MARCO MONTERSINO
Entrepreneur | IM Trading S.R.L.
The story of MARCO MONTERSINO - Entrepreneur | IM Trading S.R.L.
My name is Marco Montersino and this is the story of how a small white flag, waved by a child to be seen by his father, became the symbol of a company of value: IM Trading S.R.L., which deals with Workplace Safety and Privacy.
I grew up in a deeply agricultural environment, where the dominant verb was just one: work.
Work early, work hard, work always.
In that culture, recognition came through hard work: the more you worked, the more you were worth. But inside me, there was a desire for something different.
The image I carry inside is that of a child with a small white flag in hand, raised as high as possible to be seen by his father.
That flag represented the need to be recognized, heard, seen for who I was. But no matter how much I waved it, it always seemed too small. No one really noticed it.
For years, I chased that recognition through work. I started my business, managed over 3,000 clients, and immersed myself completely in operations.
On paper, I was "succeeding": I had a company, work, responsibilities. But inside, I was repeating exactly the model I criticized as a young man: lots of work, very little time for family, almost no space for myself.
The turning point came when I started my individual journey with Private Community.
I started with a simple and uncomfortable question: "Why do I do what I do?"
Behind it were other questions: "For whom am I working so much? What am I looking for? What is the meaning of all this?"
The work of awareness forced me to face a truth I was avoiding: I was chasing a model of approval that no longer belonged to me.
I complained about the culture of "work, work, work," but in fact, I was replicating it, setting aside what I claimed to consider most important: family.
I understood that what truly drives me is giving value to family, mine and others', and I chose to rebuild my way of working based on this awareness.
Today, I can say something that, a few years ago, I would not have thought possible: I see my children, I talk to them, I listen to them.
I am no longer just a tired presence at the end of the day, I am a father who is there. This, for me, is already a huge achievement.
From this personal transformation, a new business idea was also born.
IM Trading S.R.L. is not just a company dealing with workplace safety: it is the concrete way I can contribute to ensuring that fathers, mothers, and children return home safe and sound at the end of the day.
Safety is not just regulatory, it is a form of care. And for me, this has a profoundly familial value.
Almost by chance, during a dinner with in-laws, the idea of creating the current company together with my brother-in-law Sebastiano was born.
He worked in a bank. At one point, he said to me: "I'm leaving everything, I'm coming to build something with you."
My reaction was one of surprise: leaving a secure job for an entrepreneurial project in the field of workplace safety is not an obvious choice. But that proposal was perfectly in line with the path I had started with Private. I felt it was the right direction. And I said yes.
After working on myself, I decided to bring Private Community into the company as well, through the Corporate Program.
In the company, there were four of us: me, my wife, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law. Four different people, with different styles, fears, and expectations. We needed a common language.
The Corporate allowed us to build a shared Vision and Mission, to define clear roles, procedures, responsibilities, but above all to create identity. We were no longer just "family members working together," we were a team.
One of the most transformative tools was the study of behavioral styles.
I am a Go-Getter, action and goal-oriented; my wife is a Promoter, inclined towards relationships and involvement; my brother-in-law is a Nurturer, with a strong need for security and care for others; my sister-in-law is an Examiner, precise, analytical, detail-oriented.
Naming and giving meaning to these styles changed the way we work together.
I understood that with my wife, I need to lighten the way I propose things because energy is fundamental for her.
With my brother-in-law, I learned to provide more stability and clarity because his peace of mind comes from the security of the context.
With my sister-in-law, I understood that the time she needs to evaluate is not resistance, but a resource to avoid mistakes.
This "map" has not remained theoretical: we use it in selection interviews, in choosing clients, in internal communication, even in drafting estimates.
Today, when I conduct an interview, I don't just describe the tasks: I tell the story of IM Trading S.R.L., our Vision and Mission, the family values that support it, and the reason why this company exists.
I want to understand if the person in front of me can find their identity within this project.
When I see something light up in a person's eyes, I know that a true collaboration can be born there.
One of the aspects that makes me most proud is the evolution of people in the company.
I think, for example, of a girl who, on the first day, said: "I don't know how to do anything." She entered quietly, with little confidence in herself.
Step by step, delegation after delegation, mentoring after mentoring, today she is a point of reference: she manages medical visits, coordinates the occupational physician, follows the schedules, and handles part of the risk assessments.
This did not happen by chance. It is the result of three elements: trust, responsibility, and a culture of feedback.
We have created an environment where people know what is expected of them, where they can grow, but also where it is clear that if they don't identify with the values, it is better to leave.
In a defined culture, people self-select: those who are not aligned, at some point, show themselves the door. Those who stay, stay because they believe in it.
A fundamental role in this journey was also played by the Community of entrepreneurs with whom I share work in Private.
Honest confrontation - sometimes edgy, never superficial - has been real fuel.
Receiving direct feedback, even when it hurts, forces you to remove excuses and see what is truly there.
I bring that same culture of confrontation into the company today: people learn to talk to each other, to tell the truth, to manage conflicts. It is there that the most significant growth occurs.
On the numbers front, the change is clearly visible.
In the first year, IM Trading S.R.L. had a turnover of 170,000 euros.
In the following years, we had a steady growth of about +100% each year.
But the point, for me, is not this: turnover is not the strategy, it is the consequence.
The real strategy is to have a clear Vision, share mission and values with partners and team, choose clients and collaborators consistent with that vision, build an environment based on feedback and responsibility.
When you align these dimensions, the numbers come by themselves.
Today I no longer work "to make turnover."
I work to build a company of value, familial in the way of being together and solid in the way of working.
Turnover is just proof that we are heading in the right direction.
If I had to give advice to an entrepreneur, I would say this:
if you want to build a company that lasts over time, that has value, that is not just turnover but also culture, well-being, and growth, then a path like this is not optional.
It is an inevitable choice for those who truly want to do business.