Petra Marko Navarro

Petra Marko Navarro, Founder & CEO, NeonHeads

We want to tell Petra Marko Navarro’s story to many more people with the intention to inspire readers, especially budding entrepreneurs and thus embolden the entrepreneurial spirit of the region.

This feature will talk about her professional journey: challenges, failures, successes, leadership approach and the values she brings to people through her company. At APAC Entrepreneur, we are encouraged by her leadership and we will continue to support her entrepreneurial journey through our various programs.

1. Starting your entrepreneurship at the age of 19 is quite impressive. What motivated you to venture into business at such a young age, and what were some of the initial challenges you faced?
   Yes, I was 19, in the first year of university, loved mathematics and initially dreamt of becoming a scientist. I began my entrepreneurial journey when my maths professor failed me over a perfectly marked exam with the argument: “do not show off”. That painful experience triggered me. My hypothesis was that as an entrepreneur, therefore your own boss, you would minimise the influence of these weird people in your life.
   
   And why entertainment? Thanks God school had always been a smooth sail for me. From the age of 15, I started to fill my after school agenda with part-time jobs to earn my own pocket money. I did so many different jobs you wouldn’t believe, but the one which determined my career path was an assistant of a macro-magician. Oh, that was a lovely job! We travelled, did amazing tricks (which principles I will never disclose, let’s say it is all real magic!) and were paid for it. This opportunity made me touch the world of entertainment, see its gigantic market size, potential for improvement and for creating more “happy jobs”, as I like to call jobs in entertainment industry. The “traumatic exam” in 2002 triggered the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey and I’ve been in the entertainment industry since then.
   
   Initial challenges were “from the book”. Too young to be taken serious & basically no capital to invest. But we managed! I knocked door after door and raised from family & friends a serious size loan. That’s a reason I am now “a hobby angel investor”, helping start-ups with an angel capital and mentorship – to give back what kicked off me.
   
2. As the Founder & Shareholder at NeonHeads and CEO of NeonHeads Saudi, could you walk us through the key milestones and turning points that shaped your journey as an entrepreneur and led to the establishment of these ventures?
   2002: first 4 in-house Artists | first 100 costumes | one man show operation with big “family & friends loan” | 30+ shows in the 1st year, all in Central Europe.
   
   2006: the first big TV project (Popidol) & first contact with “fame” | 1000 costumes | 250+ shows a year across Europe | graduating university with a master’s degree in the standard time frame, despite many sleepless nights juggling my studies & winning the first entrepreneurial award.
   
   2011: full-on “tabloid fame” thanks to Dancing with the Stars project – being the first female entrepreneur celebrity in the region | death of my beloved mother –emotional crush & resilience builder at the same time.
   
   2014: 500+ shows a year across Europe & Middle East | 5000 costumes | starting my Harvard journey & meeting there the love of my life.
   
   2019: 200+ in-house Artists | 7000 costumes | operating across Europe, Middle East & successfully penetrated Asia | entering Saudi Arabia.
   
   2020 – 2022: mastering the profits distribution and successfully saving all 6 NeonHeads global offices (Berlin, Lisbon, Prague, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai) during Covid 19, which was a death sentence for many of us in event entertainment.
   
   2023: move headquarter from Macau to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | working day & night to create a local, Saudi entertainment ecosystem | developing promising entertainment tech unicorn REE.global.
   
3. You mentioned your love for mathematics, logic, and implementing them in art. How do you bring these elements together to create unique and successful artistic experiences within NeonHeads and its projects?
   I find there are good creative houses all over the world but only a few of them deliver a service that is “headache-free”. That is a goal that NeonHeads strive for in every project carried out. Our commitment to reliability and at the same time our true passion for creativity, across all our offices, is the key factor to our success. Our clients experience a journey that is organised, clear, structured and at the same time super creative and detail oriented. They love it! And that is thanks to the mathematical mindset of the key-managers I have chosen to lead our offices.
   
4. With 20 years of experience producing event entertainment for a global market, what have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned along the way, and how have they influenced your leadership style?
   Every win as well as every loss is a precious learning lesson. I am enjoying every tear, sweat & smile on the way and am blessed by a capability to infect with this attitude the team. That’s lovely leadership style – be happy and people around you usually get infected. Listen, listen, listen – to your team and to your clients. One of “my tricks” are – give more than agreed, to your clients as well as to your team. That’s a gesture that will not go unseen. Also, to be firm but compassionate, expect a lot but give a lot too. And never let an artist to go hungry! Well-fed artist, happy artist.
   
5. As an influential entrepreneur and CEO, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are just starting their own ventures and looking to make a mark in their respective industries?
   Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. Daily obstacles ARE THE JOB, don’t waste time with complaining. Do more listening than talking, be observant and become a voracious learner. Bend your project as many times as needed, every day is different and change is the only constant in the world. When success finally comes you forget all the pain. Enjoy the highs, you deserve it!
   
6. How do you envision the future growth and development of NeonHeads and NeonHeads Saudi? Are there any new initiatives or projects in the pipeline that you can share with us?
   Future growth will be highly influenced by my passion for Saudi Arabia. I relocated with my family to Riyadh in 2022, and have fallen in love with the challenging but super exiting journey to develop a sustainable entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. As a female entrepreneur, and an entertainment industry expert, this is a once in a life-time opportunity to leave an impactful mark in the freshly born country’s industry. I am here with my utmost passion for growing the LOCAL ecosystem and can’t wait to reap the fruits that I and my partner in crime, Ms. Lina Alabdan, are labouring so passionately for. A project I am super excited about is our disruptive, tech startup REE.global – a global EVENT ENTERTAINMENT e-commerce AGGREGATOR, with unique TRAVEL & DELIVERY API. The MVP (minimum viable product) generated a shocking amount of revenue and gained such interest among clients that many of them volunteered to become pro-bono consultants for future development. We are currently in SEED round capital raise, looking for a strategic investor. Stated with all the humbleness – I would not waste a single minute of my professional capacity on anything less than a potential unicorn project. REE.global has all what it takes to become one, and one more extra – as an “ENTERTAINMENT Uber”, grown in Saudi Arabia, it carries exceptional global PR potential for this fascinating, speed of a light developing, country I fell in love with.