A meeting with Laura Ballo (EDHEC 2017), co-founder of Vox Master

What’s the PITCH for your START-UP?

The aim of Vox Master is to reveal the leadership potential of our clients through public speaking and oral communication services.

Can you tell us how your business came about?

The initial idea was to offer a holistic approach that would integrate all aspects of each individual based on three dimensions that determine our emotional states: thought, physical aspects and the audience. 

I am fascinated by opera singing, neuro-linguistic programming and theatre, and I stress the physical dimension, which people are largely unaware of even though it can enable the development of truly embodied leadership. 

Our services address professional communication problems: change management strategy, speaking about high-stakes issues, conflict management and team management coaching. Through public speaking exercises, the aim is therefore to support the personal and professional development of participants.

With the ever-increasing pace of change taking place in business today, we hold the conviction that soft skills tend to play an absolutely fundamental role and will continue to do so.

At first I took on this project alone, which was a bit exhausting! In the year since it started, I’ve taken on two people.

What is your initial assessment of this entrepreneurial adventure? 

My assessment of this experience is highly positive, whether in terms of the particularly rich skills I have acquired in both my professional and personal lives, or in terms of the people I have met. My main advice would be above all to persevere and take action! For me, the difference between entrepreneurs who succeed and those who fail lies in their capacity to persevere throughout the learning cycle.

It’s about quickly testing your product on the market, perhaps failing but not getting discouraged, better understanding the needs of your customers and the obstacles holding you back, and making the necessary adjustments.

I think choosing a project you are passionate about is also key if you want to be able to commit fully (as an entrepreneur you don’t count the hours worked and your project may take a few years before taking off, so you must manage to be patient and motivated).

You hold an MSC from a GRANDE ECOLE, how does your education help you on your path as an entrepreneur?

The EDHEC MSc programme has played an important role in my path as an entrepreneur, in particular the following aspects:

• High-quality classes that gave me the fundamentals I needed in management and business administration;
• Alternating between work experience and studies gave me the chance to gain initial experience in intrapreneurship in a fascinating political and technological environment;
• The network of students, alumni and businesses that EDHEC gave me access to;

• The school’s culture, which matches the values I wanted my business to have: creativity, innovation and the ability to move beyond established codes.

What are your expectations from the community of EDHEC graduates?

My business is currently in its growth phase, so I’m looking for more advice, in-house missions and opportunities to increase my visibility so we can help as many people as possible to get out of their comfort zone and reveal their full potential.

What’s next for your business?

Vox Master has changed exponentially in a little over a year. More than 200 people have received training and we have already held 11 events. New challenges await us in the coming months and our business is expanding, even internationally: overseas conferences and seminars, working with politicians and top managers … crucial challenges!

We are currently launching two new products: e-learning and a collective transformation programme. We would also like to launch a new format of talks (Vox Talks) for next year at both national and international levels.

More info 

https://prisedeparole-voxmaster.fr/
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