Some people think that the key to success lies within their daily routines. Do you agree with this, and if so, what is your daily routine?
The key to success is the support of your self-esteem in your childhood. If you get mental and emotional support from the family and the teachers to try and fail, it might cause you to have the belief to influence anything in your life. It’s part of creating values — the daily routine matters in maintaining and prolonging the capability but not the key. A well-structured routine can provide the foundation for achieving goals and becoming productive. Daily practice helps me keep my balance and be positive to support my team or example. I start the morning by preparing my meals. I plan the whole day and count on possible events and occasions. During the preparation, I usually listen to an audiobook. 3-4 times, I go swimming 45 min before my first meetings. It is the only way to keep the physical activity in my routine. The flow or flood discloses the opportunity if it does not happen in the morning before everything. I love the sounds of the water and the monotony. It is the only activity when I am not multitasking. After this early but more extended morning, I start my day around 9 am. Usually have business meals and other meetings. And if I have a few minutes, I try to check and proceed with my quick emails. At least 2-3 times a week, I also have an evening program (panel guest, speaker, networking, or cultural activity), but I try to keep my evenings private to recharge and sleep around 7 hours.
Looking back at your teenage years, did you have any entrepreneurial interests?
Reflecting on my teen years, yes, but I did not know it was entrepreneurial interests and mindset. I had no wealthy family background, so I needed to figure out how to earn some pocket money for my daily extra needs (culture, fashion, etc.). So, I decided to become a theater ticket provider to my classmates and teachers. I went to the ticket office, bought the tickets, and sold them in the school. I had yet to learn that it is a small business, and the school environment was very supportive in figuring out how to manage it officially. The primary value was to realize that I could earn money by creating value. It’s not an or-or game, and it’s possible to generate profit and value simultaneously. These early activities served as the foundation for my conscious business mindset.
Is there a specific time of day when you feel most productive?
Yes, I’ve noticed that I tend to be most productive during the early morning hours. After sleeping, I have a fresh perspective and can make decisions quicker than in the evenings, after a long meeting- and a stimulus-full day. I use an app (todoist) to manage my projects and tasks, which helps me focus and be present during the day — not always dealing with the following jobs but the recent ones.
Is there one character trait/skill essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur in today’s world?
It’s challenging to pick one character trait/skill because the landscape is so complex, competitive, and dynamic, but changing perspectives is crucial for becoming a successful entrepreneur. When you figure out an idea and then test it, and it fails, you have to change the view to develop a new opportunity or solution. It’s relevant to more minor daily decisions and bigger strategic ones as well. It’s an indispensable quality to adapt and go on.
Has being a woman in the business world affected you positively or negatively, and how so?
Of course, I had an impact on my journey. Becoming Hungary’s first female VC partner meant my business partners were primarily males. I got used to it before as a young leader because the ratio could have been better in these positions. So I got comfort in these kind of situations. My first unusual experience was to discuss with another female leader; then I realized that it might happen; it’s not unique; nothing wrong with me. Previously, I did not know I acted according to female stereotypes; for example, at a board meeting where I was an equal member, I offered to make the notes and administration, which traditionally belonged to female employees. But I was lucky with my male partners; they faced me to act differently and not accept the hidden biases.
What is one major goal that you wish to achieve by 2030?
I have at least two hats. I lead an NGO, which I’d like to achieve to run financially stable and find my ancestor in the CEO position. In my VC hat, hopefully, we will be in our next fund and summarize the first results as a great financial success story in our region. Going back to media and film experience/background, I will also produce documentaries and grow The Personal History Archive we funded this year with one of my best friends.
Who is your biggest influence, and why?
I need help picking one and only. I was lucky to have some influential teachers who shaped my perspective on values already in high school and supported me to believe I could realize my dreams. Before I was 30, I had an unexpected family member who was a businessman. We knew about each other but never met before. He became my supervisor and mentor in business, and I learned a lot about the nature of successful partnerships from him. I am grateful to Feri.
If you could pick one female entrepreneur, who would you say is your biggest inspiration?
I am too inclusive to have just one inspiration.:) It’s more a mixture of many interesting and exciting influences. But for example, I follow Melanie Perkins’s journey, who is the CEO and co-founder of CANVA, an online graphic design tool. She revolutionized graphic design by making it accessible to everyone and also gave free accounts to NGOs to achieve their goals. I genuinely appreciate it. The platform allows people with no graphic design experience to create professional designs. As a female leader in the tech sector, she challenges the gender imbalance, serving as a role model for aspiring female entrepreneurs and tech professionals. She profoundly understands users’ needs and still has a lot in front of her with the potential of a high-valued company.
What has been the most formative advice you have received and why?
The most formative advice I’ve received was to ‘give with warm hands’. If I decide to support someone (in her career, my team, or anywhere else), I never look for mutual benefit; I just give it. If it’s too formal and too much effort to provide, it’s better not to. Before this, I usually got disappointed because of putting extra energy into cases and not getting back enough. This advice also helped me to make my decisions more carefully, slower, but safer for long-term partnerships.
What has been the most impressive/memorable question anyone has ever asked you?
‘What do you want if anyone says about you when you are not alive anymore?’ That’s a legacy question that we usually ask from business leaders. I got it from a friend asking me why I am building my NGO and what’s in it for me. I said my legacy is fostering leaders to develop their legacy from day one; they have the potential and responsibility. To achieve it, they all have to answer this question. Our Legacy Research shows that 9 of 10 leaders say they would like to become ‘just a good person’, which resonates a lot with our desire to have more and more leaders who turn their emotional, intellectual, and financial capabilities into action to shape strategically what they leave behind for the next generations. We face turbulent times and global challenges and need a new mindset to cope with them. That’s especially true for leadership. We need leaders who see beyond their agenda and look at the good of others; who have a long-term vision even for the next generation or embracing decades; who understand their responsibility and take action striving for long-term, structural changes. All of those are based on personal solid integrity and rock-solid values. The other question for these leaders is also simple: is your company the one where your children would also like to work? The answer is yes or no. If not, you know what to change and especially why.
Do you think the drive to become an entrepreneur is born with or is learned?
It’s again not an or-or question. It is a dynamic blend of innate qualities and learned behaviors that can be nurtured and developed over time. Creativity, risk tolerance, resilience, and a willingness/belief to challenge the status quo, starting in your prenatal period, belong to your early childhood stability. But these qualities alone do not guarantee success. Experience and education are also needed. Learning plays and examples are vital; industry skills, problem-solving, networking, basic business principles, etc., matter as much as your natural background. It’s also luck if you are a lifelong learner, as an adaptation must for all entrepreneurs. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family can contribute but also stop you if you don’t want to repeat your parents’ overloaded lifestyle. So, in summary, it’s always a mixture of many personal, professional, and environmental components. I could never become an entrepreneur if my first job experience were not to self-employ myself as a freelance TV reporter. If I had first become an established employee, my whole career would have ended very differently.
CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA General Partner, Oktogon Ventures CEO and co-founder, Bridge Budapest website: https://www.oktogon.vc/ and https://bridgebudapest.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistyurveronika/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-pistyur-7b941127/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridge-budapest/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgebudapest email: [email protected] Address: Apály street 3. VI./4. Budapest, 1134 Hungary