In a global market place, innovation provides the fuel for a growing economy, driving rapid business changes. Standard business practices, existing business models and copycat ideas are becoming obsolete. Entrepreneurship is more important than ever before, as it provides the fuel to innovate businesses with scalable growth.

But what is the spark for enabling scalable growth? If you had three businesses that had the same idea, the same business model and the same resources, they would all have different levels of success; mediocre or incredible, or failure. So what is the difference between them? In my experience, is their growth mindset.

Starting from Silicon Valley, I have helped several entrepreneurs and startups from European countries, including Greece, to start or expand their business in global markets. I have brought Greek companies to local incubators, seminars, workshops and startup forums that teach entrepreneurs how to develop a growth mindset. And I realized, that there is no recipe for creating a growth mindset that fits all cultures, particularly us Greeks.

We are very creative, multi-dimensional and like to do things our own way. We gather and synthesize information via community sharing, a culture originating from ancient Greek agora. And we innovate by bridging disciplines across domains. Fortunately, our multi-discipline culture is key for success in the modern business environment, unlike the old saying “Πολυτεχνίτης και Ερημοσπήτης”. So, culturally we have the foundation for inventing valuable business ideas. What we are missing is a growth mindset.

And that growth mindset is what Mindspark is bringing to communities in Greece!

We Greeks have the foundation for inventing valuable business ideas. What we are missing is a growth mindset.

Mindspark provides a unique recipe for a growth mindset, tailored for our innovative culture. A culture that is often held back by day-to-day survival, bureaucratic processes and limited business experience operating in global markets. The type of experience, that one cannot learn from books, but from “been there, done that!”

Mindspark uses modern psychological methods as a catalyst of change to transition its audience, from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. The audience goes through three phases, designed to move their belief system toward new levels of confidence:

• The first phase is designed to light up the spark in the mind with new ideas
• The second phase creates a context of community sharing to spark creativity
• The third phase bridges new knowledge with old beliefs to broaden the mind

Mindspark uses modern psychological methods as a catalyst of change to transition its audience, from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

A while ago, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, pioneered the essential idea of mindsets that separate those who fail from those who succeed. Through extensive research she developed the idea of a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset. The growth mindset goes beyond just working hard or trying to do the same thing better. It continues to evolve, it absorbs experience, develops the idea, takes risks, never stops to evolve and embraces failure to take the idea to the next level.

Mindspark provides the foundational elements for a Greek Carol Dweck recipe! It is unique and different because it aims to stimulate and evolve its audience mindset through an awakening experience that goes through the mind stages of Recognition, Doubt, Demystification, Replacement, Change, and Attitude toward Growth.

Mindspark is tailored for Greek culture and belief system. That’s exactly what Greece needs to succeed in the changing global market place, only at a grander scale…

Πηγή: Περιοδικό Exposed, τέυχος 7, Σεπτέμβριος 2018 (accessed 1 Aug 2019): https://issuu.com/helexpo/docs/exposed-n7-100pageslow)

1. Explore Greek entrepreneurship bridges in global markets:

• Professional Networks like HITEX https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1945789
• Associations for innovation like https://innovationgreece.com/
• Angels and VCs with global experience like http://odysseyvp.com/team/
• Euro-pitching events like mind the bridge https://sec2sv.com/
• European Innovation forums http://europeanentrepreneursatstanford.com/
• Startup incubators like Y-Combinator http://www.ycombinator.com/
• Accelerators like Plug & Play https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

2. Pick your targets, pitch your plan, get feedback and refine your plan

3. Attract experienced minds and cash to expand your business globally

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*Source: Keynote at the Mindspark USA TIF Helexpo 2018 (video παρακάτω)