MY-WAY in the entrepreneurship world

I want to become an entrepreneur” – this is my personal conclusion after the first six months of our MY-WAY project (http://www.mywaystartup.eu/).

Meeting great experts, change-makers, innovators and people who are passionate to support young wannabe entrepreneurs has radically changed my way of thinking. Before MY-WAY, I thought that I am too old to become an entrepreneur (by the way I am 31). I have a cool job and I am surrounded by great people (hold on… I will not leave the company… I am seriously in love with my job) and I did not really understand why these people are so enthusiastic: what makes them so motivated? Money? Success? No, absolutely not!

 These people are different; it is true, but only in a good way. They (not only the entrepreneurs but also those who are supporting them) are motivated simply by doing a great work they believe in – independently, knowing that every action they take has a direct impact on their company, employees, business partners and of course their society (check out what social entrepreneurs are doing, they are amazing people[1]).

I could list the good examples, best practices until tomorrow morning, but still, here comes the question: Why do young talented people boggle at the challenge of turning their ideas into a startup? Fear of failure? Lack of knowledge? Simply they do not know how to start? Yes, a little bit of all of these. So how can we, those who would like to support the young people, handle this barrier?

MY-WAY project is also trying to understand these obstacles. We have conducted a study among students to understand their fears, knowledge, and expectations for support. This study will be available soon on our website; its results are fascinating. We are not the only one dealing with this issue. The LIFE project – Failing Forward http://failingforward.eu/  – (one of the 10 H2020 projects next to MY-WAY that are working on the implementation of the Startup Europe Initiative – yes we are a big club: http://startupeuropeclub.eu/) is about collaborative learning from failure in entrepreneurship and collaborative actions to bring entrepreneurship forward. It is a great initiative, we are leaning a lot from them and we are trying to deliver their message to “our students”.

Recently I met the CEO of BridgeBudapest (http://bridgebudapest.org/). This unique initiative is from Hungary, the founders are great innovators such as Prezi, NNG, Ustream, LogMeIn and Seagate Technology. “… the biggest problem is that the majority of Hungarians do not believe in themselves and in the possibility of change”. BridgeBudapest would like to change this negative attitude by making a positive contribution through sharing stories of successful Hungarian entrepreneurs.

If we want to be really honest, this also applies to others in Europe, but with the support of these initiatives (and of course many others – I can write about them if you are interested?!) big changes will happen soon…

Main conclusion: I want to be the part of this change! How about you?

Question to the EM community: Would you like to read more about the startup world and unique initiatives? Shall we continue this topic?

Geothermal Energy Stakeholder Event: Mayors’ Geothermal Club Inaugural Conference 8 October 2015, Budapest – Hungary

The Mayors’ Geothermal Club (MGC) aims to facilitate synergies and cooperation between the key stakeholders of the European geothermal market with special attention to municipalities with deep geothermal potentials. The MGC will be officially launched on 8 October 2015 within the framework of an inaugural conference in Budapest, Hungary. Representatives of frontrunner European municipalities in geothermal energy applications, technology providers and consultants as well as delegates of key financial institutions with deep geothermal energy in their portfolio (or with the investment potential and interest towards investing into this rapidly developing sector) will be attending to form the core of this Club.

Several panel sessions and roundtable discussions will be held with the contribution of keynote speakers from European and international institutions such as the European Commission’s DG Energy, Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI, European Geothermal Energy Council and EBRD. Within the framework of this event, the organisers are also setting up an exhibition session where key players of the European geothermal market can display their services and products, and liaise with the representatives of the participating municipalities to explore potential future projects.

For more information and to register, please visit the event’s official web site: https://www.b2match.eu/mayors-geothermal-club

Perks of Being a Project Manager

According to the Business Dictionary definition[1], project management is “the body of knowledge concerned with principles, techniques, and tools used in planning, control, monitoring, and review of projects.” Consequently, a project manager is a person with necessary knowledge and skills who is responsible for overall project implementation throughout the full project lifetime.

Most people do not have a clear idea of what project managers really do, guessing within the range of frequent travelling, endless meetings and routine paperwork. However, there is much more to project management, as it is a rather demanding job, requiring full devotion, concentration, ability to negotiate, supervise and propose timely creative solutions.

No matter how difficult it can be at times, there are many advantages of being a project manager. Here is the (non-exhaustive) list of perks all project managers (and sometimes their family members, friends and colleagues) enjoy:

• Travel opportunities

Project managers often travel to various meetings in order to monitor the project progress, discuss project activities, establish new contacts and meet stakeholders, present project achievements. In many cases, it is considered as a bonus, as one can discover new places around the world. However, for some project managers who are running several projects at the same time, travelling can be exhausting as they end up spending too much time at the airports changing flights and rushing from one meeting to another across Europe. Therefore, a good tip would be to take additional days when travelling, in order to enjoy new spots after all business meetings.

• Meeting new people

Project managers usually keep in touch with a wide range of experts as sometimes networking might be your key to success – you can meet a key expert for your new project idea and even a new good friend. Meeting professionals and enthusiasts from different countries is truly rewarding for the professional development as well, as one can learn a lot on specific project topics.

• Improved time management

Ideally, professional project managers do not miss deadlines and are not late for the meetings. As they value their own time, as well as the time of others, it is also reflected in their everyday life: practice of planning the summer vacation ahead (which usually is cost-saving too), complete schedule of theatre performances to see next year (as the tickets might be sold out) and even the choice of the nursery school for your 3 months old baby :)

• Nourishing creativity in everyday life

Being often under the pressure to provide quick solutions to overcome unexpected obstacles in project implementation, project managers tend to apply their prompt analytical skills in daily life. They are always full of creative ideas and provide alternative solutions to everyday situations faster, when others can start panicking or simply give up.

• Ordered routine.

It is actually not as dull as it may sound. It is true, most project managers tend to make lists for everything, but isn’t it useful to have a full list for the grocery shopping and be always on time with your household payments? Moreover, attention to details necessary for project management can be unexpectedly useful when checking the bills for any overcharges.

• Job satisfaction

Project management is never boring, as the process that starts with describing your idea in the project proposal through the thrill of winning the funding for it and with the final stage of successful project completion is truly satisfactory. It encourages new project ideas and forms your reputation of an accomplished project manager.

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[1] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/project-management.html