|
INTERVIEW WITH OLGA KOSTROVA,
Founder, IdeaMama Group
President, IdeaMama Club Corporation
Question: What is the
secret of the
rapid growth of IdeaMama Club?
Olga:
First of all, with each new product
or service IdeaMama Group introduces to the market, it aims to design tools and
methodology for creating wealth (on both materialistic an spiritual level). The club’s environment can make a millionaire
of everyone who truly wants to become one (if financial reward is a driver) and
ready to make an effort to reach his/her goals and to see dreams come true. I use
the word millionaire neither as a final
destination nor an ultimate goal, but rather as a measure of the personal achievements
of the club’s members.
Hopefully my ambition will become a reality and with the introduction of new web-based
solutions for IdeaMama Club, we will
build the biggest and the fastest growing social innovation and business incubator
in the world, one that functions accordingly to proven methodologies
that I soft-launched in the spring of 2005.
IdeaMama’s programs are designed for talented
individuals to make a bold statement, “I am!”
for their ideas. We are a bridge between an
idea and a business empire.
We have an exceptional team of consultants (associates) that are dedicated to planning,
structuring and marketing members’ ideas, raising necessary capital, recruiting,
motivating and training future employees, and finally bringing new products to the
market.
Started as a small
innovation consulting
company, IdeaMama Group is rapidly growing because of the quality of our service
and, I believe, because of the brand identity that we have created. Who can nurture
your ideas better than mama, even if it’s an idea-mama?
[smiling]
And now, IdeaMama Group is not a small consultancy company any more as it was envisioned
in the fall of 2004 (www.ideamama.net).
Today, we already have a few UNIQUE DIVISIONS that operate in the global marketplace.
Question:
Since IdeaMama Club was founded, it has generated a lot of buzz all over the globe
in just a few months. What is so unique about the club?
Olga:
That is correct. I have neither advertised the club nor worked with the mass media
to get publicity. The word started to spread on its own. A member brought another
member to share his own excitement about this new concept. But I was also lucky
enough to get some negative publicity on the Internet from sceptics who couldn’t
understand either the concept itself or our intentions, and it brought even more
followers to the IdeaMama’ philosophy.
IdeaMamaClub.com is an absolutely
unique business community. It’s more than just an on-line business network; it’s
collaborative virtual incubator for inventions and business ideas.
The club is dedicated
to connect visionaries who brainstorm on innovative ideas, plan new projects, structure
and market products of their collaboration as unique investment opportunities and
finally bring our collective “babies” to the market.
In a next few years I expect to see over a million
international members
worldwide sharing their ideas on wwww.IdeaMamaClub.com,
finding partners through the club, forming new ventures and inventing new products
collaboratively.
The trend in the business
world today is obvious – employees leave the corporate world to seek more independence
in the world of freelance professionals. As a result they face a few challenges:
making a considerable income without a decent marketing budget and/or sales skills
is not easy in such a competitive world of independent consultants, who pursue the
same clients and offer relevantly similar services – with a few exceptions.
The reason IdeaMama Club
became the new “big thing” in the business community in Canada, UK and US (with close to 10000
international members after only few months of operation and no advertising or PR)
is its philosophy. The vision promoted by the club
is “collaborate
versus compete”:
find out where you can add value to your competitor’s service, pull your resources
together, find new clients, bring them together, and enjoy a win-win situation.
Posting detailed text/photo/audio
and video profiles and getting connected with other members is free. Subscribers
can enjoy many other complementary services.
With a minimum commitment
fee of only $9.99 per month all participating parties will not only have lots of
great moments while learning and co-creating, but they also receive tremendous financial
benefits. Either you have equity in newly designed businesses or working on a profit
sharing base with the club’s projects, it is your additional long term investment.
And that is what is so important – to have a few revenue streams and to efficiently
diversify your risk and resources.
We all know that the
wealthiest people are those who were not scared to leave their well-paid jobs and
jump into crazy new ventures.
Creating wealth
for millions of members and designing a new exciting lifestyle full of adventure
and joy for all parties involved – is the ultimate goal
of IdeaMama.
The club supports innovation in various industries: biotechnology, commerce, education,
energy, entertainment, environment, finance, health & medicine, information
technology, materials, space, transportation, and many others.
In addition to the collaborative platform,
www.IdeaMamaClub.com offers a lead generating system that allows all members
to increase the revenue of their existing businesses while working together on developing
new and exciting products or building new businesses.
IdeaMama Product
Development Club
connects inventors and helps them to come up with winning ideas for new products
that have obvious market demand and high social value. Electronic facilities for
attracting licensing bids are built in the platform.
As a product concept
is ready, the next step is to “put it out there” in the
IdeaMama Business Development Club,
the club that aims to develop unique business concepts. That’s where ideas are transformed
into feasible business models that attract human and financial resources.
Electronic
facilities for preparing each incubated company for an exit in form of IPO are built
in the platform which make each highly rated idea an attractive investment opportunity.
The strategy for promoting this new business would
be developed and polished in the
IdeaMama Marketing Club, another unique concept for collaborative
work of marketing professionals widely spread geographically.
With the same philosophy
in mind “collaborate
versus compete”, we intend to gain fortune 1000 clients’ trust by providing
collaborative solutions brainstormed by a number of different marketing companies
and advertising agencies. How often do consultants face the question: “So, why would
we choose you? How are you different from another marketing company?”
And now the question that sales people hate the most, becomes the favorite
question of independent IdeaMama Consultants, because the answer is so simple: “We
are not just DIFFERENT from companies A, B, C. We offer collaborative solutions
in which company A, B, C had active participation.”
The IdeaMama Marketing
Club operates on-line, but the most value is in its brainstorming events where clients
are invited to define which of a few suggested marketing strategies suits their
needs best, and as the choice is made, IdeaMama Club allocates tasks to members
of a local chapter – graphic and web designers, copywriters, account managers, event
managers and marketing professionals – to design and implement the campaign for
the client and gain financial rewards from getting new “jobs”.
IdeaMama Investment Club is
a final destination of the club’s project, where members – venture capital companies,
corporate and independent investors, can not only discuss investment strategies
and new market trends but also bid on the top rated investment opportunities that
promise high returns. IdeaMama Investment Club is an alternative Angel network. It was founded to make the whole process
of sourcing and evaluating deals easier for both – the company that seeks funding
and the investors.
IdeaMama Investment Club
was formed
for the purpose bringing together successful high net-worth individuals who, besides
the networking opportunity, have a chance to find “students” and mentor bright,
promising entrepreneurs, passing on to them their own knowledge and experiences.
Only selected members can apply to join this club, if they fit the criteria.
By paying a monthly membership of $999, a member can become a Sponsor (VIP member) of the IdeaMama Club and will
support IdeaMama
Innovation Foundation with funds
that we will raise to
provide grants for physically disable individuals and children with great ideas.
The foundation, in comparison to the majority of others, collects 0% of the administrative
fees; it is managed and served strictly by volunteers and will be fully sponsored
by IdeaMama Club.
Question: Was www.ideamamaclub.com funded externally?
Olga:
No, start-up stage of
IdeaMama Club was funded internally. I started IdeaMama Group with a couple thousand dollars
to cover a few months of “hunting for clients”. Profit from consultancy was reinvested
in the development of the club and its on-line communication platform.
Development took 4 times longer than expected of course [smile] but I am happy that
we finally arrived. It is a great time to launch this project as users seemed to
realise potential of social and business networking platforms and also more and
more innovative ideas come to market and require support. So, we seem to be in a
right place in right time.
Now we are ready for the 1st round of funding and are open to offers
from private and corporate investors. Funds will be allocated to marketing, improving
infrastructure and developing more exciting features for the club’s members.
Question: Can you describe to us your first official
day in business at IdeaMama?
Olga:
To be precise, I would
say the official day would be August 30, 1973 – the day the world cried with happiness
when my mom gave a birth to Olga [smiling].
Question: When did you start this company?
Olga:
I officially formed this
company in the fall of 2004, but I had been preparing the seeds for this venture
over a decade of managing marketing projects for established international companies
and SMEs, as well as years of building business ventures for “fun”.
Every new business I
started was a great learning experience; learning not just about the business side
but also about myself – my strengths and weaknesses as a business person, my preferences,
levels of tolerance towards events and behavioral patterns. And the most important
lesson I learned is what I am HERE for.
My first business was founded in my first year in Canada.
Now it can be found at http://olgrandeur.ideamama.net.
I dropped
it very fast realizing that even if I love fashion and it is a very exciting and
glamorous business to be in, it is still relevantly superficial and I will make
no difference in the world by adding another transformed piece of fabric to cover
someone’s cute body.
My second business, Artmill Creative, was a stock photo agency (http://artmill.ideamama.net).
Even if
I still love photography and do it from time to time, it felt too small for me…
I felt that I wasn’t enjoying the daily routine of running “one of those” businesses
in a highly competitive digital environment.
All my friends would suggest wisely: “Olga, baby, focus.
You spread yourself too thin. To succeed you have to focus.” And I knew that there
was something wrong to this common thread in relation to Olga; I knew that it is
not the way Olga wanted to live and that one day she will find how to live “unfocused”
enough to be never bored, and create and enjoy the diversity of life.
I knew that the most enjoyable part for me was to create - either a business, product,
or body of art - then package it (brand it and create a buzz-generating launch),
hire great leaders that can make the company successful, support them all the way
and when they don’t require your constant presence move on to the next “baby”.
That’s how IdeaMama came
to life. And I think there is no other way to succeed: do what you do best and just
do it, no matter what. Polish your skills, adjust according to obstacles. Look for
your talents until you find your passion. Or maybe it will find you first.
Question:
So, IdeaMama Group, IdeaMama Club, IdeaMama Innovation Foundation as a next
step… is that it?
Olga:
No, it’s never “it”.
[smile]. As the launch rush is over, I will be able to focus on developing
the project I have been dreaming about for the last few years:
IMIIC -
IdeaMama International Innovation Centre.
Currently I am working
on building a team and securing funding for this real estate development project
and I am open to proposals for any form of partnerships. The first IdeaMama International
Incubation Centre will most probably be built
in Toronto and later branched out in other major economical centers.
IdeaMama International Innovation Centre will not aim to support development of
global, revolutionary scientific projects. Rather it will create very tight, warm
communities of young, extremely innovative enterprises, local branches of international
venture capital companies, financial and business consultancy companies, marketing
companies, OEM representatives, business publications and other firms that work
collaboratively on designing unique, and hopefully life changing projects.
Now entrepreneurs will be able to spend more quality time with their peers and build
stronger relationships outside of business hours.
Question:
Let’s briefly talk about your personality. How do you think people perceive
you?
Olga:
Perceptions of others are usually based on people’s desires, insecurities, and fears… How one perceives others is directly
reflected in how they perceive themselves and what they don’t want to admit to themselves…
Where one sees gold another might see a shiny ball of dust… So, I am sure I am perceived
in number of different ways….
And by the way here is one of my beliefs that came about as a result of some unwanted
social interference:
"Verbal and visual shock therapy is the best pill against assumptions".
So, hopefully, others perceive me according to the messages I share: a fearless
re-creator with a very whacky sense of humour, sarcastic, no boundaries, no limitations,
one who doesn’t see things as black or white, doesn’t tolerate closed and judgmental
minds, doesn’t have the time to deal with aggressiveness based on low self-esteem,
doesn’t respect gossip, and I looooooooove life and all creatures that are ALIVE
(versus creatures that live like dead)! <smile>
and the rest of characteristics may be discovered by the
very few close souls that are free of clichés and judgments…
Question: What experiences made you who you are?
Olga:
Who I am today is quite a distance from who I am going to be tomorrow… So, let’s
put it this way; I am not yet a final product [smile]. I am thankful for all my
life experiences that have made me who I am today, and will be grateful for any
joy or pain I might need to go through to become an even better person…
As for memorable events in my life that really made
me who I am… As much as shared love enhances us, I would have to say that probably
the most important for my self-development were those dramatic experiences that
don’t manage to kill us, therefore they only make us stronger… As it has been known
from classics [smile].
I remember my pain every time a cruel, intolerant to physical defects kid made fun
of my dad in my presence. My father was an invalid from childhood. It is great that
in Canada this situation is absolutely different and children have been educated
early about support that they have to give to people who are in need of it. I remember
approaching those little offenders and throwing at them some sarcastic, humiliating
jokes; all I could come up at that early age… [smile]
defence in form of offence…
Until today no one from my family knew that as a result of living in a country with
extremely high crime rate, I was raped and physically abused by strangers 3 times
before reaching 20. Well, at least
policemen did not rape me, which was (may still be) so common in my country.
There were a number of shocking, so called dramatic experiences in my adult life
as well, but I much prefer to focus on lighter events in my life… those events that
made me the Olga Kostrova of today…. And for sure there will be still further influences
on the development of my mind and soul …
I was born in Kiev in 1973 to a family that huddled together in a tiny apartment
with only one room. That room housed the dining room and bedroom, all at the same
time. There were 6 people: mother, father, older sister and two grandmothers.
My grandmothers were heroic women. These two sisters
found my mother on the threshold of their house – a house that was later destroyed
in the Second World War. Fleeing from the fascist army, my mother’s natural mum
threw her newborn baby towards this house a few hours before she was killed. These
women brought up the baby as their own child, in spite of abject poverty and famine.
I thank my lucky stars that I grew up in this family with people that lavished care
upon each other and gave me the opportunity to understand what is meant by goodness,
wisdom and strength. My mom, dad and older sister gave me as much love as they could
and always supported me in my striving for knowledge and I will always be thankful
for that.
I have never been and easy child. I always did what
I wanted to do. I was very persistent and achieved everything I desired and rarely
listened to anyone’s advice, which is definitely not always a good thing <smile>.
I tried to search out my own lessons and learn first hand. I believe I was quite
diverse from the very first moment when my mom gave birth to me. I played a key
role in my high school drama theatre and puppet show, studied ballroom dancing and
belonged to tons of educational and hobby related groups outside of school. As long
as I can remember, I always tried to reach beyond my own capacity. And I often did.
I found my passion for creative activities in my early
teen years.
In 1996 I completed my degree in Financial Management
and Economics. At the age of 23, I managed the marketing activities of one of the
biggest international companies in Europe. At the age of 27 I was interviewed for
the position of CEO of a new branch of an international advertising agency in Ukraine,
but did not have a chance to accept the offer because of my ex-husband’s intentions
to relocate to North America.
By this time, I had gained knowledge and experience in serving clients with high
standards of work… knowledge that I later applied in every business I started.
Question: How did immigration
affect your life?
Olga:
I came to Canada 4 years ago supporting decisions made by my ex-husband.
Up to now it has been one big adventure. New cultures, new language, new people,
new events, new challenges, new triumphs and disappointments, friends and betrayals,
dealing with moments of safety and escaping from criminals, making a fortune and
losing all I had, being involved in a few fatal car accidents and staying alive,
slamming the doors of psychiatrist offices and saving myself from committing suicide
<smiling>… new experiences and the most important – new me.
Personal transformation is the most important thing one can expect to gain from
the first years as an immigrant where you are alone in a new “strange” place with
no family, no friends, no familiarity with the way life used to be… And the only
thing that has any real value is not what you have, not your material possessions
or social title you might have once been so proud of, but WHO YOU REALLY ARE. The
only thing that matters then is how that little heart of yours beats when you look
in the mirror and find nothing but true innocence; what matters is what “pills”
you choose against your own fears and doubts – either you settle for safety and
comfortable mediocrity or dare to take risks to either lose-it-all or gain-it-all.
If one were looking for a purpose of life the most efficient way would most probably
be to buy a one-way ticket to an “unknown” final destination, leave your country
of origin and try to find yourself in a totally new environment. If you succeed
in remaining sane, you just might as well succeed in the rest
[smiling].
Question: What gave you the impression
that IdeaMama could be a viable business? Did it evolve from something personal
in your life or was it all business?
Olga:
As I mentioned previously,
this company is a result of my internal search for something meaningful to which
to dedicate my life.
My belief is simple –
no amount of money can be an excuse for time wasted on meaningless activities or
businesses built on the absence of integrity.
The most success any
individual human being can realize is only in activities that make a difference
in someone’s life. And after the numbers of lessons learned, I realized that the
best I can do in this life is to dream – dream big for myself and help others to
dream big and make their dreams come true. All it takes is a process and infrastructure
for manufacturing and marketing dreams
[smile].
Teachers and coaches
might achieve that through educating. My mission is to allocate my creative power
to assist others in re-creating the world and making it a better place to LIVE as
truly alive human beings, and not just co-exist. Self-development is as a big part
of it as we always have to do reality check, validate our intentions and execution
strategy.
Helping people to re-connect
with their dreams and connect with other dreamers, movers and shakers – isn’t that
the best path one can chose?
And when you have a strong
purpose in life, it all falls into place one day or another, one way or another.
And money comes…to those who are cash obsessed.
[smiling]
Question: What did the people closest to you say when you began describing your
vision of what would soon become IdeaMama?
Olga:
Well, my family always
say “go get a job, you were compensated so well for your age”.
My old friends who keep
their safe jobs were a bit skeptical and though that I dream too big.
But my new friends (to
whom I am thankful for so much support) and the new people I attract with my vision,
think that I am a crazy, stubborn dreamer, and that’s why my business will succeed
no matter what, not only because of my personality but also because this business
is designed with care in mind about the world.
Question: How does IdeaMama
bridge the gap between people with great ideas and people with great big bank accounts?
Olga:
It’s all about the right
marriage. We match make business ideas and capital as matchmakers match singles.
Partially it is a numbers game. You will hear dozens of “No” before someone will
“fall in love” with you and your “baby”.
If you can’t play the game you will get discouraged after a few attempts. But it’s
the game I invented for myself, so I have no other choice but follow the rules and
enjoy the journey.
And now as I build the
IdeaMama Club, the process becomes more structured and simple. The business development
process became transparent. Investors, as members of the club, observe how each
“baby” is born, how the market responds to the concept, who nurtures it as team
members, how creative marketers are, how committed and qualified management is,
and whether they can deliver.
Now the main challenges
of aspiring entrepreneurs – great management team and capital – is suddenly resolved
with the launch of IdeaMama Club.
It is all available
for those who are driven. And if you don’t become a millionaire in a few years,
if you don’t hit your happiest moments of your life, if you don’t devise a number
of adventures to spice up your life – IT’S SOLELY YOUR FAULT.
People either seek solutions or excuses.
We offer the solution, but those who seek excuses will always find them – “the software could be even better”, “the services better
be free”, “I don’t have much time”
etc.
We are not focused on
changing the minds of those whose lives are based on excuses. IdeaMama wants to
dedicate its efforts to assisting a small group of very special individuals (a couple
of million people worldwide, no more [smiling]) who want to make a difference in
their own lives and lives of those who might need help… to those who desire and
have the will to do all in their power to nurture the fire within.
Question: What types of people
do you surround yourself with to help make IdeaMama a successful company?
Olga:
It is not only about
making an IdeaMama a successful company, but also about making my own life a success
and full of joy. I don’t have any other criteria for people in my life than they
are honest, real, passionate, supportive, encouraging, and hardworking.
Common saying states
“surround yourself with successful people for your own success”. I completely disagree
with this selfish statement. I believe that as long as a person has a heart and
dignity, it is our responsibility to make an effort to help them become more successful
than they are… But then again, we are coming back to the definition of success;
it is very personal for each of us.
Recently I had a chat
with a homeless man who happened to be a graphic designer in the past but chose
to test his strengths with a new lifestyle. He is happier than ever. Would one question
that he is successful?
I think that there are
too many clichés in western society with regard to success. In most cases it is
associated with money. I think that since we don’t live in vacuum and we are forced
to observe “evidence” of this definition every day, we HAVE TO remind ourselves
every morning that there is so much more to life than fat wallets and big bank accounts.
We have to look deeper inside and find those little things that make us true human
beings, and redefine things that really matter.
It doesn’t mean that
I preach against wealth, no way. But I just want to remind that becoming wealthy
is much easier when you have a purpose, higher mission, and then money you make
can serve not just you but really make difference in someone else’s life.
That is why IdeaMama
Club is a “baby” that is so close to my heart. I want to see it growing along with
its members’ dreams and visions. I want its members to acquire wealth and learn
how to use it for the good of humanity.
Question:
Is there anything that you, personally, would like to see changed in the business
world?
Olga:
Whatever I want to see changed at this point I am trying to change by launching
IdeaMama Club. Collaboration versus competition, collaborative ownership of ideas,
and “stop selling” approach.
I see how those who are focused on aggressive selling techniques and obsessed with
closing deals [smile] threw a few stones at me for my last words.
I think it is about time to dedicate efforts to building a more ethical society,
society with less aggression, less manipulation, less brainwashing mechanisms and
techniques that would be forced on people.
I share a philosophy that can be formulated as “stop selling, start helping to resolve
the problem by finding solutions”. What is so hard to accept by the majority of
sales professionals and especially their supervisors who “act in the interest of
their corporation”. My approach is simple - if you see that you can’t offer the
best solution, walk away. Sometimes your solution is really not the best one from
which a client can benefit at this time. An average sales person will still make
an effort to close the deal and make the commission for himself and profit for his
company. I want to see a utopian society where a sales person will walk away by
saying “I don’t think what my company can offer will benefit you enough, it’s time
for me to go and meditate on better luck”
[smile].
To help companies “get lucky” there is a section “My challenges” in each member
profile on
www.IdeaMmaaClub.com. It is designed with
a purpose to help other members learn and analyse the situation before approaching
anyone with their services or goods and to see if it really is something that can
be a great solution for a fellow club-member.
Question:
What would you like aspiring
entrepreneurs to know before starting
his/her business based on your experiences?
Olga:
I turned 33 in August 2006, so it is still too
early to summarize my life and its experiences [smile]; hopefully I still have a long way to go to
learn my lessons again and again.
But what I have learned
so far is that the formula of success is simple if you formulate the definition
of success for yourself.
If it’s “to have a lot
of money” robbing a bank could also be a solution
[smile].
But as I mentioned before, I believe any reasonable person realizes that the size
of a bank account itself will never make one happy.
With more freedom in business decision-making, for example,
we might limit our freedom in our personal life by gaining more attachments and
more responsibly.
But whatever your own
definition is, the formula of success is simple:
Tenacity + passion +
commitment + flexibility + ability to learn + ability to stay true to yourself and
your values + integrity + ability to lead +…
My
leadership secret is also very simple. I was not the one who invented it though [smiling]: Create a vision, articulate the
vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.
As per drive… drive not as you own the car, but as you
own the road…
Question: What is your personal motto?
Olga:
I borrow my motto from
time to time from those who are worthy of being quoted…
Here is one well-known line, my current favourite: LEAD,
FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF MY WAY.
Question: Looking at everything
you have got so far, is it anything you are thankful for?
Olga:
I am thankful that
my health allows me TO SEE both the beauty of this world as well as its imperfections;
TO HEAR the quietest sounds of the wind, or whisper the words of love; TO SENSE;
TO DANCE half naked under rain and still BE CONSIDERED SANE; TO THINK the thoughts
that sometime fight in my head like an old married couple fight with each other
when there is nothing better to do; TO RUN uphill towards my dreams … and FLY… towards
the rainbow…
|