Your Partner for Global Expansion

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julia Vorontsova, Founder of Innovation Park, located in Antwerp, Belgium.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are an innovation consultancy and business development firm that helps innovative businesses grow. We help innovative scale-ups and established businesses to expand and diversify in the EU, with Belgium as the hub. We help establish partnerships and large sales contracts (government and private) and obtain grants. More importantly, we are able to represent you and handle sales and contract negotiations in the EU as you build your team.

Tell us about yourself

I am an Innovator and educator myself, speak 5 languages, including English and Mandarin. I have worked in the marketing industry for 10 years and scaled multiple businesses past 8 figures. I soon realized that if I wanted to create more impact in the world, I needed to offer broader opportunities. That’s how I got inspired to build a strategic relationship with Belgium Government and inward investment to offer top-level support to innovative companies. Now we hold weekly meetings with the director of Flanders Economic Development to discuss projects, introductions, and opportunities for scale-ups able to bring 8 figures in annual revenue by year 5. This has allowed me to meet in person with geniuses and change-makers internationally and help make key decisions with the involved parties.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think every project that I am working on: we took them for a reason: our innovative projects help people and/or the planet through various initiatives.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about being a business owner is patience. Lol. Great things take time, sometimes a lot of time. While I am a very optimistic person, sometimes I ask myself how long it will really take to achieve the next milestone. It’s always proving to be worth the wait, though.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Plan for now, but plan for the next few years. Missing the first can leave you hungry, and missing the other can make you quit.
Don’t ever get discouraged by people telling you that your business idea is not possible. Nearly each of my businesses wasn’t met with support at the start.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://innovation-park.eu/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.