreneurs from all walks of life and stages. Some already have a start-up, shop, service and they all have their problems, challenges and stories. The entire event was held in Spanish so it was a great occasion to advance my linguistic skills as well as networking. This was a vital experience to improve my business plan further. So I made some contacts with the regional chamber of commerce and set up some meetings to address ways to improve my plan. We talked about investor habits and the weight of the elevator pitch to be relatable of most of your audience. Following the revisions, I am planning to meet with the investors and people from the local incubator house who I met at the event. I think this should be one of the best learning points to have a real sense with pitching my plan to influencers and stakeholders later on. This is going to be my main focus in the coming times as well as practising tender writing, to have a more precise outlook on how to perfect my financial plan.
On individual development, I think I excelled my stress managements skills quite a bit. I was given a 2-week-notice to move out of my accommodation. This was troublesome for several reasons, such as Brexit: I don’t know exactly how long I am going to stay, so signing a longer contract is risky; on the other hand, language barriers; and the time as well, is a bit unlucky regarding that it is before the holiday season. I am still working on it to find an ideal solution. At the moment I am relying on some temporary solutions thanks to my built-up network. So it sounds cliché, but the take away from this interlude which I think helped me mature as an entrepreneur are the following. You have to deal with the sudden challenges no matter how comprehensive is your plan. The market, politics and culture strongly impact your options. Leave some buffer time in your plans to account for unforeseen demands and opportunities. Furthermore, it is okay to ask for help and advice from others when you are in need. It can give you a new perspective on the problems and even on possible solutions, alternatives.
All in all, I am glad that I have this opportunity to improve my skills with a safety net to take all these hurdles. When I joined the programme I expected to test my skills if entrepreneurship is really for me. So I am getting what I am signed up for and so much more. I think I learnt a lot about pitfalls and how to avoid and plan for them with this real-life insight. The artistic reference to Ricky Martin still holds up as it is crazy and unexpected. I can highly recommend it if you are thinking about founding your own company in the future. Thanks for reading! This was a pretty eventful story so far. I am looking forward to how it goes on.
Muchismas gracias,
Monika
