Small businesses power the global economy, accounting for more than 90% of all businesses and employing more than 50% of the workforce. Entrepreneurs drive its growth—individuals who recognize opportunities, take measured risks, and turn them into profitable ventures. And among the estimated 600 million of them around the world, there is a special kind: people who always take the initiative to turn opportunities into new businesses throughout their careers. Meet Viktoria Altman, serial entrepreneur.
Mother of two, professional travel writer and photographer, founder of Brainy Academy, a Montessori-based child development program, SEO marketing expert, and CEO of a digital marketing agency—the list goes on. With such an incredible resume, it’s hard to imagine where Viktoria Altman finds the energy to achieve so much. Perhaps it is not so much the thrill of starting and selling off businesses that drive this serial entrepreneur, but rather, the satisfaction of recognizing an opportunity, overcoming the odds, and making the venture a success.
In short, business acumen, passion, perseverance, and good timing—the critical ingredients to success and the creed she lives by—with a little bit of luck thrown in. As she so profoundly puts it: “Every successful person fails far more often than they succeed. It’s not about winning every time—it’s only about trying again and again and again after every failure. Another important lesson would be to pay attention to the marketplace. Just because you really want something, doesn’t mean you can make money off it. “Entrepreneurship is the happy accident of opportunity, perseverance, and talent.”
It was from her childhood experience that she developed her strong sense of intuition and resilience. Immigrating as a refugee in 1992 to another country is never easy for a child, even if it happens to be the land of opportunity and freedom. And as time proved, she built her American dream. Nietzsche’s aphorism holds true: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It left a profound impression on her psyche, and she is actively involved in several volunteer projects, including work with Project DYNAMO, an organization responsible for the extraction of American citizens held by enemy forces in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
These life experiences have undoubtedly prepared her to overcome challenges that come her way with a deep-rooted resolve. It was the perfect training ground for the fledgling serial entrepreneur. Viktoria went on to become a professional photographer and travel writer. She ran a successful travel blog called gotraveltipster.com, which survived a two-year pandemic and is still going strong today. Where others would have moved on, she knew its value, and it’s one of several platforms she effectively uses to establish brand authority.
Viktoria would be the first to acknowledge that starting a business is always challenging, but keeping it profitable is even greater, especially when the unexpected happens—more than 70 percent of small businesses had to shut down during the pandemic. “Probably the biggest challenge I faced was coming to the realization my career as a travel writer and photographer would be on an indefinite hiatus in March 2020,” she recounted. “It was both necessary and difficult to start a new business at a time when the economy seemed to be at its worst. I had to switch quickly to an industry I thought would be safe from a recession and use the skills I already had, like writing and SEO.” A wise decision, considering that 20 percent of new businesses fail in the first year of operation and 50 percent within five years. Viktoria duly picked herself up, dusted off, and started again. With her commercial nous, it didn’t take long before she spotted an opportunity. Leveraging her SEO, web designing, and content writing abilities, she dived hook, line, and sinker into a business she was confident would be resilient to an economic downturn.
She started a new business, BSP Legal Marketing, in the same year with a focus on digital marketing to promote the diverse services provided by law firms. While there are countless SEO agencies in the market, only some truly understand how competitive the legal industry is. Unlike small and medium-sized law firms, big firms typically have their own marketing departments, and here is where BSP Legal Marketing plays a crucial role.
As an SEO marketing expert, her highly specialized work allows clients to focus on what they do best while she takes care of sales leads and conversions for their firm. With a sound understanding of the marketplace and industry trends, her agency employs suitable digital marketing strategies and website tools to boost SERP rankings. Like the attorneys she works with, Viktoria Altman is a fighter and plays to win. She knows exactly what has to be done to boost her client’s SEO ranking and actively shares her skills, knowledge, and insights to grow their organic reach.
The unique thing about many successful entrepreneurs is their innate ability to find the gaps in a value chain. Women represent only about 25 percent of small business owners in the U.S. and Viktoria Altman is one of a few successful ones who have built not just one, but several successful businesses. Her experience as a small business owner and CEO goes a long way in helping her intimately understand her clients and the challenges they face—it’s all about the value proposition she brings to the table. She firmly believes that entrepreneurship affords anyone willing to commit, learn, and take timely action a real chance of transforming opportunities into profitable ventures. This has long been Viktoria Altman’s mantra and she lives for it.
About Viktoria Altman:
Viktoria Altman is that rare breed of individual who’s quick to come up with great ideas the moment she sees an opportunity and sets off to make it happen. A self-professed serial entrepreneur, she has been doing it from the age of 12—it’s in her blood. A professional photographer and travel writer by profession, Vik went on to found a chain of pre-schools, Brainy Academy, and has since gone on to leverage her skills and talents in the digital marketing business. She presently serves as the CEO of BPS Legal Marketing, among her many roles.
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