Moscow to Louisville: The Corporate Leader Who Built a Networking AppFrom Moscow to Louisville, Anna Shulgina brought 20 years of corporate leadership experience—and turned a frustrating networking problem into a business idea.In this episode of Freedom Friday at the Journey to Business Ownership Podcast, I sit down with Anna, founder of Work Your Net, to talk about her transition from international corporate leadership to entrepreneurship.Anna spent years in business development and commercial leadership roles, including overseeing markets across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. After moving from Moscow to Louisville, she found herself in a new country without an established community or network.So she started networking.And quickly discovered a problem.Finding the right events took too much time. Information was scattered across different websites and groups. It was hard to know who would be in the room, whether an event was worth attending, and what to do with all those new connections afterward.Instead of continuing to struggle with the problem, Anna decided to build a solution.That solution became Work Your Net.Work Your Net is designed to help entrepreneurs and professionals network more strategically by helping them discover events, identify opportunities that may be worth their time, connect with the right people, keep track of relationships, and simplify follow-up.What makes Anna’s story even more interesting is that she didn’t start out thinking of herself as a tech founder. She took the idea, created the business and marketing plans, researched the market, and then accepted the challenge to build the first version herself.In this episode, we talk about:• Anna’s 20-year corporate career • Her move from Moscow to Louisville • Building a new professional network from scratch • The frustration that inspired Work Your Net • Why entrepreneurs waste so much time searching for networking events • How the app helps determine which events may be worth attending • Matching attendees with people they may want to meet • Simplifying networking follow-up • The Work Your Net Memory Book for keeping track of connections • Building an MVP without being a traditional software developer • Anna’s plans for B2B tools for event organizers • Her vision to expand beyond Louisville and eventually go global • Why networking ROI matters for business owners Anna’s story is a great example of how entrepreneurship often starts with a simple observation:There has to be a better way.Instead of waiting for someone else to build it, she decided to create it herself.🔗 CONNECT WITH ANNA & WORK YOUR NETWork Your Net:https://workyournet.comAnna Shulgina on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-shulgina-065b26b/Work Your Net on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/wyn-workyournet/posts/?feedView=allCreate your profile, discover your networking type, explore events, and start being more intentional about where you spend your networking time.Anna is actively developing the platform and is looking for feedback from users, so try it out and let her know what you like, what you don’t, and what would make it even more useful.🔗 CONNECT WITH PATRICEWant to explore business ownership, buying a business, or franchise opportunities?Journey to Business Ownership:https://JourneyToBusinessOwnership.comConnect with Patrice Miles on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricemiles/My coaching and consulting are completely FREE, and I work with people anywhere in the country who want to explore what becoming their own boss could look like.Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE this episode with someone who is thinking about entrepreneurship—or anyone who spends way too much time trying to figure out where they should be networking.Freedom isn’t just a dream. It’s a choice.Keep chasing purpose, not just a paycheck.
