When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everyone turned to online education. We were all under lockdown and had to easily adapt to the changes from sitting in a classroom, to waking up daily to attend classes via Zoom. It was a struggle for many students, not to mention teachers.

So, Mila Smart Semeshkina found a gap in the market at the *perfect* time to launch her career onwards and upwards.

Scroll down to read more about the founder of Lectera, Mila Smart Semeshkina…

We decided to get up close and personal with Mila Smart Semeshkina, to learn more about what inspired her to create Lectera, how, and why. Just a quick rundown on the legend herself, Mila is the author of the Fast Education teaching method, president of Women’s Empowerment Council, and last but not least, the executive chief of global educational platform Lectera.

Cosmo ME: How did you get to where you are today?

Mila Smart Semeshkina: My career path was rather challenging. I grew up in the Russian provinces and knew from an early age that I wanted to work with foreign languages and communicate with people. Obviously, at that moment I had no idea how my life would turn out, and I dreamt of becoming a translator. Since the age of 17, I have worked in marketing and event management. I even wrote my master’s and graduate dissertations while working and studying at the same time. Eventually, I realized that traditional education has little to do with real success. 

The idea for Lectera stemmed from struggles early in my life. Lectera and Fast Education’s unique methodology now allows students of all ages to achieve results in the shortest time possible.

C: You launched Lectera during a pandemic. What has changed over the last two years?

MS: Lectera was launched during turbulent times. The market was very different, but we understood that a crisis offered a unique opportunity. Although the interest in the education industry has heated up, little has changed. Studying in the world has only increased from 3% to 4-5%.

When faced with reality, we decided to build the platform on our own without attracting investors. We create the content ourselves and translate it into 15 languages. In this regard, we are unique. Besides turning into a venture investor, I also understand that I need a growing business and a bright future, not just quick cash. Right now, we are growing quickly and standing on our own two feet. I firmly believe that online education should be available to everyone.

Now that thousands of people have lost their jobs, they are thinking about how to stay competitive. Therefore, we have reduced the costs of courses, and some are now free to access. In our fast-paced world, everything is changing so quickly – just a few years ago, social media marketing was one of the hottest careers. Now, this career path is experiencing difficulties.

C: You travel frequently and live in Dubai, Miami, and Moscow. Wherever you are, how do you feel at home and maintain a rhythm of work?

MS: It has been a while since I associated a house with a roof over my head. Home is where I am, so I had to adapt to this lifestyle, and I am definitely a global citizen. If you understand what you are doing and why – maintaining a rhythm is easy. When you see the end result, you are interested in the path itself. I always set goals for the day, week, month, and year. What’s most important is that I do what I love. That’s what matters.

C: Recently, you became president of the Women’s Empowerment Council, an international organization that helps women worldwide to gain equal business opportunities. What is the mission of this organization?

MS: Empowering women is a very important topic for me. In the past year, I have encountered many strong and smart women who do not just do business but also do it for good. Each of them faced a situation that left them no other choice but to succeed. In the world, there are many injustices against women. Even though in practice I have seen that we tend to generate results better than men. Women are more diligent and attentive. We act much more selflessly when we have something to fight for.

The Council assists women across the globe in gaining equal business opportunities. We help ambitious women find mentors, and investments and grow their businesses.

C: How hard is it for a woman to build a successful career in the modern world?

MS: It is difficult for anyone to build a successful career today. In order to build a successful career, a person needs to think logically, possess skills, and take the necessary steps. Here, gender is irrelevant. Women have a difficult time because of social pressure. In our society, a woman is still expected to create a family, have a child, be a wife, mother, girlfriend, and, in general, be perfect.

My belief is that the most important thing for a woman to be is happy. What this happiness consists of is purely subjective. For some, happiness is becoming a wife and mother, and for others, it is becoming the CEO of a company or the president of a country.