Hultian Coffee Talks: Marta Basso
HULTIAN: Let’s get started with a short introduction.
MARTA: My name is Marta Basso, I am 24, and I come from Italy. I am a Masters of International Business student at Hult who likes to define herself as a Millennial Mariner, similar to the Ancient Mariner from Coleridge, but in the contemporary world. I am an entrepreneur in the wine business, have a startup in the smart mobility sector, and I recently won the #CEO1Month contest in Italy. I am currently competing for the Global #CEO1Month challenge for which I created a project for Adecco’s very own startup incubator, it is kind of like my dream job!
H: As you were getting ready to graduate last year, what were the three things that made you thankful to have chosen Hult for your master’s degree?
M: The international experience, the network, and most of all, the epiphany I had. Hult has made me understand it is ok to want to challenge myself, to think outside of the box, to be willing to create something; in other words, to be an entrepreneur. I am forever grateful to Hult for pushing me towards self-awareness and empowering me with the soft skills I need for work life. In my opinion, there is no other place on earth like Hult. Be grateful, and don’t be afraid to make the most out of your experience.
H: When it comes to improving a brand or product, what is your strategy for getting a proper perspective to find the greatest area for innovation?
M: Listen, listen, listen. Listen with your eyes by observing. The only way to decide which path to take with an innovation in a product, launch, or a general brand management strategy is to get an organic perspective of the current state of art. Talk to people, go places, don’t close yourself in an office improving the slightest things – create and test, test and create. This is an ongoing process, and just when you think you’re done with it you get stuck. Constant improvements are fundamental in any area of innovation. Be humble and understand that if things have always been a certain way, there is a reason for that. If you want to change the way things are you must be ready to constantly have your hands in the dirt.
H: What do you do when you’re bored with a project but there are still a few months left for you to work on it? What are your motivating sources to do what you do every day?
M: I have experienced this feeling quite a lot in my life, especially while studying, because I am a person who gets bored easily. The real question you should ask yourself, when put in front of the decision is, is this worth it? And I get it, sometimes you just get stuck with it because your expectations were different. Keep counting down the days until the end of it and follow through while focusing on what you are going to do next. Your dreams are the only real motivation. It is not money, not success, not anything else. It’s your dreams. Don’t disappoint your inner kid, make yourself proud!
H: What are some examples of your entrepreneurial experience, what sets you a part?
M: I really do love this question. What Hult and its international trademark teaches us is that each one of us is different and value is created by synergies through differences. This question clearly comes from someone who is an American, or has lived in the US most of their life, but in Italy things are really different. People are not pushed to be entrepreneurial, especially in school. That is why, even though I was an A student, I was kind of a weirdo and a black sheep. I was always striving for more than books. I wanted creativity, I wanted projects, I wanted to create value. That is why I remember the professors who think out-of-the-box and empowered me and my peers, as kids, to do the same. One of my teachers made us sell oranges to fund one of our art projects. Just amazing, but in Italy – revolutionary.
I learned from those experiences, apricots included. I was picking them off the tree before they were ripe because I desperately wanted to sell them. I learned the value of patience and how it eventually gets you where you want to be. To conclude, let’s just say what has always set me a part amongst my peers is that I followed my heart and actually did things. Always follow your heart, and do the things it tells you.
H: In the article, you answered the question in about 50 seconds instead of taking the entire 2 minutes. What made you take that risk instead of taking the entire 2 minutes to put your strongest arguments forward?
M: I knew exactly what I was going to say because I know my heart, and I know where I want to be. I played the #StopWhining card because that is my tagline, my own personal brand, and that is where everything comes from in my life. Personal advice: you don’t need to have an elevator pitch ready, because in my experience, it might change depending on the situation. Instead, focus on a word, a sentence, or even a hashtag you feel represents you. I did not pick #StopWhining, it picked me!
H: What it is like to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company?
M: You should ask Andrea, the Country Manager for Adecco Group Italy and my boss. Anyway, the opportunity to be able to see the company both bottom up and top down is not only rare, but profoundly striking. You constantly have to be emphatic to gain the trust of your employees by listening to them. I think this is the most important quality for CEOs and leaders in general. As I say in the funny “car pitch” I created for this contest, “If you want to be a leader, you have to inspire others”. You have to know how to pull the right levers to empower employees and boost their self-confidence. Therefore, performance is key.
