We decided to lighten the mood this time around by asking our Law Firm Marketing experts from across the region a non-law-firm related question: “What did you most want to be when you were little?”
" I, of course, wanted to be a hairdresser. As a kid, I used to accompany my mother to the hair salon, and it was a safe haven for the both us. She was free of her usual daily routine, surrounded by what I then though were her friends, and now I understand were just random clients, while I got to listen, and observe, and pretend I understood their jokes.
I think this passion to observe and understand the world around me never fully left me. I ended up majoring in sociology, and I was keen to help my community with my scientific observation skills. How I ended up in business development, that’s anyone’s guess."
Jelena Bosnjak, Senior Business Development Manager, CMS Zagreb
"As a little girl, I always wanted to be a ‘magistra’ – to work in a pharmacy. I loved the environment, the clean colors of white and blue, and also a good friend of my family – one of my “aunts” – worked there, so I wanted be like her and mix all the ointments and stuff. But then, in the 8th grade of the elementary school, I met a devil: My chemistry teacher. She was the reason I never went on to achive my pharmacy dreams."
Renata Vrzakova, Business Development Executive, JSK
"Oh, I dreamt to have a cookie place! A bakery with all kinds of sweet cakes, cheesecakes, doughnuts, apple pies … everything you can imagine."
Katarzyna Ataman, Group Marketing Manager, NGL Services
“When I was little, I wanted to become a hairdresser. Brushing and braiding and snipping away was one of my most favorite things to do. All of my Barbie dolls underwent serious hairstyling and ended up with the same short hair trims as Kent. My masterpiece, however, was a real fox fur coat I found one day in our wardrobe while my parents entertained guests. This wonderful piece of hair got a perfect Mohawk cut at the back. Very stylish, very Chanel. Unfortunately, the owner of the remodeled coat was neither able to appreciate the make-over nor willing to pay for my services. That’s when I reconsidered my career. I did not want a job with such great risk.”
Gina-Maria Tondolo, Founder, Lawrence
“Believe it or not, as a kid my goal wasn’t just becoming a boring ballerina, my dreams were far more ambitious! At the age of 5 I developed an extreme interest in sports, with a clear focus on soccer. So, there was an easy answer to the question what I wanted to be when I grew up – a soccer coach. I guess all the thrill, engagement, the opportunity to guide, teach, and inspire were fascinating for mini me. I was certain that my eventual transformation would offer endless possibilities – I would command a lot of men and win trophies, and I would no longer have to listen to what my mom was saying. This dream lasted for 13 amazing years when I finally understood that women don’t have a place in professional soccer. Yet, I refused to let my aspirations be curtailed by this minor setback. Still an avid lover of unachievable goals, I decided to become a project manager and nowadays I’m a BDM in the legal industry. Completely not expected, I do what I dreamt a long ago – to guide, teach, and inspire! Of course, my colleagues are not so athletic (at least not all of them). Dare to dream!”
Biliana Tsvetkova, Marketing Manager, Schoenherr Sofia
“As a kid, I dreamed of the things most girls usually do. I wanted to be an actress, a princess, a dancer, or anything which involved beautiful dresses, nice shoes, or funky makeup. But I also remember playing treasure hunter, explorer, traveler–all those characters which are more adventurous, courageous, dangerous than a sleeping beauty waiting in a tower. I could imagine myself doing somehow both at the same time: being an actress who plays a dancer now and taking a more dangerous role later. I did not try to be an actress but I did some acting courses and even joined an amateur acting company in Budapest in my early twenties. Then dance came into my life and I began to take it seriously. Now I do, teach, and occasionally perform lindy hop: a couple swing dance where one can also utilize some acting skills, especially on stage. I am a communications specialist, a marketer by day, which can be quite adventurous and challenging from time to time, and a dancer in beautiful shoes and dresses by night.”
Nikolett Rozsa, Business Development Specialist, CMS Budapest
“When I was a little girl I always said I would like to be a business lady. I grew up with my parents running their businesses – they had a restaurant, nightclub and bakery almost at the same time. I was always there with them in the company and that was an ideal world I was hoping to live in. Once I finished high school I wanted to be a lawyer, so I started my road with studies in law school, but at the same time, I was offered a place in a marketing program in Denmark. I was terrified – those were two different subjects I knew nothing about and living away from home seemed so hard. Four years later, while pursuing my Masters studies at the University of Aberdeen, my mentor at a career mentoring program said to me ‘’you need to take advantage of your knowledge in both law and marketing, there are jobs for example in law firm marketing departments.” Looking back on my academic studies today, I am grateful for the opportunity to study both marketing and law because that led me to a wonderful workplace - TGS Baltic!”
Beate Maldone, Marketing Specialist, TGS Baltic Latvia
"At around the age of five I was 100% going to be a singer. A famous singer! I wrote about it in our school newsletter, so this was serious stuff. Soon (possibly two years on) that changed, and I recall wanting to be a nurse. No particular reason, I guess I was drawn to the profession and realized that my singing career would not pay the bills."
Liesel Beukes, Content Marketing Manager, Schoenherr
This Article was originally published in Issue 7.5 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.
