I love the saying that neither good nor bad things come alone, so welcome to my story time of the week. The last full week of January was filled with a lot of thrilling first-time experiences that, even today, I feel extremely grateful for all of the challenges and inspirations that happened.
Firstly, I must admit that my genius idea to drive a rear-wheel-drive car for 8 hours across three different countries during winter months (imagine slushy snow, tree-lined, winding roads you see in horror movies just before the accident happens) by myself wasn’t as genius of an idea as I anticipated. But I made it - from Vilnius, Lithuania, to Tartu, Estonia. The biggest silver lining of such a drive was the ample time on my hands to listen to audiobooks, making 'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker the cherry on the cake - my 5th completed book in a month.
Obviously, the roads of the Baltic countries couldn’t be the only stress factor of the journey. Just before I departed from Vilnius, I received an email from an investor asking me to submit a video pitch for my personal project within 48 hours. And of course, like any normal human being, I couldn’t manage a proper night's sleep before my trip so, now, already tired, with an 8-hour drive ahead of me, and I need to prepare, film, edit, and submit my pitch – all of this has to be done before 2 pm the following day since the main reason for travelling to Tartu was to attend the sTARTUp Day 2024 conference, and I already had meetings lined up for the afternoon.
It was fortunate that I was mentally prepared (or so I thought) to pitch my project to a few investors beforehand. The primary challenge became filming and editing everything within the time constraints imposed by the investors. I, clearly, did manage to submit it on time; otherwise, I wouldn't be sharing this experience here. After submission, I thought, 'That's fine, I'm all done now. It should be so much easier to pitch it face to face.' However, oh boy, was I wrong. Confidence was definitely not my sidekick that day, but the positive response, coupled with invaluable constructive feedback, left me buzzing with excitement and a newfound determination to try even harder.
But wait, there's more! Interacting with a multitude of phenomenal individuals - entrepreneurs, investors, coaches, mentors, and inspiring speakers - all united by a common goal: to shape a brighter tomorrow. The collective enthusiasm was infectious. And let’s talk about the companies! What a joy to witness so many fantastic teams dedicated to ESG, sustainability and the noble pursuit of making our world a better place. Their commitment resonated deeply with my own aspirations and I hope you will see some exciting partnerships soon enough!
As the week draws to a close, exhaustion and excitement blend into a weird mix of emotions, but mostly, the anticipation for the upcoming week is already building up. Returning to recruitment after nearly two months, unveiling the website I've diligently crafted on the side, and debuting my first proper video – the adventure continues, and I invite you to stay tuned for the chapters ahead!
With love,
V