To exceed customer expectations is the path to success

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Stoyne Vasilev and I am an independent personal financial consultant and founder of SmartMoney.bg – one of the most popular sites for personal finance and investing.

Tell us what are the philosophy and values of the company you currently represent?

Our main philosophy is to provide honest and impartial consultations and training, without selling financial products and investments. This allows us to protect the interests only of our clients, and we are not intermediaries who receive commissions and bonuses for every sold insurance or investment product.

How long have you been developing your current company? What are the most valuable lessons that what happened during this period taught you?

In 2014, I left the corporate world and started my own company. There are really many lessons, but one of the most valuable is that exceeding customer expectations is the path to success.

If you personally had to write a job advertisement, how would you attract the attention of a future employee?

I have always relied on the personal element in a job advertisement. We are not looking for machines with specific characteristics, but living people with different interests, knowledge, and skills. For me, it is more important that the new employee 'fits' into the team, rather than having strong individual qualities. This applies to all levels in a company.

What does your company do to organize a constructive and fruitful working environment for everyone? Should people in the team be friends?

It is not necessary for people in a company to be close friends, as this is more of a 'side effect' of good environment. We strive to organize things in such a way that everyone can show their strengths and contribute to the overall success.

What makes you look forward to going to work? How do you deal with difficult and stressful moments?

When you eliminate 'bad' stress, mainly related to poor communication, you are left to focus only on your work. I rely on the fact that everyone, who is provided with a calm and supportive environment, gives their best and comes every day with the desire to achieve the best possible results for themselves and for the company.

What work model does your company adhere to – office or remote? What do you think about the possibility of offering options for flexible working hours, within which employees have greater freedom to balance their personal and work commitments?

We all work remotely and no longer maintain an office. This is one of the best decisions I have made. I must admit that this could not have happened if we had not gone through the difficult period of the pandemic and the change in the working environment and habits.

How do the continuous technological changes on a global scale affect your business?

We strive to quickly implement all new technologies and products that facilitate our work. We are not afraid that they will take our jobs, but we use them to become more effective ourselves.

How important is the hierarchy and what does it mean to you? What kind of communication do you advocate in your company?

I am an advocate of flat (entirely horizontal) structures with one leader. For small companies, this is the most effective way of management, without creating unnecessary communication and delays between the different units, as is the case in large companies.

What is your career advice for all people who are building a strategy for their professional development?

To give more than people expect from them. This is a working strategy for long-term success.