HE Carlos Jonay Suárez and NE Martina Burtscher
New Entrepreneur (NE):
Name & surname: Martina Burtscher
Country: Austria
Age: 32
Sector of activity: Social Impact
Did you already start your business? No
Name of business/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-burtscher/
What is your future business? Impact Branding Consulting
Host Entrepreneur (HE):
Name & surname: Carlos Jonay Suárez
Country: Spain
Sector of activity: Social Impact, Digital Strategy
Experience in running a business (in years): 12
Name of business/website: Pueblos Remotos, www.pueblosremotos.com
Period of exchange: 04/09/2023 – 15/03/2024
Duration of exchange: 6 months
Martina Burtscher is an impact branding consultant from Austria, helping purpose-driven brands to communicate with impact. She offers consulting services and guides her clients through a process, in which they learn how to measure, manage and communicate their impact effectively.
Martina’s story:
My name is Martina Burtscher and I’m an impact branding consultant from Austria. After studying Corporate Communications and International Development, I’ve been working in the fields of branding, impact entrepreneurship, community management and social innovation.
As I noticed that many purpose-driven businesses struggle to communicate their impact, I was driven to develop my own ‘Impact Branding Methodology’, finding an ‘easier’ way to measure, manage and communicate impact.
In October 2022, I participated in the European Fellowship Program ‘The Break’. This is also where I met my future host entrepreneur Carlos Jonay Suárez (who was one of the facilitators), and when I heard about the ‘Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs’ program for the first time. Discovering our similar values, Carlos and I eventually decided to do a business exchange, as part of the EYE program.
Finally, in September 2023, I headed to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, to collaborate with Carlos, who is an expert in digital strategy and co-founder of Pueblos Remotos, a social business dedicated to generating social impact in rural areas.
The goal of my EYE was to develop and test my ‘Impact Branding Methodology’, and to get ready to start my new business. Over the next six months, I guided Pueblos Remotos through an impact branding process, refining their vision, mission and purpose, developing a Theory of Change, and setting up systems on how to measure their impact. Finally, the results were visualised in an extensive Impact Report, which I can also use as a reference for future clients.
I also had the opportunity to participate in the final edition of ‘The Break’, reporting about the program through social media, blog articles and videos, and extending my network. Furthermore, Carlos gave me regular training sessions and insights into their business, sharing strategies and tools, and supporting me to improve my visibility. Last but not least, I had the chance to improve my Spanish skills, and extend my network in the social impact scene in the Canary Islands.
Overall the exchange was a great mutual learning experience, and I now feel ready to offer my services in Impact Branding to new clients. Also, Carlos and I plan to collaborate in the future.
I would definitely recommend the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program to anyone who wants to improve their business, while gaining valuable learnings and establishing new contacts in another European country.
Concluding Remarks
Martina Burtscher (NE): “Collaborating with Carlos and being part of the Pueblos Remotos team was an incredible experience. This opportunity provided me with valuable insights into their business, learning extensively about impact management, business development, digital strategy, and social innovation, while improving my own services.”
Carlos Jonay Suárez (HE): “Working with Martina has been a privilege; it has allowed me to appreciate the impact we create with Pueblos Remotos, while also infusing new vitality into our day-to-day operations.”