
Why Launching a Business is Scarier Than Skydiving - Martina Monreal
From Teacher Talking Time by teachertalkingtime
April 30, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 127
About this episode
Martina Monreal discusses the challenges of launching a business compared to skydiving, emphasizing the importance of patience and overcoming fear in entrepreneurship.
"It’s 5,000 metres high, and I promise you: it is much scarier to launch a business than it is to jump out of a plane. When you launch, you are open to being judged, and you can fail, but that 80% fear is exactly what drives you to succeed." We chat with Smart Cookie co-founder Martina Montreal. Martina is a language educator and the co-founder of SmartCookie. Since 2016, she has taught over 1,000 students, using that experience to go all-in on building a "second brain" that eliminates administrative chaos for teachers. Martina advocates for the power of patience and taking professional leaps, even when launching a business feels scary. In this episode, we chat about: The power of "nàixīn" [耐心]: why patience is the most demanding requirement for both language learning and business. Overcoming the cost of inaction: how saying "yes" to an unplanned Spanish class changed Martina’s entire career. How a background in abstract logic fueled the creation of a "second brain" for teachers, Why Smart Cookie focuses on eliminating administrative fat rather than overcomplicating with features. Why true professional strength is built through failure, not playing it safe. Why rest is not a…
People in this episode
Guest: Martina Monreal
Topics covered
- business launch
- patience in education
- overcoming fear
- entrepreneurship
- language learning
- administrative efficiency
Keywords
- business launch
- fear of failure
- language education
- administrative chaos
- entrepreneurship
- patience
- Smart Cookie
Sponsors
Communicating for Impact
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Smart Cookie
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