Alessa Berg has been an entrepreneur since she was 11 years old and an investor since 16 years old. During high school, she worked as a windsurf and snowboard instructor.
She believes in enabling her audience to reach for whatever they’d like to achieve – because, with the right amount of hustle, everything is possible! That’s the very same attitude that enabled her to become fluent in 6 languages and financially independent before attending Oxford University.
Through her adventure travels and business activities, she’s also educating her followers on what impact and sustainability are all about. There’s a lot of confusion on what these concepts truly mean, and for that reason, Alessa is focusing on bringing clarity to this space.
Alessa’s #BEYOUROWN BOSS Story
We’re moving into a really exciting world. When I was a little kid, my entrepreneurial tendencies became clear very early on. Yet, entrepreneurship wasn’t a thing at all. There was no internet to enable anyone with enough hustle to reach a broad audience on their own. Even while I was studying at Oxford and entering the tech startup space, most of my classmates were questioning that choice. Today, the opposite is true! I could wonder how easier it’d have been to be in a better ecosystem – but instead, I’m so grateful for what’s ahead. Now that entrepreneurship is getting more accessible, there are endless new opportunities opening up.
For someone inherently curious, this is great – and curiosity is probably my main trait. I also like the fact that my more recent activities have pushed me to question things I otherwise wouldn’t. It’s a journey of self-discovery. When there’s no boss to add motivation or deadlines, it’s always up to you. That’s the beauty and the curse all at once. You’ve got to hack your motivation, constantly. Keeping yourself accountable to targets, yet being dynamic enough to adjust – because everything keeps on changing. You deal with moving targets. If you can see things from a different perspective, if you train yourself to do that constantly, you’ll have a big advantage. Ultimately, you’ll be able to leverage the various opportunities that will come your way – and to spot them in the first place, because they don’t always tend to be obvious.
I’ve been both an investor and an entrepreneur. Right now, I’m focused on streamlining my activities and my personal brand to work within the areas where my skills excel the most and on the kind of challenges I find worth solving. Beyond entrepreneurship, I sit on a few boards and regularly publish content in my sectors. Through this current “streamlining” process, I also want to enable myself to feed an endless curiosity for life!
Everything has a flipside. My biggest challenges have also brought some of the biggest learnings. In a few cases, it’s a continuous work in progress! I’ve gone through some phases in which I either had to teach myself something or just be stuck. Now, I could probably get through those hurdles at 10x speed – but nothing replaces learning these things in person.
It’s tricky for me to mention highlights because I tend to be very forward focused. I feel gratitude for the victories, but then march right ahead on this adventure. In terms of lessons, another learning from adversity has been to try and be as objective as possible in assessing your challenges and all the possible solutions – when something is intense, we tend to get caught in our own emotions and we risk losing objectivity.
Try and practice my “fresh pair of eyes” principle and give advice to yourself in the same way you would if you were your own friend. In other words, step back and observe the 360 degrees of your current situation. Remember – there’s always a new solution, for as unusual as it might be.
Things are improving a lot, but I really think that it’s all about removing any stereotype out there and the limiting beliefs that come with it. I remember how during university, I put together some events in tech and in finance. I thought to make them just for women, but kept on hearing answers like “too complex for me” or “I don’t get it” and yet, those were smart women who could have easily nailed it! So I’d like to see our environments getting rid of whatever gender role they’re attached to – it’s about your own choices in following whatever can give you fulfilment and allow you to serve others.
Instagram: @alessaberg
Website: https://www.alessaberg.com
