Key Insights: Entrepreneurship, Social Impact, and Career Advancement

Posted on Aug 1, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

Adria: Entrepreneurship & Business Ownership

Adria discusses the distinctions between entrepreneurs and business owners.

Entrepreneurs vs. Business Owners

He uses the metaphor of Motocross vs. Trail Running:

The Motocross vs. Trail Running Metaphor

  • Entrepreneurs (Motocross): Focus on speed, overcoming immediate obstacles, and explosive growth based on external investment.
  • Business Owners (Trail Running): Focus on consistency, strategic growth, long-term sustainability, funding the business with their own revenue.

The Bootstrap Concept

Aymerich defines the concept of Bootstrap by contrasting it with startups funded by external investment. Bootstrap companies grow through internal revenue and self-sustaining operations. He compares it to a long-distance race, where persistence matters more than immediate speed.

Danger of Uncontrolled Growth

What is the danger of growing without first protocolizing and stabilizing the business model?

Growing without a solid foundation can lead to failure. It’s essential to define clear processes and ensure scalability before expanding aggressively.

Strategic Thinking: Aymerich’s Approach

How does Aymerich show his strategic approach in Gironanext?

  • He emphasizes protocolizing and stabilizing the business model before growing rapidly.
  • He highlights the importance of setting small, calculated goals to achieve long-term success.
  • He stresses the need to avoid problematic partners and ensure total commitment.
  • His plan includes structured expansion into Northern Europe.

Hiring Without Talent or Commitment

Why is it a mistake to hire people without talent or commitment?

  • An inadequate team can destroy a company.
  • Hiring should focus on skills, dedication, and alignment with the business vision.

Challenging Market Dynamics

Why is it a mistake to challenge market dynamics?

  • Success lies in understanding and adapting to the market, not fighting it.
  • Companies must be flexible and adjust their model based on actual demand.

The Risk of Lacking a Contingency Plan

What is the risk of not having a contingency plan?

  • The absence of backup plans can lead to collapse in the face of unforeseen events.
  • Stability is achieved by preparing strategies to deal with crises and external fluctuations.

Aymerich’s Business Evolution

How has Aymerich’s business planning changed from the beginning to now?

  • Before: Explosive growth based on external investment.
  • Lessons Learned: Risks of growing too fast, problems with partners, and poor hiring.
  • Now: A sustainable, self-funded business focused on B2B, life sciences, expansion in Northern Europe, and profitability.

Patricia Fundació: Social Entrepreneurship

Defining Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship refers to projects that aim to solve social or environmental problems. It involves a business model with a dual objective:

  • Social Impact: Solving social or environmental problems.
  • Economic Profitability: Ensuring the project’s sustainability.

Success is measured not only by income, but also by the well-being generated in society.

The Concept of Value in Social Entrepreneurship

“Value” refers to what we consider important in life and business. In social entrepreneurship, value is measured by impact, not just money.

Patricia Ripoll and Fundación Visible

  • Personal Story: After suffering from chronic migraines, Patricia decided to take action to balance her life as a mother, worker, and friend.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, she created a foundation to help during that critical moment.
  • Objective: Make health issues that are often ignored more visible, connecting patients with researchers and professionals.
  • Main Projects in 2023:
    • Project Circle: Research on Long COVID and the importance of psychological integration for patients.
    • The Faces of Migraine: Raising awareness and visibility for this condition.
    • Aireamos: A project on indoor air quality, born from society, not from traditional entrepreneurs.
    • Collaborations with hospitals and research centers.

Social Return on Investment (SROI)

SROI refers to how investment in social projects generates real impact on people’s lives.

“Without impact, innovation is just an idea with a promise.”

Impact evaluation considers: Who benefits and to what extent? How has the life of those involved changed?

Key Elements of Social Entrepreneurship

  • Understand real needs.
  • Think of collective benefit over personal gain.
  • Have a real purpose for change: It’s not just about making money, but about generating lasting impact.
  • Collaboration: A social entrepreneur doesn’t work alone; they build support networks.
  • Ability to see what others don’t.

Key Phrases in Social Entrepreneurship

  • “Never alone”: A social entrepreneur never works alone; they must collaborate.
  • “Life is a boomerang”: What you give, you receive.
  • “Without impact, innovation is just an idea with a promise.”
  • “You don’t need to change the world, changing one life is enough.”

Thalia-Kala: Empowering Women Through Tech

What is Kala?

Kala is the first Spanish-language app designed to empower and support women during menopause. It is based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tailor the experience to individual needs, offering tools to monitor and manage both physical and emotional symptoms. It was built around four different needs that were detected and are not covered in the field of digital medicine: information, support, resources, and analysis.

Kala App Content

  • Menopedia: Up-to-date content on menopause prepared by a large group of experts.
  • Community: A social network designed for connection and support.
  • Courses & Plans: In-depth programs developed based on the interests and needs of women.
  • Specialists: Consultation with specialists.
  • Tracker: The core of the app, offering self-assessment and monitoring tools for physical and mental health symptoms that provide data to help understand menopausal progress.
  • Analysis.

Business Model

  • Dual Business Model:
    • B2C: Freemium model, premium app features, and in-app purchases (consultations, courses).
    • B2B: Kala can be used in universities, pharmacies, research institutions, and hospitals as a tool for research. Doctors can connect to follow patient progress.

Competition Analysis

  • No direct competition, but they have indirect competitors.
  • Generalist period monitoring apps (e.g., Clue).
  • Apps dedicated to menopause (e.g., Olivia), but they only cover one part of the menopause. Therefore, Kala was created as a holistic app that covers all the needs of menopausal women.

Competitive Advantages

  • Clinical validation as a key differentiator.
  • Hyper-specialization in menopause.
  • Use of AI for clinical data processing.
  • The only Spanish-language app focused on menopause.

Gerard – Ciane Consulting: Entrepreneurial Wisdom

About Ciane Consulting

Ciane Consulting offers services in:

  • Strategic and innovation consulting.
  • Leadership for organizational change.
  • Integration of new technologies into business strategy.
  • Executive coaching for managers.
  • Support for new businesses (startups and SMEs).

Key Entrepreneurship Lessons

Be Versatile

Versatility is a key asset. An entrepreneur must know how to:

  • Sell.
  • Develop the business.
  • Manage operations.
  • Lead and collaborate.
  • Deal with frustration.

And if you don’t know everything: find a complementary partner.

Passion and Commitment

Passion and commitment are important. Entrepreneurship requires a lot of hours to find product-market fit and build client trust. As the founder, you are your company’s first salesperson.

Passion × (Purpose + Discipline) = Sustainability over time. This combination keeps you going when things get tough.

Have a Long-Term Strategy

The first step is to define your direction: Where are you going? What do you do better than competitors? The second step is to plan the future and break down a 5–10 year plan into yearly goals.

Lacking a long-term strategy means no sense of purpose or motivation, and the risk of going with the flow.

Make Decisions and Take Risks

  • There’s no safety net.
  • Decision-making must consider viability, feasibility, and desirability.
  • Example: Good decisions (HESS, ABS, data scraping) vs. bad decisions (losing a €20k project).

Enjoy the Process

  • Progress comes in milestones: first meetings, first sales, first mistakes.
  • Persistence is key: the first two years are the hardest.

Trade-offs and Realities of Entrepreneurship

  • External pressures: family, society, tempting salary offers.
  • You never fully disconnect.
  • Tension between strategy vs. implementation: avoid analysis paralysis.
  • Clients won’t come on their own: work on branding.
  • Late payments are a real challenge.

Pros and Cons of Entrepreneurship

Cons of Entrepreneurship

  • Financial insecurity, high responsibility.
  • Constant pressure.
  • Decision-making loneliness.
  • Challenges with work-life balance and disconnecting.

Pros of Entrepreneurship

  • Flexible schedule.
  • Total autonomy.
  • Personal and social purpose.
  • Real contribution (you’re not “just a number”).

Ester Comavella: Professional Evolution

Professional Transition: Then vs. Now

  • In the past, the focus was on degrees and experience.
  • Soft skills were not even discussed.
  • The job search process was analog (newspapers, agencies).
  • Today’s job market is digital, global, and constantly evolving.
  • Soft skills are now the main differentiating factor.

Key Soft Skills for Professionals and Entrepreneurs

Basic Level Skills

  • Adaptability
  • Flexibility
  • Persistence
  • Resilience

Intermediate Level Skills

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Empathy
  • Communication

Advanced Level Skills

  • Results orientation
  • Problem-solving
  • Decision-making

CORE SKILLS: Remain consistent over time.

SOFT SKILLS: Critical for success, includes flexibility, adaptability, persistence, etc.

Emotional Intelligence vs. AI

AI can automate tasks but cannot replace human abilities like empathy, effective communication, or emotional leadership. Therefore, emotional intelligence is essential in today’s environment.

From VUCA to FLUX Environments

  • VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous.
  • FLUX: Constant, non-linear, unpredictable change.

In a FLUX context, we need agility, resilience, and continuous learning capacity.

What Companies Seek in Professionals

  • Flexibility and adaptability.
  • Decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
  • Clear communication.
  • Teamwork.
  • Results orientation and innovation.
  • Critical thinking.

Preparing for a FLUX Environment

A FLUX environment is characterized by constant change, uncertainty, and non-linearity. To adapt, professionals must develop skills like adaptability, resilience, and continuous learning. They must be open to redefining their roles and ways of working, maintain a flexible mindset, and make fast decisions with incomplete information. Self-management and the ability to work in diverse environments are also key.

Pol Gil: Navigating Your Early Career

Fresh Out of College: What Now?

  • Have a clear strategy and goals.
  • INTERNSHIPS matter a lot: Internships give you access to the job market and help you build real experience.
  • It’s okay to change sectors when you start.
  • Keep room in your plan to adapt and overcome changes.
  • Build a network? Yes, but properly.

My Career Planning Approach

  • Research Possible Career Paths.
  • Find Interesting Companies.
  • Do Not Rely Purely on College Internships.
  • Find What the Companies I Wanted to Work For.
  • Accept You’re Going to Be Rejected Many Times.
  • Ace Your Internship and Look for Growth Opportunities.
  • Keep Developing Your Own Skills and CV.
  • If You Pursue a Master’s Degree… Check Where They Hire From.

Why Not Rely Solely on University Internships?

University internships are often limited in scope, duration, and responsibility. Pol Gil highlights that students should look beyond them, exploring other companies and opportunities that align with their real interests. Relying only on assigned internships reduces your control over your career path and may cause you to miss out on experiences with higher growth potential.

Continuous Skill Development and CV Improvement

Why is it important to keep developing skills and improving your CV, even if you’re already working?

  • Because the job market is constantly evolving, and employability isn’t guaranteed.
  • Learning new skills keeps you competitive, helps you access better opportunities, and take on new challenges.
  • Your CV is a living tool: it should reflect your professional growth, achievements, projects, and new knowledge.
  • Continuing to learn and update shows initiative and commitment to your personal development.