Female Disruptors: Marina Worre of Worre Studios On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Think bigger faster! Thinking too small is one of the biggest challenges of our society in my opinion. Not believing in our own abilities and being afraid of failure stops a lot of people from living their best lives.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marina Worre — Founder & CEO of Worre Studios; Creator of The Most Powerful Women in Network Marketing Event; Co-Founder & CEO of Network Marketing Pro, Inc.
When the global Covid-19 pandemic forced her to make a major pivot in her business, like all entrepreneurs do, she got creative and resourceful, and set out to bring Worre Studios to life. Without any prior experience, in just 10 impossibly short weeks, Marina single-handedly spearheaded a team of top audio/video production professionals in the business to construct a 25,000-square-foot state-of-the-art production studio in Las Vegas used to produce the ultimate interactive online virtual experiences.
Yes … everyone told her it couldn’t be done. There just wasn’t enough time or resources to make it happen. But little did they know, ‘impossible’ is not a word in Marina’s vocabulary. With a huge deadline looming, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work to make the ‘impossible’ … possible. Something she has done since she embraced her entrepreneurial spirit at a young age.
While studying for a degree in economics Marina opened her first business — a high-end children’s clothing store. Over the years, other business ventures would follow, but it was her involvement with the Network Marketing Profession that would change her business, her life, and her destiny.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I have always been an entrepreneur. When I was 18 years old, I opened my first business and at 21 years old, I started my career in network marketing, and eventually moved into real estate development. In my mid 30’s I lost my business and all of my assets. I became a single mom and through the verbal abuse of my ex, I lost my confidence. That was the worse of them all. It took me time to find my voice and power back and Eric Worre, who later became my husband, was instrumental in that. In 2010, we formed Network Marketing Pro with a passion to give back to the industry we both evolved from. Our first event had 200 people and it grew geometrically every year. Our largest live event had 18k attendees. Late last year, looking for a solution to host our large event, we’ve built Worre Studios that hosted nearly 40k attendees over 3 days in a virtual super interactive environment.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
During COVID, I was looking for a work around for some events we already had planned. We played with the live streams and webinar type of formats over the summer for 100,000 attendees. But we were really missing the connection piece — interacting with the people attending. It felt like we were just talking to a camera without any feedback, versus educating and making sure those we were teaching were fully engaged. Although they were successful events, I knew we could do better and that is when I started to think of how we could take online events to the next level. During the times of change or uncertainty, majority of people panic and go into defense mode. In my opinion, this is the time when you push on the gas harder and start innovating. What started as a temporary solution for my company, ended up being new way of doing virtual and hybrid events moving forward.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Not sure if it’s funny really, but I was always thinking too small and also thinking that certain things were reserved for just a lucky few. I guess with all that thinking you can say the funniest mistake was over-thinking! What I’ve learned through my life experiences, if your dreams don’t scare you out of your mind, you are not dreaming big enough. Dream bigger and move faster!
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Eric has always been a mentor to me. When we met, we were both coming out of bad relationships with our own “baggage”. I was so down that I lost my confidence and belief in myself, which I think happens to a lot of women. Through his love and patience, Eric helped me to build myself back up. He also introduced me to amazing personal development giants who became my mentors as well as my friends. Over the years, we were able to build our marriage on the solid foundation of love, trust and respect, which I think is crucial to a long-lasting relationship. When I finally found my confidence again, I made myself a promise, to help as many women as I possibly can to develop that strength and belief in themselves. I want to be that cheerleader for them in their lives and business where they might not have had someone in that role before.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
I actually think being disruptive is always positive. It doesn’t mean something has to really change, but it’s about the thought process of seeing things differently and how a small change can mean big impact in the future. It doesn’t always seem like you are disrupting an entire category of business, but maybe making a small ripple that turns into a big wave!
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Think bigger faster! Thinking too small is one of the biggest challenges of our society in my opinion. Not believing in our own abilities and being afraid of failure stops a lot of people from living their best lives. Failure isn’t something to be afraid of. I actually welcome failure, because this is how we learn and grow. Without obstacles and challenges I had to go through in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So if you’d ask me what my biggest advice to my younger self is, it would be — Think Bigger Faster. Another important one that goes hand and hand with it is “Success Loves Speed”. Thinking bigger and faster is very important, but make sure you also move fast. Just thinking isn’t going to get you far. Doing will.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Launching Worre Studios was definitely step one, but that important first step has set the course for really exploring the uses of the studio. I can now host bigger events with greater reach which, in turn, allows me to help even more people grow their businesses and succeed. A big next step for us is booking a variety of events for the studio — we have already had people reach out to us to use as a potential live concert venue, host awards shows, create large-scale presentations and more, so I think the next few years will be exploring how we can best use the studio and then take it to the next level. But you are absolutely right, I’m just warming up.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
In some cases, I think the biggest challenge is that women might not be taken as seriously as men. But honestly, it doesn’t bother me so much. I like prove people wrong and keep constantly raising standards for myself and others. I don’t mind playing with “big boys”, because I have confidence in who I am and what I’m doing.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
I heard Ann Miura-Ko speak on a podcast and she spoke about being world-class in everything you do, even the smallest tasks, because it will lead to big things. That idea teaches you an important lesson, which is to not compare yourself to others, just be your best and do everything at the high level. That’s what I’ve been doing my entire life. I don’t compete with others. I compete with myself. I want to be better today than I was yesterday, and tomorrow better than I am today. That concept led me to a success I enjoy today. You might not always see it at first, but when it appears, it is life changing.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The movement I believe in most is women empowerment. For seven years now I’ve hosted a 3-day “The Most Powerful Women in Network Marketing” event. This year it will be live from Worre Studios. Not only do I get to meet and collaborate with amazing women from around the globe, but I get to share those role models with women in all stages of their lives. Regardless of the business they are in, by learning from these women, they can make changes in their lives to create even more success. It’s really cool to see that all my hard work is paying off in a way that keeps giving. This year with the new virtual format, we decided to make it a free event to reach even more women. Over 100,000 women will be connected from around the world. Regardless if you are a single mom, already successful woman or just getting started in the business, this event will empower you, help you to build the belief in yourself and give you strategies and ideas necessary to take your life and business to the next level.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is “Live the Impossible” and it’s what I do every day. Be resourceful, figure it out, and even if it seems crazy, follow it through! It’s almost a dare to think of something that seems impossible and then conquer it!
How can our readers follow you online?
I’m very active on my Instagram at @MarinaWorre and we will be posting some fun content and behind-the-scenes looks on @WorreStudios as we move forward with some really special upcoming events!
This was very inspiring!
Female Disruptors: Marina Worre of Worre Studios On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.