Javier Faus, founder of Meridia, and Josep Dosta, founder of Woodys, shared their entrepreneurial experiences in the first session of the series “From creating to consolidating. First-generation business leadership”, co-organized by the AIJEC and the Cercle d’Economia.
The event, held at the Cercle d’Economia and with a full room, brought together two different ways of entering the world of entrepreneurship, but with shared values: resilience, passion, effort and the ability to leave the comfort zone.
During the conversation, the two entrepreneurs agreed on the importance of motivation and absolute dedication to the project. In the words of Javier Faus, “entrepreneurship is not innate, it is a process”, and requires a combination of constant learning and obsession to grow the business.
Josep Dosta spoke openly about the beginnings and difficulties of the entrepreneurial path, especially the loneliness that often accompanies decision-making. “Being an entrepreneur is very lonely, but in my mind failure did not exist,” he said, highlighting the need to trust oneself even in moments of uncertainty.
The differences between the two emerged when talking about the future of their companies. For Faus, thinking about the continuity of the project is key: “my dream is for the company to last, with or without me”. Dosta, on the other hand, defended a vision more focused on the present and on excitement: “my dream is to continue enjoying what I do and to set up projects that excite me”.
The session also focused on one of the main challenges of the Catalan business system: consolidation. Catalonia excels in the creation of companies, but there is still room for improvement in professionalization, scalability and succession. The speakers agreed that it is necessary to start working on succession much earlier than usual, to ensure the continuity and impact of business projects.
The session also addressed business success and failure and how society deals with projects that do not come to fruition, as well as family reconciliation. In this sense, Dosta highlighted the importance of family and environmental support to be able to undertake a solid business.
This first meeting of the cycle served to inspire and generate reflection among attendees, emphasizing that there is no single way to undertake, but rather common values that mark the path.