by Catia Mondlane, founder of Isabella Estetica & Cosmeticos
Nowadays, a diversity of market opportunities can be created thanks to the general economic and financial crises that have made many awaken their dormant dreams and hidden ideas, meaning people had to feel the pressure of a lack of things to pursue fulfilment. Lately, all we hear about is entrepreneurship and people coming up with great, innovative ideas for the creation of a business and it seems like everybody wants to be an entrepreneur.
When I started my journey, I thought that being an entrepreneur was about success and financial freedom, and entrepreneurship was about coming up with an idea that would blow people’s mind and make a lot of money - but now I know that it is deeper than that.
I used to wonder what are the ingredients to achieve success and be stable financially, because people usually say that one has to work very hard to achieve what one wants. Now, I can see that there are many sides of this prism, meaning we never really know what people do or go through to become successful; or to understand what accounts for the sudden success when it seems to be an easy and effortless achievement.
Throughout this journey, I already learnt that more than being a business owner, one learns a lot about oneself. It is more than an entrepreneurial journey, it is an enlightening life purpose. It is beyond the brilliant ideas one has or the amount of money one wants to make - it must be meaningful for the person that creates the business, and for the people that benefit from it, because the enjoyment comes from the process and not the final result. Ultimately, what one went through to reach a goal makes the result worthier.
It became clear to me that nobody owns success, but one can rent it through choices and actions. Successful people applaud other people’s success, regardless of their actual situations. They are not in competition but collaborate with others, because they are aware of their uniqueness. They make mistakes because that is the way they learn, and they become teachers to share these experiences, knowing that it is more than simply getting things done, but more about how one gets it done that makes the difference.
Today, I know that is not about how hard or long you have been working but how smart your moves are towards what you want to achieve. When a person seeks success, it is not about achieving a result of a higher position anymore, but it has to be positive and create an impact. The everyday choices are the payments to building success, and one has the power to determine for how long this will be maintained. This could be continuous actions and decisions that bring about legacy where, by knowing exactly where you are heading and being clear about your goals, the results aren’t a surprise but the next logical step.
Cátia Mondlane is the CEO & Founder of Isabella – Estética & Cosméticos, an innovative Mozambican cosmetic company that brings natural skin solutions based on locally sourced organic and fresh ingredients. Her brand is especially for people with sensitive skin and who want to be kind to their skin at affordable prices. She is currently based in Maputo, Mozambique.
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