Monica Bahna, founder of Storyful Brands

Monica is the founder of the creative studio Storyful Brands and a woman of sustainable vision, in her private as well as professional life. We spoke with lovely Monica about the beginning of her journey and how she stays inspired and organized meanwhile traveling the world. Read further to discover the highlights and challenging moments of her journey.

Q: How did it all begin & what was that aha moment when you decided to start your business/brand? 

A: You know how they say, “If you don’t feel like you fit in this world, you’re here to help create a new one”? Ever since I was a little girl, this quote resonated with me… and when starting my business, it became my mantra. It was that moment when I was finally able to practice what I preach… to create a new world I want to live in. By showing up for kind entrepreneurs who are making the world a better place. By constantly push myself to become the thought leader they need, someone who can help them share their stories with clarity, charisma, and empathy. By creating lifestyle brands, that empower us to speak up about the things we care about collectively, and listen consciously to the needs of the humans we interact with. 

Q: What was your background before you start? 

A: I have a very complicated and thorough background… and that’s because I love learning. So my main field of study was always Advertising (BA, MA). I also went on student exchanges, first to France (Organizational Communication & Culture, BA), then to Spain (Master’s in Fine Arts). Then I went back to Romania to finish my PhD in Online Reputation Management).  Meanwhile, I studied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and became a passionate researcher and a Social Psychology Associate Professor.  As a professional, I worked for a museum in France, communicating its exhibitions (really liked it!), then I briefly worked for a local advertising agency in Spain (while I admit I did that so I can live on the beach).  While I was in Spain, I went for a haircut, and I met a wonderful hairstylist who was having problems communicating her brand on Instagram, so I offered to help her.  And the rest is history… That was my first account ever (#tb to question 1).  Before that, I tried working in a corporate environment (big ad agency), but it was not the environment I could flourish in, it didn’t share my values, and it was very restrictive in terms of personal development. And what disappointed me the most was the lack of interest in understanding the impact of advertising… rubbish messages with rubbish consequences (literally), vanity metrics, and self-paid awards instead of actually caring…  I’m being blunt because I learned to be loud about the things that matter.  So I founded the company I would want to work in. And I worked day and night to accomplish that. 

Q: What is the best career advice you have received? Or the advice would you give your younger self about your career? 

A: Learn what you have to, unlearn what you need to, and embrace the journey.  

Q: Where do you find the inspiration? 

A: If I didn’t come across as a nerd already… books! I love reading. They’re my biggest source of inspiration. I see creativity as a choice, and I frame it as an input-output process, and I ask myself: what are my resources for the creative input, and what are my expectations in terms of creative output? And having high expectations for myself in terms of output,  I really, really gather lots of knowledge for the input…  And then in the process, I connect the (fresh) dots. You know, people often judge the creative process by the output (execution, deliverables, etc.), rather than the process and the input. But at the same time, the input it’s predictive of the output. So this is where I would place the notion of “inspiration”: how much are you investing in being creative, in the input?  

Q: What has been your biggest career highlight with your business/brand to date? 

A: Branding a product the UK Government was interested in. Being invited to the House of Lords, drinking tea with lords, and accidentally meeting Nobel Prize Laureates on my *escorted* way to the bathroom. Still feels unreal, to be honest.   

Q: And what has been the most challenging moment to date? 

A: Entrepreneurship it’s such a challenging, inspiring, and empowering journey… It was hard for me to get used to the fact that people don’t get your lifestyle and they’re constantly judging it. And the logistics, oh, the logistics…  We used to travel a lot (my fiance is also a digital nomad), and we worked from various places, always setting up improvised work studios with 4-6 computers and servers!  (he is a techie-tech because his work requires lots of computing power). One of our wildest studios was an actual castle in Spain (can’t make this up). It was very hot (40°C), we were living next to the beach and the humidity was unbearable... and I don’t know how much you know about servers but they’re blowing HOT AIR constantly…  And thinking back, these challenges sound so fun… and we’ve learned a lot in terms of workplace expectations haha.   

Q: What do you do when you don't know the answer to a question or new situation? 

A: I’m not going to surprise you again, aren’t I?.... I read. I actually love doing research, thorough research. And depending on the situation, I can engage in learning more about it (courses, events, retreats…) or I can politely withdraw myself from the situation.  

Q: What is the first thing you do when you start your day?  

A: Drink my lion’s mane coffee and eat my DHA. To sum up, the first thing I do is spoil my brain :))  

Q: What are your must-have digital tool essentials? 

A: Adobe Suite! Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, After Effects, Lightroom, Encoder, Premiere Pro…  How could one live without them? Even when you have a team that can help you with the deliverables, it’s so important to know how to guide the concepts when translating them into software capabilities. I couldn’t delegate rightfully without knowing how to use the tools myself.  Also, I admit,  I’m such a GoogleDocs junkie.  

Q: As a business woman it's always important to have support and an inspiring network by your side. Who are your partners in crime or inspiring sources? 

A: That’s such a wonderful question! I joined multiple female entrepreneurs’ communities and networks, and I recommend them so much! A few years back, I met some amazing ladies at the Bossbabe Retreat in London, and we keep supporting each other to this day! Otherwise, the Instagram profile I created for Storyful Brands seems to be a smart babes magnet! As my business works mainly on high-touch referrals,  I was really reluctant to open my Instagram account (there’s lot of bias in the academic world). But meeting so many wonderful ladies around here (including you, dear Cristina), I don’t think I could ever give this up! 

Q: What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months for your brand/business? 

A: We’ll probably get more and more into machine learning, AI, and growth hacking. We really do love to communicate emotions, so it will be a challenge to combine storytelling with behavioral nudging. But with a thorough knowledge of psychology, we will continue to refine every aspect of the messages to cater to emotional needs, to express wants and desires. Hoping that this will continue to give our voice authenticity, humanity, and warmth….  way more fulfilling than appealing to some “commercial” aspect only, right? Although KPIs are important in acknowledging the economical value of our work, we’re mostly in love with touching souls with profound messages, delivering with the uttermost transparency and understanding.  Q: Do you want to share with us some special projects you want to highlight with us? 

I think the measurable impact is a ripple effect that we have on our clients and our clients on their communities. For example, we work with birth educators who work with over 15k families, meaning that our impact is measurable in terms of decreasing postpartum depression for new mothers, raising awareness on body image amongst mothers, and even offering valuable mental health support for men and women who are on their psychological journeys of accepting their newly acquired identities as parents. One other client of ours is in the rehabilitation space, and during Covid-19 times they’re providing hospitals with the latest technologies, making an impact in the lives of UTI patients. One of my dearest campaigns was a charity campaign (Stories of Hope) we did last Christmas for the pediatric section of a rehabilitation hospital in partnership with the medical equipment company we work with.  We tackled the issue of consumerism with one simple slogan: This Christmas, it's not about the toys. This Christmas, it's about a chance to play. 🙏While many children want toys for Christmas, others (differently abled, wheelchair bound, etc.), just wish for a chance to play. We organized a beautiful event where we provided children with artsy tools to draw their Christmas wishes for Santa.  We were then able to collect their paintings and organize an online exhibition where people could buy them. We would then donate the raised funds to the hospital, so they can truly invest in the needed facilities for the children… and actually, help them walk again, dance, sing, play, and swim… things we do we take for granted, aren’t we? (video here)