Pioneer of the Week: Maria Albertsen | Virgin Media Pioneers

This week, Maria Albertsen caught our attention with her response to a question we’d asked on Facebook as it really summed up the Pioneers community ethos of helping and supporting each other.

As always, our chosen Pioneer not only gets to enjoy the well-earned title of ‘Pioneer of the Week’, they are also in the running to be named ‘Pioneer of the Month’.

Congratulations, Maria!

Why we’ve chosen Maria

We’ve chosen Maria Albertsen as Pioneer of the Week because we’d like to share her response to a question we posed on Facebook.

We asked Pioneers, ‘What does it mean to be an influencer? How do you or can you influence others?’.

Maria’s response really stood out for us as she wrote:

‘After being made redundant with a new baby and one 18-month-old child, it really knocked my confidence. I started to work from home and realised so many other mums were in the same position as me – maybe not through redundancy, but a lot of them did not want to return to work as they wanted to be with their children. So now I work with other mums to help them build up their confidence and try and inspire them via my story, to show them if I can do it, then they can too. It’s all about helping them find their inner confidence and encourage their self-belief to grow…’.

We loved hearing Maria’s story of overcoming adversity and how she’s making a positive difference as an influencer. Maria is proof that you can do well in business and make it work for you.

About Maria

‘I am a mum of two boys aged two and four years-old. I own a business selling wooden toys and rag dolls. I am busy designing and manufacturing my own range of rag dolls which I hope will be available to the public during 2012′.

For more information about her business and to connect with Maria, take a look at her Pioneer profile.

You could be a Pioneer of the Week contender too!

Virgin Media Pioneers gives entrepreneurs a space to share what they’ve been up to, achieved, discovered and learnt. The Pioneers’ community connects like-minded people – it’s a supportive place to ask for any help you need. Whatever’s happening with you and your entrepreneurial approach to business, let us know by posting a video blog, comment or status update. We’re always on the lookout for Pioneers who are really getting involved and pushing boundaries to make our Pioneer of the Week.

The Pioneer of the Week is featured on the Virgin Media Pioneers homepage. At the end of each month, the community votes on which one of the shortlisted Pioneers should be promoted to Pioneer of the Month leading to extra exposure for the Pioneer and their goals.

The winner is also placed on a first refusal list for certain offline Pioneer opportunities (depending on availability).

Don’t miss out! Get involved and keep learning, sharing and connecting with your fellow Pioneers.