If you look closely, you’ll find many similarities between athletes of extreme sports and entrepreneurs. They both are passionate about what they love i. e. sports and a business idea respectively. They both take risks (calculated), go beyond what others are willing to do, and have the drive to be the best one can ever be. They need to get out of their comfort zone and push themselves beyond boundaries. And last but not least is persistence. They need to try again, and yet again until they succeed and realize the dream that they set out for.
On a similar notion, Marina Tognetti has always found herself inspired by such people who dare to push the limits. But inspiration wasn’t just enough for her to leave her comfort zone and venture into unknown waters. She was nestled in her successful career that boasted of large multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group, eBay. She also has an MBA from INSEAD and has lived and worked in different countries.
While working as a consultant on a project on internet strategy, she first saw the potential of the internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way businesses buy, sell or interact. Awestruck by the idea and its potential, Marina realized that she had to be part of it. That moment sparked her entrepreneurial journey and acted as a driver to start an innovative company as mYngle.
At that exact moment, she knew that she could make a real difference.
The Jolt after a Dream
Marina launched mYngle as a marketplace, something she knew very well from her previous experience at eBay. The start was a smooth one. But the main challenge lay ahead. As Marina puts it, “When we started, we were pioneering, amongst the first to provide one-to-one teaching of all languages over the internet. We thought we got it all: funding, lots of Awards and PR, a very motivated team. But something in the business model was not functioning as we expected.”
The toughest parts of the journey are also the most memorable in reminiscence, once you overcome the challenge. The biggest challenge was when the team had to ‘pivot’ from the initial business model to a completely different one that mYngle is today.
To set the path right, Marina and her team listened to the customers and they gave them the new direction, from an open marketplace to a quality global online school, from B2C to B2B. She says, “That was the key to success of mYngle. We now have prestigious business clients and learners all over the world, with tens of thousands of lessons given each month and 95% of learners that rate mYngle as excellent.”
Source:https://www.insightssuccess.com/marina-tognetti-an-inspired-entrepreneur-driven-by-innovation/