Learning About Entrepreneurship for Youth with Stefano Angeli
Today at N5 CIZ, Julian Colombo chats with Stefano Angeli, founder of the fintech Reba, which provides multiple products such as credit and debit cards, fixed terms, loans, investments in dollars, and more.
How is entrepreneurship for young people? How much preparation does it take to stand out in an environment? Is it all luck, or is there something else behind the success of those who did well?
Here are the key points from the interview and the most valuable lessons we learned. Even so, we recommend that you do not miss the full video and enjoy a talk that will make you see the world of entrepreneurship in a different way.
Importance of Being Surrounded by Entrepreneurs
Stefano comes from a family that he defines as “business and entrepreneurial”. Throughout his life he was supported by multiple projects of the business group that had been started by his grandfather and later followed by his father. However, from there he was creating his own path, until ending up in the position of CEO in his own company.
The past of his family is something that Stefano takes into account. He takes pride in the fact that his grandfather started small, working as an Italian immigrant in construction, and has grown to create a huge business.
His adolescence was very marked by the professional. From a young age he worked in the family business in different tasks, and when it was time to pursue a career, he leaned towards business administration.
Later in his life, the opportunity arose to buy an Argentine financial institution regulated by the central bank and his father proposed the idea that he take charge of the project. Stefano accepts and thus started Reba, his company.
It’s Not About Universities, But About People
Stefano studied business administration at the University of Rosario, but his desire to do things abroad led him to do an exchange in England for his final year. He would later study at Harvard and Stanford, meeting people in the process and demystifying common beliefs about great universities.
I would end up discovering that there is nothing that separates in intellectual terms a student from Harvard with one from an Argentine university. Of course, people who go to these great universities have the opportunity to make valuable contacts throughout their careers, along with many comforts.
However, the difference centers more with that than with the gray matter, as Stefano comments. It’s not a matter of intelligence, it’s a matter of opportunities
Develop the “Hunger to Do”
What drives someone to undertake or work to achieve a goal? What makes a person go out into the world to seek opportunities? For Stefano, what moves entrepreneurs is the “hunger to do”, and it is something that cannot be taught. It is absorbed.
In his case, he absorbed it by being in a family of hard-working people. Both his grandparents and his father and brothers have their own projects and goals. It’s what happens when you grow up in a family where hard work is valued.
Even her grandmother, now 72, still comes to the office. Not that you need it. It is the desire to be active that drives her to continue.
For Stefano, this hunger to do is something that is absorbed by osmosis. It happens when you are surrounded by proactive and enterprising people.
Is it important to have luck to succeed?
For Stefano, the idea that you have to be lucky to be a successful entrepreneur is a myth. Yes, there are always things that happen by chance, but the truth is that when people classify something as “a stroke of luck” they leave out a whole story.
Many times to be lucky you have to be prepared. When one analyzes case by case, one realizes that what could be easily attributed to luck is actually years of preparation to be at the right time, with the right tools, and with the right contacts.
There are always opportunities, but only those who have prepared themselves in advance are in a position to take them. That is why it is important to be motivated in the work you do. Without motivation, it is difficult to achieve the perseverance necessary to go far in an area.
Importance of Taking Risks
To start a business you have to take risks. It is the only way in which you can get to work as you like, and it is the fair price that is usually paid for rejecting the comfort of a permanent job in a company that promises economic stability.
A necessary distinction that Stefano makes is that risk taking is not directly linked to success, but to doing what one loves. Regardless of the money, when you pursue a dream, it is most likely that you will end up working on it.
A low aversion to risk, for Stefan, is key when it comes to developing as an entrepreneur.
As we have had the opportunity to see in other interviews, sometimes it is necessary to take risks to know what works and what does not work.
Reba’s Story
Reba is a story of innovation and seizing opportunities. It started, as we saw above, when the opportunity arose to acquire a small Argentine financial company. His father was very excited about the deal but didn’t have time, so he asked his son to take over.
Stefano saw an opportunity outside of the traditional market. Instead of opening branches and entering competitive territory, he decided to go for the tech and fintech side. Once again, we can see here the importance of being willing to take risks and get out of the comfort zone.
Today it is passion that drives Stefano to pursue goals. And as he mentions, it’s not so much about getting where you want to be — at least for Stefano — but about enjoying the journey. That is why he is always pushing his finish line. He is always chasing a new goal.
More than what is done, it is about the hunger to do.
Conclusions
The interview with Stefano Angeli for N5 CIZ has been extremely interesting both for the story of his beginnings as an entrepreneur and for the valuable insight he provided us. These are the key points to remember:
- The environment is key when developing as an entrepreneur, and it can be a great source of inspiration.
- There is nothing extraordinary that differentiates someone who studies at Harvard from someone who goes to any other university. People are the ones who make the change.
- The “hunger to do” is a powerful source of motivation. It is what motivates us to undertake above money.
- Luck is not decisive. Opportunities only come to those who have spent years preparing to take them.
- Only those who are willing to take risks are capable of aspiring to more.
- Passion is vital when pursuing your goals. It is what leads you not only to achieve what you set out to do, but to pursue ever greater goals.
