Victoria Doramus is a digital and print media professional with a penchant for the creative. She has an extensive background in media, advertising, branding, and communication and is always finding new and innovative ways to combine these fields. She attended the University of Colorado – Boulder with a BA degree in journalism and mass communication. She has a long history of media background including creative work experience with Mindshare, Stila Cosmetics, Creative Arts Agency, and Trendera, where she focused on advertising and branding. She also worked in the TV and film industry as the personal assistant to film director and producer, Peter Berg, which gave her the opportunity to further expand on her expertise in identifying new and creative ways of marketing and trend analysis.
Along with her professional life, Victoria Doramus is also fully committed to her charity work. She dedicates her time to several charities including the Amy Winehouse Foundation, Room to Read, Best Friends Animal Society and the Women’s Prison Association. She is passionate about her desire to help others succeed and fulfill their dreams in the same way that she has. Through her philanthropic work and her dedication to charity, she is able to work towards achieving this goal.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m pretty excited about the “bring your own data” trend happening right now in health. I track my steps, heart rate, calories, sleep cycle, blood pressure and meditation minutes on my Apple Watch via the Health app. I keep up with what I’m eating on the app My Fitness Pal. My dog even has a steps GPS tracker on his collar called Whistle. I’m a bit obsessed with it these days as I personally find it super helpful to do everything I can to stay healthy. While wearable tech isn’t new, the overabundance of personal data one can collect on themselves daily is something that seems to be growing and that I personally find helpful in making sound, healthy decisions daily.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I carry around a hand-written “To-Do” list of everything I need to get done for the next day every night before I go to bed. As obsessed with tech and digital everything that I am, I find writing out what I need to do to be an effective tactic for actually getting it done. It feels old school as there are definitely tons of task-related apps but there is just something about crossing things off my list soothes me and let me manage my time better.
What advice would you give your younger self?
You are enough and to love yourself more. Self-confidence is the key to most everything in life. Also, I’d definitely tell myself to slow down — who was it again that said, “the beautiful never hurry?” Because its totally true.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I’ve had a lot of failures in my life and fallen flat on my face but it wasn’t until I was able to take responsibility for my part in those failures that I was able to move forward. Overcoming failure isn’t something that just happens overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and hard truths about yourself.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I used to be attached at the hip to my laptop but now with the iPhone X, I can be anywhere in the world and get stuff done with one hand. I’m all about productivity via apps. My favorite apps in NYC are Postmates or Cavier – anything and everything delivered on demand 24/7. Also, the recovery app Pink Cloud is great as it helps me find AA meetings based on my location.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I pretty much only read non-fiction memoirs, particularly addiction recovery literature. In no particular order, my top three must reads are Permanent Midnight by Jerry Stahl, Beautiful Boy by David Sheff and More, Now, Again by Elizabeth Wurtzel. I love a powerful redemption story and each of these books resonate with me on a visceral level and have been influential in helping shape my experience in both recovery, and life.
What is your favorite quote?
To be honest, I find quotes a bit cheesy but a saying I really like is “if you spot it, you got it.” In my experience, if a person or situation infuriates me it is often a reflection of something in myself that needs improvement.
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Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.