Founder’s story is all about inspiring others through the
story of an amazing entrepreneur. We highlight their
history, lessons learned, and what advice they would give
others. This week we have Dr. Kinga Mnich.
Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up?
I was born in Poland but grew up in Germany as an immigrant and refugee. With my family, I spent five years — aged 4 to 9 — in an immigration camp. But I refused to call myself a refugee because I was ashamed that we did not fit in. I didn’t realize that my parents were actually part of a tiny elite group — only 3% of the people in the world are brave enough to move to a new country. It took me years to fully appreciate their vision and courage to take this huge step into the unknown.
My childhood was filled with watching my parents hustle and open doors. They came with a small child and 200 DM (something around $100) to Germany and created a life for themselves. I grew up watching my parents develop tenacity and grid. Fortunate to learn that it was up to me how I wanted to see the world and my own role within the world. I never saw my parents suffering or actually really complaining about their life. They were rebels and they would point out the injustices of the world. But they were never the victims, always finding their way. There was not much for a long time. My mom would buy clothes at flea markets, and we were taught that you don’t buy new things before the old ones break. It was really all about setting priorities and seeing the big vision.
I learned that if you want your dreams to become reality you need to work for them in a smart way. My childhood was filled with seeing how courageous choices create an impact in life. We traveled the world and by the age of 14, I saw more of the world than most people. Diversity, learning about other cultures, and setting priorities was ingrained in me right from the start. I was thought that knowledge is power and that you don’t need to have everything in life in order to be happy, but you need to know your purpose and trust the path.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur?
It all actually started when I started university. There was no way that I could make enough money working on the side at a department store or library. I really wanted to use my university time the most efficient way — meaning I wanted to really discover what it was that I wanted to do with my life. In order to be able to do that, I needed to explore different cultures. That meant that I needed to travel during the semester breaks. Starting my own business gave me the flexibility to work with clients that were interesting while creating my own schedule. And I loved being creative and using diverse skills. Also, I very quickly discovered that freedom and independence were the most important values for me.
What is one business lesson you would tell a startup founder?
That is an excellent question. Feel the fear and do it anyway. And you can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it. That’s just a quote by Albert Einstein. But it really hits the nail on its head. Change and flexibility are what makes us move forward.
