Veronica Mesuraca: Step Up with V

BARCELONA METROPOLITAN ONLINE ARTICLE. ENTREPRENEURS EXPLAIN

Veronica Mesuraca, originally from Italy, has been an expat for 11 years. She lived and worked in Dublin, Barcelona and London. She has recently returned to Barcelona where she continues to develop her own business, Step Up with V.

Veronica trained as a Coach and Personal Branding Strategist. Her coaching style is focused on the person’s identity and the development of leadership skills, particularly for professionals in transition from individual contributors to leaders or in the early stage of their leadership journey. She helps her clients to increase their self and social awareness, develop their leadership style and skills, communicate more authentically and effectively, and build their unique value proposition. Veronica´s mission is to help new leaders earn the trust and respect of their peers and team, in a way that creates a working environment that is open, efficient, and empowering.

Previously, Veronica worked as an Executive Assistant in international companies within a variety of sectors, from export to telecoms and tech. She developed the idea of Step Up with V while living in London and continuously invests in her studies to offer a great service to her clients. Veronica brings into her business a mix of international working experience, coaching skills, and practical knowledge on Personal Branding. Professionalism, dedication, and a genuine connection with her clients are at the foundation of her work.

1. Where did the original idea come from for your business?

After 10 years in the corporate world, I felt I wanted to use my skills and experience to create a different level of impact, to be a support for professionals eager to step up, progress, and inspire others as well. Additionally, I became more and more interested in the idea of having my own business, and so I decided to start Step Up with V.

Identity and communication have always been something important to me because I believe it all starts from knowing who you are, how you communicate it to the world around you, and how you relate with others. Therefore, I wanted to base my business on this concept. At the very beginning I started as a Personal Image Consultant, then specialized in Personal Branding, and finally integrated Life & Career Coaching into it. As my business continues to evolve and moves more towards leadership, my mission has grown into helping professionals becoming better leaders, and turning the quote ´´people leave managers, not companies´´ into a memory of the past.

2. How long did it take to get your business off the ground?

I think my business is still in its early stages, but it took me about 2 years to give it the shape that it has today.

3. What do you wish you’d known when you started?

I’m still in the starting phase of my business, but I do think I would try to enjoy more each small step of the journey without pressuring myself to get to the end goal. The more the time goes by the more I realise there’s no ‘end goal’ in what I’m doing, there’s progression and development. Every new idea, every new client, every course or book, every success or step back is part of the journey and its purpose.

4. What is your business experience / background / qualifications?

I have a corporate background, mainly working as an Executive Assistant for international companies in a variety of sectors, from export to telecoms and tech. I trained as a Coach in London with Animas Centre for Coaching, member of the ICF (International Coach Federation), and also obtained a Personal Branding Strategist Certificate at US-based Reach, global leader in personal branding. I continuously invest in self studies on everything that is related to coaching, career, leadership, and personal branding. I speak Italian, English and Spanish. My strengths are empathy, communication, and organisation. I’m a lifelong learner, a persistent motivator and researcher always looking for possibilities.

5. What are the positive aspects about having a business here?

Barcelona’s vibrant atmosphere and its perfect size ‘not too small, not too big’ makes it easy to connect with people, which is one of the most important aspects of my business. The city welcomes a great mix of locals and international people, supports multinational companies, as well as a growing startup scene.

6. What are the the negative aspects?

The costs to be ‘autonomo’ are not the cheapest in Europe and there’s still a lot to do to create awareness on new subjects like personal branding. Though I like to see this last point more as an opportunity than a negative aspect.

Contact details for Veronica : Step Up with V here.

Or connect with Veronica on LinkedIn