In the July 2024 issue of “Forbes Women”, Sylwia Mokrysz tells readers why it is so important to focus on your goal, both in business and in life

Focus on your goal

Success is the result of skill, knowledge, effort, experience and also luck, says Sylwia Mokrysz, the co-owner of Mokate

FORBES WOMEN: What character traits are important in business?

SYLWIA MOKRYSZ: Success is the result of skill, knowledge, effort, experience and also luck. To quote Brian Tracy: “Your fate depends on your habits.” If you’re not entirely happy with what you’re doing and the results you’re getting, take a look at your daily habits. Think about whether your mornings are chaotic and put you in a bad mood when you leave the house because you didn’t have time to eat breakfast or read the newspaper with a cup of your favourite coffee. Work out your morning routine, which over time will become a habit that will make you a happier and more content person.

You have successfully implemented marketing campaigns, for example for a product such as Mokate Cappuccino.

I have always been interested in marketing, promotion and advertising. In my first year at university, which was the key period for the development of the company, I founded the advertising agency ‘Sylwia’. I focused on communication with clients. I created an advertising campaign for the company’s cult product with the slogan: “Mokate Cappuccino – a Star among Coffees”. At that time, this TV commercial was the first completely Polish production and thus entered the canon of national advertising art. Since then, ‘Mokate’ has become synonymous with cappuccino. Another milestone in the company’s development was the acquisition of a large tea producer, Consumer. We entered this market sector in the autumn of 2002. It was a completely different product, consumer and operating philosophy to what we knew from our experience in the coffee industry.

The Loyd tea brand was given a new face. The advertising spot for this tea featured Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, who at the time described working on the set as follows: ‘Everything was perfectly prepared, I was able to concentrate on creating a fairytale atmosphere. I’m very pleased with the final result – I tried to bring out all the magic of Loyd tea, and I think I succeeded.’ The “Tea with a Touch of Magic” spot used the latest visual techniques. There were references to “Alice in Wonderland” in the advert, with lanterns of happiness floating upwards in the form of pyramids, a symbol of mystery, energy and mysticism. For a moment, we looked into the magical world of tea… The Minutka (Just a Minute) brand has often appeared as part of product placements on TV screens in Polish series such as “Ranczo” (The Ranch), “Ojciec Mateusz” (Father Matthew), “Nad rozlewiskiem” (By the Backwater), “Na Wspólnej” (On Wspólna Street), “Klan” (Clan) and in the programmes “Jaka to melodia” (Name That Tune) and “Familiada” (Family Fortunes).

What are you doing now?

My new additional area of activity is the Coffee & Tea Market Research Institute, based in Ustron and London. There we carry out research based on scientific methods in the area of business behaviour in the food and beverage market, including the coffee and tea market. The Institute also publishes the “Coffee & Tea Marketing Journal”, a scientific journal. I would like to launch a platform for young inventors. We look forward to receiving exciting concepts from potential grant recipients. I am also active in the Polish Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors and take part in the global project “Million Women Mentors”. This is an international project for the development of women around the world. It focuses on exact sciences, i.e. STEM.

What advice would you give to a young woman starting her own business?

Stay focused on the goal and work consistently in a set direction. This idea comes from my favourite book “Pushing to the Front” by Orison Swett Marden. When it came into my hands a few years ago, I felt stronger, and things that seemed intractable gradually stopped being problems. It is important to look forward, not back. New opportunities and new challenges are always more interesting…

Material created in collaboration with Mokate