Congratulations to Joana Šaulienė, who has renewed her membership in the BNI Mercury global trade chapter (and this year as Vice President for Growth)! We are delighted that our team is getting even more robust, and we invite you to get to know Joana, her business, and her experiences during her first year in the chapter. Finally, we will find out the answer to the question: why is BNI Mercury an excellent place for the growth of every business?
First steps in business and the start of the digital marketing agency Asteri
“ASTERI means “star” in Greek. In the boundless sky of the online world, a star is a brand we represent, visible and distinct in the eyes of a potential customer browsing the internet. It stands out from hundreds or even thousands of other brands.”
When asked about the origin of the business represented at BNI Mercury, the digital marketing agency Asteri, Joana explains: “Asteri’s 5th birthday is coming up in August. <…> After a 15-year career in sales and sales team management and a year of maternity leave, I challenged myself to improve my digital sales skills, i.e., digital marketing. That’s how Asteri was accidentally born – in the kitchen of my home. Little by little, I started taking digital marketing training courses, picking up brands to work with and practising the additional skills I had acquired. One project is for training, and after another, the formalities of registering the company to receive those projects and invoice the work… Finally, that led to establishing and developing the Asteri brand.”
An idea born out of a beloved hobby became a successful business. The home office of Asteri soon moved to a small but cosy space on the city’s outskirts and then to an even cosier office in the Old Town of Vilnius. Today, a whole team of Asteri specialists is helping businesses grow in the digital space.
Why BNI Mercury?
Joana has been a part of the BNI community for three years and started her second year in the BNI Mercury Export Chapter. While today, the BNI Business Breakfast is a part of every Friday, J. Šaulienė clearly remembers her very first event: “The first BNI Breakfast was very active, communicative and at the same time very curious.”
According to Joana, BNI is good for business and personal growth. When asked about the value of her membership and the highlights of joining the organisation, she says, “An extra €50,000 a year for the business and the continuous personal growth in the community of entrepreneurs.”
Why the BNI Mercury Export Chapter in particular? J. Šaulienė highlights three reasons:
- The benefits of exporting (global trade) for business and the development of international relationships.
- A strong community of ambitious, supportive, and motivating entrepreneurs creates a sense of community in pursuit of big goals and conversations over a cup of coffee that you don’t necessarily get at the best business coach.
- The best Friday morning coffee!
What does Joana promise to herself, the members of BNI Mercury and the readers of this article?
“My ambition is to grow the business made being in chapter twice as much. A promise to my colleagues – to contribute fully towards the development of the chapter by stepping into the role of Vice President for Growth”.
What does the entrepreneur wish for the readers of this article? To dream and achieve: “I am inspired by Dan Brown’s phrase, which helps me in many situations: ‘Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer’. Dream with a plan because that dream will become an achieved goal sooner or later. A goal with a list of steps is a straight path towards achieving it. Dream at the right time and place, surround yourself with people you can look up to as role models, and you won’t even feel how you’ve moved mountains.”
