Stepping Into Discomfort: How EYBA’s Co-Founder Expands Our Global Expertise
A training that delivered clarity, tools and confidence
At EYBA, we believe in continuous growth — not only for the companies we support, but also for ourselves as practitioners. At the beginning of November, our co-founder Leila stepped into an exciting (and admittedly uncomfortable) challenge: presenting her academic research to fellow students and Professor Alain Verbeke at Henley Business School.
Although presenting in an academic environment is very different from addressing rooms full of entrepreneurs, Leila chose this opportunity intentionally. She describes the experience as one where words slip away and balance wavers — a sharp contrast to the confidence she has built on the business stage. Yet these moments of discomfort are exactly where meaningful development happens. We at EYBA know that this is a great opportunity for self-growth.
Why did she take on this challenge?
From EYBA’s perspective, the answer is clear — because growth fuels innovation.
For Leila personally, the reasons were equally powerful and very relevant to what we do every day at EYBA while searching for new markets and clients:
✅ To gain academic feedback that sharpens the direction of her research.
✅ To refine her ideas and presentation, including the working title of her project.
✅ To invite fellow students and scholars to contribute to the international market selection process — a field central to Leila and EYBA’s expertise.
The late-night revising preparations were worth it. Every iteration strengthens the contribution EYBA aims to make to the global business community.
Connecting EYBA’s Methods with Academic Foundations
Leila was enrolled at Henley Business School in two rigorous courses, both grounded in international business:
- Theory of the MNE: Foundations of Global Corporate Success (Alain Verbeke)
- Economics of International Business (Mark Casson)
Both courses offer deep theoretical grounding from some of the world’s most respected thinkers in international business.
This academic journey is not separate from EYBA’s mission — it is part of our evolution. Leila is actively integrating EYBA’s hands-on, field-tested methods with strong academic knowledge, going narrow and deep into one core topic:
How companies should choose their export markets — with precision, structure, and evidence-based reasoning.
This work will ultimately refine the frameworks and tools we use inside EYBA programs, giving our participants even stronger, research-informed guidance.
We appreciate Heidy Montero Teran for capturing the moment and supporting Leila with her encouraging attitude throughout the courses.
We also extend our thanks to Leila’s supervisor Marge Täks, Gaygysyz Ashyrov, the Estonian Business School, Estonian Doctoral School for their continued support in this journey.
At EYBA, we believe that when we grow, our clients grow too.
This journey is only the beginning.
