“Just say “yes” to a lot of things early on and get out there, learn fast, don’t be too slow, and most of all, just get a lot of experience…” – Benjamin Talin

Founder@ Interview

With Benjamin Talin

“Just say “yes” to a lot of things early on and get out there, learn fast, don’t be too slow, and most of all, just get a lot of experience. I did over a dozen internships, worked for free for hundreds of projects and companies and was always there when someone said “I need help”. This really gives you a wide range of learning and you constantly surround yourself with challenges and over time you build a unique set of skills and experiences that will be your moat and advantage for all your life.” – Benjamin Talin

Today we feature Benjamin Talin, the founder at MoreThanDigital. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.

Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?

My name is Benjamin Talin and I’m the founder and CEO of MoreThanDigital, a platform dedicated to transforming the way businesses approach digital, innovation and economic development. I started my entrepreneurial journey at the age of 13, when I founded my first company focused on technology and smart solutions. Over the years, my passion for challenging the status quo with technology has guided me through various ventures, from marketing and change management to digital strategy development and complex ecosystems. Today, I wear several hats – I’m a digital transformation expert, international keynote speaker, futurist, and advisor to governments and global organizations on issues ranging from education to digitization. My work is driven by a deep desire to make a positive impact, and MoreThanDigital is the culmination of that vision. We’re in an exciting phase of growth, particularly with the launch of MoreThanDigital Insights, which is revolutionizing the way organizations use data to make decisions, with the goal of creating something akin to a “global health system for business”.

A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?

My journey began quite early when I was just 13 years old. It all started with simple curiosity and a desire to prove myself. I started building and repairing computers, which quickly turned into a small business. I didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur at the time – I was just a teenager fascinated by technology and driven by the challenge of solving problems in new ways. As I navigated through various companies and roles, I experienced many ups and downs, including several failed attempts to start a business. However, each failure taught me valuable lessons and brought me closer to understanding what I really wanted to accomplish. The turning point that led to MoreThanDigital was when I was so frustrated that governments and ministries did not want to change anything, and when I realized that I could do it myself and that I was the one who needed to succeed to drive meaningful change. This realization led to the creation of MoreThanDigital, where I’ve been able to take my vision, purpose and passion, and dozens of concepts I’ve created for highly scalable economic development and education, and turn it all into platforms and an ecosystem that helps millions of people and businesses around the world navigate the complexities of digital transformation and innovation.

Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?

Our company, MoreThanDigital, is dedicated to revolutionizing the way businesses manage and optimize their operations through data-driven insights and automation. We are based in the USA and Switzerland and focus on automating business management and consulting at scale, enabling organizations to make better, more informed decisions based on comprehensive data analysis. Our current launch is a first-of-its-kind platform, MoreThanDigital Insights, the world’s first diagnostic platform that captures and analyzes all relevant data within an organization, delivering actionable insights and enabling a whole new way to support businesses at scale and democratize data-driven decisions and access to neutral diagnostics. This is an important step for our ecosystem and for our big vision.

What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?

The story behind my success is a mix of curiosity, perseverance, and a relentless drive to challenge the status quo – but mostly because I was so annoyed and frustrated at the time. It all started when I was just 13 years old. I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, but I was driven by solving problems with technology and a desire to prove myself. This early experience taught me the power of technology to solve problems in ways that were not possible before, so I was always challenging the current standard and it became a game. The real “aha” moment for MoreThanDigital came much later, after many ups and downs. By that time, I had started and failed several companies and was constantly driven to innovate. The realization of MoreThanDigital’s large market opportunity came from years of observing how technology can fundamentally change industries and entire economies, how governments are failing to address this issue, and the thousands of problems companies face with digital transformation and the overload of buzzwords.

So there had to be a solution to help individual companies, but at the same time grow economies on a larger scale. This led to all of my government consulting roles, then a lot of concepts I developed for large scale economic development, and finally the founding of MoreThanDigital, where I was able to take my concepts and ideas and turn them into a large organization that is now impacting millions of people around the world. Getting to where I am today hasn’t been easy. It took countless hours of hard work, all of my (personal) time, literally all of my money and savings, and even relationships.

I had to face numerous setbacks, and many people literally tried to sabotage me because I was stupid and naive at times. This journey also made me realize the importance of a strong support system, good mentors, and thousands of other lessons. But funnily enough, I never really got discouraged by all the pushback; I literally used it as fuel to push harder and prove them wrong. One of the key factors that helped me succeed was surrounding myself with people who shared my vision and passion for innovation. Whether it was my team at MoreThanDigital, the experts and community who contributed to our platform, or the partners and advisors who believed in our mission, each played a critical role in building what we have today.

MoreThanDigital has grown into a global platform not just because of my efforts, but because of the collective energy and commitment of everyone involved. To get here, I had to stay true to myself and my vision, and believe me, there have been very difficult times to stay true to that vision when everyone around you wants you to do something else. I had to be willing to challenge traditional norms, think big in ways that people would call crazy, and take risks on my own.

Most importantly, I had to learn from every failure, pivot when necessary, and keep moving forward no matter what the obstacles. For me, success has been a journey of continuous learning, adaptation, and a deep commitment to making a positive impact on the world through technology and innovation. And there is so much more to do.

Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that failure is an inevitable part of success. Every setback, every mistake has taught me something valuable, and I am not grateful that I had hard times and suffered early and often. It took me years to appreciate the importance of failure, but looking back, those tough moments were the ones that pushed me to grow, adapt, and become more resilient – it literally gave me a foundation that not many people in the world have. There are so many moments and learnings that are valuable and now give me experiences and insights that most people will never get. It’s not about avoiding failure; it’s about learning from it, using it as fuel to push forward, and staying committed to your vision no matter how hard it gets.

How to be a better networker and especially email marketing is something I would really recommend everyone to learn and get better at. It can be a super powerful tool.

If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

If I could talk to my younger self, I’d probably say, “Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride, but trust me, it’s worth it. To those who doubted me, I’d say, “Thanks for the free motivation!” Their skepticism was like rocket fuel to prove them wrong and get to that “I told you so” moment. And to myself, I’d wink and say, “Stick to your guns, kid. The road will be bumpy, but you’re in for one hell of an adventure.” There were moments when I wondered if I’d taken the wrong turn, but every obstacle just confirmed that I was on the right path. Regrets about being an entrepreneur? Not a chance. It’s been a crazy, rewarding journey, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What do you know now that you wished you had known before?

How to be a better networker and especially email marketing is something I would really recommend everyone to learn and get better at. It can be a super powerful tool.

What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?

Well, many moments from seeing the first result of Insights after years of development and bleeding for it, then being invited to so many governments and ministries and literally changing the course of laws and governance. It also makes you proud when your input changes the course of EU decisions and you can make sure that hundreds of millions of people get a better chance. There are many moments I am proud of, also as a keynote speaker I have had great moments speaking at WEF, UN or other super exclusive clubs. For someone my age it is definitely unique in many ways and looking back also my journey and suffering to get to this point is something that makes me proud because I went through hell and not only survived but came back better.

What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?

I want to change 1% of the world, and honestly that is more of an ideological percentage because it is hard to measure. I want to make an impact on the world and fight for a future that is more prosperous and where we use technology to do great things and enable ideas that may have been science fiction before, but we can make them a reality someday.

To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?

Just say “yes” to a lot of things early on and get out there, learn fast, don’t be too slow, and most of all, just get a lot of experience. I did over a dozen internships, worked for free for hundreds of projects and companies and was always there when someone said “I need help”. This really gives you a wide range of learning and you constantly surround yourself with challenges and over time you build a unique set of skills and experiences that will be your moat and advantage for all your life.

“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and MoreThanDigital”

To learn more about MoreThanDigital Visit https://MoreThanDigital.org

Find on social media @ Instagram: t_b3n

Twitter: https://x.com/btalin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.talin/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/talin

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