The big question for the Marina Alta economy: what do our clients demand?
"We have to focus on what the customer needs, not what we can offer." It is not enough to have a beautiful sea or a wonderful gastronomy, we must ask ourselves what people want with respect to that sea and with respect to that gastronomy. In search of the diversification of the economy of Dénia and the region, we spoke with Veronica Deambrogio, an entrepreneur dedicated to teaching young people exactly that: entrepreneurial skills. Deambrogio joins the Dénia.com discussion forum, contributing her ideas to strengthen our economic model, and she does so by asking questions instead of answers.
The profile
Deambrogio studied teaching in Argentina and expanded his studies specializing in Financial Education, the heart of his career. Around this topic she has been responsible for an investor training program, has launched a digital editorial on financial education for children, and founded a consultancy on financial education and social responsibility. Already established in our region, launched the blog The Financial Recipe, and began to provide financial education to children and young people in schools and institutes, talking about the value of saving and money. She found some very unmotivated boys and girls, so in 2016, thanks to the municipalities of Benissa, Calpe and Teulada-Moraira, the. School of Young Entrepreneurs (EJE), to help adolescents in the region develop an entrepreneurial attitude. In 2017 the city of Dénia joined, and now they have two schools.
"We reached our comfort zone and we stayed there"
According to Deambrogio, the change in the production model of the region and the vaccine against excessive dependence on tourism and hospitality go through change our mental model: we have to modify our way of thinking.
"We should use our time to ask ourselves good questions"
"Now we live in a liquid world where everything changes constantly, the mentality of five years ago is no longer useful", and we have to ask ourselves: How can I do better? How can I sell more? What are people demanding? If we do not innovate and we do not question ourselves, we reach the comfort zone without plan B: "Until now we have not achieved a plan B for tourism, we stayed with plan A and pray that it would work a lifetime". That is why Deambrogio proposes to guide us towards continuous improvement, towards reinvention and innovation. And the basis for this is to make a deep reflection with the right questions.
Assemble business based on customer needs, not our capabilities
We have to focus all the proposals on understanding what the client wants. As Veronica Deambrogio explains, We should not start a business based on what we have, but based on the needs of the people who are going to consume us. "We can have the sea, the sun, the food, these are our strengths. But it is not about simply offering our strengths, but rather wondering what our visitors expect from that sea, that sun and that food", clarifies the entrepreneur. "If I want, for example, young Germans to telework, I will have to speak languages, I will have to create a technology community where they settle. There is the business." It's about focusing on the customer, and not putting everyone in the same bag. Do not label them as "tourists" in general, but look for the specific needs of each one.
Purposeful business
New consumers go beyond immediate profit, they seek to generate a positive impact in the world and that the company has solid values. "Marina Alta companies must seek their own message, their values, their ethics, their purpose"Deambrogio explains. And they must be adaptable to what the customer needs and offer more personalized products.
Retain young talent
According to the director of the School of Young Entrepreneurs, there is a problem that our young people go to Valencia or Alicante to study and do not return. The benefit of their education will be developed elsewhere: "If we give these digital natives the possibility of developing here, we are making sure that talent continues in the area. Instead of competition, we should focus them on cooperation, because perhaps it is easier to find solutions and projects together now that businesses compete globally. "
If you want to know more about the ideas to make the economy of Dénia and the Marina Alta more resistant, here are all the topics and the interviewees:
- The strength of the agro-food, nautical and inland tourism sectors: Rosario Donderis (Creama)
- Dénia as a base for global teleworkers: Nacho Muñoz (web developer, coworking co-founder)