Emma Laurin (Visionalley): “The digital talent in Spain is impressive”

Entrepreneurship is not something innate, but something that you train, in the same way, that you train to run a marathon. In both cases, having someone to accompany you and support you when tracing the path is of great help.

This is the role of Visionalley, a boutique venture builder that works with entrepreneurs and large corporations related to its philosophy that seek to create profitable and sustainable companies.

We spoke with Emma Laurin (CEO), about how even in tough times they work to turn ideas into products and products into a business.

Introduce yourself in one sentence.

I’m Emma, I’m Swedish, mother of two girls and CEO of the venture building firm Visionalley.

Describe a typical day for you at Visionalley.

Every day is different, but my main focus is on the vision and strategy looking over the long term goal. In general, we work with agile methods doing Monday scrum meetings and apply tasks through sprints.

Which app could you not live without?

Slack!

Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?

Steve Jobs.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

If you can dream it, you can do it. Define success by what’s important to you & what makes you happy, not what looks good on paper.

In which show/series would you love to play the role of the boss?
Suits.

What’s Visionalley’s story in a nutshell?

Visionalley was born through a passion of building companies and through years of experience helping companies transform and innovate.

I always wanted to run a boutique venture builder but was waiting for the moment when the market was ready. Now is that moment and we’re happy to see the positive result from our clients.

What are three essential values when it comes to transforming ideas into a business?

First of all, empathy with all the people involved in the business, honesty with the corporations we collaborate with and, of course, creativity when designing value propositions and business models.

Which company or project can we use as a reference for your work?

The Motor Chain is a project we’re very proud of and it’s the first in class for its sector. We developed an app that bases its technology on blockchain—with the goal to validate the truthfulness of the transaction documents of classic and modern car collection.

What would your dream business or profession look like?

It’s a difficult question because I’m hyperactive which means I would love to do many things. I love cooking and I’d love to work in the basque culinary centre or in a food laboratory looking at sustainable future foods. Or I would study architecture and would love to work next to big thinkers such as Bjarke Ingels.

What do people often mistake about when it comes to entrepreneurship?

That some people got it and others don’t. It’s like a marathon in many ways. It’s a lifestyle you have to be willing to assume the hard work and effort keeping your focus on what’s important in the long run. Also, learn to say “no” to the things that take you in the wrong direction.

Should the construction of a new product/company be short, medium or long term? Why?

Start small and grow once you know you’re on to a sustainable business model people are willing to pay for.

What strategy, technique or method would you recommend promoting market-ready projects?

Every product or service is unique. Some lines already have a big client list, others a partnership with a co-brand and others are born from zero. Depending on its state, some products can be tested through online marketing, others need a physical test run.

Based on your experience, how could US-based projects benefit from the tech talent and production costs of European hubs?

COVID-19 has taught us that we can work from anywhere once we have a digital structure setup within teams. The talent in Spain in digital and tech is impressive and hard to beat. This is why we collaborate with the US in an agile way.

What is your advice to those who are looking for a partner to set up a business or expand towards new business areas?

Understand first why you need a partner and how you complement each other. Analyse core values in business and start to make them bright.

Could you share an upcoming challenge you’ll soon have to face?

On a personal note, I’m going to speak at several events next year.

As a company, we’re launching a new portfolio startup by the end of the year. We have set up new partnerships that we’re looking forward to telling you more about as soon as we can 😉

What trends or technologies do you think will help make the world a better place?

I think there will be a major shift in the WHY: why we support brands, why we buy their products, why we stay at a company or a city. I believe that technologies like blockchain will help us get transparency in the things we support. It will justify the supposed brand values with real data.

What blog or portal should we follow to stay up-to-date on news related to entrepreneurship and business ventures?

• Fast Company
• Entrepreneur
• HBR