Co-Founder & CMO @ FRAMEN | TOP 40u40 | #1 app for coworkings, hotels and retail | prDOOH | Digital Innovator | Woman in Tech
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁…𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳! Experience has to be earned firsthand. Anyone who sits in an ivory tower, delegating without having done the hard work themselves, cannot effectively lead or inspire others. It’s like a child touching a hot stove – sometimes, you need to feel the burn to understand. Failure isn’t the enemy; it’s about trying, falling, and getting back up. As leaders and founders, we must lead by example. That means that starting doing the sales ourselves, pitching hundreds of times on our own, refining, refining, refining. Only then can we guide others effectively—because we’ve done the hard work ourselves. In the early days at FRAMEN, we spent countless hours calling photographers and wedding planners, pitching our digital photo frame with a "Party Mode" that we thought was perfect for weddings. Spoiler: it wasn't in the top 10 most-needed products. We even spent weekends at weddings, personally motivating guests to use it alongside the bride and groom. What wouldn’t have worked? Never having done sales and simply instructing our sales team to handle it. My grandfather used to say, “Don’t tell me stories about war if you haven’t fought in it.” There are thousands of stories like this. The core tasks of your business should never be outsourced. However, what does help is a good mentor. A mentor can provide invaluable guidance and help you find the right path faster. I know that the journey is tough, but those who embrace the grind will always come out stronger. We need to get our hands dirty. Lead by doing. Would you also say true leadership and innovation starts with firsthand experience? photo credits by Franziska Diekmann, caught unexpectedly 🙌
Love this! While a theoretical knowledge base is certainly helpful and of course sometimes even mandatory, it’s the hands-on experience that really puts you in the position to navigate most challenges. For us, this is part of our company core, even found in our brand claim „Impact by experience“.
Well spoken and summarized Maggy! Agree 100 💪
100%👍. First-hand knowledge is a core asset to understand how a product(-to-be) will ultimately sell and function in its target group. And if you can choose, weddings are probably among the nicest locations for your “war” to happen and tell stories about.😉
Haha, guilty as charged! 😄 But the photo captures you in your element – true leadership in action. Fully engaged, as always, Magdalena! Your post really resonates with me: you have to get hands-on experience to truly lead and inspire. Glad I caught that moment! 🙌
I vividly remember how you presented your ideas in the community area in our coworking space in your early days. I was one of your guinea pigs. 😄 What a nice coincidence that you’re actually coming back to that very place today. See you later!
Start doing it! 🚀❤️
So true dear Magdalena Pusch and I am a big fan of you! You are experienced in the baseline "stuff" and a georgeous strategist and leader, Simply one of the most wonderful role models ❣️
👏👏
Geschäftsführerin bei ALBAKOM GmbH
2mo100%! This line: "I know that the journey is tough, but those who embrace the grind will always come out stronger." is so true, but I think everyone knows how hard it is to really embrace it 😅 But if you fight through and see it as "what can this teach me?" it can really push you beyond and strengthen your mindset. You can not always operate in every area of your business by yourself (especially if you get into an established company like I did), but I always try to stay curious & asks questions to understand the challenges in every area, the processes and sometimes to question the status quo 😁 and, of course, show real interest in the people and also what issues they have on the table, what drives them and what challenges they see themselves facing 🙏🏼