Life is hurdling, at which Gena Sabeva is a marathoner. She is one of those rare people who work smart and love to bring everything they start to success. This is how she briefly introduces herself: “An entrepreneur, a founder, and a visionary. Chairwoman of the Association of Interior Designers in Bulgaria. Chairwoman of the branch organizations with the BCCI. Mentor and traveler.” Gena is a managing partner at the family company Sabevi Group and develops her own franchise brand VIT – Mattress Exchange. Among her many activities, we have to point out her talent for working with people. Here is her first-person story:
An entrepreneur is a person who has an idea and tackles its realization, without being afraid of failing. They shouldn’t even ask their friends’ and family’s opinions because in 99% of the cases, they say: “If no one has done it until now, are you crazy?! No way, don't bother!”
My rule
is to take advice only from someone who has already made it where I want to go too. Only a person who has lived through it, achieved it, and has personal experience can be a teacher. Nothing else works. Besides, my “How” is not your “How”. I climbed Kilimanjaro. However, everyone experiences climbing mountains in their own way; everyone is affected differently by the height and the obstacles along the way. It is the same in business.
For six years now, every Thursday early in the morning, together with a group of women, we have been hiking from Boyansko Hanche to Boyanski Waterfall. The hike I call “Business Paths” is an exercise for the mind and body aimed at presenting opportunities to make new contacts and discover new ideas. This hike comprises everything there is to a business: it takes
clear purpose and preparation
Unexpected things happen. There are easy hikes and difficult hikes, and when you get to the top, it is a beautiful view… The idea was born during my participation in the Coach Academy. The aim of the training was to teach us basic principles of working with people. We had to prepare seminars and webinars in order to practice. Instead, I decided to gather enthusiasts to go hiking with. That way, I have a topic in mind for each hike that we discuss, and I always remind newcomers, no matter their current age, to always think about their passive incomes. And I help them do just that. I started a Facebook page “Make money in your sleep” and I have never found myself alone on this
business hike
I like to joke that this is my pro bono consultation that only requires fitness to walk. Many people have ideas, they have made a plan, but they just keep putting it off. And I literally push them to start. Now!
It took me some time to find the thing that will make me wake up in the morning ready to act. I am always experimenting, and even if I do not know where I am headed, I keep searching. When I find what I instinctively need, the energy and inspiration are there. What I like most is meeting people and I have discovered that my strength lies in uniting them in different spheres of interest and activity, for example, female entrepreneurship, construction, interior design, franchise.
The mentoring program
I host for female entrepreneurs gives me purpose and emotion. We have been working for half a year. In the beginning, some women come with one intention but they undergo a transformation and are overcome by new ideas for a business that will make them happier. In the course of the training, they came to realize why I never have a Plan B. When you start preparing a meal, you need to chop everything and mix it. It does not look tasty at first, but eventually it works out. It is the same with everything – when we have a clear purpose, a deadline, and a plan, we make it work. If there is no clearly structured program, a person wastes too much energy – if there is no stable coverage, a smartphone will also expend its battery quickly.
Everyone asks me how I find
time for everything
And my answer is I can manage my time. At any given moment, I have priorities – based on the day, based on the appointments, based on the age. Time is my most important criteria. I have a schedule for the day and I am extremely punctual. My life moves according to a plan that I just stick to once it has been fixed. I started doing business when I was only 20. In the early 1990s, I opened stores in the central district of Sofia – selling radio parts, buttons, shoes, fabrics, furniture. I tried everything. I realized that I need to first create the chaos and then put it in order. Gradually, I streamlined the model and I ended up not having my own stores but teaching people how to start their own business and open their own mattress store.
When I was doing small business 30 years ago, I also owned a furniture store. Then, I noticed that 70% of the turnover was generated by mattresses during a certain season. So I decided to try selling only mattresses. I found out that people want to see
many things in one place
where someone can offer them advice on choosing what is best for them. This is how I launched the mattress exchange. Now it is run by a small team, and each franchise partner is a standalone unit with their own company. On a local level, they are the only representative of my brand VIT. The most difficult task is finding the right people to be franchise partners. I find them among those people who go to work, want to start their own business but are not sure what exactly. I usually reach them through personal contacts or recommendations. Creating entrepreneurs is difficult, people are afraid as this is a significant change in their lives. But when they start picking up the fruit of their labor, no one wants to go back.
My favorite thing to do
when I am on a plane is to map out my next steps. When I was 25, I had set clear goals for myself and by the time I was 36, I had achieved them. I am convinced that if you do not have goals and a clear program for achieving them, life does not offer you a step forward.
I am aware of what failure is and what success is. If once I have made it somehow by accident, I now know the way and as a mentor, I pass on my experience.
Interview of Tatiana Yavasheva for Journal of Economics