Marina Tognetti: Innovative Tech Entrepreneur — InsightsSuccess
Change is all around us. Markets keep changing as a result of fast-paced advancement in technology. This influences the way business is conducted, for consumers as well as for companies. This means that to be successful one must be able to adapt and shift the perspective, focusing on customer-oriented strategies. But ‘CHANGE is GOOD’ as it forces improvements and continuous developments. As a business leader, Marina Tognetti does not think that she needs to be an expert in everything, but that she should instead understand the implications of current trends and dynamics, and how these can impact the company, its customers, the value chain.
In this era of challenging technologic evolution, the vital traits of a business woman are similar to that of an innovative entrepreneur. She must have a strong vision, to set the direction and anticipate and navigate challenges, but at the same time be flexible and able to adapt. She must not be afraid of taking (calculated) risks, in order to anticipate trends and steer the company in turbulent waters, building an organization that is agile to respond to this fast-paced environment. Marina Tognetti is one such leading tech entrepreneur, Founder of myngle.com, but the passion for entrepreneurship came later on in her career.
When Marina graduated from University it was an era when entrepreneurship was not very common for academics. She built first a successful career by large multinationals, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group and eBay; living and working in different Countries, and got an MBA from INSEAD. It was when working as consultant on a project on internet strategy that she first saw the potential of internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way one buys/sells/interacts. She wanted to be part of that!
Delivering Successful Online Training
When mYngle started, it was pioneering, amongst the first to provide one-to-one teaching of all languages over the internet. Now COVID has completely changed the world as everyone knows it, causing major disruption to many businesses. While many of the traditional offline players have been challenged by this sudden shift, mYngle was already in the ‘right place’, leveraging many years of experience and proven capabilities to deliver successful online training.
That is where mYngle can make an impact, keeping ahead in this digital transformation by constantly innovating and pursuing the best possible quality and results, educating the market on the difference between improvised solutions and years of expertise. Online learning will be an intrinsic part of the new normal, and mYngle is a part of it.
Leveraging New Technologies
mYngle nurtures an obsession for customer satisfaction, and this is also one of its key strengths. It looks to continuously improve its service. It does so by constantly listening to users’ feedback and improving accordingly, as well as leveraging new technologies at its advantage. This is also reflected in mYngle’s internal evaluation systems and how it assesses its job. It constantly monitors its users’ reactions and tries to adjust accordingly, using adapted versions of NPS (Net Promoter Score), which defines that only excellence counts. Its average lessons’ scores are 4.8/5.0.
Quality Global Online School
During challenging times, mYngle listened to its customers, and they gave the new direction, from an open marketplace to a quality global online school, from B2C to B2B. The key to success was accepting that change was needed and not being afraid to question assumptions, truly listening to its customers.
Prioritizing being Happy and Balanced
Marina knows that the 80 hours’ week cannot hold forever. That is what many entrepreneurs do, especially at the beginning or when they go through difficult periods. But she learned that it is especially in periods of challenges that one has to find the energy and motivation to keep on pushing forward. To keep the balance, she mixes time for mYngle with lots of sports and time for herself. She knows that being happy and in balance gives her company the right leader able to drive it in the most difficult situations.
Exhibiting a Genuine Picture
Marina aims to be a role model for other women in tech, but an accessible one, trying to give a genuine picture of what it takes to be an entrepreneur, the ups and downs that everyone has but only few actually want to share.
Looking Within for Answers
Probably the most important advice Marina gives to an aspiring entrepreneur is to stop comparing. She says that the stories one reads about the few that ‘’got it all’’ are rare exceptions and often not the full truth. She advises to let that go of that and to let go of trying to imitate types of leadership one sees around but which doesn’t reflect oneself, and be really true to oneself. She advises future women entrepreneurs to not look around for answers, but to look inside.
Source URL
