From An Entrepreneurship Competition To A Professionally Managed Firm

We have recently interviewed Trudy Berger, participant and winner of the Special Award in Yachting of the 6th edition of the Mark Challenge. She is an Alumna of the International University of Monaco and she has now started her business.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Communication at the Catholic University of Milan, Trudy moved to the Principality of Monaco to deepen her know-how and skills by obtaining a Master’s degree in Luxury Brand Management at the International University of Monaco. During these years, Trudy worked in different industries to acquire more knowledge and experience until she began her entrepreneurial path, starting her own company “Brand Therapy”. Brand Therapy is a brand management agency located in the Principality of Monaco that helps premium and luxury businesses enhance their brand thanks to evaluating several dimensions, from concrete elements, like marketing and communication activities, to emotional perceptions such as customer experience.

What have you done since you graduated from IUM?  

I have attended the MSc. in Luxury Brand Management during the Academic Year 2018-2019. Once I finished the Master, I started thinking even more seriously about my future. Through my research, I realized that many companies struggle to put themselves in the market and develop a captivating brand identity and image. As there is a real gap and there aren’t many solutions, I decided to start my own company, “Brand Therapy”.

Where does your entrepreneurial spirit derive from? 

I think it's a combination between my roots and my personality. I come from a very business-oriented family, especially my mom is a workaholic, and I've always admired her passion and determination. On the other side, there is my character. I'm an independent critical thinker with a strong personality and, on top of that, I've always liked challenges that push myself out of my comfort zone. 

You have been part of the 6th Edition of the Mark Challenge and your team, Sea Ahead, won the Special Award in Yachting. How did the Mark Challenge help you fostering your entrepreneurial spirit? Is there a unique/particular lesson you learnt from participating in the competition? 

When you participate in a business competition you have to find what is missing in the market/what is the problem and find a way to fill the gap by providing feasible solutions. My team and I worked several months behind this project; we did a lot of research, talked with experts, but honestly, Sea Ahead was a complicated idea, and there was no lack of obstacles. We were almost to drop the competition due to the complexity, but luckily, we had an excellent mentor to motivate us. I'm saying "luckily" because not only we have been selected as final participants, but we won the Special Award in Yachting! So, to reply to your question, during the Mark Challenge I've learnt many lessons. I improved my ability to work in a team; I realised that you can achieve something you truly want no matter the difficulties. Most importantly, I learnt to ask, not to be afraid of calling experts and asking 5 minutes of their time. 

How did that experience help you in your current position? I think the Mark Challenge enabled me to look at problems and opportunities with an entrepreneurial mindset. When you attend a Master's, you are in a sort of limbo, you are a student, but you also start to realize that you will be a real worker in adult life very soon. The Mark Challenge was a good bridge during this evolution, and it gave me a firsthand experience in building a business.

In your opinion, what was the best part of studying at IUM? 

It's hard to summarize in just a couple of elements! If I have to choose, I would say the international environment you live in both the University and the Principality of Monaco, in addition to the experiences IUM can offer, from field trips to guest lectures to networking events.

 Do you have any advice to share with other business owners?  

Be goal-oriented but passion-driven. In other words, it's essential to have a business mindset to run a company, but since work takes a huge percentage of our life, make sure you love what you do and let yourself be inspired by what surrounds you.

Link to the website: https://www.brandtherapy.info/